I am into making my own wine.  Does anyone here do the same?

medcop

10-4 that. My wife and I, mostly my wife, I just drink it, she makes it. We have blueberry, boysenberry, peach, plum, strawberry, and my favorite, muscadine. We give most of it away. What we don't give away I drink! I would just as soon drink her homemade wine as store bought. I'm getting to where I prefer it to Coors lite!

Do you happen to have a recipe or two you would like to share?  I have done grape, apple, and strawberry.  If you don't want to post on the boards email me if you want.

I attempted some peach..but something went wrong along the way and it turned out really bad.

You sound like me....I give about 90% of mine away.  

medcop

you bet we make our own about 80 gal a year,possum grape, local Mc load grapes and some from ark grapes.   some from raisens(apple jack) you got crocks,five and eight gallion ozarka glass bottles fermentation locks (you can even use condoms) as they expand and contract with the air temps.   with the grapes ,sugar time expended you can make homemade a lot cheaper than store bought and the big kicker is you don't sulphemides(spell checker off)  bi-sulphamides you get with store bought wine.   bad news it will take you about six months to get a good cook.  can you waite that long?,, if so e-mail me   its all leagal if you don't sell any....and start washing(rinsing)out your one gallon milk jugs ,something to sipion off your wine into...

I have all the equipment...glass carboys...fermentaion buckets...air locks...bla..bla...bla....

Actually I have three carboys..two 5 gallon and one 6 gallon.  I try to keep a batch going all the time.

I let my Strawberry sit for over a year before putting it into bottles.

medcop

What part of MO are you from Medcop?
I haven't made any wine in a while due to health problems but if I can find my recipes, I'll E-mail some of them to you.
I've made some really good wine using Welches concentrate. Since you are a beginner, I'll try not to send any recipes that require boiling first. Use a lock, balloons have a tendacy to break, slip off, or just get too worn and fall apart. That can be upsetting when you are 2/3 through fermentation.
Almost forgot, take it easy on the acidics.

I live north of Columbia.

I have plastic air locks that I use.  I was warned when I first started to not use balloons as they can pop off with to much gas being generated.

sid,

I would be interested in any recipe you have..from easy to hard.  I have been making wine for a little over two years now.....hehehe..and I an still not sure if I know what I am doing [:D]

Thanks
medcop

sorry med cop i thought you were a begginer just like sid did..and yhea if you can wait the longer the better on letting that sugar turn into pure del;ight, bet that strawberry wine is shure enough good after a year fermenting! we used fermentation locks but the water kept evaporating or something but the same guys that squessed the dregues from the pillow cases allways came by to check on the condoms, we had to bring it out of the shed into the house when cold weather came!when i lived in calif we tryed making orange wine right off of my sistes tree, allways turned out like leomon-aid  my brother in law worked at Mc Donald douglass thought he was an enologiost...  we allways put one pound sugar dissolved to one gallon juice....works out pretty good how about you....

we allways leave the grapes on the vine branches as it makes them easier to squeese, then after many squeses,and they float back up again(after washing your arms in backing soda to kill the acidity) we siphon off the first run.   make your wine then repeat the same process and some time the second run is as good as any store bought..  but who didn't know that!

bobbyjack, you and sid are correct I am still  new at making wine....I discover some new trick or learn something new every batch.

The Strawberry was actually a pain in the rear...If I remember correct I started with 11 pounds of fresh strawberries.  Cutting off all the stems took forever! I didn't want to leave any green on them as I thought it may change the taste in the finish wine.

Due to the strawberries having the very small seeds I couldn't use the regular fermentation bags (I don't know the correct name for them) I found using womens nylons(panty hose) worked really well.  It contained all the seeds while allowing the strawberries to ferment really nice in the fermentation bucket.

To this day after mashing all those f-ing strawberries a strawberry just doesn't taste as good.  It was that or smelling them ferment..one of the two..but something did it to me...hehehe  (maybe it was drinking too much of the finished wine)

I have yet to try a second run out of any of the wine I have made.  I know it can be done, but I like to make at least 5 gallons at a time (to fill my carboy.)  I never think it would produce a second "batch" so I never try.  (any help on this would be GREAT!)

bobbyjack....were do you buy your grapes?...Oh, and I have to try the raisen....so if ya' want to share the recipe....

Has anyone made mead (spelling?) using honey?  This sounds sorta' fun.

medcop

i've done a fair amount with wine grapes...using juices and concentrates from california. any interest in that?

I like the idea of a forum for beer and wine making.

hey euro, I will take all the ideas/recipes/help i can get...just send me an email if ya' want.

thanks
medcop

Dude!!! You are supposed to wash those nylons BEFORE you use them, or else you will get CamelToe wine.

ROFLMAO!!!!

Man, that is funny!

Just to clarify..I use new nylons and I even boil them first.

medcop

Where's TheRedGoat?  He makes wine and/or vinegar.

Here now.  Gotta sleep sometime, you know...

Yes, I do make wine and vinegar.  I still have some homemade plum out in the party barn as we speak.

Any of you guys ever make real Cajun wine?  From Cornmeal?  Wild stuff.  Super easy, do it the authentic cajun way...  Here's how:

1.  A clean glass 1 gallon jug
2.  3 cups yellow corn meal
3.  3 cups sugar (1/2 is white  1/2 is brown)
4.  A handful of raisins
5.  A small squeeze of lemon

Combine all ingredients in jug.  Fill with water.  Wait 24 hours, shake, then add winee yeast (for the noobs out there, you can use baking yeast, but the flavor is a little different).  Put a balloon (or condom <-- unused, or it might make the wine tast nutty, or a little salty) on top and wait about a week or two.

Drink it fresh.  Don't let it age.  If you let it age it will spoil the fun.  

The batch I made was the strongest, best tasting wine ever.  No kidding.  We served it in shot glasses.  You have about two weeks to drink it before it begins to lose the sweet corn flavor.

It is just about perfection when the cornmeal has settled to the bottom and the little 'floaties' of cornmeal are in suspension with 2-5 grains per glass.  Like watching bubbles in your beer.

After it loses the flavor it is strong 14-18%+  (we tested it at 14 early, so sugar might have affected reading.  It actually BURNED as it when down your throat so that indicates how strong it became)

TheRedGoat

My neighbor made wine when I was a kid. There was a limit on how much you can make a year for personal consumption without paying the revenours a tax.

I am thinking that it was 50 gallons per person per year. Then you are getting into the ATF 's territory with the alcohol tax laws.