Wine making

[paintman]

I’ve recently started into wine making and I wondered how many here are into making their own brews. I’m honestly not much of a drinker at all. I just find this fun to see what I can come up with.

I started out just making it with regular store bought juice and have now started my first batch with an actual wine base. First up is a raspberry that I’m pretty excited about. The raspberry aroma while putting it in the carboy was very nice. I also have a batch of cranberry that is close to being done with the initial fermentation.

So what do you have fermenting or aging? Looking for recipes, and tips to help along the way.

 

[Leadeye]

I've been making home made wine for a long time, used grapes, apples, pears, blackberrys, and paw paws. I have my own grapes that produce a good red, apples that are great served hot and spice mulled in cold weather, but I think my favorite is paw paw. It's just hard to get to the fruit before the forest critters.

 

[AmericanBob]

This is a hobby (like I need another) that I've been thinking of getting into. Actually something I could do with my wife.

 

[Leadeye]

This is a hobby (like I need another) that I've been thinking of getting into. Actually something I could do with my wife.

The gardener really likes wine making with me, I tailor some batches for her as she prefers sweeter wines. Myself I prefer wine neutral, neither really sweet or dry. The apple I can make dry and hard with lalvin 1118 yeast, but most of that gets spices and brown sugar and is served hot.

 

[Bigtanker]

I don't have a recipe but my grandma use to make a bunch. She'd use condoms. Put the freshly made wine in a gallon glass jar and put a condom on top. It would ferment and blow up the condom like a big balloon. Once the condom was deflated, she knew it was done.

 

[paintman]

It’s been a fun new hobby but like anything else it’s not cheap. I’ve never really done much gardening but this may break me into it. I’d like to grow my own fruits. I made a stop at wine and vine in Muncie yesterday and found him to be very knowledgeable and helpful. He let me try a few of his concoctions he had going and they were amazing. I hope I can make wine that good one day.

 

[Emerson Dambiggins]

Once the condom was deflated, she knew it was done.

The jokes here write themselves.

 

[indyjohn]

I started last year. First batch turned out phenomenal. I bought everything from these guys:

Wine Expert Cabernet Merlot kit. Includes 2 gallons of juice, seasoning (in this case Oak chips), and the chemicals you need to stabilize the wine. Last year's batch worked out to less than $8 per 1.5L bottle (prices for these kits has got up a bunch in the past year).

About a week away from bottling my 2nd batch.

 

[Bigtanker]

Here's an article on it.

The Secret to Cubans' Homemade Wine: Condoms

Their homemade wine operations utilize condoms to help monitor the fermentation process.

www.livescience.com

When my parents were married in 1972, Grandma made some apple wine called Applejack. This August at Mom and Dad's 50th, we opened the last bottle and all of the family had a small glass. It was pretty good, and I've never been a fan of wine.

 

[MRockwell]

I’ve recently started into wine making and I wondered how many here are into making their own brews. I’m honestly not much of a drinker at all. I just find this fun to see what I can come up with.

I started out just making it with regular store bought juice and have now started my first batch with an actual wine base. First up is a raspberry that I’m pretty excited about. The raspberry aroma while putting it in the carboy was very nice. I also have a batch of cranberry that is close to being done with the initial fermentation.

So what do you have fermenting or aging? Looking for recipes, and tips to help along the way.

When I started making wine ~24 years ago, I found Jack Keller's website. It had a ton of recipes. I started out like you, using Welch's frozen concentrate to make my first batches. I then got adventurous. I picked some concord grapes at the farm, didn't have enough to make 5 gallons so I bought some concentrate from a wine shop in Indy to make enough. I then started using fresh fruit-strawberry, pear, peach. Strawberry was easy, and turned out good. Peach and pear had no fruit flavor in the finished wine, so I gave up on those. It's a fun hobby for sure.

Here is a forum that has Jack Keller's wine recipes. 300 pages. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/jack-kellers-wine-recipes-complete-300-page-pdf-file.701909/

 

[blain]

Has anyone tried their hand at freeze distilling?

 

[tim87tr]

When I started making wine ~24 years ago, I found Jack Keller's website. It had a ton of recipes. I started out like you, using Welch's frozen concentrate to make my first batches. I then got adventurous. I picked some concord grapes at the farm, didn't have enough to make 5 gallons so I bought some concentrate from a wine shop in Indy to make enough. I then started using fresh fruit-strawberry, pear, peach. Strawberry was easy, and turned out good. Peach and pear had no fruit flavor in the finished wine, so I gave up on those. It's a fun hobby for sure.

Here is a forum that has Jack Keller's wine recipes. 300 pages. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/jack-kellers-wine-recipes-complete-300-page-pdf-file.701909/

I was trying to remember his name when this thread started. So thanks and the download is superb! I'd dabbled in brewing around 10 years ago and used his recipe for banana wine. I always wanted to make dandelion wine after hearing that my paternal grandfather had done so.

 

[indyjohn]

I've been making home made wine for a long time, used grapes, apples, pears, blackberrys, and paw paws. I have my own grapes that produce a good red, apples that are great served hot and spice mulled in cold weather, but I think my favorite is paw paw. It's just hard to get to the fruit before the forest critters.

Broke a carboy tonight while cleaning oak chips out of it. Thankfully I broke it while cleaning and not before transferring.

