Melome v1.0

After making a few successful meads I wanted to expand to melome. Today I botteled my first melome. It is a clear red color with out using any artificial clearing. There is approximately 11,3% alcohole in the melome. It is extremely dry.

Recipe:

• 80g Saaz hops pelets, 60 min in 10l
• 30g Saaz hops pelets, 30 min in 10l
• 30g Saaz hops pelets, 15 min in 10l
• 3 sticks of cinamon
• 4ts ginger
• 4,2 kg Brazilian honey.
• 2,8 kg Swedish honey.
• 443g blue berry
• 737g blue grapes
• 668g plums
• 427g cherries
• Wyeast Mead Activator
• Total of 26l, OE 1.75

Primeaur

Introduction
Primeaur is to buy wine when it is still on the cask, not yet finished. It is very important to be able to taste the wine before buying as there are few or no reviews of that vintage. The Bordaux Chateau sells to primeaur in order to liquidate some of the money they have in the unfinished cask. This is a very old tradition. The wine is delivered one or two years after you bought it.

My ranking of the wines from Bordeaux Primeaur tasting in Oslo

Château	Year	Score
Château Angelus	2006	9
Château Beychevelle	2008	7
Château Beychevelle	2006	10
Château Beychevelle	2002	10
Château Camensac	2001	7
Château la Clemence	1999	8
Château Clerc Milon	2001	10
Château Coutet (Sauternes)	2008	9
Château Coutet (Sauternes)	1998	11
Château Destieux	2004	8
Château Gazin	2007	6
Château Guiarud (Sauternes)	2008	10
Château Guiarud (Sauternes)	2007	10
Château Giscours	2006	9
Château Grand Puy Lacoste	2006	9
Château Labegorce	2001	10
Château Lagrange 1. vin	2004	8
Château Lagrange Fiefs de Lagrange 2. vin	2004	8
Château Lagrange Arums de lagrange (White)	2008	8
Château Leoville Poyferre	2008	9
Château Leoville Poyferre	2007	9
Château Phelan Segur	2008	10
Château Phelan Segur	2004	9
Château Pont Canet	2008	7
Château Pont Canet	2001	9
Château Smith Haut Lafitte	2007	9
Château Smith Haut Lafitte (white)	2007	10
Château du Tertre	2006	10

Producers at the Bordeaux Primeaur in Oslo 31st of August 2009:
Ch. Angélus (St Emilion), Ch. Beychevelle (St Julien), Ch. Branaire-Ducru (St. Julien), Ch. Canon-la-Gaffelière (St. Emilion), Ch. Camensac (Haut-Médoc), Ch. Cantermerle (Haut-Médoc), Ch. Chasse Spleen (Moulis en-Médoc), Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac-Léognan), Clos Fourtet (St. Emilion), Ch. Durfort-Vivens (Margaux), Destieux (Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé), Ch la Clemence (Pomerol)) Ch. Gazin (Pomerol), Ch. Giscours (Margaux), Ch. Grand Puy Lacoste (Pauillac), Ch. Haut-Bailly (Pessac-Léognan), Ch. Labégorce (Margaux), Ch. Labégorce Zede (Margaux), Ch. Lagrange (St. Julien), Ch. Léoville Poyferré (St. Julien), Ch. Les Carmes Haut-Brion (Pessac-Léognan), Ch. Petit Village (Pomerol), Ch. Phélan Ségur (St. Estephe), Ch. Pichon Longueville (Pauillac), Ch. Poujeaux (Moulis en-Médoc), Ch. Suduiraut (Sauternes), Ch. Pontet Canet (Pauillac), Ch. Smith Haut Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan) og Ch. du Tertre (Margaux)

Red wine for pork

My ranking of wines that are good with pork.

Wine	Score	Price
Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso	10	185
Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon	9	79
Rosemount Shiraz Cabernet	9	104
Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet	9	106
Jacob's Creek Shiraz Cabernet	9	106
Antinori Santa Cristina	9	114
Angove's Long Row Shiraz	9	127
Allesverloren Shiraz	9	129
Serego Alighieri Poderi del Bello Ovile	9	129

Port

My ranking of Ports. Ordered by average score and price per liter.

