Blueberry and Mojito racked

Racked the Blueberry and Mojito today. The blueberry has turned out excellent and has a character much like a cabernet or merlot. SG tested 1.000 and no sweetening will be necessary at all. I will let it clear one final time and bottle.

The Mojito turned out very nice too and will be a good summer wine but doesn't hold a candle to the Blackberry or Blueberry.

Sub-lime Mojito

Started a Mojito style wine which will be labeled "Sub-lime". This will be a mint/lime flavored takeoff on Lon's famous skeeter pee lemon wine but with 60 oz. of 100% lime and 32 oz. of lemon concentrate along with a little mint for a light summer drink.

I decided to prepare this wine with a yeast starter instead of a slurry: Hydrate yeast in 1/4cup water and in a separate container mix 2.5 cup water with 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of nutrient and a dash of the lime sugar syrup.

1. Invert 16 cups sugar in 30 oz of lime juice for 30 minutes.
2. Allow inverted syrup to cool and add to primary along with other 30 oz of lime juice and water to 5.5 gallons.
3. Stir and check SG (I am looking for alcohol on the light side so 1.055-1.060)
4. Add 3 tsp of nutrient, 1 tsp of energizer, 3/4 tsp of tannin. (Same amount to be added again later)
5. Let sit for 24 hours stir and whip in oxygen and add yeast starter.
6. The remaining 32oz of lemon juice will be added when SG is approximately 1.040 along with the remaining nutrient and energizer.

I have decided there is probably little benefit to ferment the mint in the primary and so have decided to make a mint sugar syrup which can be used for back sweetening as well as mint flavor at the time of bottling. In this way the mint flavor can be controlled.