New to winemaking

[RobertK]

I'm not much of a drinker and never really enjoyed wines, but got interested in winemaking during the pandemic. I love the process of making wines, trying to figure out why they taste like trash, and, of course, trying to fix them. In my journey, I have started developing a taste for wine, and have even attended a couple of wine tastings. Still not sure I would know a "good" wine if it hit me in the face, but hoping to change that as hone my craft.

Most of the wines that I have made have been gifted to people I don't like, but I keep some to cook with. I also like making some into vinegar for cooking.

I have found that my interest in the hobby has grown in the past few months, and am looking to learn how to make better wines from the start.

 

[cmason1957]

Welcome to WMT!! We are always willing to answer questions and help folks out to not make trash.

Are you making wines from fresh fruit, kits, some combination??

Do you use something to help you know what the alcohol level you might produce is?

You can always post your ideas for wines here before you make it, folks will give you honest feedback and I'll almost guarantee you that someone has made something like it before and has some ideas that will help you.

 

[BigDaveK]

Welcome to WMT!

I've been at this a little over a year and haven't had one taste like "trash". I've had a couple taste "ok", disappointing yes but still very drinkable. Perhaps you could share your plan before you start your next batch? There's a boatload of people willing to help. We were all clueless at one time so don't be embarrassed.

And I wouldn't fixate too much about what a "good" wine is. Everyone's mouth is different. If you like it, it's good.

I made a garlic wine and an onion wine intended for cooking. I thought they would be undrinkable but the darn things actually taste good. This is an incredibly fun hobby!

Good luck!

 

[RobertK]

Welcome to WMT!! We are always willing to answer questions and help folks out to not make trash.

Are you making wines from fresh fruit, kits, some combination??

Do you use something to help you know what the alcohol level you might produce is?

You can always post your ideas for wines here before you make it, folks will give you honest feedback and I'll almost guarantee you that someone has made something like it before and has some ideas that will help you.

Thank you!

I haven't done any kits. I bought a book by Jack Keller and found some recipes that I thought would be good. Also follow Doing the Most and others on YouTube and try to follow along with them.

I do have all of the gear and gadgets for sanitizing and measuring. I have only just recently started paying more attention to yeast health and doing staggered nutrient additions. Hoping that helps. I have, so far, not made anything that couldn't be fixed before bottling. I have a small collection of tannins and acids to aid in balancing.

I will definitely be posting ideas. Any thoughts and recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Welcome to WMT

First thought, what do you like to eat? make what you like. ,,, second, What is available? ,,, for me that translates to what is in the garden, but the longer I make wine the more I look at the fence lines to see what grows.
Last thought making wine is cooking, if you can balance a spaghetti sauce flavor you will make good wine.

 

[ChuckD]

Most of the wines that I have made have been gifted to people I don't like,

Why waste it amirite

Welcome to WMT.

 

[RobertK]

Welcome to WMT

First thought, what do you like to eat? make what you like. ,,, second, What is available? ,,, for me that translates to what is in the garden, but the longer I make wine the more I look at the fence lines to see what grows.
Last thought making wine is cooking, if you can balance a spaghetti sauce flavor you will make good wine.

I hadn't considered making wines that would naturally pair with the foods that I eat. That's a good suggestion. I generally just buy whatever frozen fruits that I like or can find at the farmers market.

I can definitely make killer marinara and alfredo sauces. And since I got my air fryer, my chicken has been perfectly juicy.

I have 6 lbs of plum jam that I am looking to make into wine, but I need to free up a bucket first. Or drive 45 minutes to the homebrew shop. Thinking that I'd like to ferment it to dryness and back sweeten with caramelized sugar...maybe to 1.010 or so. Not sure which yeast would hold the plum flavors best. And now I'm wondering what it would pair with.

 

[RobertK]

Welcome to WMT!

I've been at this a little over a year and haven't had one taste like "trash". I've had a couple taste "ok", disappointing yes but still very drinkable. Perhaps you could share your plan before you start your next batch? There's a boatload of people willing to help. We were all clueless at one time so don't be embarrassed.

And I wouldn't fixate too much about what a "good" wine is. Everyone's mouth is different. If you like it, it's good.

I made a garlic wine and an onion wine intended for cooking. I thought they would be undrinkable but the darn things actually taste good. This is an incredibly fun hobby!

Good luck!

Garlic wine? And I thought I was being funny when I told my daughter I was going to make an onion wine. Now I have to do it.

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[BigDaveK]

Garlic wine? And I thought I was being funny when I told my daughter I was going to make an onion wine. Now I have to do it.

Keep in mind onions are different. I used sweet onions from my garden and was shocked, surprised, and happy with the result. This year I'll try a non-sweet variety for comparison.

 

[RobertK]

Keep in mind onions are different. I used sweet onions from my garden and was shocked, surprised, and happy with the result. This year I'll try a non-sweet variety for comparison.

Good info. Thank you.

 

[RussMiner]

I'm not much of a drinker and never really enjoyed wines, but got interested in winemaking during the pandemic. I love the process of making wines, trying to figure out why they taste like trash, and, of course, trying to fix them. In my journey, I have started developing a taste for wine, and have even attended a couple of wine tastings. Still not sure I would know a "good" wine if it hit me in the face, but hoping to change that as hone my craft.

Most of the wines that I have made have been gifted to people I don't like, but I keep some to cook with. I also like making some into vinegar for cooking.

I have found that my interest in the hobby has grown in the past few months, and am looking to learn how to make better wines from the start

 

[RussMiner]

Welcome! This is a great forum to expand you knowledge about wine making. I started with 1 gallon kits and now I own a fruit grinder and press! The recipes here are wonderful and the people helpfu.

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT! I had a one gallon equipment kit before the pandemic but didn't try it until Dec 2020. I started with 1 gallon kits but now my carboy and equipment stock has grown enough so I do multiple 5-6 gallon batches at a time.

I haven't tried garlic or onion, but I did make 2 batches of tomato wine that turned out pretty tasty.