Oak Leaf Wine and Mead

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Oakleaf Wines; Both a spring vintage and an autumn vintage

Lets make a little oak leaf wine...

The Constance Bay Red Oak Forest has two species of oaks, namely the red oak (common) and the bur oak (uncommon). Use the leaves of either species (and for the mead also, noted at the bottom of this page).

To make your own Spring Oak Leaf Wine or Autumn Oak Leaf Wine, follow the instructions found on
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/oakleaf.asp.

In case you cannot find the site, here is our excerpt...

The two recipes, spring and autumn, differ only in that one uses young leaves and the other uses older leaves. [Recipes adapted from C.J.J. Berry's 130 New Winemaking Recipes - according to Berry, the two yield quite different flavors].

SPRING OAK LEAF WINE (young leaves not hardened off)

7 pints (about 4 litres) new oak leaves
3 lb. (about 1.3 kg) granulated sugar
2 oranges, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
1 gallon water
wine yeast and nutrient

Wash the leaves in clean cold water and place in a crock or bucket. Bring 6 pints water (most of the water) to boil and pour over the leaves. Cover and allow to seep for 24 hours, then strain the liquid into a pot large enough to take it and the sugar with a little room to spare. Add the sugar, the juice of the oranges and lemon, and their grated peel. Stir well to dissolve sugar, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool to 70°F. (room temperature, about about 20-22°C, or 295K), strain through nylon sieve, and add remaining ingredients. Transfer to secondary fermentation vessel and fit fermentation trap. Do not top up with water, as the initial four or five days should produce a vigorous fermentation foam. When this has subsided, top up with water and continue fermentation until wine clears (2-3 months). Rack, then rack again after two months and bottle. Allow six months to one year. Yield: about 5 bottles.

AUTUMN OAK LEAF WINE (older but still green leaves)

7 pints (about 4 litres) old (but not brown) oak leaves
3 lb. (about 1.3 kg) granulated sugar
2 oranges, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
1 gallon water
wine yeast and nutrient

Wash the leaves in clean cold water and place in a crock or bucket. Bring 6 pints water (most of the water) to boil and pour over the leaves. Cover and allow to seep for 24 hours, then strain the liquid into a pot large enough to take it and the sugar with a little room to spare. Add the sugar, the juice of the oranges and lemon, and their grated peel. Stir well to dissolve sugar, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool to 70°F. (room temperature, about about 20-22°C, ie 295K), strain through nylon sieve, and add remaining ingredients. Transfer to secondary fermentation vessel and fit fermentation trap. Do not top up with water, as the initial four or five days should produce a vigorous fermentation foam. When this has subsided, top up with water and continue fermentation until wine clears (2-3 months). Rack, then rack again after two months and bottle. Allow six months to one year. Yield: about 5 bottles.

Note: The image of the oak leaf wine bottle and glass show the product Cairn O'Mohr, makers of the world's best oak leaf wine. Should you wish to buy same - see http://cairnomohr.homestead.com/T1.html for the Autumn Oak and http://cairnomohr.homestead.com/T9.html for the Spring Oak.

Is OAK LEAF MEAD next for your wine cellar?

oakleaf mead

Now that you have successfully filled your wine cellar with wonderful, aging-to-perfection Oakleaf wine (a case or two of both the spring vintage and the fall vintage), it is time to make a case or two of Oak Leaf Mead. Follow the ancient Celtic recipe explained on the Celtic Network's website Nemeton: Home of Ancient Recipes - Oak Leaf Mead.

The author says of this recipe: "Oak Leaf Mead is a classic Ancient method to form a mead flavoured with and bittered by young oak leaves. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic traditional version of an Oak Leaf Mead."

Or you might try the Welsh Oak Leaf Mead, if you read Welsh.

The author says of this Welsh recipe:, "Gwîn Dail Derw (Oak Leaf Mead) is a traditional Cymric (Welsh) mead, originating in the Middle ages that uses oak leaves as a bittering agent. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Welsh version of Oak Leaf Mead."

Maybe you would prefer to buy? Here is where you can get the mead in the picture... http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/lurgashall/christmas_mead/overview.php

Canada Nutculture Association, Ottawa, Canada: "Progress through Research & Development"