The Whole Process

[alexchaskell]

I am new to winemaking. I did ask 1 questions before about blending. What I wanted to get straight was the entire process of wine making. Can anyone out there tell me the step by step process of making white wine? Also, the process for Rose wine. My gf's sister is getting married next fall and I wanted to make her some rose as a gift. Please let me know. Thank you!

 

[djrockinsteve]

Wine making is very simple and in many areas foregiving. Some areas there is no room for deviation. Cleanliness along with Patience are two.

I would suggest you do some browsing here to get a basic idea. We can help you along the way. Will you be making a kit or starting with juice? Is there a wine supply store near you where you can get supplies etc.? Some you will need to purchase and some you could rent.

Probably the best way to learn would be to make a small batch of Skeeter Pee. It's quick and a great learning experience. Plus if you mess up, It's very inexpensive. Recipe is in the "recipe" section found on the Home Page here.

 

[Minnesotamaker]

If you are new to winemaking, I'd suggest you start by making a couple of kit wines. The kit manufacturers go to great pains to select good fruit. Their lab techs are experts at putting all the elements together to make a good wine. If you follow the directions that come with the kit, you'll get a good wine. People starting out from scratch often go through a period of trial and error. You don't want to give an error as a wedding gift. There are lots of different kits available. Let us know what wine she normally enjoys and we can recommend a kit that you'll be happy with.

 

[Green Mountains]

I'd go get what you need to make an inexpensive white wine kit. After you get the hang of what you're doing buy a better kit, perhaps a nice Rose. You'll have time to do some investigating. The best part is you have a full year to let this wine get 'really good'.

 

[wyntheef]

I think winemaking is a lot like cooking. Simply put, you get a recipe and follow it.
That being said, heating soup out of a can is a completely different animal than a chef at a four-star restaurant making soup. So while a simple concept of winemaking is a good place to begin, there is quite a bit more to learn. (as I'm finding out.)
Anyways, here are the basics as I see them.

You begin with your main ingredient, whether that be grapes or whatever, and after adjusting for a number of things, possibly including but not limited to, sugar content, acids and ph levels, induce fermentation in a primary vessel by adding (pitching) yeast.

When most fermentation is complete, move into a secondary vessel (most use glass carboys here) equipped with an airlock to prevent spoilage and contamination as the process continues, leaving most of the sediment (lees) behind.

After some additional time in the secondary vessel (this time allows for further clarification and is the initial stage of aging), another racking is recommended(siphoning into another carboy while again leaving behind any sediment).

After yet more time in the carboy you would stabilize (prepare for bottling by adding any preservative and/or fermentation inhibitor if you wish) and bottle your wine.

Please keep in mind that this is a very simple breakdown of the process, and not intended to be thorough.

hth

 

[ffemt128]

I would check out Jack Keller's site. It is pretty indepth with information on the process of wine making from start to finish. His recipes seem to be light on fruit as many here will agree, however, that being said it is a very good site for information. I actually found that site and read up on everything before finding my way here.

Once you absorb some information, come on back here and ask questions. No one here will steer you in the wrong direction.

I started with kits as I figured it would be a good way to get my feet wet then jumped into fresh fruits and wine juices. I still have a ton to learn and that is why I'm greatful to have found WMT.

The link to Jack Keller's site is below.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

 

[winemaker_3352]

Here is a link i used years ago when i first got started in wine making. It helped me a lot.

http://www.eckraus.com/wine-making-articles.html

 

[ffemt128]

Here is a link i used years ago when i first got started in wine making. It helped me a lot.

http://www.eckraus.com/wine-making-articles.html

That's another good one.

 

[Runningwolf]

Here is the site that I found overall most helpfull and if it wasn't for the site I would not have the obsession I have now.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/index.php

 

[winemaker_3352]

Here is the site that I found overall most helpfull and if it wasn't for the site I would not have the obsession I have now.
http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/index.php

Dan, that is kind of a given, but folks who want to explore else where - there are secondary sites that might help

 

[robie]

Start with a wine kit.
George at finevinewines.com has an online video in which he makes two different kits. Both kits are reds, but any differences between red kits and white kits are covered in the individual instructions.

 

[alexchaskell]

Her favorite types of wines

She usually drinks late harvest whites, or grenache roses. Not white zinfandels but actual roses. As far as my first batch, I am just looking for a good quality chardonnay, chenin blanc, or sauvignon blanc. I have seen all the kits but I want to know which one usually tastes the best consistently because I know the end product really depends on the winemaker. Thanks guys!

 

[robie]

If you want a better wine from a kit, you likely need to start with a better kit, which usually costs more. Some experienced makers can make a really nice wine from a cheaper kit, but that is hard to achieve, when you are a newbie.

Start with a nice, premium or ultra-premium kit like a Mosti Mondiale Meglioli or All Juice Master kit; or an En Primeur from RJ Spagnol. WineXpert makes some very nice kits that are sometime more early drinkable than others.

The bottom line is that the better kits tend to make a better wine.

Just get started!