Pea Pod Wine experience - 10 months later

[Mungo]

The peas did well last year and we had a load of surplus pods, so tried this recipe from CJJ Berry's "First Steps in Wine Making".

2.25kg Pea Pods
1.5kg Sugar
1 Tbsp Citric Acid
half Tsp Tannin
Water to 4.5 litres
Yeast and Nutrient.

Wash the pods, then boil them in the water, strain to remove the pods then dissolve the sugar in the warm liquid. When cool, add the other ingredients. Pour into a demijohn, fit the airlock. Rack when wine begins to clear and bottle when fermentation has finished.

I followed this recipe in August 2008 and 10 months later have just bottled it. In the book the wine is described as 'Medium', but my version of it is disgustingly Sweet. The alcohol content is very high - but not sure of the ABV. On sampling, there is a definite vegetable after-taste - almost an earthiness, plus it's far too sweet for my liking.

Not sure if I'll try this one again. If I did, I would limit the sugar to 1kg!!

[robharper]

I was just thinking about doing a peapod wine as I have a lot of peas in the garden just about to go into glut mode, so we'll have a lot of pods very soon. It might be worth a go anyway (only costs a couple of quid or so to make), but your note on the sweetness is helpful. It seems that most of the recipes CJJ Berry gives come out sweeter than he says.

So what sort of colour did you get at bottling time?

[pauljmuk]

MMMM peapod burgundy. Jerry Ledbetter used to love it!

[Mungo]

It would have been infinitely better had Felicity Kendall poured me a glass. I fancied her back in the 1970s and dammit I still fancy her now!

Bottled, the wine is a light amber colour - looks a bit like lager actually. I don't know what to do with it - it's far too sweet to drink (in quantity).

[robharper]

Keep hold of it until you have another wine that is too dry and would benefit from a bit of earthiness and then blend them. There's no shame in blending -- and it is a fine show of pragmatism.

[Laripu]

It's best served with a young Felicity Kendal

But anything would go with a young Felicity Kendal. The trick is to know what kind of wine would bring out the flavour of Felicity Kendal as she is right now.

[mshergold]

Felicity Kednall? In The Good Life? In tight jeans? Phwoaaaaar! Someone I work with made pea pod wine a few years ago from a recipe he fould on the internet (I think). He said it tasted awful.

[Curious Brew]

Felicity Kednall? In The Good Life? In tight jeans?

That's enough to make me pea wine!

[KevP]

It's best served with a young Felicity Kendal

Grrroooowwlllllll she was/is a honey, even Rick of the Young Ones fancied her. (who didn't?)