Jeanette’s Blackberry Wine Soap
I make and sell a Blackberry Wine Soap. It’s one of my best sellers. I use a hearty homemade blackberry wine that my vintner husband creates. I use a CP process, and the final color always turns a creamy tan unless I put a color in it. It will not retain its wine fragrance during the curing process, so I add fragrance.
Here’s how I make it:
I substitute the wine for the water in my recipe, and carefully stir the lye into that. I usually do this outside on the grass behind the shop because as you stir the lye and wine together it goes through 2 phases:
1) the “I Wanna Clump Phase,” quickly followed by
2) the “Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble” phase.
Yep, stand back because when this stuff hits phase #2, it quickly bubbles up near the rim of the bowl and then settles down again. That’s when I take it inside and let it cool. From there, I proceed as usual with my recipe, remembering that this particular soap traces quickly and will look like applesauce. I whisk in color and fragrance, then pour into the mold. I do NOT insulate this soap, only cover the wooden mold with clear wrap and toss a tea towel over the top and let it sit back behind the woodstove. The soap continues to heat up and is set and ready to cut within 24 hours. I think the biggest selling point of the soap is the fact that it’s made with our homemade wine. That adds a special touch!
A reminder — The usual disclaimers apply. The recipes in this library reflect the individual contributors' own methods of soapmaking and are written in their own words. We cannot personally guarantee the success or results of any of the recipes included in this library.