Wifey Dearest and I have been interested in making our own wine for a while now, so when she asked for a kit for her Birthday, I just couldn’t say no.
We ordered the Master Vintners kit and a batch kit for Merlot
Friday we mixed the juice concentrate with room temp water and added the yeast in the 6 gallon fermenter.
By the way, the Amaryllis on the table are from bulbs we’ve carried from house to house for about 14 years. They keep multiplying and we keep sharing with friends. They originally came from friends of ours in Easley that had brought them from their house in Summerville in 1998. Now back to the story.
The kit comes with everything you need to turn out a batch of wine. By last night the yeast colony was happily multiplying and doing their work turning grape juice into table wine.
I’ll keep you posted as it progresses. Should be ready for the first racking in about 4 more days.
I made it for years out of local grapes, plums, peaches and other fruits. Never did get any to taste very good. It was OK and it would give you a buzz, but it wasn’t ever what I would call good, and my wife sure didn’t. Good luck! I never tried it with purchased juice, just fruits.
I’ve still got a lot of supplies, airlocks, corks, all sorts of stuff if you want them. I think I’m done with wine making
My Dad made wine for years. Some of it was very good. It did take some trial and error before he figured it out and figured out what was the best tasting wine.
Can’t wait for the first annual CF Wine & Cheese Party.
“Apathy is the Glove into Which Evil Slips It’s Hand”, but really, who cares?
Larry
I’ll hit you up for your supplies. Much appreciated.
I’ve heard good things about the juice kits. I’ll let you all know how this progresses.
There should be 30 bottles acceptable tasting wine 4-5 weeks from now.
Wifey Dearest isn’t a big fan of the purple feet.
It was harvest season when we were in Spain back in September. Lots and lots of pretty red grapes in the vineyards we walked through and a good many people with a grape crusher and five to ten 50 gallon fermenters in their garages.
Summers are too humid to grow really good grapes here, so it is better to buy grapes or juice to start with.
One big key is keeping the fermenting area in the right temperature range. Areas with uncontrolled temps do not work very well.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" - The Messiah
One big key is keeping the fermenting area in the right temperature range. Areas with uncontrolled temps do not work very well.
That’s one reason this first batch is fermenting in the breakfast nook. Nice steady 70-72 degrees and plenty dim over there when I turn off the lights.
Update - day 4 (last night)
Checked the specific gravity and it’s down to 1.045. Time to add the yeast nutrient to keep it going to get the alcohol content up to somewhere between 12 and 15% during second ferment.
Foam is gone and there are thousands of tiny bubbles coming to the surface continuously but no more foam at all. Stirred it last night to de-gas and got a quick blush of foam that disappeared before I could grab the camera.
Going to be watching the SG for the next couple of days to get it just right before racking into the secondary fermentation carboy.
Update Day 5
SG at 1.030 alcohol content up to 8.15%
No foam and the airlock is still gurgling continuously and lots and lots of tiny bubbles rising to the surface.
Stirred to degas and no foam at all
At the rate the SG is dropping it should go to second ferment carboy either tonight or tomorrow night.
I’ve never used a kit. When muscadines are ready I go pick some, smash’m up toss them in a 5 gal bucket, add sugar, grab a clear hose with 1/8 or 1/4 ID, do it in a loop to make an air lock, drill a tight hole in the bucket lid, then let her go for 3 months or so. It always turns out great and its a cheap way to do it. Especially if you want to work on your recipe, just keep good notes and try different ways until you find what you like.
My daughter used to do that, until a yellow jacket stung her. Darn things are drawn to mushed grapes.
I pick two five gallon buckets crush them up, put in a cooler with 10 gallons of water and 25# of sugar. I stir once a day for a week to 10 days. rough strain and put in containers. roughly 2 months I’ll syphon off all but the thick mess at the bottom and re-jug. let sit for another month and put in bottles.
blueberry has done good, but I’ve found that I have to add yeast to get it to ferment. never had to with grapes, peaches, or plumes.
Worst was plume, I think the pre-fermenting with the skin on gave it a bitter taste.
I’ve had some older stuff turn to vinegar and was delicious on salads. Not sure how to do that on purpose.
I was taught by a gentleman named Mr. J.V. Judy. I’ve had it as strong as 18%. More sugar and longer fermenting. NEVER wash your grapes! and if the proof is to low, it can be secretly fortified with a little vodka.
Good luck! and have fun!!
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
Update - Day 6
Specific Gravity down to 1.012 - Alcohol content up to 10.59%
Time to rack it to the secondary fermenter
Had to wash and sanitize all of the transfer bits and the big 6 gallon carboy then siphon off.
It decided to foam like a mad dog for a few minutes and I had a little foam overflow onto the floor. Once it settled down I cleaned up the mess and put on the airlock.
Now let it slowly work for another 10-14 days before I rack it again and wait for it to clarify.
I have always used a “back woods” recipe like Fred, some turned out great others not so much.
The last batch I made was a strawberry/honey meade. Got a half gallon of honey from my friend’s hive’s that he has on our dove fields (sunflowers)in Mississippi. Turned out probably the best batch I have ever made.