Name	Score	NOK per l
Ramos Pinto 30 Y.O. Twany	11	808
Niepoort Vintage 1980	11	1233
Krohn Vintage 1970	11	1450
Hutcheson Feuerheerd Colheita	11	1817
Churchill's 10 Y. Tawny	10	293
Warre's Quinta da Cavadina Vintage Port	10	295
Smith Woodhouse Late Bottled Vintage	10	306
Barão de Vilar Colheita	10	319
Graham's 20 YO Twany	10	340
Quinta da Foz Vintage	10	398
Quinta da Romaneira Vintage 1987	10	427
Ramos Pinto Quinta de Bom	10	646
Niepoort Colheita	9.8	560
Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny	9.5	385
Ramos Pinto 10 y.O. tawny Quinta Ervamoria	9.5	385
Niepoort Tawny 10 Years Old	9.5	440
Sandeman Fine Tawny	9	221
Ferreira Ruby Reserve	9	240
Niepoort Senior Tawny	9	265
Churchill's Crusted Port	9	306
Rozès Reserve	9	306
Cálem Colheita	9	396
Rozès Vintage	9	399
Porto Old Ruby Quinta Santa E???	9	467
Ferreira Duque de Braganca Tawny	9	505
Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage	9	513
Cálem 20 Years Old Tawny	9	532
Viseu Carvalho Special Reserve White	9	545
Niepoort 20 y.O. tawny	9	625
Niepoort Vintage 2005	9	749
Taylor's Vintage Port	9	785
Graham's Vintage	9	799
Graham's Six Grapes Reserve	8.5	246
Rozès Late Bottled Vintage	8.5	279
Fonseca	8.5	380
Quinta da Ventozelo Vintage	8.5	571
Sandeman Founders Reserve	8	239
Taylor's Late Bottled Vintage	8	239
Graham's Late Bottled Vintage	8	246
Barbeito Boal 10 year	8	265
Quinta de la Rosa Finest Reserve	8	273
Fonseca Bin No	8	279
Ramos Pinto Reserva Collector	8	280
Cálem Lvb	8	280
Niepoort Late Bottled Vintage	8	287
Nieport LBV	8	292
Fonseca Terra Prima Reserve Port	8	305
Quinta do Tedo Late Bottled Vintage	8	323
Cálem 10 Years Old Tawny	8	359
Quinta do Pego Vintage	8	466
Noval 20 YO Twany	8	552
Quinta de la Rosa Vale do Inferno Vintage Port	8	580
Barbeito Verdelho	8	944
Offley Proto 30 Year old Twany	8
Churchill's Late Bottled Vintage	7.5	225
Oporto Ruby	7	145
Royal Oporto Ruby	7	189
Noval Special Reserve	7	212
Silver White	7	226
Noval Tawny Reserve	7	239
Sandman White Port	7	252
Niepoort Morgadio da Calcada, lbv	7	263
Smith woods?	7	293
Quinta de Santa Julia Lbv	7	304
Quinta de la Rosa Late Bottled Vintage	7	332
Noval 10YO Twany	7	332
Santa Eufêmia Old Reserve White	7	467
Quinta do Noval Silval Vintage	7	519
Taylor's Quinta de Vargellas	7	532
Kopke Colheita	7	589
Quinta do Noval Colheita	7	799
Cálem Vintage	7	929
Barbeito Malvasia	7	2770
Quinta do Noval Unfiltered Lbv	6.7	266
Royal Oporto White	6.5	200
Quinta de Maritávora Tinto	6	240
Niepoort Ruby Reseva	6	245
Churchill's White Port	6	252
Quinta do Estanho Lbv	6	333
Quinta do Estanho Porto Vintage	5	467
Santa Eufêmia Vintage Port	4	505
Quinta do Noval Vintage	4	865
Kopke Bridge	3	145

Mead v1.0

A decade ago I was really into making my own wine, beer and mead. I was never able to create a good wine, but I made good beer and mead. I quit the doing it a few years ago.
A few months back, when I was talking to my boss who is making mead, I was suddenly struck with the urge to try to make mead again. The first mead-must has fermented to completion as I write this. The must taste surprisingly good, prior to the fermentation, which gives me high hope for the end result. I'm not creating mead in the strictest version as I have added an assortment of spices and hops.

