Blackberry Wine - 17th Bottle (A1), 24th June 2012

This is a particularly good bottle of wine. It has reached a stage of maturity that creates a depth which begins to resemble real red wine. It is a shame, therefore, that there is only one bottle left. I was all for drinking a white wine, but Claire pointed out, reasonably, that we were having a beef and ale pie, and a red would be far more suitable.

Despite having had a gin & tonic in the garden, enjoying a rare bit of June sunshine and a glass of redcurrant wine each, we managed to polish off the bottle, ignoring the fact that we both had work the next morning. I reckon that being sensible and taking all things in moderation is overrated.

Gooseberry & Elderflower Wine 2012 - The Making Of ...

Soft fruit is ripening later than usual this year. It is no surprise - the weather has been diabolical. But as gooseberries are just coming into their own, and elderflowers are still abundant, it made sense to do this wine again. 2011's vintage is extremely good, so have decided to do a double batch.

I met Julia at the allotment on Saturday afternoon, 23rd June, during a rare break from the rain. The day before we had June's monthly average rainfall in just 24 hours. Julia has several gooseberry bushes and we picked fruit from a couple - taking the larger berries in the hope that this would allow the smaller ones to swell in time for a second picking. Between us we picked 8 lbs 4 oz and in return I dug two patches of ground for her. One of these involved taking out several butch thistles. These come out with a pleasing 'pop', their tap root in tact.

Then on Sunday, around noon, I went to pick my elderflowers. Claire and I had gone to Pannal to play chamber music with some WYSO string players, practising for a surreal-sounding concert on 21 July which is to fuse classical music with Hip-Hop. Once my bit was over I wandered to the parish church, where I had seen an elder tree, and picked about half a plastic-bag's worth.

Back at home I stripped the flowers (Radio 4 at hand, as always) which came to seven-eighths of a pint. I measured 6 lbs of gooseberries and put these, the flowers and 1 lb of minced sultanas into the bucket. I then had a frustrating and difficult time trying to crush the berries with a potato masher. Claire made it better by bringing me a gin & tonic and helping cut the berries with our super-sharp knife.

(Quick aside - I have just fettled Claire's hiccups by shouting BOO at her very loudly.)

I added 12 pints of boiling water and 5 lbs 8 oz sugar. The yeast and about a teaspoon each of pectolase and nutrient went in on Monday morning, 25th June. I sieved out the fruit and flowers on Friday evening, 29th June, and put it into its two demijohns. This was a tedious task as the liquid took an age to drain through the sieve. The wine is possible the brownest that I have made, which does not fill me with hope. I anticipate a large sediment.

Brown wine (plus Quince ready for bottling to the right)

*

To get my first impressions on the first bottle click here. I'm not sure what I did wrong!

Redcurrant Wine - First Bottle (1), 22nd-24th June 2012

Redcurrant is redeemed. After a frankly disappointing batch from 2010, the first bottle of Redcurrant 2011 is actually quite good. If you concentrate really hard there is a trace of mustiness, but that can be ignored. It has both sharpness and depth and is, of course, a splendid colour.

I drank half of the bottle whilst Claire was out playing 'Ludlow and Team'. It was a rare night in by myself and rather than taking the opportunity to do something self improving and worthy, I watched Episodes and Pointless.

We finished the bottle tonight following a gin & tonic in the garden, where the sky has turned a strange blue colour and there is a large yellow circular thing, which I am told is called 'The Sun'.

Elderberry Wine - 13th Bottle (C1), 19th-22nd June 2012

It has been a busy week, both at work and home. Consequently Claire drank most of this bottle and I should hand over my pen to her. At work I have had Darren's daughter with me for work experience, so rather doing dull Property Law tasks we have been to a murder trial and to West Yorkshire Archives. At home, I have been out every night - including two different Wind Quintets and beers for Julia's sixtieth birthday. This has all left Claire at home with a bottle of elderberry wine to get through. I had a glass on Wednesday after WYSO (where Claire and I both came away feeling like we played badly) and half a glass on Friday as fortitude in preparation for the monthly Sainsbury's shop. This wine has now matured properly and has a deep, earthy taste.

Hedgerow Wine - Fifth Bottle (5), 16th June 2012

We had a warming winter meal - a sausage and lentil casserole with mashed potato and diced swede - that called for a bottle of red wine. It might as well be February. The weather has been so horrid recently that I have forgotten what sun and blue sky feel like. Hedgerow wine fitted the bill nicely, and we drank our last glass in a shared bath.

Earlier in the day we had played in a workshop on Mozart's 40th Symphony held at Carr Manor School. Claire and I had expected dreadful things, but in fact it was all rather jolly and musically not bad. Being a three minute walk away was just an added bonus.

Orange Wine - Fourth Bottle (B3), 13th-14th June 2012

This bottle was opened to celebrate the last day of being 41 and finished to celebrate the first day of being 42. Any excuse. We had come back from WYSO on Wednesday night and Claire agreed to make Thursday's sandwiches if I would both wash up and do my sexy fish impression. One bowlful of warm soapy water and a sexy fish impression later the sandwiches were made.

Tonight, despite it being my birthday, I should really have been revising for tomorrow's 'Accountant in Business' exam. But the orange wine was calling to me, so between us we finished that instead. And very good it was too.

Afterword - unlike the exam, which was distinctly average. The further I get from it, the more convinced I am that I failed. Results in August.

Blackberry Wine - Sixteenth Bottle (C5), 10th June 2012

Today is the Feast Day of St Ithamar, and we have celebrated him with a feast. Our main course was lamb chops marinaded in olive oil, garden grown mint and tarragon, with broad beans, spinach, potatoes and that aubergine-tomato-breadcrumb dish. The most exciting course, however, was the starter. This, including the pigeon, was entirely foraged from the garden. We had our first summer salad - lettuces of various kinds, chive flowers and radishes, as well as plump pigeon breast lightly fried.

About a month ago Claire heard a 'thunk' against our back bedroom window. It was an adolescent pigeon with suicidal tendencies. Checking it was already dead, Claire plucked and removed the breast and put it in the freezer. This meat was delicious - tender and flavoursome. The blackberry wine went well, and we raised our glasses to Ithamar, first Anglo-Saxon bishop of Rochester (and, indeed, England).

The Salad of St Ithamar