I haven't made this pepperoni yet but as in all of these types of recpies they always forget to tell you at what tempture it has to hang at for the drying time.

I've noted that a couple of other readers have commented on the wine taste. This flavor is -traditional- for classic pepperoni -- we're just not accustomed to it in the United States, because commercial manufacturers do not tend to use wine -- instead, they use artificial flavors. Imported, small-batch pepperoni will have a much more noticeable wine flavor, unless is has been aging for months (the wine taste does diminish over time, as the flavors blend and meld). The body of the wine used for pepperoni is very important. A heavy-bodied wine (like burgundy) will leave a heavy wine flavor. Instead, opt for a lighter dry red, like a -good- Syrah or light-bodied Zinfandel. For a slightly stronger, but not overwhelming wine back-note, a good medium-body Chianti is a traditional (and tasty) choice. (Rule of thumb -- if you won't drink the wine, you shouldn't use it to cook with, because cooking/aging accentuates the wine's flavor). Whatever you do, do not leave the wine out of the recipe. The wine adds crucial acidity to the sausage, which is necessary for a dry-aged, uncooked sausage. Additionally, if I -did- leave something out of this recipe, it would be the ascorbic acid. Instead, I tend to use a reduction of Chianti and lemon juice, reduced by half, to replace both wine and ascorbic acid. It does change the flavor, slightly, but it is the traditional method I was taught by my Sicilian father, so I tend to opt for that.

This is a much better recipe if you leave out the wine and use icewater instead.

I have tried the recipe twice, and it has come out with too much of a wine taste. What did I do wrong? Thanks. I won't try to make it again without finding out what I did wrong