The recipe:

• 6kg honey
• 100g Saaz hops
• 2ts ginger-powder
• 3ts cinnamon-powder
• 0.5ts carnation-powder (nellik)
• lemon rind from two lemons

I added some water, hops, spice and honey to a kettle and boiled it for about 10 minutes. Then I strained the worth through a cloth to remove particles. After which I transferred the must to a fermentation tank and added water for a total volume of 25 liter. The oechsle weight was 1,060.I had problem getting the fermentation to start and had to use to packs of yeast. After three weeks of fermentation the weight was reduced to 1,000. Which results in (1,060 - 1,000) /8 = 7,5% of alcohol.

When racking the wine after three weeks of fermentation the wine was surprisingly clear. Even though I had bought win clearer I opted against using it. I moved the wine into a cooler room, where I left it for a week before bottling it. (The image on the right shows the mead after 5 weeks of bottle storage.)

The labels were printed on a regular laser printer, on regular printer-paper. For adherence I used a thin coating of milk. Which makes the label stick very good, but still easy to remove with water.

Now it's resting comfortably in the cellar. Where I expect it to stay between three and six months.

During this process I found this page very usefull:

• A nice faq for home-brew.

Mead v3.0

Mead v2.0 looked too dark and tasted too much of hops as must, therefore one week after v2.0 was made I made another one. It is mostly done the same way. Except that the hops is boiled less and I droped the anise. Because I did not have the same honey I had to use sweedish honey.

The recipe:

• 13kg honey from Brasil added in 7.7kg and 5kg batches.
  
• lemon rind from two lemons, 10 min in 10l
  
• 150g Saaz hops pelets, 15 min in 10l
• 4ts ginger-powder, 3 weeks
  
• One stick cinnamon, 3 weeks
  
• 32 carnation (nellik), 3 weeks
  

With the yeast I'm using I get aproximately a reduction of 1.010 OE a week.

Mead v2.0

Mead v1.0 looks promising, but unfortunately it tasted better as must than after the fermentation. I hope that storage will improve it. Inspired by the fact that the (1.040 oechsle) must tasted great I'm making a sweeter mead this time. I read a very interesting and well written book about Mead making called The Complete Meadmaker.

I used the no-heat method described in The Complete Meadmaker, in which the honey is not heated at all. According to the book this will preserve the flavor and aroma of the honey. Also instead of boiling spices with the hops I used whole spice (cinnamon, carnation, and anise + ground ginger) and only ground them lightly in the mortar. Then I left them in the must for three weeks.

I boiled 10l of water for one hour. I left 80g of Saaz hops in the water for the entire duration, 30g was added after 30 minutes, and another 30g after 45 minute. Lemon rind from two lemons were also left in the entire time. The resulting must was very dark. It was undrinkable sweet and had a overpowering taste of hops.

I only had Dry Mead yeast which in theory can survive unto 18% alcohol. So I added only 8kg honey, giving me a total volume of 25l with OE 1.100. Which in turn will give 13,75% alcohol. After the fermentation I will kill off the yeast by adding sulfate and moving the must to a cold room. After which I will added more honey to give me OE of 1.040 in the finished mead.

The recipe:

• 13kg honey from Brasil added in 8kg and 5kg batches.
  
• lemon rind from two lemons, 60 min in 10l
  
• 80g Saaz hops pelets, 60 min in 10l
• 30g Saaz hops pelets, 30 min in 10l
• 30g Saaz hops pelets, 15 min in 10l
  
• 4ts ginger-powder, 3 weeks
  
• One stick cinnamon, 3 weeks
  
• 32 carnation (nellik), 3 weeks
  
• 1ts anise