Successfully made wine

[bkt]

If there's a thread already on homebrewing, feel free to move this under it. I thought I'd mention that I bottled more than two cases of a cabernet-merlot yesterday. The kit is from this company: Robot Check. $50 for more than two cases of wine is pretty darn good.

It came out quite nice - very drinkable. It's not stellar, but I certainly wouldn't be embarrassed to serve it to others. It should change over time in the bottles and I'm looking forward to noting the changes in the coming year. I will definitely do this again.

For those thinking about this, you'll also need standard brewing equipment - a fermentation tank, carboy, airlock, siphon, hose, stirrer, etc. But those are all one-time expenses. The kit includes instructions, yeast (Lalvin EC-1118 came in my kit), the must (grape juice), and packets for stabilizing and clarification.

 

[Weedygarden]

If there's a thread already on homebrewing, feel free to move this under it. I thought I'd mention that I bottled more than two cases of a cabernet-merlot yesterday. The kit is from this company: Robot Check. $50 for more than two cases of wine is pretty darn good.

It came out quite nice - very drinkable. It's not stellar, but I certainly wouldn't be embarrassed to serve it to others. It should change over time in the bottles and I'm looking forward to noting the changes in the coming year. I will definitely do this again.

For those thinking about this, you'll also need standard brewing equipment - a fermentation tank, carboy, airlock, siphon, hose, stirrer, etc. But those are all one-time expenses. The kit includes instructions, yeast (Lalvin EC-1118 came in my kit), the must (grape juice), and packets for stabilizing and clarification.

I remember trying to make wine several decades ago. I have no memory of how it turned out. It wasn't too long after that, that I quit drinking alcohol altogether. I never did drink much.

Wine bottles? Can used wine bottle be re-used? What about corks for the bottles? Or is there some other way of capping the bottles?

 

[Woody]

Wine bottles? Can used wine bottle be re-used? What about corks for the bottles? Or is there some other way of capping the bottles?

Yes, they can be reused. They can be corked with new corks and a press. Both readily available. You can also use a regular bottle capper for them. Also readily available.

 

[Woody]

Good job @bkt ! I loved making all manner of wine back in the day. Had a 10’ x 12’ ‘wine room’ with a huge sink, shelves and assorted crocks and carboys. Lots of fun experimenting and perfecting favorites.

Remember to keep a journal of each batch with recipe as near as you can get it. Even with a kit, it will help to refer back to. Outside weather conditions are a plus. They affected my old farmhouse inside weather.

 

[bkt]

I remember trying to make wine several decades ago. I have no memory of how it turned out. It wasn't too long after that, that I quit drinking alcohol altogether. I never did drink much.

Wine bottles? Can used wine bottle be re-used? What about corks for the bottles? Or is there some other way of capping the bottles?

Bottles can certainly be re-used. I clean mine out with Star-San, hot water and a bottle brush. Corks are another matter. If they're removed without punching a hole through them, they may be re-usable. But corks are cheap.

I use a manual corker like this one and I have a big bag of corks. You can probably use other means to seal the bottle but I haven't experimented.

 

[bkt]

Good job @bkt ! I loved making all manner of wine back in the day. Had a 10’ x 12’ ‘wine room’ with a huge sink, shelves and assorted crocks and carboys. Lots of fun experimenting and perfecting favorites.

Remember to keep a journal of each batch with recipe as near as you can get it. Even with a kit, it will help to refer back to. Outside weather conditions are a plus. They affected my old farmhouse inside weather.

Thanks, Woody. I always do keep a log of what I do when and I've been able to reproduce some great results making mead and cider. I kept a log for this wine and I'll try it again soon. My wife is giving me friction about buying another big wine rack. What's up with that?