So I have a question.. Do you all that have been making wine for years add the following chemicals during the process?

Potassium Metabisulfite
Kieselsol
Chitosan
Potassium Sorbate

 

[indyjohn]

I always wanted to make dandelion wine after hearing that my paternal grandfather had done so.

My older siblings tried making some. Apparently it was a thing amongst the hippies in the late 60s.

 

[MRockwell]

Broke a carboy tonight while cleaning oak chips out of it. Thankfully I broke it while cleaning and not before transferring.

So I have a question.. Do you all that have been making wine for years add the following chemicals during the process?

Potassium Metabisulfite
Kieselsol
Chitosan
Potassium Sorbate

I use campden tablets(Potassium Metabisulfite) at the start of a wine, especially when using fresh fruit or grapes.
I have only used Kieselsol and Chitosan(Super-Kleer) once to clear a wine, it was a white wine.
I have always used Potassium Sorbate to stabilize a finished wine. I have heard of wines popping corks if not stabilized, not sure how common it is...but I don't want to chance it.

 

[Leadeye]

Broke a carboy tonight while cleaning oak chips out of it. Thankfully I broke it while cleaning and not before transferring.

So I have a question.. Do you all that have been making wine for years add the following chemicals during the process?

Potassium Metabisulfite
Kieselsol
Chitosan
Potassium Sorbate

None of the above. The chitosan is for clarification, the rest are preservatives. I will say that my batches usually are not bottled for a year so fermentation is done.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

When I started making wine ~24 years ago, I found Jack Keller's website. It had a ton of recipes. I started out like you, using Welch's frozen concentrate to make my first batches. I then got adventurous. I picked some concord grapes at the farm, didn't have enough to make 5 gallons so I bought some concentrate from a wine shop in Indy to make enough. I then started using fresh fruit-strawberry, pear, peach. Strawberry was easy, and turned out good. Peach and pear had no fruit flavor in the finished wine, so I gave up on those. It's a fun hobby for sure.

Here is a forum that has Jack Keller's wine recipes. 300 pages. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/jack-kellers-wine-recipes-complete-300-page-pdf-file.701909/

Thank you very much for that link.

I've got a question though regarding the peach wine, how did you make it? I made some once that turned out very peachy, I'm wondering if I got lucky or?
I destoned the peaches and cut into chunks, put all the chunks in a large jelly bag and tied it shut. Boiled water with sugar and poured over the peaches in a primary fermenter. When cool pitched the yeast and added tannin, pectin enzyme, and nutrient . Smashed daily/every other day or so for about a week with a long handled "potato masher". Strained the peaches and put into a secondary fermenter. The solids left in the bag were estimating less than 1/4 the amount started with.

Also how did you do the pear wine? I was planning on making some hard pear cider (aka perry) next year. My plan was to do about the same as I did with the peaches.

 

[MRockwell]

Thank you very much for that link.

I've got a question though regarding the peach wine, how did you make it? I made some once that turned out very peachy, I'm wondering if I got lucky or?
I destoned the peaches and cut into chunks, put all the chunks in a large jelly bag and tied it shut. Boiled water with sugar and poured over the peaches in a primary fermenter. When cool pitched the yeast and added tannin, pectin enzyme, and nutrient . Smashed daily/every other day or so for about a week with a long handled "potato masher". Strained the peaches and put into a secondary fermenter. The solids left in the bag were estimating less than 1/4 the amount started with.

Also how did you do the pear wine? I was planning on making some hard pear cider (aka perry) next year. My plan was to do about the same as I did with the peaches.

It's been a while, but as I recall I did it the same as you described but I don't think I put the peaches in a bag. The same for the pear wine. Not sure what I did/didn't do to make them turn out having no fruit flavor. Both the peach and pear were five gallon batches.

I tried to do a peach chardonnay from a kit once. Followed the instructions, and the result tasted like peach syrup. That is what prompted me to do a peach wine from fresh fruit.

My best peach wine was made with Welch's white grape peach juice, using Keller's recipe for Welch's frozen concentrate.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

It's been a while, but as I recall I did it the same as you described but I don't think I put the peaches in a bag. The same for the pear wine. Not sure what I did/didn't do to make them turn out having no fruit flavor. Both the peach and pear were five gallon batches.

I tried to do a peach chardonnay from a kit once. Followed the instructions, and the result tasted like peach syrup. That is what prompted me to do a peach wine from fresh fruit.

My best peach wine was made with Welch's white grape peach juice, using Keller's recipe for Welch's frozen concentrate.

Maybe I just got lucky or something. It turned out similar in flavor to peach schnapps, I was going for a dry wine and used champagne yeast, but miscalculated the sugar. I'm guessing it was around 18% ABV and definitely on the sweet side. I did a five gallon batch and used about 30lbs of peaches iirc. Got a great deal on a bushel at a roadside stand, they were very ripe and he wanted to get rid of them before they went bad.

 

[cburnworth]

I have a tart cherry been going abut a week and a half now. sitting @ 14.8% I used a 2 yr old pouch of e1118 yeast. I highly recommend getting rid of the glass carboys and switching to plastic fermonsters. I also have a couple of smaller better bottles. I am also making a batch of apple cider vinegar. I also brew beer and I use the hop socks when making my wine using fresh fruit, makes it easy to get the fruit out of the fermonster when done. Here is a link for the fermonster.