wine tastings

1. nettle wine
making: argh. nettles. how exactly do you define a nettle tip? ouch. ouch. ouch.
bottling: hmmmm. maybe this will improve with age.
aging: OMG what was that noise? did something crash through a window? uh oh, another nettle wine bottle exploded....
tasting: first taste - this tastes like medicine. fifth taste - *hic* very strong medicine
verdict: probably good for vikings. hippy vikings.

2. cranberry wine
making: i am going to channel martha stewart and have the best thanksgiving evah.
bottling: go go go. i know, 2 weeks short, but thanksgiving waits for no one. i'm sure you won't be able to tell.
aging: unimpaired as was disgusting at thanksgiving. forgotten about for 8 months.
tasting: wow - this is drinkable
verdict: probably an accident

3. peach wine
making: peaches, yum. what could possibly go wrong?
bottling: is it just me or is this a little syrupy?
aging: you open it. no you open it. no you open it. isn't there some nettle wine we could have instead?
tasting: bland syrup. how is this possible? very alcoholic bland syrup.
verdict: stick it under the stairs maybe it will turn into schnapps.

4. elderflower wine
making: are we done yet? no - you will never be done. there are still 3 million teeny tiny flower heads to pull off of recalcitrant stems.
bottling: yum. juice.
aging: it's winter. elderflower is wrong. easy to age until the first sign of spring, then, - save it for summer! but - but - but
tasting: yummy. perfect for summer, but you'll never know because you have drunk all 5 gallons of it before the end of may.
verdict: *hic* hail hail the elder tree

elderflowers are out. tomorrow is our first picking day. the race is on.