New winemaker!

[jlbeck]

I am an absolute beginner to the craft of wine making. I have decides that I would like to do a Cabernet as my first project to commemorate the birth of my son coming this January, so I am seeking and tips or tricks to kind of bypass the mistakes I could make in my first batch, even recipes, thank you in advance!

 

[jamesngalveston]

Welcome to the forum..
There is a tremendous amount of knowledge on this site.
From old timers and new makers...always questions, and always answers.
I would ask first, (being a newbie myself, 8 mos).
Have you the items needed, lots of kits come with the very bare needs.
Post the kit, and what you have and people here will fill in the blanks...That way you start out...ahead of the game....
Ask any question...some one here will always help.

 

[Kraffty]

You have a world of info available to you here. I'd suggest starting with a kit, one that includes basic equipment. It's a great way to get your feet wet and probably end up with a decent wine to drink on your first attempt.
Best of Luck, Mike

 

[jlbeck]

Well the kit is even a blank slate, I haven't bought anything until I find out what I will actuall need for my projects, and I would rather not buy a basic kit or economy kit that has too little or too much and possibly parts that would have to be quickly upgraded

 

[DoctorCAD]

We are going to need a bit more info. From your post, it looks like you could buy 200 acres in Italy and start there with 2000 gallons, or do you want to make a gallon of Welches grape wine, or do you want the ease of a cab kit, or do you have access to a pail of fresh crushed grapes?

It really depends on how big you want to go and how big the pile of money you have to spend.

 

[roger80465]

jlbeck

If you ARE buying 200 acres in Italy, I am your long lost cousin. Let me know when I can visit

 

[jlbeck]

Lol yeah I suppose I could be a little more specific, I must admit having the acreage in Italy would be nice for many reasons, I will attempt a significantly smaller batch. Right now I'm thinking probably a 5 gallon set up or so until I am a little more experienced. I live in western oklahoma so without long travel or shipping the fresh grapes are a little more difficult to come by, tho eventually I would like to start from scratch this first batch probably will not be realistic to do so. The local winery has told me it was actually a bad year for local grapes and for my first time a stabilized juice might be a better way to go. But I would like to add my own undertones to it if possible.

 

[LoneStarLori]

I'm a newbie too. I got in it it kind of by mistake. We had some grapes growing on the fence of the house we bought last year and since I got bored making jelly, I thought why not try wine. I spent hours looking at you tube videos and reading books only to get more and more confused. I am happy to say that I got great advice here and think my Mustang wine will be drinkable in the end. In the meantime, I am doing a 5 gal white wine kit and a 3 gal black currant from juice.
As for my purchases, I kind of have been building as needed. The wine kits come with all the chemicals you need so I would do that. But as far as the hardware, from what I see, most of the websites that sell starter kits are spot on as far as what is needed to start. Eventually you will need bottles, a corker, wine filler and corks but that is at least a month away.

 

[jlbeck]

Well there is a wine/beer making store close to me that offers a "deluxe starter kit" containing a 6.5 gal plastic primary with plug and airlock, 6 gal glass carboy, racking cane, clip siphon hose, shut off clamp, bottle filler, and sanitizer (mind you this is their description on the site) all for 65.99 which seems like a great deal from what I have been looking at online, I know a hydrometer is also a need in the process, would this be a good start? Or is there more that will help?

 

[LoneStarLori]

that sounds like a great deal to me. got a link?

 

[jlbeck]

Sorry double posting brought to you by iPhone

 

[cmason1957]

That kind of a starter kit is probably what most of us started with. If it does not include a hydrometer, but one. Actually buy two, they break at the worst time. Even with that you will be under $75.

Then pick a wine kit of a type you like. I might almost start with one of the Island Mist type of kits. They are done in 4 or 5 weeks and you can drink them fairly quickly. If you can get used bottles for free for wineries, do it.

Then next week but 4 more carboys and you are off on this wonderful hobby.

