The Wife drinks more wine than I do so I am attempting to make what she likes best, a White Zinfandel. Going into the secondary fermenter for 3-4 weeks.
My first shot at winemaking
- Thread starter BamaProud
- Start date
WMAn
Well-Known Member
Very cool!
Don't know why the picture is sideways...its right in my photobucket account.
Keep us posted on how it turns out. I received my kit yesterday. When I get back from my business trip next week I'll start a batch. I have a new friend that has been doing this for a while and will show me some of his tricks.
Huh...the picture is vertical now. weird.
I sampled the wine (or must, as it is called at this stage) when transferring it into the secondary and it tasted pretty good, so unless something very bad happens, I think it should turn out well.
what kit/kind are you making stevepitts?
I sampled the wine (or must, as it is called at this stage) when transferring it into the secondary and it tasted pretty good, so unless something very bad happens, I think it should turn out well.
what kit/kind are you making stevepitts?
Bow Hunter
Well-Known Member
Where do you get the kits from?
pressfit
Well-Known Member
I used to have one of those big glass bottles that i made mine in..had the air lock on top filled with water.... it was in my bedroom .when it was working it would sing you to sleep...lol
Bow Hunter said:
Just do an internet search to see if there is a home brew shop in your area. If not everything is available on the internet.
Equipment kit(almost the same for beer or wine)
http://www.homebrewers.com/product/3010 ... -Only.html
(about 100 bucks)
I will probably just bottle this batch in 24oz beer bottles eliminating the need for corks and a corking machine.
Ingredient kit like this:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/wine ... sling.html (50-150 bucks)~ 25 bottles of wine or $2-6/bottle
pressfit
Well-Known Member
I have actually made some pretty darn good wine with the old milk jug.. welches grape juice, yeast, and some sugar trick.. oh.. I forgot to mention the balloon.. lol.. you can make a gallon of wine for almost nothing.. wine making can be a simple or as hard as you want it to be..
I used to go out in the woods, shoot possum grapes out with my pistol, beat them with a 2x4 in a bucket.. strain them through a old pillow case, let them ferment and make wine... IMO it wasnt as good as the milk jug wine..lol
I used to go out in the woods, shoot possum grapes out with my pistol, beat them with a 2x4 in a bucket.. strain them through a old pillow case, let them ferment and make wine... IMO it wasnt as good as the milk jug wine..lol
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
I've crockpotted a bunch of gallons. You can get as elaborate as you want though.
pressfit
Well-Known Member
I dont guess I have ever seen wine made in and in a crockpot.. do you plug it in and let it simmer??lol
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
A crockery pot, alias butter churn. I suspect most of the wine rural folks made in the past was made in them as well. It does a good enough job. Blackberries are the best followed by muscadines.
pressfit
Well-Known Member
AHHH. we have a couple of them that my grandmother used to make pickles in...
spoon
Well-Known Member
Always wanted to try my luck making wine.
Bigswede3423
Well-Known Member
My dad started about a year ago. The first few batches weren't that good but he's gotten pretty good at it. I may have to start making it.
Trapper John
Well-Known Member
I need to start up again. It has been a few years since I made any. Blackberry was my favorite. Especially the ones I picked on our place.
I made a pumpkin wine once with intentions to have it for Halloween/Thanksgiving. It came out tasting eerily similar to pumpkin pie. I had drank or given away every bottle by the end of September. That needs to happen again.
I made a pumpkin wine once with intentions to have it for Halloween/Thanksgiving. It came out tasting eerily similar to pumpkin pie. I had drank or given away every bottle by the end of September. That needs to happen again.
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
For a couple years running I made wine out of every conceivable fruit I could come up with. Some of it was a bust and some came out great. Blackberries were the best followed by muscadines. The most stout was the plum wine and I got plummed several times.
quickfire
Active Member
I've made wine off and on since the 1960s, but haven't done any in a couple of years. Blackberry, muscadine, Concord, Niagara, Catawba, strawberry, mulberry, elderberry, blueberry, etc. Only kit wine I made was a Riesling. Pretty good stuff too.
I think I am going to do a blackberry wine this Spring when fresh fruit is available...not from a kit. This batch is about ready for the clearing process then bottling.
I didn't think much about storage. According to the instructions its supposed to be stored at 60 degrees. I was planning on just keeping it in a wine rack at normal room temperature(70-74 degrees). Anyone with wine knowledge know if 10 degrees or so really makes a difference. ...wine in stores is usually at room temp right?
Don't really want to but a wine cooler.
I didn't think much about storage. According to the instructions its supposed to be stored at 60 degrees. I was planning on just keeping it in a wine rack at normal room temperature(70-74 degrees). Anyone with wine knowledge know if 10 degrees or so really makes a difference. ...wine in stores is usually at room temp right?
Don't really want to but a wine cooler.
Trapper John
Well-Known Member
For table wine it won't make a big difference for the short term. Most of mine was consumed within a year and there was no noticeable difference in quality from being in a 70-75 degree room. Just keep it out of direct sunlight.
You get into the 80s or higher and stuff could start happening.
You get into the 80s or higher and stuff could start happening.
quickfire
Active Member
Yeah, a 70-75 degree room will be fine for storage. I always used green bottles, corked them and stored them on their sides. And it's a good idea not to open a bottle until it's been corked at least 2 months. I always heard it needed a couple of months to settle down from the turblence of corking.
Muscadine wine from wild vines seems to be one of the most difficult wines to make. Those wild muscadines have a thick hull that's hard to press, and they don't yield a lot of juice. It's best to freeze them first, then thaw, they're easier to press then.
Muscadine wine from wild vines seems to be one of the most difficult wines to make. Those wild muscadines have a thick hull that's hard to press, and they don't yield a lot of juice. It's best to freeze them first, then thaw, they're easier to press then.
Mike Belt
Well-Known Member
I used to crate mine up bedded in straw but I kept sneaking a bottle out so often that it didn't really do any good to crate them. That blackberry was awesome!
I decided to try a "from scratch" small batch while waiting on the kit 5gallon batch to finish clearing. It should be ready to bottle in a few days.
The small batch will never see a bottle, I am just experimenting with different yeasts, ingredients and whatnot. I'll probably do 5-10 of these half gallon batches before I attempt my big 5 gallon batch of blackberry wine in the Spring.
#1 Small Batch Apple/bread(FADRR) yeast
The small batch will never see a bottle, I am just experimenting with different yeasts, ingredients and whatnot. I'll probably do 5-10 of these half gallon batches before I attempt my big 5 gallon batch of blackberry wine in the Spring.
#1 Small Batch Apple/bread(FADRR) yeast
Trapper John
Well-Known Member
There's a recipe for an orange mead floating around that is extremely easy to make and very tasty when finished. If I can find the link I'll post it for you. Gimme a few...
Trapper John
Well-Known Member
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f80/joes-an ... ead-49106/
Didn't take long to find it. I've done this and used his exact method. It's good. A little hot at first, but if you let it sit for a while it mellows smoothly and is excellent. I did take most of the peels off the oranges, though. Cuts some of the bitter down.
Didn't take long to find it. I've done this and used his exact method. It's good. A little hot at first, but if you let it sit for a while it mellows smoothly and is excellent. I did take most of the peels off the oranges, though. Cuts some of the bitter down.
Thanks.
In the bottle:
Pretty darn cool.
Useless to me, but very cool to read / see.
Useless to me, but very cool to read / see.
TAFKAP said:I know what my "guide fee" will be when you bring the kids fishing
Deal! heck I ain't got but about 2 dollars per bottle in it
