Plum Wine

METHOD:

You can use this recipe for any plum-type fruit -- home grown or store bought; Italian, Damson, Yellow, Greengage, or any sweet plum. With wild plums, which are generally high in acid, use an acid tester or cut down to 3 lbs. per gallon.
1. Wash, drain and remove stones. Chop into smaller pieces.
2. Put in nylon straining bag, crush and squeeze juice into primary fermentor. Keeping pulp in bag, tie top, and place in primary.
3. Stir in all other ingredients EXCEPT yeast. Cover primary.
4. After 24 hours, add yeast. Cover primary.
5. Stir daily, check Specific gravity, and press pulp lightly to aid extraction.
6. When ferment reaches S.G. of 1.040 (3-5 days) squeeze juice lightly from bag. Siphon wine off sediment into 5.0 gallon glass carboy secondary. Attach airlock.
7. When ferment is complete (S.G. has dropped to 1.000 -- about 3 weeks) siphon off sediment into clean 5.0 gallon glass carboy secondary. Reattach airlock.
8. To aid clearing siphon off sediment again in 2 months and again if necessary before bottling.

NOTE: To sweeten wine, at bottling add 2½ tsp. Stabilizer, then stir in 1¼ to 2½ lbs. dissolved sugar per 5 gallons.

VARIETIES TO USE AND PLANT: Japanese (Prunus salicina) and European (P. domestica) Plums are attractive as well as productive 15 ft. to 20 ft. trees. European plums are more tart and not as juicy as Japanese plums. Here are some self-fertile varieties to try: Damson, Greengage, Italian Plum, Santa Rosa and Stanley.