Atlanta gets a wine making kit from Santa

[gawine]

Hello,
well, i've been contemplating taking the plunge and a gift of a wine making kit has made up my mind for me.

i plan to order this book to assist me if any other recommendations or thoughts on this book please let me know
The Way to Make Wine: How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home (Paperback)
~ Sheridan Warrick

and i'll likely order a kit of a red wine, likely merlot or cab... any suggestions let me know please.

i ugess it's okay to ferment outside in the cold right?

thanks, look fwd to it!

 

[cpfan]

Hello,
well, i've been contemplating taking the plunge and a gift of a wine making kit has made up my mind for me.

i plan to order this book to assist me if any other recommendations or thoughts on this book please let me know
The Way to Make Wine: How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home (Paperback)
~ Sheridan Warrick

and i'll likely order a kit of a red wine, likely merlot or cab... any suggestions let me know please.

i ugess it's okay to ferment outside in the cold right?

thanks, look fwd to it!

OK, you received an equipment kit. GREAT. Welcome to a wonderful hobby.

You're planning on getting a kit. GREAT. For most kits, don't bother with the book. Read the instructions and follow them.

Ferment outside in the cold? You're joking, right? If you're not fermenting between 70-74F, you can expect problems. And the current forecast in Atlanta shows below freezing at night, with 50F maybe for a high.

Steve

 

[Wade E]

You will not be fermenting outside, sorry! Like cpfan said temps are important unless you just want to drink cold grape juice with a packet of yeast in there. Follow the instructions and read them twice before starting the kit and all will be fine, just stay within the temp range.

 

[gawine]

yeah, i was totally joking about doing it outside... right..ha. so i guess you need a pretty warm room or you are waiting until the warmer winter months to do any wine making. one site mentions: "A cooler room temperature will produce a softer, less bitter wine and allows the yeasties to more efficiently convert the sugars to alcohol." so a slightly cooler temp may be good/okay sounds like?

thanks for the other info, didn't know the wine juice will come with detailed instructions for me. may do a WineExpert kit merlot from stag's leap valley.

 

[Wade E]

Yes, if you get a kit it will have detailed instructions in the package. You dont want to really cool ferment a red wine, whites and fruit wines like apple or something like that then cooler temps is actually the better way but not really for a new wine maker. What I do is get the wine fermenting good at a warmer temp and then put it into cooler temps for awhile until tye specific gravity(SG) starts to get low like around 1.010 and then raise the temp back up so that it will finish fermenting cause you dont want a stuck fermentation. I also check this wine frequently to make sure all is still going accordingly. I would at least geta few kits under your belt first.If you have a basement thats cooler then you can get a brew belt which is an electric cord that you wrap around your primary or carboy and it keeps your wine at around 75*

 

[cpfan]

yeah, i was totally joking about doing it outside... right..ha. so i guess you need a pretty warm room or you are waiting until the warmer winter months to do any wine making. one site mentions: "A cooler room temperature will produce a softer, less bitter wine and allows the yeasties to more efficiently convert the sugars to alcohol." so a slightly cooler temp may be good/okay sounds like?

thanks for the other info, didn't know the wine juice will come with detailed instructions for me. may do a WineExpert kit merlot from stag's leap valley.

To phrase what I already said differently "if you're making a wine kit, then don't read wine making books, read the instructions". Kits are different because of processing done in manufacture.

Here are the instructions for that kit.
http://www.winexpert.com/pdfs/kit-instructions/estate_eng.pdf

Note, this is a relatively expensive kit that will strongly benefit from at least a year of aging. It may not be what you want for a first kit.

Steve