How many wine makers do we have here?

[Totalcolour]

Oh my, sorry this is my first ever attempt at wine making, and I went w/ just the barest of essentials I didn't want to put money into something I might not like or do again. I got the additives, air lock and food grade bucket. Am going to rely on time rather then hydrometer readings, and put a few campden tablets in before bottling to make sure fermentation is complete. I know not the most technical way, and definitely not the "best" way and if this is something I continue to do I will get the real supplies as I can afford them.

I did put the air lock on though. Hope I didn't ruin it by not placing it when I added the yeast.

Please, don't get me wrong. I would not try and tell someone how they should do their own thing, just offering up my own knowledge. And, if your wine turns out well, I know you will get hooked! I just looked it up, and yours is not that rare, I just never came across it, and haven't tried that method.

I started out with empty one gallon milk jugs - worked fine. But, if the wine turns out well , you end up wishing you had made more, so we did. Now we rarely make less than 10 gallon batches. Plus, it really does get better after waiting several months. One rose petal mead was horrible when I bottled it, so I left it on the wine shelves and forgot about it. 4 years later, it had turned into a really subtle, delicate wine that reminded me of a summer morning, with dew on the grass and that tiniest floral hint in the nose. It was worth waiting for. That was when I wished I'd made 5 gallons!

 

[Kassaundra]

I wasn't offended or anything, I really don't know except what I am reading online.

 

[Totalcolour]

I wasn't offended or anything, I really don't know except what I am reading online.

If you are really interested in what you can do with fruit and herbs and veggies, there is a great book I bought many years ago, now available free online as a pdf, "First steps in Winemaking", C.J.J. Berry. I constantly refer to it.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=8P2z4KRVaLXyT0Es9dI9hQ&bvm=bv.51156542,d.cGE

 

[Kassaundra]

If you are really interested in what you can do with fruit and herbs and veggies, there is a great book I bought many years ago, now available free online as a pdf, "First steps in Winemaking", C.J.J. Berry. I constantly refer to it.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=8P2z4KRVaLXyT0Es9dI9hQ&bvm=bv.51156542,d.cGE

Thanks

 

[kuntrygirl]

Harvested my grape yesterday too. Awesome! This has been a good year.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I wasn't offended or anything, I really don't know except what I am reading online.

If you are really interested in what you can do with fruit and herbs and veggies, there is a great book I bought many years ago, now available free online as a pdf, "First steps in Winemaking", [COLOR=FF0000]C.J.J. Berry[/COLOR].  I constantly refer to it.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...=8P2z4KRVaLXyT0Es9dI9hQ&bvm=bv.51156542,d.cGE

Great link. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I wasn't offended or anything, I really don't know except what I am reading online.

Kassaundra, I'm a new wine maker myself. Only been making wine for about a year. I started off because I watched my cousin make wine and I asked him to show me how to make wine. He learned from an old man (80 years old) that lives in our city. The old man's recipe had 4 ingredients (fruit, water, sugar, bread yeast) and is ready in 30 days. This is the way that old tymers made it. There wasn't anything like Campden tablets, Tannin, Sodium Metabisulphite, etc when this old man learned to make wine so they used what they have. Well, I don't think they had that back then because I wasn't even born yet. Things have improved during the years and all of these other great ingredients have been created and I have purchased just about all of the bells and whistles that come along with wine making. However and this is my own personal opinion and my own situation about making and drinking the wine that I make and that I enjoy. No one has to drink MY wine but ME and that's all that matters. I have found that all of these ingredients do not make my wine any better. In fact, it changes the taste of my wine in not a good way. It's more work and time that I want to put in to it. So, I chose to stick to the "old recipe" with the 4 ingredients. The wine that I make that way is soooooooooooooooooooooo delicious!!! I will not have any wine setting for 1 - 3 years to come. I will NOT do that. Heck, I may die tomorrow and have 1000 bottles of wine "aging". A LOT of people are VERY SERIOUS about making wine and do it to the T. They check specific gravity, temps, ABV and all of that. They take notes, blah, blah, blah, blah. They are VERY sensitive when it comes to newbies like myself who tend to steer away from the techniques of today. But I could care less. You know why? Because they don't have to drink MY wine. It's MY WINE and I will make it the way that I WANT!

Some talk about clearing, bacteria, etc. etc. etc. Well, I do not clear my wine and I will NEVER clear my wine and my wine tends to be "cloudy" but i like "cloudy" I'm sorry but I like to see the different ways that it looks. As far as bacteria, I have not gotten sick and do not have a problem with bacteria. Heck, my wine doesn't sit around along enough to go bad. That wine is gone withing 30 to 60 days. It's too good not to drink.

It's kinda like this site when we compare people who feed only corn to their chickens while others feed lay pellets at 20% protein, free range, provide oyster shell, provide grit, give treats, put ACV in their chickens water, etc, etc. "WE" swear by doing all of this for our chickens that our chickens are healthier and happier when the person who only feeds corn and chicks stay penned in a coup all day and has inferior chickens. Both wine making and raising chickens are a hobby for everyone. We all may not do it the same way. However, we do enjoy our hobby whichever way we chose to go about it.

