I want to step up from kits. Where do I start?

[waygorked]

Having made a few kits now, and being generally pleased with my results, I want to take a shot at making something from grapes, or fresh juice, or whatever then next logical step should be in my progression towards backyard winery. Any suggestions on where to start? I am in Portland OR, to the extent that matters.

Cheers!

 

[seth8530]

Wow, you are in a great location! Grape harvest are pretty much right around the corner ( cali cab sav is coming in in a week and a half). If you do not have a bunch of equipment I would say perhaps try do a white wine juice bucket or perhaps some frozen must for a red.

Or, do a hail mary and do a red from grape and have them crush it for you.

Good luck!

 

[nicklausjames]

It's really up to you

If you want to make wine from actual grapes you need to also consider what equipment you will require. I would say a grape crusher and press at a minimum. You will also need a tool to push the cap down. So it depends upon if you have a budget for this or know someone you can rent/borrow the equipment from. I guess you can also look online as there are some "alternative"/diy methods people use on a budget. I can't vouge for how effective they are.

If you do not want to do this the juice may be the next logical step for you, since you will not require a press or crusher or press down tool. I think making it from the juice will be fairly similar to making it from a kit except you will need to buy each additive separately. You may also need to measure the brix, although I would guess you can buy juice where this is already done. It also depends upon how complex you would like to go. For example are you going to do malolactic fermentation, do you want to measure and adjust the acidity/TA and are you going to oak. All of these are recommended if you want to make a really nice wine. If you want to do malo ferm you should also plan on purchasing the chromatography kit. If you want to measure the acidity/TA you should plan on purchasing a titration kit or an electronic tool to measure this. If you want to oak, how a barrel? cubes, chips, etc?

So there is a lot to think about. You can also purchase the equipment in stages. For example I guess a lot of the places that sell the grapes will also crush them, thus you may only need a crusher.

I made wine from two kits, than began making it exclusively from grapes. Now that I have all the equipment I need this is the preferred method for me.

 

[Tom_S]

I've never made wine from a kit. But after making a couple of kits I think you should have the basics down now. It basically goes like this:

Get some juice, sugar, yeast, yeast nutrient, fermentation vessels, & all other equipment you'll need.
Pour juice into your primary, add sugar to get the SG where you want it, checked with hydrometer.
Add yeast nutrient.
Add yeast.
Ferment out about a week or until the SG drops to about 1.010 or so.
Siphon into a secondary fermentation vessel, usually a carboy.
Add an airlock and let sit for a few weeks or until it finishes fermenting and starts to clear.
Once cleared, rack into a new carboy.
Add potassium sorbate & metabisulfite if wine is to be sweetened.
Add sugar to sweeten.
Let age for at the very least 6 months, preferably a year or longer.
Rack wine again to leave behind any sediment.
Filter if necessary. (I only filter white wine)
Bottle wine, drink some and store the rest in wine cellar.

Now I know some people prefer to age their wine for a year and don't sweeten until just before bottling, but this is just the way I do it. There's not really a "right" way to do it.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Step up??????

According to the judging thread, anything less than a kit wine will be awful!

 

[seth8530]

This linked thread might be helpful to you since it details my first adventure working with frozen must. I start out with my base plans in the first page and then you can see all the adjustments to those plans I ended up making over time. It is a little long, but it is pretty easy reading.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f6/fall-wine-plans-storm-brewing-39460/

 

[JohnT]

Now DRCad, be nice...


WayGorked, When dealing with grapes, the amount you see yourself making greatly impact the equipment you will need.

If all goes well, how much do you see yourself making in, say, 5 years??

 

[bkisel]

Listen to me! Listen to me! Trust ME on this one. I've been there. The next step up should, IMHO

, be Danger Dave's Dragon Blood Wine.

Ref: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/dangerdaves-dragon-blood-wine-41825/

The first post on the thread contains the recipe. I dare you... No I double dare you to read the entire thread.

Kidding aside you'll likely make a very good tasting fruit wine for very little cost even compared to low end kit wines. I've made now three batches and have gifted close to two dozen bottles of Dragon Blood (DB) and have received only positive feedback and hints about maybe trying a second bottle. Two of the three wine makers at church have asked for the recipe so that they can make their own batch of DB.

Another good choice for the next step up might be Skeeter Pee but I've not personally made that wine.

 

[the_rayway]

IMHO going for a fresh juice bucket and tossing in a grape pack would be a great way to start moving up the chain of complexity. I did my first buckets last fall and they are starting to come around.

Mead is also a great one to try (wine made from honey), I'm now a regular mead-maker and have a good mix on the shelves aging from sweet to dry, melomel to methyglyn to traditional.

 

[Elmer]

Listen to me! Listen to me! Trust ME on this one. I've been there. The next step up should, IMHO

, be Danger Dave's Dragon Blood Wine.

Ref: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f2/dangerdaves-dragon-blood-wine-41825/

The first post on the thread contains the recipe. I dare you... No I double dare you to read the entire thread.

Kidding aside you'll likely make a very good tasting fruit wine for very little cost even compared to low end kit wines. I've made now three batches and have gifted close to two dozen bottles of Dragon Blood (DB) and have received only positive feedback and hints about maybe trying a second bottle. Two of the tree wine makers at church have asked for the recipe so that they can make their own batch of DB.

Another good choice for the next step up might be Skeeter Pee but I've not personally made that wine.

Skeeter Pee is dirt cheap, dang easy and darn good!

 

[waygorked]

Folks, these are great replies!

I fully expect to stay at low volume for some time, so I'll be renting equipment if I need to crush. Does anyone know of any good sources for fresh grapes? Bader Brewing up in Vancouver WA does fresh grapes from Yakima, and will crush and destem as desired. It looks like about $160-180 to make a 6 gallon batch of syrah, petit verdot, etc. I'm seriously considering this. But, living in the heart of the Willamette Valley, it seems inappropriate to not take a run at a pinot noir. I am in the middle of the WE Oregon pinot kit (about to rack from secondary), and while it is tasty, I would be shocked if it ultimately stands up to a good local pinot. So far, all I can find is people willing to sell grapes by the ton.

Does anyone know of any good Oregon pinot grape sources?

 

[ibglowin]

I would try Craigslist as a start.

 

[djrockinsteve]

Juice bucket would be next. Perfect time. Place your order now and juice will be in next week or week after. No additional equipment is needed.

 

[seth8530]

I would visit some of the local wineries and vinyards and see if you could get in on their harvest. I recently went on a wine tour in the Willamette area after spending a summer there and I can say that the grapes are quite good.