Very new to wine making please help

[Josef1026]

As the title says I am very new to wine making. I have never made my own batch of wine before but am very eagar to get started on several different flavors. All I know about wine and wine making is what I have read in the past five days. Such as tools needed and how to use them basiclly anyway. I'm not claiming to know the percise methods of making great wine that is really why I am posting to know what I really need before starting. I dont much care for wine so much or atleast not any I have tried that being said the only ones I've tried are very low quality.

I would like to make several sweet/desert wines around 3-5 gals at a time to start off with because I imagine I would enjoy those much more than a dryer wine sort of how you can find tons of people that will drink johnny walker red but not blue because it has such an aquired taste.

I have also read that their can be problems with sweeter wines due to the excess sugars reacting with the yeast and referminting after bottling. I thought maybe I could illiminate this by filtering out the yeast with a wine filter like the Buon Vino Mini Jet Wine Filter this is if its worth it or is basic siphoning sufficient.

What I am getting at is I dont want to make wine I want to make superior wine. If anyone can point me in the direction of the best kit to start out with to build on or if I am better out starting from scratch and piecing my own kit together my grandmother actually makes wine and has some extra glass carboys she said I could have but im not sure on the volume I would say atleast 3 gallon though

 

[Rocky]

Sounds like you might want to consider a Port wine, which tends to be sweet, high in alcohol and very distictive in taste. There are several great kits out there and you can read about the experiences many of the members have had on this forum.

If you Grandmother makes wine, she probably has all the equipment you will need to start, basically a fermenter (plastic pucket or crock), siphoning hoses, bottling equipment, etc. All of the chemicals you need will come in the kit but you may need additional Potassium Metabisulfite for sanitizing. Make sure you have a hydrometer.

I also recommend that you call George at the Wine Maker's Toy Store (one of our sponsors on this site) and get his views. He will point you in the right direction on equipment and recommend some kit alternatives.

 

[pete1325]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I have been making wine for about ten years or so, anywhere from 6-24 gallons a year so I can only speak from my experience. I make wine from kits, grapes and juice. I think for a beginner a kit would be a good way to start. They take you through the various step and helps you understand the importance of sanitizing, going through the fermentation process, steps on how to clear your wine, de-gasing, stabilizing, etc, etc.. Go to a local brew shop and explain to them your preference in wine, they should have a kit that fits your taste buds. As far as a "desert" wine goes, most wines are fermented dry, meaning the yeast converts ALL the sugar into alcohol. Some folks like it very dry and leave it alone to age before drinking it. If you prefer a sweeter wine you then add a sweetener (a flavor pack) after the wine has gone dry. Your SG reading normally dictates when your dry.

As far as supplies go, your brew shop will also get you heades in the right direction.........hydrometer, clear siphoningg tubes, cleaning brushes, carboys, airlocks, bungs.....the list goes on.

Hope this helps, good luck.

 

[MrWino]

Sanitizing all your equipment that the wine will be in contact with is very, very important. It is easy to do and will help prevent problems with the wine. After your wine is finished you can add sorbate to it to prevent it from re-fermenting in the bottle. It is also very important to degas the wine prior to bottling to get all the CO2 out. You can add glycerin to sweet wine to thicken it's viscosity. Good luck!

 

[Josef1026]

I didnt know the part about adding sweetener after it had gone dry but I had just heard if you added sugar to the wine it would start the fermintation process all over again and then go dry once again but I found a page that told me to simply add Potassium Sorbate to stabilize the wine to prevent this thanks for the help guys any other input is greatly appriciated

 

[cpfan]

I dont much care for wine so much or atleast not any I have tried that being said the only ones I've tried are very low quality.

I would like to make several sweet/desert wines around 3-5 gals at a time to start off with because I imagine I would enjoy those much more than a dryer wine sort of how you can find tons of people that will drink johnny walker red but not blue because it has such an aquired taste.

If you make 3 gallons of wine, you'll have about 15 regular size (750ml) bottles. If you make a normal wine kit, you'll have 6 US gallons or 30 bottles.

I would suggest that you find a wine style that you do like, otherwise you will have spent a bunch of money and time on what for you will be a failed hobby.

Sweet wines to try...port, sherry, ice wine (these kits usually make 3 US gallons)

Mist wines are low quality sweet wines that are enjoyed by many non-wine drinkers, or as refreshing summer drinks. Since you are a non-wine drinker, you should try the commercial Wild Vines or Arbor Mist products before making 30 bottles. I have found that some people start drinking these wines, then start to get into regular wines.

Steve

 

[reefman]

If you like sweet, buy a bottle of Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot as mentioned by CPfan.
If you like it, you can buy a kit for this wine: Orchard Breezin Blackberry Merlot Wine Kit. I turned more of my neighbors into wine drinkers by serving this.

 

[UBB]

If you like sweet, buy a bottle of Wild Vines Blackberry Merlot as mentioned by CPfan.
If you like it, you can buy a kit for this wine: Orchard Breezin Blackberry Merlot Wine Kit. I turned more of my neighbors into wine drinkers by serving this.

+1 on the Orchard Breezin BlackBerry Merlot kit being a good starting point. My wife is not much of a wine drinker and she really likes this wine.

 

[Wade E]

I would start off with the Mist style wines Like RJ Spanol,s Orchard Breezing flavors. They are pretty sweet and most people who dont really even like wine love these!!!! They are a blended fruit/grape wine and are very easy to make. You will need the equipment like a 7.8 gallon primary bucket and a 6 gallon carboy and hydrometer to make it.

 

[robie]

Welcome to the forum.