So, if you chose to become more advanced in using all of the whistles and bells with wine making, then great. If not, and you find a better way to "tweak" or "modify" your wine that fits your taste and taste buds, then great. Just have fun!!!!! I know that I am. If I had to go through ALL of the steps making my wine like some of the advanced people, I would quit. And that ain't happening.

Now let's toast to our wine making. Have fun making wine!

 

[Totalcolour]

So, if you chose to become more advanced in using all of the whistles and bells with wine making, then great. If not, and you find a better way to "tweak" or "modify" your wine that fits your taste and taste buds, then great. Just have fun!!!!! I know that I am. If I had to go through ALL of the steps making my wine like some of the advanced people, I would quit. And that ain't happening.

Now let's toast to our wine making. Have fun making wine!

kuntrygirl you are right! Each person must take their own road with this hobby. I'm really glad you enjoy it and that your wines turn out to your personal satisfaction.


Let me add one caveat though. It is my own belief, that we should learn the "professional" way, before experimenting with alternative methods like yours. The reason being, is that if something actually goes wrong with t wine during it's making, the maker can better understand what went wrong, and how to correct it (if it's possible).

Yes indeed home winemakers used few ingredients, and many of their wines turned out well, many more did not. Wineries have been making wine for centuries and have learned many things about the process, and if we learn some of those things, we will know what to avoid and what returns good results.

I think you mentioned you really prefer a sweet wine. There are those who prefer drier ones. Some like whites and other like reds or roses. By knowing what the fruits we use contain in the way of acids and sugars, we can best determine "how" to make a particular wine to our own satisfaction.

I wish it were possible for us all to get together and taste each others wines. It would be so much fun.

In vino veritas!

 

[kuntrygirl]

So, if you chose to become more advanced in using all of the whistles and bells with wine making, then great. If not, and you find a better way to "tweak" or "modify" your wine that fits your taste and taste buds, then great. Just have fun!!!!! I know that I am. If I had to go through ALL of the steps making my wine like some of the advanced people, I would quit. And that ain't happening. Now let's toast to our wine making. Have fun making wine!

kuntrygirl you are right! Each person must take their own road with this hobby. I'm really glad you enjoy it and that your wines turn out to your personal satisfaction. Let me add one caveat though. It is my own belief, that we should learn the "professional" way, before experimenting with alternative methods like yours. The reason being, is that if something actually goes wrong with t wine during it's making, the maker can better understand what went wrong, and how to correct it (if it's possible). Yes indeed home winemakers used few ingredients, and many of their wines turned out well, many more did not. Wineries have been making wine for centuries and have learned many things about the process, and if we learn some of those things, we will know what to avoid and what returns good results. I think you mentioned you really prefer a sweet wine. There are those who prefer drier ones. Some like whites and other like reds or roses. By knowing what the fruits we use contain in the way of acids and sugars, we can best determine "how" to make a particular wine to our own satisfaction. [rule] I wish it were possible for us all to get together and taste each others wines. It would be so much fun. [COLOR=B22222]In vino veritas![/COLOR]

You know what's funny is that I have wasted so much money buying wines from different places and all of the wine that I have tried is TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!! I would go into wine stores and ask them to show me their SWEETEST wine EVER. They would show me the bottle and I would try it and it was HORRIBLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is only 1 sweet wine (Giani http://www.vivino.com/giani/sweet-cabernet-sauvignon-2008.html ) that I have found that I like but it doesn't even come close to the taste of my own sweet wine. I have wasted so much money on buying wines by these wineries it's shame. As you mentioned, I love sweet wine but the wineries don't know how to grab me in as a customer and buyer. In my opinion, their wines SUCK! The only thing that I would probably care to learn about it preserving wine to make it last longer (if I was interested in allowing wine to age) but that's about it. So, I don't really care about ingredients to make the wine for taste from wineries. It would be a waste of my time because after years of wasting lots of $$$$$ of trying wines, I refuse to buy and waste another red cent on wines from wineries. My homemade wines of choice (favorite) are grape and strawberry and I know how to make those to my liking, so I'm good with those fruit. I made some Japanese plum wine and I tasted it this weekend and it is to die for!!!!!!!!! And I did it the old fashion way with 4 ingredients. I LOVE THIS WINE !!!!!! My cousin has a tree and was able to pick more plums, so I have about 10 gallons in the freezer. My fig wine was OK but not strong enough and I used the recipe from "professionals" with all of the ingredients, tabs, etc etc and I was NOT impressed AT ALL. And I followed the recipe to the T. Lucky for me, I have 8 more gallons in the freezer and I will now try to do it MY way with only 4 ingredients. I already know it will come out good. EVERY single wine that I have made using the 4 ingredients was delicious. The 2 wines that I have made using the "professional wine making way" was horrible. That was the fig and watermelon. So, you are right when you say

we will know what to avoid and what returns good results.

I am trying to avoid using too many of those ingredients in the professional recipes because what is returning is a not so good wine to my liking. Makes me wonder.

 

[Kassaundra]

Kuntrygirl I think we may like similar type wines. I like a very sweet wine too, and have found most times when buying wine to not buy the "good" wine. I like the flavors of the "cheap" wine better. My favorite is Riuniti Raspberry, and a couple of the flavors of the "box" wines (gasp!!!!) lol lol lol

Do you not even add yeast nutrients to your fruit wines?