Hello from Texas

[pelican]

I'll second what PolishWinePrincess said - doing a kit while you wait for harvest of your own produce is a good "practice" and you get something drinkable sooner to appreciate your own handiwork with.

We grow our own grapes - concord type grapes - and have our own supply of wild chokecherry trees, crabapple, raspberry (can't seem to collect enough for wine, they disappear between the garden or forest and the house somehow), blueberries in a good year (which there hasn't been for about a decade) and a number of other wine-able items (pea pods and oak leaves for example

- just kidding - yes you can make wine from them but no I don't)

The problem with some fruit wines is, they can take a while to age into "good" wine - and when I get despondent over the not-quite-good/not-quite-ready wines, a kit wine that is pretty dummy proof is nice to have to cry into my glass over

while I tinker and work on fixing up my experiments.

If ALL I had to drink was my Tomato Wine or my Ancient Orange Mead (neither of which is what I will call enjoyable just quite yet), I would be at the bottle shop kicking myself over all the wine making equipment I bought for naught...

I think of the kit wine as a form of insurance, or a vaccine to keep me from succumbing to retail-wine-shopping. That and, you can't make a good cabernet or sauvignon blanc from watermelons.

By the way - have you seen these links:

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/watermel.asp
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques11.asp

...recipes and advise regarding watermellon wines

 

[mjdtexan]

I'll second what PolishWinePrincess said - doing a kit while you wait for harvest of your own produce is a good "practice" and you get something drinkable sooner to appreciate your own handiwork with.

We grow our own grapes - concord type grapes - and have our own supply of wild chokecherry trees, crabapple, raspberry (can't seem to collect enough for wine, they disappear between the garden or forest and the house somehow), blueberries in a good year (which there hasn't been for about a decade) and a number of other wine-able items (pea pods and oak leaves for example

- just kidding - yes you can make wine from them but no I don't)

The problem with some fruit wines is, they can take a while to age into "good" wine - and when I get despondent over the not-quite-good/not-quite-ready wines, a kit wine that is pretty dummy proof is nice to have to cry into my glass over

while I tinker and work on fixing up my experiments.

If ALL I had to drink was my Tomato Wine or my Ancient Orange Mead (neither of which is what I will call enjoyable just quite yet), I would be at the bottle shop kicking myself over all the wine making equipment I bought for naught...

I think of the kit wine as a form of insurance, or a vaccine to keep me from succumbing to retail-wine-shopping. That and, you can't make a good cabernet or sauvignon blanc from watermelons.

By the way - have you seen these links:

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/watermel.asp
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques11.asp

...recipes and advise regarding watermellon wines

Ok Ok Ok, I will do a kit. I say that with a smile on my face.

I agree, it would be good to do to develop good wine making habits.


I have been to his site but found it hard to navigate. I will look at those links right now, now that the NASCAR race is over.

 

[Tom]

Spoken like a true WINEMAKER !

 

[mjdtexan]

By the way - have you seen these links:

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/watermel.asp
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques11.asp

...recipes and advise regarding watermellon wines

I've read alot in the last week. I did see that an in fact copied those recipes into a binder that I am turning into a wine recipe book. I do competition BBQ once or twice a month and did the same with a cookbook. I also document everything I do. I almost always trophy in competition.


I cant wait to get started.

 

[Waldo]

Welcome to the forum midtex

 

[uavwmn]

mjtexan, welcome to the site. Collecting wine recipes for a book is a wonderful idea. Especially if you try all of them!!

 

[NorthernWinos]

mjtexan...Welcome to the Forum....

We make only fruit and fruit blend wines...never tried Watermelon tho...am sure it can be done. Perhaps while you wait for your crop you could try a wine from other fruit, or from some store bought frozen concentrates...just for practice...and for something to taste along the way.

You should do fine making your wines...find recipes and study....and, then try them out.

Mr. Green Mouse was Martina's mascot...AAASTINKIE [Frank] had Polly, but now he has a wife...Tin Man is a new addition to our kitchen, he's suppose to be around to observe, but is a 'slacker'.

