The Sugar Shack Special
This was my first wine. I used about 1.75 gallons of maple syrup to make a unique maple-flavored wine that is quite sweet but still very tasty. I definitely learned a lot from this one, including that anything is possible and don't pay attention to the directions. Up until this point nobody I knew had heard of maple wine, let alone tasted it. Now they all know I have some and I am a wanted man at social gatherings. Get yer hands off, it's in limited supply!
I started this wine in January of 2017 and bottled it in August that year. It drinks like a light mead at only about 11% ABV. Only 22 bottles were minted in its first run. Aside from a bit of sediment in the bottom from too little aging, it's perfect!
I bottled a second batch of The Sugar Shack Special in December 2018. It's a bit sharper at 14% ABV. Less sweet, more boozy! Many who couldn't take the overpowering maple syrup feeling of the first one have agreed the second one is even better. I prefer sweet-feeling wines, and maybe after a little more aging version two will take the top spot. Time will tell!
A third round was bottled in 2022 after about two years of aging. It's right down the middle at 12%. Nice!
