Posted: 3/31/2010 12:39:47 PM EDT
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Anybody here do it? Is it worth getting in to? Trying to find out more, reading websites but firsthand feedback is nice.
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I have some cranberry wine to be opened this summer and some grapefruit settling right now. The process isn't particularly difficult but I have yet to taste my wine to see if it is any good. Google Jack Keller wine and read his website. It is very informative. I just bought a basic one gallon beginner kit and learned from the website I mentioned and the booklet that came with the kit.
As I said I haven't tasted my wine yet so take all my info with a grain of salt. |
After much success brewing beer I am experimenting with wine. My first was a concord grape red wine from concentrate with toasted oak from a local tree. Decidedly not bad. Next up is a kit wine, a cabernet franc, it takes time but will be ready for next winter and beyond. This summer I am looking at some local flavors. Hopefully, I will find enough fruit to produce a blackberry, scuppernong and elderberry and then maybe a blueberry depending on availability and time. I recommend it. Easier than beer and cheaper too. You too can explore local options because almost everything can be turned into a wine achieving varying levels of success. Potato skins, that is my favorite example to give people. Anyway, I look past the up turned noses of those who say local wine is below big red varietal's and thus unsuited for their pallet. Enjoy a glass with every meal and savor the satisfaction of a something home made. By the way, blueberry and elderberry are reputed to produce a sophisticated red that ages well.
cheers! |
my fathers side of the fam are italian immigrants, wine is made by everyone. i havent made it in two years, but i usually buy 20 gals. of pressed juice. its very easy and very tasty i usually get my juice in aug to sept. ocassionally i have opened a few bottles for thanksgiving the same year. the wine was a little young but still good. just remember sterility is a must for your equipment and bottles. i have never added any yeast to my wine, but i have on occasion added a cup of sugar to the 5 gal. buckest to get it cookin. its cheap and easy to get into and i would recommend it to anyone.
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| I come from a long line of homebrewers and wine makers, I have a blush that is still in the tank working and has been for some time. Wine making is easier then beer. Kits with extracts are a good place to start for the Novice. As with Beer making clean is important in your vessels and tools. Their are many online forums and books for you read up on the process. Juice, Yeast, and good water will get you some wine. |
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thanks for the replies.... I'm getting a lot warmer to trying it out. Found someone in the building that makes beer. Hopefully will go visit their next Big Brew, what they call their brew party, to see what it's like firsthand.
Time and cost are the big factors for me. I know the fun factor will be there too. |
| I've made wine since i was 12. For a beginner i would recommend starting with simple berry wines or grapes if available. Generally speaking blackberry, raspberry and the like make fairly decent wines, sweet or dry. If you don't have a hydrometer you will have to experiment with sugar levels to achieve your preffered sweetness. I have also had great luck with mead and ruhbarb wine. For mead you basically dissolve three pounds of honey in a gallon of hot water, let it cool, pitch yeast and ferment. I would recommend two month fermentation, but you won't have to age mead as long as other wines (it is worth aging for up to a year though). Mead is pretty fool proof as chances of contamination are reduced. |
| I also collected carlo rossi gallon wine jugs for years. These make great fermentation vessels for a beginner because five gallons is a lot to ruin when you're just beggining. Buy some bubblers at a brew shop. You can also get wine yeast there, I use champagne yeast a lot, but you can make good wine with bakers yeast, you just need to age it longer and will likely sacrifice clarity. I used to bottle my one gallon batches in beer bottles so i could test them at different ages. Once you start prpoducing more you may want to go to wine bottles. |
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I do it occasionally, as does various family/friends. Its a lot easier than beermaking, IMHO. The hardest part is keeping everything clean and deciding what yeast to use.
Find someone with one of the Culligan-type water coolers and buy a few empty 5 gallon carboys from them for the deposit cost. Typically $7-$8 locally. Hit up a bar and ask them for some empty liquor bottles to bottle it in. |