What was the first wine you made?

[samwisegamgeese]

?

Started out with mead but switched over to wine. Apple was my first wine followed by skeeter pee.

What is Skeeter Pee

I am English

 

[Verge]

Well, the very first I ever made was actually a mead. I was 14 and relatively obsessed with Norse Mythology, so I took a bucket and made a pretty straight forward recipe I found online. I had no clue how this stuff worked, however, so when it stopped bubbling I got worried and added more honey. I did this several times, because I assumed the finished product was supposed to be bubbly and, therefore, needed more sugar (and sometimes yeast). Eventually it wouldn't bubble anymore no matter what I put in, so I took it to my father's house and asked him to sample it. He and his friends drank the entire five gallons in an afternoon, and when I returned that evening they were nearing paralysis.

The second wine I made was actually a wine. I think it was a merlot. Also, I was of legal age (I think).

 

[oldwhiskers]

What is Skeeter Pee

I am English

Skeeter Pee is the lemon wine made from ReaLemon juice. There is a seperate forum just for Skeeter Pee.

 

[Miti]

i made red grape wine first with no yeast (organic) . that was so good but when i bottled them i added some honey in and after a year i had bubbling red wine . i thought the wine spoiled but that was good . first bottle that i opened splashed on my face and t-shirt

 

[warrior1884]

My first was Pinot grigio and surprisingly it turned out really well.

 

[3274mike]

my first wine

The first wine I made was ? Not real sure I have an Uncle who worked part time at a green house and brought me a couple of grape vines with no tags. They were purple grapes and Im pretty sure not concord. Picked the one evening with my 3 year old daughter. twoo days later I spent an evening in my garage with some buckets and a potato masher making juice. I will have a press next time i attemp this. mixed everything up according to the directions and waited and watched and waited. Did i mention that I am not the most patient personBottled it December 30th and tried it on new years. yes I know no aging time . my friends said it was awful but I was happy with it. A few months later my and I shared the last bottle on Valintines day and was shocked at how \much better it was. yes I learned about the aging process and my said it was really good wine.{probably to not hurt my feelings but I was happy my first wine was a success in my mind

 

[wavery]

Welches grape concentrate 21 cans to 6gal. It is still in the clearing stage waiting to be back sweetened and bulk age. Not sure why this happened but it fermented from 1.086 to .996 in a couple of days. I now have a 1gal pear wine going 5lb pear and two mango we will see. Also ready to start a skeeter pee.

 

[slh]

Cranberry, from a canned concentrate. It was "OK" but I should have used twice the fruit.

 

[itsmillertime]

Two batches of apple last fall. I built a press just for the purpose of making apple juice then had a great idea to try to make some wine. I had plenty of apples from my 4 trees. I made a 6 gallon and a 5 gallon batch. It turned out great. Everyone loves it. I added cranberry juice concentrate to the 6 galon batch before bottling for a bit of a different taste and to sweeten. Everyone likes that one a little bit better. Now I'm hooked. I have rhubarb, cherry, dandelion and cranberry going now. Can't wait to try them.

 

[novafire]

Applewine for sure!

 

[willne1]

The first wine I made was a Winexpert Selection Original Series Merlot Kit it was good, better than my second try which was a Winexpert Selection Original Series Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

[SarahRides]

Mine was a Vino del Vida Pinot Noir! I think I might still have a bottle of it somewhere.

 

[ibglowin]

I placed an online order from FVW for some middle of the road cabernet kit. Did a bit more research and said what the heck, go big or go home. Called him up and cancelled the El Cheapo kit and replaced it with a Cellar Craft Showcase Red Mountain Cabernet. That was 3 years and too many kits to count. It was an excellent substitution. No regrets as they say. You get what you pay for in most things in life including kits. I still have 3 bottles left. The last one I opened was just amazing. I made another one 18 months ago and have all 30 bottles on the rack. I don't plan on opening the first until the 2 year mark. Then it will be fun to have around for a year or so. Worth every penny (or dollar) in this case!

 

[coachjones]

1st wine

Ours was a Merlot. We made it from a kit to see if we would enjoy making wine. We have since started a Rhubarb and a strawberry. We will blend some of each for a strawberry/Rhubarb in a little while. Both have just been moved into secondary.

Coachjones
helplessly addicted and recruiting our friends into the fold

 

[wineh]

Cellar Craft Global Cuvee Chardonnay. It was a beautifully clear wine until I added wine conditioner (wanted an off dry wine) which gave the wine a haze. It was still very drinkable. Have never used wine conditioner since.

 

[saramc]

I made a batch of Concord from Welch's 100% juice frozen concentrate, using a gallon glass jug and a latex balloon. The recipe came from " The Last Whole Earth Catalog" which sold for about $5 in the 70s....it is one of the most interesting things I have ever read (plus they have a killer yogurt recipe). My copy is quite dog-eared, and I literally read it at least once a month.
Anyway, the wine was fine but I got crazy on the back-sweetening and over did it. It is Concord dessert wine! Even too sweet for me. I like to use it to blend with drier wines and have made some really good blends with it.

I have now graduated up to 5 and 6 gallon carboys with bungs and airlocks but I do keep latex balloons around for emergency airlock situations (rarely happens now that I have plenty of supplies)--but the kids love to keep track of the inflated balloon.

The crazy thing is I remember my older brother (by 9 years) making this same wine (from the same book!) in his room in the basement when he was in high school---with my Mom right at his side.

 

[CellarRat]

My first wine was cab sauv with thompson seedless! lol. Not proud of that blend or how I vinified it, but I have to say the wine came out pretty well. Truth is it was my first wine - I paid for the grapes but my father made all the decisions regarding skin contact - none- yeast -none- sulfite, you guessed it - none! That was 1992 or 1993; things have changed abit.

 

[Boyd]

First wine I made was from wild grapes.

Picked a bunch of them and then said to myself, Self, now what in hell are you going to do with all those grapes, You don't like grape jelly dummy.

So I got me a recipe of the internet and made grape wine. I kept adding sugar until it quit working and as I used EC1118 yeast it had some kick to it.

Gave it all away as I seldom drink and I am told it was wonderful stuff.

One old gal got through 1 serving and 1/2 the second and then poured out the rest. She was pickeled I guess.

Going thru my saved wine a while ago I found a bottle of that wine. My daughter did not share with anyone. Said it was very smooth and tasty.

You would think she would have saved me a tablespoon full so I could taste it.

 

[fizzerzz]

first wine i ever made

I made my first wine when I was 12. It was a recipe for champagne from my grandmothers old wine book. It had no yeast and loads of apples. It looked disgusting and I threw it all away. Little did I know it was meant to look like that! I am now 57 and hold my local winemaking cup so as you can see, I persevered.

 

[kat50496]

Firsts are always special. My first time was with my wife . . . We made a wine expert selection international Amarone. It lasted about 8 months.

I can't agree more Tony - our first(s) were a WE International Sangiovese and Aus. Chardonnay done at a local FOP one year ago next week. Still have 6 of the Sangio and 12 Chardonnay's left. Done 15 more kits and a skeeter pee since then. Looks like I'll be building more racks this winter!!