Homemade wine

make_life_easier

Oh dear I think I meant furment for a couple of months:o I know the longer you leave it to mature the better the wine is.
Forgive me as I am only a learner:beer: and it sound so exciting hedgerow wine. How long does it take to furment before you put it into bottles.?

2cats1kid

Well I'm just learning too, LOL. I made my first wine maybe 3 months or so ago. My dad made loads of wine when I was little, so I've been around wine making, but not done it myself.

I'm reckoning on leaving the hedgerow wine in the bucket for probably 4 days. Then I'll strain it and put it into the demi john to ferment. That is pretty variable - depends on ambient temperature etc. but probably reckoning 2-3 weeks wouldn't be far off. Then rack it. Rack again. I'll have a cautious swig at that stage and if it is reasonable I'll put it in bottles. If it is still rough I'll leave it in the demi john as apparently wine matures better in a demi john.

The experts will probably be here soon to tell me I'm doing it all wrong, which I may be, but at least I'm having fun!

make_life_easier

2cats1kid wrote: »

Well I'm just learning too, LOL. I made my first wine maybe 3 months or so ago. My dad made loads of wine when I was little, so I've been around wine making, but not done it myself.

I'm reckoning on leaving the hedgerow wine in the bucket for probably 4 days. Then I'll strain it and put it into the demi john to ferment. That is pretty variable - depends on ambient temperature etc. but probably reckoning 2-3 weeks wouldn't be far off. Then rack it. Rack again. I'll have a cautious swig at that stage and if it is reasonable I'll put it in bottles. If it is still rough I'll leave it in the demi john as apparently wine matures better in a demi john.

The experts will probably be here soon to tell me I'm doing it all wrong, which I may be, but at least I'm having fun!

I'm having fun too, I keep looking at the bubble thing on the top and I think I have told everyone I am making my own wine. All my mates think I've gone barmy but when it's ready I bet they won't refuse a bottle he he.:p

I'm planning on making or getting somesone to make me a big wine rack now. I only have a small house and I'm struggling on where to store my bottles when it's ready.

I am now going to ask everyone I know if they have any demi johns they don't use anymore;)

notenoughcash

SO exciting! my blackberry and raspberry mix is fermenting nicely in the bucket now, can't wait to see how it turns out. Been raiding the neighbours recycling boxes for empty wine bottles so I can start another batch straight away when it goes into the demijohn. I've always hated and hardly used my cellar but now I have the perfect use for it I love it!!!!!

Austin_Allegro

Hi all, just an update on my ginger wine:

(8x ginger teabags, 1kg sugar, yeast, nutrient, 2tsps lemon juice, top up to 4.75l, leave for three weeks)

It's come out nicely, though a little sweet. Possibly 6 teabags would work better. It needed some finings to clear. I haven't measured it but would estimate it's around 10%.

I'll be doing further sampling over the Bank Holiday weekend!

2cats1kid

OK I'll update too then.

Herbal teabag wine is still plopping away. It has slowed noticeably, but still has at least 10 more days in it, I'd guess. Nice colour. Slightly darker than a regular rose, but I guess will end up paler once its been racked.

Blackberry #2 is plopping too, although not quite as frantically as the first couple of days. It is a totally different colour to blackberry#1. #1 had a small can of red grape concentrate in it, and is really really dark like a merlot, while #2 had 250g of raisins and no concentrate, and it is quite a bright red rather than almost purple like the other one.

Racked #1 and it has a load of sediment again - was going to leave it 3 weeks before racking again, but may need doing sooner...maybe?

Hedgerow wine is still in the bucket. It smelled really vile at first (elder and rosehip - a bit niffy) but it is starting to mellow out now. Similar sort of colour to the blackberry #2. Waiting on a delivery from the wine supply shop before I can strain it into a demi john, so it will get another day or two in the bucket.

How's everyone else doing?

Austin_Allegro

My last batch was tea wine (same as ginger wine above but with 8x builders' teabags).

Result was odd but pleasant and difficult to describe. Like a very dry sherry or even a martini, but with more of a tannin aftertaste.

I'm not sure it would appeal to many palates - CJJ Berry says it's good for blending though.

Purple_Sparkles

I've just put on a simple quick white wine from a kit I found under the sink but it's got me started on wine making again :j so I'm off to get some ingredients that I don't have and when I come back I'll be making Potato Wine, Mead, Cider Ale and Carrot Wine

My house is going to smell like a brewery but I don't care :beer:

As soon as the blackberry bushes & elderberry trees are ripe I'll be doing those too, and I'll make some cordials for my son, though he does like blackberry wine :rolleyes:

I'm sure I saw some clover the other day, I'll have to check I've enough demijohns then I can put some of that on too - I would like to think this lot will last some time and that I won't be turning into a wino :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

2cats1kid

Builders tea wine sounds strange. Found a recipe for coffee wine earlier, too. Seems there isn't much that people won't try making wine out of.

Anyway, this post has been prompted by events of today. About a fortnight ago I made a load of strawberry cordial for DD, who normally loves the stuff. I had room for a big bottle in the fridge, but a little bottle had to sit out next to the fruit squashes. Well for some reason she has decided to drink mostly water now, so the cordial sat undrunk.

She tried some yesterday and complained that it "tasted like wine" LOL. Well, sure enough, it had started to ferment. So today I've emptied it and the big bottle into a demi john, added a small can of white grape juice concentrate and a sachet of yeast and topped up with water. It has started bubbling, so I'll see how it goes. There is way too little fruit in there, so it will be a bit thin, I think. Don't know whether to add a carton of white grape juice or leave it be. But anyway, it is going to be a bit hit and miss, but I figured I'd sooner try fermenting it rather than tip it all down the sink. Downside is, that was my spare demi john for racking things into, so I am short a demi john again.

Otherwise, blackberry #1 is racked again and sitting maturing. Had a crafty swig and it's going to be nice I think. Very full red and a lovely colour. Think I'll sterilise a 5l water bottle from Tesco and use that to mature this one in, and that will get me my racking d-j back again.

Demi johns have been moved out of the utility into the spare bedroom, as they were taking up too much space, so the bedroom is like a brewery now.

jungliemac

Read this thread and am amzed at the varieties that can be made. I have just put my blackberry wine into a demijohn after being in a bucket for a week. It has scummy frothy stuff in ablot the top inch of the demijohn and in the airlock....should I take it off and rinse the airlock or will the froth clear itself? I have horrible visions of an exploding demijohn and a house splattered in blackberry wine. Also do I have to keep it warm and dark or can I just leave it in the utility room....Last one....There is no way I will poison anyone is there?