Mixed Flower & Nettle Wine - Second Bottle (1), 5th August 2021

This wine was unexpectedly popular at Rydal, and of the three that I took, this was the one most enjoyed. Francesca said that it was the best wine of mine that she has tried - though I think her experience is limited. Someone compared it to a Chardonnay, and I am suspicious of their palate.

Thursdays at Rydal tend to be the day that "Too much fun" catches up with you - and so it proved for me. I didn't do any walking (mind you, the weather had broken), but there was still plenty of music, including Dvorak's 8th Symphony, a Beethoven overture and March to the Scaffold

Too Much Fun at Rydal

Gooseberry Wine 2020 - Second Bottle (3), 3rd June 2021

I cooked Hot Tomatoey Garlicky Asparagus on Thursday, which is not as successful as its cousin, Hot Tomatoey Garlicky Prawns - or even the mackerel variety. The asparagus gets lost in the mix. 

Jayne joined us for the meal - the first person (other than us) to eat inside our house for well over a year. It was excellent to be able to play host again. I opened a bottle of Gooseberry Wine to mark the occasion, though Jayne was driving and had none. Whilst Claire thought that this was little better than a mid-week bottle (on account of it not having sufficient gooseberry flavour), I disagree. It is semi-sweet with a bite, and well worth getting stuck into.

It was my mother's 80th birthday the previous day

Elderberry Wine 2020 - The Making Of...

Sunday 6th September, despite being earlier than previous years, was really my only opportunity to forage for elderberries. Next weekend we are in Newcastle (before Leeds is put into quarantine) and the weekend after that would be too late. I had planned to go in the morning, but we were entertaining Jayne in the garden instead. Here I use 'entertaining' to mean 'making polite conversation and enjoying each other's company' rather than juggling fruit and eating fire.

Elderberries that made it into my bag

I drove to my usual parking spot and walked down Kennels Lane, noticing that there was little fruit in the hedgerows on either side. When I got to the field I always use, I discovered that it had been gated: the right of way has been diverted elsewhere. This, though, was not going to stop me! I climbed over the gate and picked the few elderberries there were along the previous right of way. My haul was clearly insufficient, so I wandered along the field side adjoining Kennels Lane, which was far more successful. Every now and again I head a tractor in a nearby field and I kept my eyes open for irate farmers, but my surreptitious plucking remained undetected.

A view across the field 

As usual I came away with two plastic bags three-quarters full, and this translated into 7 lbs of elderberries. It took a very long time to translate them, though - over 2 hours. During this time I listened to many episodes of Punt P.I., learning about Emile Zola's death and a mysterious low hum that certain people hear constantly. Separating elderberries from their stalks is a dull job.

7 lbs of elderberries, successfully stripped

I put 6 lbs of elderberries into my bucket and mashed them with the potato masher. These were covered with 5 lbs 8 oz (which is nearly exactly 2.5 kg) of sugar and 12 pints of boiling water. Next morning I added a teaspoon and a half of nutrient and a teaspoon each of yeast and pectolase.

Putting this into its demijohns was a Friday lunchtime job, so that we could drive to Newcastle in the early evening. I had limited time and was as efficient as possible. Including sterilising my equipment, it took about half an hour. The wine is as dark as ever and is bubbling enthusiastically.

Elderberry wine in its demijohns

Strawberry Wine 2019 - First Bottle (6), 4th July 2020

 My fears about this wine proved needless. Even Claire, who is not ordinarily a fan of strawberry wine, said that she liked it. The taste of strawberry is definitely there, but maybe not as pronounced as previous years. It may be a little drier too: more like a white wine than before.

It being 4th July, we ate fried chicken, potato salad and Boston Baked Beans, and then watched Little Shop of Horrors with Sally, Sooz and Jayne. It is a great musical - good tunes, clever lyrics, an amazing cast and just an overall joy.

Taken on 4th July

If you want to see how this wine was made, click here.

