A Fine Mix: Last Year's Juniper-Apple Wine with Niagara

Today's test kitchen project ended as a bright, bold, if not brazen blend of last years Juniper-Apple and Niagara wines.  The Juniper-Apple was fermented with Red Star's Cote du Blanc yeast then cleared, and conditioned with a sweetener that included glycerin, and was interesting good on its own.  The Cote du Blanc left the apple flavors undisturbed, but overall, it accented the juniper berries more than expected.

It was a wine that taught me that it takes a very little bit of juniper (maybe 5 berries) to taint an entire batch of apple wine past the point where it starts taking on the flavor of a Gin & Tonic on a boat near a dock in Lake Michigan in late August. 

So overall, the Apple  ended up rather a curiosity, a sweet, unusual wine, with quite a strong juniper afterglow, missing the citric notes to balance of that G & T at the US Open in your hat in your white visor. 

The solution: mixing the Juniper-Apple with the Niagara that's been clearing in the fridge for a year.  The Niagara had a bold bright flavor that was ideal for the yearly fish fry.  Its ended up with very distinctive, extremely dry, taste with a well balanced, high tannin mouth feel.  

The Niagara was fermented using EC-1118, which made very pleasing result.

The mixture turned out well, tacking a little heat off the juniper after glow, while adding a bright, dry, acidic flavor, with a thinker mouth feel despite cutting the slightly heavy glycerin from the conditioner. 

Both wines where in the 11% alcohol by volume range.