Adventures in Homebrewland (image heavy - you have been warned!)

pandora205

Well my wine is clearing and looking like real wine now though I'll give it a bit longer before the next stage. Im so excited that it's worked.

pandora205

This turned out really well - clear and quite smooth considering first tasting was at 7 days! I definitely recommend starting with a kit.

The question is now what do I need to make another lot? I've got all the tubes and containers. I just need some concentrate and other stuff. Can anyone find the right directions on this thread, or post me in the right direction please?

Thanks

Sunnyday

Hi Pandora

Here is the recipe that i`ve been using for the last few months now.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=11740867&postcount=363

I use one carton of Morrisons pure pressed apple juice to half a carton of morrisons white grape and the results are lovely.

HTH
SD

pandora205

Sunnyday wrote: »

Hi Pandora

Here is the recipe that i`ve been using for the last few months now.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=11740867&postcount=363

I use one carton of Morrisons pure pressed apple juice to half a carton of morrisons white grape and the results are lovely.

HTH
SD

Thank you - that is a money saving way. I have 'buckets' rather than demi-johns so will need to check the capacity before I do this. I'm going to give this a go.

How long does it take before the wine is ready please?

Thanks

Jabberwock

Hi Pandora205,

My supermarket juice wines are generally ready to bottle/drink in 3 - 4 weeks time, there are quite a few variables, but generally if you use a decent quality yeast and yeast nutrient also maintaining a constant warm temperature during the fermentation process I find that mine tend to ferment out in around a week (sometimes less) and then another 2-3 weeks racking, de-gassing and clearing.
I currently have 35 gallons of various supermarket juice ferments on the go at the moment and 25 gallons bottled :beer:
Hope you have fun tasting your creations:D
Jabberwock

parsonswife8

Jabberwock wrote: »

Hi Pandora205,

My supermarket juice wines are generally ready to bottle/drink in 3 - 4 weeks time, there are quite a few variables, but generally if you use a decent quality yeast and yeast nutrient also maintaining a constant warm temperature during the fermentation process I find that mine tend to ferment out in around a week (sometimes less) and then another 2-3 weeks racking, de-gassing and clearing.
I currently have 35 gallons of various supermarket juice ferments on the go at the moment and 25 gallons bottled :beer:
Hope you have fun tasting your creations:D
Jabberwock

____________________________________________________

When can I come around for a visit?
Sixty gallons is WELL impressive.:beer:

We've got 6 bottles of blackberry and 12 bottles of elderflower but have great plans for expansion next year.
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Jabberwock

Hi parsonswife8,
It does seem a little excessive doesn't it............................but in my defence I will be giving a lot of it away for Christmas presents.................honestly;)
To be honest I'm becoming a bit obsessive about it and planning to start another 10 gallons today!!:D
I've got a few gallon of Elderflower bottled and another 5 gallon clearing just now, I used kits to make it and and I really like it but am thinking of getting some decent mashing and fermenting bins next year so I can make it and other country wines from scratch.
Did you make yours from fresh ingredients or did you use a kit?
Cheers:beer:
Jabberwock

parsonswife8

Jabberwock wrote: »

Hi parsonswife8,
It does seem a little excessive doesn't it............................but in my defence I will be giving a lot of it away for Christmas presents.................honestly;)
To be honest I'm becoming a bit obsessive about it and planning to start another 10 gallons today!!:D
I've got a few gallon of Elderflower bottled and another 5 gallon clearing just now, I used kits to make it and and I really like it but am thinking of getting some decent mashing and fermenting bins next year so I can make it and other country wines from scratch.
Did you make yours from fresh ingredients or did you use a kit?
Cheers:beer:
Jabberwock

____________________________________________

My hubby makes the wine from fresh ingredients as we have lots of blackberries and elderflowers in the vacinity. We found a lot of demijohns at a recycling bin and he already has the tubing and airlocks etc. He buys the yeasty things off someone on Ebay and we use our used wine bottles.
He even designs labels and prints them off and sticks them on the bottles, with the type of wine and the year. He also keeps records of the dates etc in a little book.:D
Enjoy making your wines and they do make a nice prezzie for someone who enjoys homemade wines and will appreciate them.

Happy brewing!
:beer:

pandora205

Not a good start to my wine making hobby, I've made a mistake already!

I did the first bit okay, added all the right stuff but forgot to add the yeast after a day. It's a week later and I've just put it in. But the experts amongst you will know what happened - it all fizzed up and overflowed all over the kitchen.

Anyway, I've mixed it in and topped it up a bit (with luke warm water). It's back in the airing cupboard.

Will this work or should I scrap it and start again?

Thanks

2cats1kid

Hi pandora, I am a believer in leaving things to run their course and see what happens.

e.g. I made strawberry cordial for DD in the summer and she left a big bottle of it out of the fridge and it started to ferment. Now logic says to pour it down the sink, but I slapped it in a demijohn with some yeast and left it to get on with it and ended up with 6 bottles of strawberry wine. Now it's not the best wine I've ever made, but it's perfectly drinkable (in fact I only have 2 bottles left now).

So I'd leave it a while and just see what happens - it may turn out just fine.