When you add sweetening to a wine, you have to add sorbate, which prohibits the yeast from multiplying anymore. Since yeast don't live very long, there will not be a next generation to restart fermentation.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Welcome aboard!!!

 

[GrandpasFootsteps]

What I am getting at is I dont want to make wine I want to make superior wine. If anyone can point me in the direction of the best kit to start out with to build on or if I am better out starting from scratch and piecing my own kit together my grandmother actually makes wine and has some extra glass carboys she said I could have but im not sure on the volume I would say atleast 3 gallon though

3 gallon carboys are certainly used frequently with from-scratch fruit wines. Don't pass them over if they are free!

Concerning "superior wine", to have a superior end product your need to start with superior ingredients and patience. All the skill you need is already in your possession.

 

[Flem]

I agree with most of the above posts. By all means, start with a kit. They give you all the chemicals you need to finish the wine. More importantly, they teach you all the basic steps to wine making. If you have any questions along the way, you have this great forum to guide you. If I were you, I'd start out with one of the Mist kits that have been recommended. Non-wine drinkers will love them (and you for making them).
Oh, by the way, welcome to the forum!!!

 

[Josef1026]

Thanks to everyone for the additional help I do plan on serving my wine to people more so than drinking myself but I was kind of shocked when I heard you guys recommend arbor mist thats almost an insult why not just tell me to drink Maddog 20/20 lol jk But really is this going to be the kit I want seems like a pretty low end wine

 

[cpfan]

Thanks to everyone for the additional help I do plan on serving my wine to people more so than drinking myself but I was kind of shocked when I heard you guys recommend arbor mist thats almost an insult why not just tell me to drink Maddog 20/20 lol jk But really is this going to be the kit I want seems like a pretty low end wine

Josef:

Re-read my post, I said it was low quality (#6). But your introduction says you are not a wine drinker. And many of us have had the experience (already mentioned above) that non wine drinkers like these sweet Arbor Mist style wines.

You need to tell us what kind of wine you want to make.

IMO, in a regular wine, high quality and sweet do not go together. High quality and sweet works for port/sherry/ice wine type wines. But these are not what you would serve friends with a meal. Maybe with dessert or after a nice meal.

Maybe an off-dry white wine such as riesling or gewurztraminer would work for you.

Steve

 

[Josef1026]

Josef:

Re-read my post, I said it was low quality (#6). But your introduction says you are not a wine drinker. And many of us have had the experience (already mentioned above) that non wine drinkers like these sweet Arbor Mist style wines.

You need to tell us what kind of wine you want to make.

IMO, in a regular wine, high quality and sweet do not go together. High quality and sweet works for port/sherry/ice wine type wines. But these are not what you would serve friends with a meal. Maybe with dessert or after a nice meal.

Maybe an off-dry white wine such as riesling or gewurztraminer would work for you.

Steve

my bad I didn't notice your comment on the quality. I thought by saying I wanted a sweet/dessert wine that was a type or atleast enough information to give you guys info to show me what I needed to get I myself dont drink wine but that doesnt mean I want to make low quality wine either I probably won't drink anything past sampling the wine I make its kind of like how I grow vegetables hydroponicly but I don't eat them its just fun tto do and they are superior quality but I simply grow them to learn how and share with friends the knowledge gained is my reward what it sounds like to me is the same thing appllies to wine as every othet alcohol if its "great" stuff casual drinkers won't like it

I'm thinking I will be trying several wines now a port,a riesling, and a mist

 

[Wade E]

Josef, didnt mean it as an insult. Like CPfan stated people who dont like wine almost always love these. As far as wines go for you then a Sherry, port or Ice wine is your best bet. There are a few manufacturers out there that offer these. Check out or advertisers in the big banners above in the middle of the page and see what they have to offer you. To be honest, there are a few manufacturers where I dont like many of their standard wine kits but each ones dessert wine kits are awesome! I have only come across 1 dessert kit that I didnt like but almost everyone else loved it so its just me on that 1!

 

[Josef1026]

Alright I guess we have a few winners to start making thank you to everyone for all help and being so patient with me. I will post my first batch updates as soon as I get started

 

[Josef1026]

I was thinking of getting this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XDGWT4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Do you guys think this would be a good kit to start with and then just buy my ingredients seperate because i've noticed most other kits arent as complete as this one.

This is the ingredient kit I was thinking of getting - http://www.midwestsupplies.com/riesling-ice-wine-selection-speciale.html

and this

http://www.homebrewing.org/Orchard-Breezin-Sangria-with-Seville-Orange_p_1858.html

and finally

http://www.homebrewing.org/Orchard-Breezin-Watermelon-White-Merlot_p_930.html

 

[robie]

I was thinking of getting this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XDGWT4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Do you guys think this would be a good kit to start with and then just buy my ingredients seperate because i've noticed most other kits arent as complete as this one.

This is the ingredient kit I was thinking of getting - http://www.midwestsupplies.com/riesling-ice-wine-selection-speciale.html

and this

http://www.homebrewing.org/Orchard-Breezin-Sangria-with-Seville-Orange_p_1858.html

and finally

http://www.homebrewing.org/Orchard-Breezin-Watermelon-White-Merlot_p_930.html

That's an OK starter equipment kit. One of our sponsors has several different starter kits you might look at: The Wine makers' Toy store.

That Riesling kit is an Ice wine, so it is going to be dessert-wine sweet. If that's OK, you should really enjoy it.

The Orchard Breezin' kits are also sweet, just not dessert sweet. I make 2 or 3 or them a year myself. I have made 2 of the Sangria with oranges.