Bob McDonald <rmcdonald@ansremote.com> wrote:

> I found a winery this weekend that produces decent quality, chemical
> (specifically sulphites) free products. The owner, Duane Peterson, says they
> are one of the only wineries in the world that washes their hand picked grapes

> before crushing to eliminate the nasties. Thereby eliminating the need for
> sulphites. The wines I tastes were quite good.

Sure. And they work in biologically sterile environments as well of course.
Did anyone ever tell those guys that pure, biodynamically grown grapejuice
even contains sulphites? The plants produce it themselves. Together with
a whole lot of other junk.
And I'm quite convinced that they are the only place in the world to wash
their grapes. Most other people know it won't help a bit. Unless you wash
them in 150 proof alcohol.
I did taste some biodynamical wine once. It was a very good wine, and a friend
of mine who usually had great problems with hangovers didn't have the
slightest headache after drinking 12 bottles between the four of us. The
wine was of quite different character than the other local wines though, but
I think that it was a combination of the fact that this was the first year
the grapevines were used to make wine, the fining was done with eggwhite,
and the (used) barrels used for aging came from a very fine chateau in the
Bordeaux area.

Personally I only use sulphites to decontaminate equipment. I let the
alcohol do the rest of the sterilisation. I make no wines (actually meads)
under 12% alcohol. There isn't much that will survive that under anaerobic
conditions.

Cheers,

Ralph
ralph@astro.lu.se

Sir Kenelme Digbie, 1669:

You may use what Herbs or Roots you please, either for their tast

or vertue, after the manner here set down.

If you make it work with yeast, you must have great care, to draw

it into bottles soon after it hath done working, as after a fortnight or
three weeks. For that will make it soon grow stale, and it will thence
grow sower and dead before you are aware. But if it work singly of it
self, and by help of the Sun without admixtion of either Leaven or Yeast,
it may be kept long in the Barrel, so it be filled up to the top, and kept
very close stopp'd.

I conceive it will be exceeding good thus: when you have a strong

Honey-liquor of three parts of water to one of Honey, well-boiled and
scummed, put into it Lukewarm, or better (as soon as you take it from the
fire) some Clovegilly-flowers, first wiped, and all the whites clipped off,
one good handful or two to every Gallon of Liquor. Let these infuse 30 or
40 hours. Then strain it from the flowers, and either work it well with
yeast, or set it in the Sun to work; when it hath almost done working, put
into it a bag of like Gilly-flowers (and if they are duly dried, I think
they are the better) hanging it in at the bung. And if you will put into
it some spirit of wine, that hath drawn a high Tincture from
Clove-gillyflowers (dried, I conceive is best) and some other that hath
done the like from flowers and tops of Rosemary, and some that hath done
the like from Cinnamon and Ginger, I believe it will be much the nobler,
and last the longer.

I conceive, that bitter and strong herbs, as Rosemary, Bayes,

Sweet-marjoram, Thyme, and the like, do conserve Meathe the better and
longer, being as it were instead of hops. But neither must they, no more
than Clove-gillyflowers be too much boiled: For the Volatil pure Spirit
flies away very quickly. Therefore rather infuse them. Beware of infusing
Gillyflower in any vessel of Metal, (excepting silver:) For all Metals will
spoil and dead their color. Glased earth is best.

• END-

Around California, star thistle honey would be an entirely different product.
(Careful of common names!) Our own "star thistle" is a particularily nasty
spiny thistle with small yellow thistle-shaped flowers. Seems to be a good
pollen source, but is considered a noxious weed. It sounds like both "star
thistles" are compositae, but the Michigan variant has a more "herbal"
quality that imparts into the honey.

Jilara [jane@swdc.stratus.com]