 

[jlbeck]

And I don't know if a "wine kit" will allow any room for additions of some undertone flavors, I am leaning for maybe a cherry and charred oak Cabernet, and I plan to save a half dozen bottles or so and age them a couple decades (along with a few it's a boy cigars) for a coming of age birthday present for him and I, at least that's the plan, one of the reasons I want to try and get it right sooner rather then later

 

[LoneStarLori]

You can add things to a kit to make it your own. There is a great guy on here (Joeswine) that has been doing lots of modifications to kits and has some good ideas. I've been trying one of his tricks by adding white raisins to my kit.

 

[cmason1957]

And I don't know if a "wine kit" will allow any room for additions of some undertone flavors, I am leaning for maybe a cherry and charred oak Cabernet, and I plan to save a half dozen bottles or so and age them a couple decades (along with a few it's a boy cigars) for a coming of age birthday present for him and I, at least that's the plan, one of the reasons I want to try and get it right sooner rather then later

Once you start it, you can add ANYTHING you want to it. Some things are better than others. I suggest doing at least one (and really, two or three) right by the instructions. Learning the process is important before you can expect to know what happens when you go off the straight and narrow. You want something you can be proud of in 21 years, not something that tastes like crud.

On a side note a port might be a good choice for the long term aging with a good amount of meta bisulphite in it. Might need to check and to our every five or so years and recork.

 

[jamesngalveston]

you can alter any wine flavor, abv, etc.
you will need some tools to degas with...(drill and stirer) vacuum pump, etc.
you will need corks, corker also.
i would get an autosyphon.

 

[GaDawg]

I am also new (less than a year). My best advice is to read everything Joeswine writes

 

[DoctorCAD]

And I don't know if a "wine kit" will allow any room for additions of some undertone flavors, I am leaning for maybe a cherry and charred oak Cabernet, and I plan to save a half dozen bottles or so and age them a couple decades (along with a few it's a boy cigars) for a coming of age birthday present for him and I, at least that's the plan, one of the reasons I want to try and get it right sooner rather then later

Crawl before you walk...walk before you run.

Start with a full fledged kit-->Learn what is going on-->Make a few to see how easy it is to screw up--> Tweak a kit or 2-->Buy grape juice and follow directions and a recipe-->Make wine from juice with your own recipe-->Buy grapes and do it all on your own.

Or you could just buy that 200 acres in Italy and hire an experienced winemaker (I'm available, but not cheap!)

Just remember, wine takes patience.

 

[Wiccan_Lager]

And I don't know if a "wine kit" will allow any room for additions of some undertone flavors, I am leaning for maybe a cherry and charred oak Cabernet, and I plan to save a half dozen bottles or so and age them a couple decades (along with a few it's a boy cigars) for a coming of age birthday present for him and I, at least that's the plan, one of the reasons I want to try and get it right sooner rather then later

Hello JLBeck and welcome! And congrats on the baby! I myself was not new to wine making but I was a newbie in terms of making wine the "correct" way. Like the others have stated, a kit is a great way to go. My local home brew spot always recommends WinExpert kits. THey have quite a few to choose from and some of them specify cherry notes, which is what you are looking for.

And a +1 on hydrometer. The most simple yet useful tool for any home wine maker. An absolute must!

Work with the kits first to understand the jargon and the process. Once you get a few under your belt you will understand what's happening. Once you have a grasp on the process you will then be able to branch out and experiment. Half the fun of this is experimenting!

Also, here is a great little PDF link that helped me out a great deal in the beginning. Got it from the Beginners section of the forums.

Not to overwhelm you but there is a fella by the name of Jack Keller who has a VERY thorough and extremely helpful site that is all about wine. A little daunting but useful none the less.

Lots of luck in your journey and in with the new addition to the family!

 

[Kraffty]

I may be saying something you already know, but, a kit IS a juice bucket in all reality. Some are full strength some are concentrated (more expensive/less expensive = lower finished quality wine/higher finished quality wine). You can change anything you want along the way, substitute yeast for less than a buck, add oak powder or spirals for a few dollars, sweeten or flavor to your liking. I just know from experience that starting with at least one "Kit" will give you a basic understanding you can't gain from reading and will let you produce a very drinkable wine first time out.
Jump in, the water's fine.
Mike