from scratch

[whitty]

hi im thinking of buying a cheap wine starter kit pref to make 30 bottles,ive never done this before so havent got a clue on were to start.me and my wife like rose wine so any info on what to buy and how to make would be appreciated...many thanx..craig from uk...

 

[xanxer82]

I would do a quick Google search for your local home brew store. Invest in a starter kit with a 6 gallon (23 litre) carboy and get a wine juice kit to learn on. No sure what's available in the UK but be prepared to spend about 100 pounds or a bit more for your equipment.
You'll need a 7.9 gallon primary fermenter (food grade bucket) with a drilled lid. an airlock, food grade tubing for racking, a Hydrometer to to take sugar readings and I would get an autosiphon instead of a racking cane.
All of the chemistry that you will need normally comes with the kit except plenty of potasium metabisilfite (kits only contain enough to stabilise the wine), of which you should by a large bag to make sanitizer.
You'll want to get a drill mounted mix-stir to mix in your fining agents and degas.
I'm sure the guys in here will chime in any moment now to help you out more.

 

[whitty]

ok thanks,if i got one of those kits were you get all the juice and the sachets could i add more sugar to make it i higher alcohol content. if so during the process at what stage would i do this.....

 

[xanxer82]

you could but that would most likely void the warranty on the kit. If you're brand new I would do as the instructions say for your first couple of batches so you learn how to use the tools and get used to racking and the whoel process.

 

[whitty]

ok thanx..........

 

[Hillbilly Bill]

you could but that would most likely void the warranty on the kit. If you're brand new I would do as the instructions say for your first couple of batches so you learn how to use the tools and get used to racking and the whoel process.

whitty... I agree with xanxer and here's why... if you add sugar to increase alcohol content, you will come up with a wine that is drier than the kit is designed for. Of course you can add sweetener after the fermentation is complete, but you will soon learn that adding sugar is a more complex procedure than it first appears to be. There are some bad things that can happen when you add sugar (back sweeten).
Buy a nice Rose or other red wine kit and enjoy.

 

[whitty]

thanx william.........