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capedread

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I'm Dee, born in South Africa and living in Oxford England, started making my first batch of "country wine" last week! very exciting!

bought a book, some equipment, searched the web, annoyed a friend into letting me pinch some apples from her garden and launched into my new hobby,
how hard could it be!

(watch the blonde going to work here)
first stumble....the equipment I bought was for making 1 gallon wine, (didn't fancy 25L of vinegar lol ) rushed home and started chopping 3kg of apples as the recipe directed, boiled up 7 pints of water, added the sugar and oops 5L fermenting bucket ll!!!! - ever tried fitting 3kg of apples into a 5l fermenting bucket? leave alone 7 pints of water!

er hmmm fortunately I had a reasonably new bucket from b&q, my husband had only used once to wash a couple of paint rollers, so quickly scrubbed it out and using hot water to rinse I got going with a nice thick piece of plastic sheet and a large elastic band! hey presto I had my very own fermenting bin, bugger all that new stuff I bought hey!

wracked it out earlier tonight and fingers crossed it may just be drinkable!
any one want to come round in about a years time and try it out?

just as well I have a sense of humor, my husband reckons I'm like a bull in a china shop!
no idea what he means........:rolleyes:
 
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That sounds like quite an adventure! Is that recipe a standard apple cider, or is it making a stronger apple wine? To be honest, I don't know at what point a hard cider becomes an apple wine... so maybe it doesn't matter. Either way, sounds like a great starting point for the hobby. Good luck!
 
no just an apple wine, will drink anything but not keen on cider it tends to give me heartburn, typical really as it's relatively cheap! so hopefully my wine won't be cider:p
 
Learning's great isn't it!

Got a fuller picture now.
Reckon you've the basics sussed. Get away from the plastic sheet though and invest in an airlock. (You'll find quickly you'll need more then just one).

Also reckon you've created more of a cider then a wine. (Purists will say there should be no added sugar in cider, but we all do it). If your alcohol % was somewhere above 10%, it could be regarded as wine.
No matter, it'll give you a buzz and the main thing is you're up and running
 
capedread:

the sheet or towel or cloth over the primary is just fine. Some (like petes) prefer an air-locked primary. Basically your choice.

Definitely use an air-lock in a jug/carboy with minimal head space once the wine is out of the primary.

Steve
 
Thanks cp

Yeah sorry capedread, meant to make a distinction between primary and secondary ferment and forgot. As Steve says.
A fabric type of cover for primary is better then plastic. I know we all improvise when we have to ;)
 
no just an apple wine, will drink anything but not keen on cider it tends to give me heartburn, typical really as it's relatively cheap! so hopefully my wine won't be cider:p

The only difference between being a cider or a wine is the alcohol content. As Petes said, over 10% and your cider is magically considered apple wine. LOL

I do disagree with Petes on one thing, though. We don't all add sugar to our ciders. I don't see a problem with doing it, but it's not always done or necessary.

You'd have to add sugar for apple wine, as apples just don't have enough fermentable sugar in the juice to get over 10% alcohol... but I regularly make a cider that is over 6% abv from nothing but straight juice and yeast.
 
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thanks guys, hopefully I will try and turn it into wine as not keen on cider, sugar being the key here then.
it did smell more like cider than wine, but the next two I've made, once wracking them, definitely smelled like wine
 
ps

I did use an airlock as well just punched it through the plastic, sorry forget to mention certain important factors (the blonde going to work again) am quite scatty

the next two I made I used tinned fruit as they at least would fit into the buckets!

thanks so much for all your advice, most grateful
 

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