#35 – Pineapple

Bottled (29) 375ml and (9) 750ml (from 5 gallons) at 12% ABV on 30.June.2013.

Another sparkling wine!  This one wasn’t a surprise — after finishing to taste at 11%, I noticed that it had started bubbling again.  (Lower alcohol + hardy yeast + sugar = bubbles).

One surprise, however, was the amount of work it took to siphon out of the carboy and into the bottles — all that bubbling was counter-productive to siphon operation!  The other surprise was coming home from work the day after bottling to discover one oddly-positioned bottle in the middle of all the other freshly-corked-but-yet-unlabeled bottles…  Turns out the bottom of the bottle had blown out from the pressure!  I suppose that’s what I get for not using champagne bottles for an actively-sparkling wine!  More tragic losses have fortunately been averted by storing in the refrigerator.

In addition to the plentiful bubbles, this wine is crisp and fresh — with a light taste of pineapple.  Best served/stored chilled.  Several people have (independently) suggested that this would pair well with ham!