 

[Wayne1]

Hello and welcome to the forum from McKinney, TX- I made a watermelon wine last summer using one of Jack Keller's recipe - to deal with the potential spoilage I pitched the yeast immediately (vs. the usual practice of letting the K Meta work on it 24 hours or so first).Everything came out fine - I haven't bottled it yet but last time I racked it I gave it a taste and it was quite tasty - I think it is going to be a good one.




welcome again and happy winemaking!


Wayne

 

[montyfox]

Welcome to the forum. Its a great place to learn and bounce ideas off of each other. I'm thinking of making a watermelon wine this summer if I get the nerve up.

 

[mjdtexan]

Hello and welcome to the forum from McKinney, TX- I made a watermelon wine last summer using one of Jack Keller's recipe - to deal with the potential spoilage I pitched the yeast immediately (vs. the usual practice of letting the K Meta work on it 24 hours or so first).Everything came out fine - I haven't bottled it yet but last time I racked it I gave it a taste and it was quite tasty - I think it is going to be a good one.




welcome again and happy winemaking!


Wayne

Wait a minute, now I am confused, you made this wine last summer, and have not yet bottled? I thought it was supposed to age in the bottle. Am I missing something. Please keep in mind that I am not criticising (sp?), I just dont know


Thank You for the tip on pitching the yeast quickly. Which yeast did you use by the way. I've read Mantrochet (however that is spelled) from red star.

 

[dragonmaster42]

Welcome mjdtexan. You'll learn a lot here!


Once your wine is to the point that you've addedthe k-meta and potasium sorbatein the secondary carboy, you can bulk age the wine in that carboy for quite a while (with periodic rackings and k-meta additions to keep it off ofany sediment that develops) or you can bottle it. Bulk aging in the carboylets the wine develop more of the finished "wine taste"quicker than it would in a bottle due to the larger volume. Also, you'll be less tempted to drink it so you'll have more aged wine when you do bottle it. Make sense?

 

[Wade E]

Actually IMO it will age faster in a bottle which is not always a good thing depending on temps. The best thing about bulk aging is if you dont have good cellar conditions that it will age better in a carboy due to volume as in warmer temps it takes much longer for a 6 gallon batch to change to that not so good temp and back to cooler temps with the fluctuation making it much better as temp changes on a bottled wine creates havoc on a wine and will spoil it faster.

 

[mjdtexan]

I am ordering my wine equipment kit tomorrow (with floor corker)


I am also ordering chemicals. I know to get


Campden Tablets - Potassium Metabisuphite
Acid Blend
Wine Tannin (do I really need this as I will be doing fruit¿)
yeast nutrient
Pectic Enzyme
Yeast- I've read about Red Star Montrachet. Will this be ideal for watermelon wine or do yall recommend something else¿

I need to investigate a acid testing system, any recommendations?

 

[Tom]

Did you forget Sorbate?
You will need it if doing f-pac - backswetening

 

[mjdtexan]

Did you forget Sorbate?
You will need it if doing f-pac - backswetening

F-pac¿

 

[Tom]

ok lets back up..

You are planing a fruit wine right?

If is you might want to add a "flavor-pac" ( like what some sweet kit wines have) and backsweeten the wine. If not making fruit wine forget it.

 

[mjdtexan]

ok lets back up..

You are planing a fruit wine right?

If is you might want to add a "flavor-pac" ( like what some sweet kit wines have) and backsweeten the wine. If not making fruit wine forget it.

Fruit wine. I am Houston(ish) and I dont expect that I can grow grapes here. I figure when I do kits every once in a while it will have what it needs.


I will check into the "flavor-pac"thing

 

[Wade E]

If you plan on sweetening any of your fruit wines after they are done fermenting then I would get the sorbate as this is what prevents your wine form re fermenting. I would also suggest getting ascorbic acid if you plan on making any fruit wines such as apple, pear or any fruit that will oxidize easy. Yeast, Id go with the Lalvin 71B-1122. as far as wine tannin goes, it depends, it is used to add body to wines that are lacking in this and many d=fruit wines will be lacking in body.

 

[mjdtexan]

I see that the yeast comes in packs. Can I acutally order to many? In other words if I order 10 packs, will it go bad in short order?

 

[NorthernWinos]

Don't forget...


YEAST ENERGIZER</font>
Maybe some
SUPER-KLEER K-C</font>

Lots of extra CORKS</font>