Prune & Parsnip Wine 2017 - Ninth Bottle (B2), 6th June 2020

I am feeling glum about my impending 50th birthday. Why, I'm not sure - it certainly has to do with the onward march towards mortality, but I think it also has to do with the circumstances in which we find ourselves. It wasn't as if my birthday would have been a big celebration anyway - I was due to play in an Airedale concert. But with social distancing, it is now going to be a quiet occasion.

We drank a bottle of Prune & Parsnip which helped improve my mood a little and I was persuaded to watch Pitch Perfect by Sooz, Jayne and Sally. Unexpectedly, I didn't loathe it.

Sage flowers, taken on 6 June.

Blackberry Wine 2018 - Sixth Bottle (A1), 23rd May 2020

I can't remember the last time that I had a clash in my social-engagement diary. It is not something one expects in this era of social-distancing. However, on Saturday night I had to cut my attendance short at a Zoom dinner party in order to join the Snarkalong Film Club at 8 with Jayne and Sooz. The film was St Elmo's Fire and on the whole was unengaging and very much of its time. Blackberry wine was served at both dinner party and film club, and was enjoyed by me.

Fox gloves in our garden

Apple & Strawberry Wine 2016 - Fifth Bottle (2), 29th November 2019

Having half a turkey remaining after Thanksgiving meant that Thanksgiving II was required. Andrew and Sooz were staying and this provided an excuse to invite Jayne. I decided to open Apple & Strawberry on the basis that it is one of my best. Sooz preferred the dregs of Clove & Ginger to this, but then she preferred this to the bottle of real wine that Jayne provided.

Thanksgiving II was more of a traditional Sunday Roast than the original had been - and none the worse for that.

Horns of Plenty - nothing to do with this post

but taken on the same day.

Dandelion Wine - Second Bottle (1), 19th April 2019

On a day that I started my next batch of dandelion wine, which was Good Friday where Andrew, Sooz and Jayne were all here, it seemed right and proper that we should drink this year's bottle of dandelion wine. This was after having an early (and floppy) gin and tonic, followed by Cosmopolitans in the garden. The weather has been idyllic over the last few days (though we do need some rain quite badly, just not this Easter weekend).

This wine was good without being outstanding: a medium-dry sherry with a definite hint of lemons. I wonder how next year's bottle will be.

Cosmopolitans in the garden

Vanilla Wine - Final Bottle (1), 17th November 2018

We are into the bottom three wines for the Wine Party. This came fourteenth of sixteen, with an average score of 1.25 out of 5. It really was not a good wine (though with a dash of sugar syrup improved). Curiously, there were two people who enjoyed it - David and Anthony. Jayne, though, did not hold back on her comments: "Bloody awful. Smells bad, tastes worse and absolutely sod all like Vanilla." (I have censored the original comments for the purposes of this blog.) Two people referred to its industrial cleaner aroma, but it also got a surprising number of 3s and 4s (i.e. more than none).

V is for Vile.

Elderberry Wine 2014 - Final Bottle (A2), 17th November 2018

I decided to open my oldest elderberry for the Wine Party on the basis that elderberry wine just gets better as it ages. On the basis of this bottle, that might be an urban myth. It opened with a 'pop' and its dry fizziness only served to make it weird. Someone wrote that it was 'subtle' and I disagree with that. Jayne preferred it to Strawberry and I disagree with that too. Lindsay may have gone too far the other way, calling it 'Fizzy Vomit'. It came tenth overall with an average score of 2.7 out of 5. As someone else wrote:

E is for Evil.

Apple Wine - Second Bottle (2), 17th November 2018

My Wine Party this year had an alphabetical theme, so of course I opened a bottle of Apple Wine. In total 16 letters were represented and this flavour was a very respectable fourth, with an average of 3.83 out of 5. Jayne thought there were hints of Calvados and it was Claire's favourite of the evening.

A is for Absolutely Acceptable.

The sixteen bottles opened (in alphabetical order)

NB - As I have 16 bottles to blog about I will endeavour to do two a day.