5 litres boiling water 750g fresh redcurrants with stalks removed 400g seedless raisins 1kg (8 fruits) Cripps Pink desert apples finely chopped juice and rind of 1 unwaxed lemon 2 teaspoons pectolase 1 teaspoon yeast & nutrient ½ teaspoon citric acid ½ teaspoon tannin 1.2kg sugar

DAY 1: 04-09-02
5 Litres of boiling water were poured into a brew bucket containing 750g fresh redcurrants, 400g raisins, the juice and rind of one lemon the and 1kg chopped apples. The bucket was stirred and allowed to cool. Once tepid, 2 teaspoons of pectolase were added. The bucket was recovered and left to infuse.

DAY 3: 07-09-02
A starter bottle was prepared.

DAY 4: 08--09-02
The fruit mixture was strained through nylon then through muslin to yield 5 litres of cloudy pink juice. 4.5 litres was measured off and to this 1.2kg sugar, 1tsp nutrient, ½ tsp critic acid, ½tsp tannin were added and dissolved. The starter bottle was added and   the bucket covered to allow fermentation to get underway.

DAY 6: 10-09-02
With the initial super vigorous fermentation over the brew was transferred to a clean demijohn and airlocked.

WEEK 10: 17-11-02
The brew had stopped fermenting (gravity measured at 985), though remained fairly cloudy, and so was racked into a clean bottle. Unfortunately not all 4.5 litre bottles are created equal, and in going from one 'small' bottle to another 'large' bottle left a considerable air space in the second bottle. The wine was treated with 1 tsp Bentonite which has been previously dissolved in 150ml cooled boiled water. Unfortunately even the addition of the Bentonite mixture didn't come close to filling the bottle, and so a bottle of topping up solution was prepared. Once underway almost 600ml of the solution was required to fill the bottle to the top.

WEEK 10: 19-11-02
No sign of renewed fermentation. Bah. It would seem that although the granular yeast used to make the topping up solution certainly gets off to a frothy start, it isn't very effective when presented with a brew containing a fair bit of alcohol already. By way of a rescue attempt another starter bottle was prepared, this time using 'SB3 High Alcohol and Country Wines yeast', which had previously managed to recover stuck brews.

WEEK 10: 20-11-02
Approx. 200ml was decanted off the brew and replaced with vigorously fermenting yeast solution.

WEEK 11: 21-11-02
Although not exactly spectacular, some barley perceptible fermentation had got underway. The presence of the Bentonite in the bottom of the bottle coupled with the cool ambient temperature may have some baring on the disappointing rate of bubbling.

WEEK 39: 08-06-03
The wine's gravity was measured to be around 994; a definite improvement over the result obtained back in November! The brew was finished and spotlessly clear and can be bottled at the next convenient time.

WEEK 44: 14-07-03
The wine was racked onto two crushed campden tablets and a teaspoon of potassium sorbate. Once dissolved the brew was given a final polish through the VinBrite and bottled into green glass.
An excellent wine with slight pink tinge.