Beginner

[TigerJon73]

Hi,

I am very, very green to winemaking (I have never made a drop and have no idea how to do it. In addition, I have no equipment). This is my first post on this site. I posted it yesterday:

I want to learn to make raisin jack. I have heard it is a tasty(if done right) beginners wine. I would welcome any suggestions on how to make it, recipes, equipment, etc. I think I would like a recipe using white raisins. Also, I have seen fermenting kits online for a reasonable price consisting of a 5-gallon bucket, spigot, and airlock, but I don't understand if the same kit can be used for both primary and secondary fermenting. I am about as green as one can be when it comes to winemaking, so please, layman's terms. Thank you so much for any help.


Again, I have no idea how to do this, but have heard it is tasty if done right and can be an easy beginners wine. I have no idea what the difference is between a primary and secondary fermentor. I would greatly appreciate advice on economical fermentors (or how to build my own) and layman's term-recipes. Thanks for any help if anyone knows a thing or two about raisin jack.

Jon
Jon

 

[Wade E]

You will need to do some research on making wine as although its not hard it s a lot to write down. Below is a link to help you understand how to make wine.
http://www.homebrewit.com/winebook.pdf

 

[roblloyd]

Welcome!

I just started in January with a kit. From my experience I think this is a good way to begin. If you follow the directions it's hard to mess up. But in doing that you will learn most of the fundamentals you will need for doing thinks like raisin jack and other stuff. Skeeter-Pee is also a great thing to make as it's great as is or can easily be modified.

If you don't have any equipment I think the equipment starter packages are the way to go. Upgrade the hand corker to the floor corker. This is of course not knowing what our budget is. Once you start it's a slippery road and the carboys multiply like rabbits.

Start reading and asking questions here. Wade, Tom, Steve, Dan, Julie and many others are super helpful with everything wine making and more.

 

[Runningwolf]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Redtrk]

Welcome to the board Jon!

 

[jtstar]

Welcome let us know what you start with so we can help you along the way

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!

I agree with above - do a little research - we have an excellent tutorial section and there are several links as well that have a lot of good info.

Basic equipment:

Primary Fermenter
Glass Carboy
hydrometer
Acid Test Kit
Food Grade Siphon Tubing
Racking Cane


Additives:

Potassium Metabisulphite (helps protect wine from bacteria growth and oxidation)
Acid Blend or Tartaric Acid (used to raise your acid level to desired target)
Potassium Sorbate (Used if you are sweetening post fermentation)
Pectic Enzyme (mainly if using fresh fruits - helps to extract juice and color)

 

[RedNeckWino]

Welcome and remember to be patient. Trying to rush a wine seems to be the quickest way to make mistakes.

And don't forget an airlock for that basic equipment list.

 

[Flem]

Hi Jon, Welcome to the forum. Do a Google search. I'm sure there's a lot of information on raisin jack. Like what has been said before, read all you can to get the fundamental information on wine making, get yourself a good starter kit along with a wine kit. Once you've done that, then you'll be in a better position to ask questions. Believe me, everyone here is willing to help. However, I believe it's important to get a basic understanding first. Good Luck!!!

 

[Angie]

Hey Jon...welcome to the forum...here is a link to a basic recipe and the instructions for raisin jack http://www.ehow.com/how_7697720_make-raisin-jack-wine.html It gives a list of equipment needed and ingredients. The only problem with recipes like this is that is strictly goes by the quantity of ingredients - i.e. 1 pound of sugar - instead of doing some basic testing, but for someone who has not made any wine before it might be a good place to start. As this batch ferments you will be able to see the changes (taste and smell) in your initial must, and if you do some research and reading on winemaking as this happens, you will have a better understanding of what is happening during the ferment.

Good luck on your first batch!!