Homemade wine

giddykipper

This may sound like a really stupid question but how do you work out the alcohol content and nutritional value of the wine?

(I'm thinking diet-wise here).

Cheers

Jo x

Sideways

vfairbrass wrote:

I am going to try with elderflowers from the garden - my first ever attempt this year. Any hints?
Valerie

Hi

I have not tried elderflower myself as yet but someone did recommend this recipe to me--- (per gallon)

1/4 pt Elderflowers (that's fill up to 1/4 pint level with freshly picked elderflowers, these can be quite strong)
1 lb Sultanas
250ml White Grape Concentrate
1 1/2 lb Sugar
4 floz Lemon juice
1 tsp pectolase
1 tsp Yeast nutrient
1 Vit b1 tablet
Hock type yeast
Water to a gallon

Good luck!

Sideways

giddykipper wrote:

This may sound like a really stupid question but how do you work out the alcohol content and nutritional value of the wine?

(I'm thinking diet-wise here).

Cheers

Jo x

Not sure about the 'nutritional value' but the alcohol content can be calculated using a hydrometer and monitoring the start / end SG levels...

A hydrometer measures the specific gravity of a liquid and so tells the vintner how much sugar has so far turned into alcohol. This indicates how much of the fermentation process has been completed. A hydrometer can also be used to calculate the strength of a wine. A hydrometer works on the following principle. The more sugar in a liquid, the thicker the liquid. The thickness of a liquid is also known as its gravity. The thicker the liquid, the better a floating object is supported in it. The gravity of a liquid is compared to water (which is given the gravity of 1000). As such, the gravity of a liquid is said to be its 'specific gravity'. A hydrometer has figures marked at intervals along it in much the same way as a ruler. The hydrometer is dropped in the wine and depending on the its thickness, the liquid will reach a specific point on the neck of the hydrometer, so giving the wine its specific gravity.


Wine-making books often have charts inside and show you how to use your hydrometer to work-out your possible alcohol content.

jinny

Hi there is wine making os? I like a glass or two of red wine but havent a clue how to go about making my own any tips out ther (hic):beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

newster

I suppose it could be especially if using fruit from gluts or given free etc. There would be an initial out lay for equipment, but then maybe that could be picked up on e bay or from a Trade Mart paper. My husband used to make wine years ago. You do need a warm place for it to fement, but it's very heat sensitive, so it can't be put into a too warm a place. When OH used to make it, we didn't have central heating, so he used to put the demi johns around the gas fire. If the weather was cold, he'd wrap them up like babies lol.

oldMcDonald

We make loads of wine *hic*, and once you get the stuff you need up together then you can easily get a dozen bottles for little more than the cost of a couple of bags of sugar - so long as you are making it from wild / free foods. If you want something that tastes like the grape based wine that you buy in shops then you really need to make it from grape concentrate, and then the price mounts up.

It's good fun and you never know what you may end up with untill it is ready to drink!! We have some gorse wine fermenting at the moment - made from free gorse flowers picked on local heathland, and last night opened a bottle of sloe & raisin that was just wonderful (and a couple have been put by for Christmas as they were so good!!)

Nothing ventured, nothing gained - ask for demijohns on Freecycle and have a go. A good place for in season wild recipes can be found here.

Have fun

meanmarie

In the far-off days when I had lots of energy, OH and I did a wine and beer-making evening class which we thoroughly enjoyed. We experimented quite a bit on the wine making side with 'wild' wines, OH made lots of beer, mainly from kits. We made elderberry wine twice, the first year it was quite sweet and definitely 'pudding wine', the next year it was much drier and we seemed to give up after that! Rosehip wine tastes good, and both gooseberry and parsnips make a nice dry white...gooseberry is almost like a riesling, very much to my taste. My advice would be, give it a go, it won't cost a fortune to start and you may find that it is a very OS manner of providing yourself with a tipple...like cooking it needs practice and experimentation.

OldMcDonald, had a peep at the website you recommended and will definitely try the mint recipe and the rhubarb they both seem very sensible in boiling the water and sugar and then pouring over the fruit. Would love the recipe for sloe and raisin..have been promised sloes for later in the year by a cousin who has them coming out his ears, while they seem to have disappeared in this area..too much development maybe.

DD4 has a demi-john of apple wine which she started by boiling the last and not too healthy of our apples last year, adding sugar and yeast, straining and leaving to settle again. Not really settled yet but will probably siphon again soon and see what happens....I am just the advisor on this project so will not have much say in what happens. I will get to sample it I am sure, so will be back whenever with news of that

Good brewing

Marie

Pink.

Hi jinny,

These older threads might help you to get started:

Homemade wine

Homemade wine from frozen fruit

Home made wine and stockists of equipment

Homemade Lager/Beer/Wine


Pink

kittycat07

Thanks for starting this post - I'm very tempted to give it a go now. I think making wine is def OS - my gran used to make home made wine from most things - nettles, elderflowers, fruit and even coffee (although I gather that this wasn't a raging success - wonder why??!!)

ManAtHome

If you're having problems with wine clearing, Winecleer used to be magic http://www.hopshopuk.com/cgi-bin/browse-no-frames.cgi?view=group&group=wfinings (I say used to be as I haven't made any fruit-based wines for a while). Bit expensive by mail order if you're only buying this, but should be available in shops stocking wine-making equipment.