where to order and what supplies to get

[TheWineGuy]

ok so i want to order some fresh nutrients or additives as you call them i have some but were given to me and i believe they are more then a year old and look kinda iffy. so what site is best ? and what additives should i buy? in a list form would be fantastic

example:

1)
2)
3)

 

[vacuumpumpman]

First off what type of wine are you planning on making ???

 

[TheWineGuy]

strictly fruit concentrates grape , cranberry , pomegranate

 

[jamesngalveston]

1. yeast...i have never used concentrate so i dont know what is best. I use pasteur red for most of my wines.
2. yeast nutrient
3. yeast energizer
4. tannin
5. pectin enzyme
6. potassium sorbate
7. campden (k-meta)
8. for clearing....I use super-kleer

 

[TheWineGuy]

now i obviously will not be adding all of these to a batch of wine correct.

 

[jamesngalveston]

depends on your recipe.
depends on if you back sweeten
depends on if you want to clear early.
look each one up, so you know what they do.

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Wow - James
i walked away from the computer and you seemed to handle everything perfect !!!!
Thanks

 

[TheWineGuy]

Thanks that's what I needed awesome !

 

[TheWineGuy]

now what are the differences between a powder and a liquid ? i see some items have both...

 

[BernardSmith]

I'd include acid blend. You want to check the acidity of your wines. Ball park you want to try to get your wines to be have a pH of about 3.5 - certainly less than 4 and above 3. (a pH of 7 is neutral. Distilled water will have a pH of 7 ). The more acidic the wine is the less free sulfur dioxide (SO2) the wine needs to prevent oxidation and the more acidic the wine is the more it can support residual sweetness and a higher alcohol content. If you can I would consider buying a pH meter. (does not have to be an expensive one). Hanna make units that will serve your purposes for around $30. You can use a pH meter to measure a different acid metric known as TA (titratable acid). I don't know whether others in this forum would agree with me but I think pH is more important than TA when you make fruit wines. TA and pH is important when you make grape wine (I say this because TA is based more on the assumption that much of the acidity in a wine will come from tartaric acid and the acidity of grapes essentially comes from tartaric acid while the acidity of other fruits comes from malic and /or acetic acids.

I'd also add Bentonite to James' list. This is a clay that will help clarify your wines. Personally, I add Bentonite shortly after I pitch the yeast so that the activity of the yeast in the production of CO2 (carbon dioxide) will force the Bentonite back towards the top of the bucket even as it tends to drop to the bottom gathering with it fruit and yeast particles

I'd also include some product to clean anything that will touch the wine. You don't want to use soap or bleach but cleansers that use oxygen are effective and don't leave any after-taste. Something like "one step".

 

[TheWineGuy]

i actually did order the Benoite already so thats good no offense but ill skip the whole ph thing for now it seems like a lot to take on already but i will consider it a couple of batches down the road

 

[jamesngalveston]

Mr Smith is exactly correct...acid blend is a must also...forgot that one, thanks mr smith...
I have never used betonite..
Most use a sanitizer that you do not have to rinse..

 

[JohnT]

I do not believe anyone has mentioned k-meta (potassium-metabisulfate).
I would get a pound to start with.

 

[cmason1957]

I second K-meta, instead of camp den tablets. Just measure it what you want and use it. No crushing and no extra crud that is used as filler in the tablets.

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

Campden tablets are nice if working with one gallon batches or small batches. Easy to crush up a few than trying to measure out 1/16 of a tsp. If working with 5 or 6 gallon, or larger then K-Meta works better. Also use 2 oz to a gallon for sanitizer.

 

[TheWineGuy]

OK, well i already have pound of campden tablets i only make 1 gallon size batches although i have like 5 going at a time for some reason i prefer making in small batches. well since we are talking about this is there any disadvantages to this?

 

[cimbaliw]

Wine Guy, I have to say that here in Beer City, USA we have a stellar lhbs, Sicilianos. They've been around long before the home brew craze and will probably be around long thereafter. The point is; for as much as this forum is extraordinarily helpful and creative, the local knowledge should not be over looked. Also, Siciliano's in store prices usually beat their online prices. In the fall they bring in local fruit growers to dispense apple juice right into your primary. You might want to see if something similar is in your area. James in Galveston spent 4 hours in a car today for the lhbs experience. I'm just sayin'

BC

 

[TheWineGuy]

I live in Hawaii and there are no beer or wine shops here on the big island very limited here and shipping here is expensive and everything else here is expensive example : milk is 10 bucks a gallon

 

[vernsgal]

I live in Hawaii and there are no beer or wine shops here on the big island very limited here and shipping here is expensive and everything else here is expensive example : milk is 10 bucks a gallon

Holy crap! and I thought Canada had heavy shipping dues and/or taxes.
Hopefully your wine turns out more affordable than your milk

 

[TheWineGuy]

Haha seriously ! It's rough ordering anything !