Mandarine-Orange Wines, Sherries, and/or Meads

• 1 pt Mandarin orange juice
• 2 lbs finely granulated sugar
• 61/2 pts water
• 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 tsp citric acid
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 crushed Campden Tablet
• 1 pkt Chablis or Hock wine yeast

Juice the oranges and add all ingredients except pectic enzyme and yeast to primary. Stir well to dissolve sugar, cover primary and set aside for 12 hours. Add pectic enzyme, stir, recover, and set aside additional 12 hours. Add activated yeast and cover primary. Stir daily until vigorous fermentation subsides, then ferment covered until s.g. drops to 1.010 or below. Transfer to secondary and fit an airlock. Ferment to dryness, racking once or twice, and then stabilize and bulk age 4-6 months (check the airlock from time to time to make sure it doesn’t dry out). You’ll probably want to sweeten it a bit before bottling. Don’t over-do the sweetening. [Author’s own recipe]