I am looking to start making wines from grapes, my question is what are the needed supplies to get started as well as the needed equipment, I'm not as much concerned about the nice to have. Also where can I buy frozen must in Ontario given it is the middle of winter
Transition to grapes
- Thread starter Drock
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if you purchase your grapes from a vineyard see if they can crush for you. some local shops that sell grapes will also crush. next you need a press. you can sometime lease one from local shop or otherwise purchase. stick to a bladder press if you buy.
you will require a minimum of 100lbs of grapes for 5 gallons, so a primary of at least 40 gallon size would be best. a good ph meter would also be required. acid testing also. i assume you have a hydrometer. if you are doing reds a good powder tannin is a requirement . check scott labs for different kinds. if budget allows get a barrel 5 gallon or large depending on your needs.
you will require a minimum of 100lbs of grapes for 5 gallons, so a primary of at least 40 gallon size would be best. a good ph meter would also be required. acid testing also. i assume you have a hydrometer. if you are doing reds a good powder tannin is a requirement . check scott labs for different kinds. if budget allows get a barrel 5 gallon or large depending on your needs.
What salcoco said, in terms of equipment. You may regard some of these items arbitrary, especially now that you are at the threshold of transitioning to grape wine making, but when you will be regularly spending that kind of money on grapes/must you definitely want to guess as little as possible. Getting yourself a good quality containers and testing equipment is a worthwhile investment that will last (no need to go far into quadruple digits, though).
I know I learned it hard way back in the day when I couldn't justify to myself spending $300 on a small wine press, I consistently ended up wasting a lot of wine and making a huge mess of my kitchen, while struggling with a large nylon mesh bag.
Never again...
I know I learned it hard way back in the day when I couldn't justify to myself spending $300 on a small wine press, I consistently ended up wasting a lot of wine and making a huge mess of my kitchen, while struggling with a large nylon mesh bag.
Never again...
Bartman
Senior Member
Fresh grapes are usually sold by the lug (36 pounds of fruit), and 1 lug makes 2 gallons of wine (some variation arises from the 'juiciness' of the grapes, but no more than 10%, I would estimate). Since most of our home-winemaking equipment is based on 6-gallon kits, buckets and carboys, 3 lugs is usually the right amount to fill a carboy, with a little extra for topping-off after racking. As long as you stick to multiple of 3 lugs, you won't *need* additional equipment, other than the crusher/de-stemmer and press.
Renting (rather than buying) the crusher/stemmer and the press is definitely the way to go, especially if you are making less than 50 gallons of wine from fresh grapes a year; you'll only use it once a year, unless you're planning on getting fresh grapes in the Spring and Fall (southern and northern hemisphere harvests). Not only is renting a lot cheaper than 'investing' in the equipment, you won't have to store it for the other 11.5 months of the year.
Renting (rather than buying) the crusher/stemmer and the press is definitely the way to go, especially if you are making less than 50 gallons of wine from fresh grapes a year; you'll only use it once a year, unless you're planning on getting fresh grapes in the Spring and Fall (southern and northern hemisphere harvests). Not only is renting a lot cheaper than 'investing' in the equipment, you won't have to store it for the other 11.5 months of the year.
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22 lugs * 36 lb/lug = 792 lbs.
Bartman
Senior Member
Ahhh, that's the annual question/debate for those of us not close to either coast (where they are grown or shipped).
Prices vary depending on the varietal, the quality of the crop/production volume, the supplier quality, and the freight distance, but locally I have gotten fresh California grapes (very good quality, supplied by F. Colavita and Son) for ~$50-65 for red grapes from Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, and Shiraz on the cheap end to Petite Verdot,Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec on the high end (usually).
I'm not sure what's included in 'crushed grape buckets,' I think that is something offered in the northeast as a simpler way to distribute fresh juice (instead of as fresh grapes). Whether that is 'better' or not is a matter of opinion - I don't think you need the crusher/de-stemmer for those buckets those.
From Fine Vine Wines in Dallas where I get my grapes, they strive to get enough home winemakers to make freight a reasonable expense - trucking the fresh grapes from California to Texas is not cheap. Once you get over a certain volume (as small commercial wineries will just reach), it makes more cost-effective to order the grapes directly rather than go through a 'broker' such as your LHBS. So for those of us ordering 3-15 lugs, it is difficult to find a LHBS that will collect the orders, consolidate them into one big order and handle the shipping, delivery and distribution of those grapes. I am told few LHBS make that effort each year, like FVW does in Dallas.
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