Bordeaux Style – Dry White Table Wine

NB: If you are new to winemaking, it is worth checking out our guide to success.

Ingredients

• 1 Litre Apple Juice
• 1 Litre White Grape Juice
• 250ml Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• 30g Honey
• 1 or 2 Kiwi Fruit
• 480g Granulated Sugar
• Sufficient Pectolytic Enzyme
• Gervin No.5 Yeast
• 5g / 1 Teaspoon Bentonite (Optional)
• Water to 4.5 Litres

Method

If you wish you can add roughly a teaspoon of bentonite at the start of fermentation; this will give a smoother fermentation and help the wine clear afterwards.  The bentonite should be prepared beforehand by mixing it with a couple of fluid ounces of water and leaving it to stand for several hours.  If you are able to get the sodium bentonite in granular form, this hydrates in just a few minutes.  Take care to choose a honey that is fairly neutral in flavour and avoid acacia ones at all cost.  Since most honeys are likely to contain a small amount of wax etc., I suggest that you dissolve it in to 200ml-300ml of water and heat the solution to around 70 Degrees Celsius for 20 minutes or so.  Skim off any scum that may form on top of the solution.

Peel the ripe kiwi fruit and crush it gently.  Add the pulp to the fruit juices, honey solution, and sugar.  Add sufficient water to take the level up to the shoulder of the demi-john and then shake well to dissolve the sugar.  Add the rehydrated yeast and ferment away, keeping the temperature to well below 20 Degrees Celsius if you can.