Just got my first wine kit!

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Saturday Oct 28, 2006 4:12 pm

Hi all,

just a post from a long-time brewer, first time winemaker!

Today I went to Brewcraft to get a wine kit, and tomorrow I'll get it started. It's a Vinters Reserve Riesling.

As for others interested in making wine, the only extra big investments (that's assuming you've got racking equipment) are a corker and another fermenter, which has to be about 20L in volume so there is minimal headspace. As I see it, this is fermenter #3 for me, and since I usually do 19L batches (coz that's the volume Charlie P makes all his recipes to), a 20L fermenter will get lots of use even if I never make wine again (which I doubt, because dad's fully subsidising my wine exploits, which means I can make as much wine as I like without having to drink any of it if I feel so inclined). As long as I don't use it as a primary, I'm sure I won't have any krauesen problems.

So now I have 3 fermenters, I can continually brew, rack and bulk-prime!

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted on my exploits tomorrow.

The advice I got at Brewcraft (Oakleigh) was very helpful, confirming what I have said before about them being really good at getting you started. One of the guys there used to be a winemaker, so had heaps of advice and information for my chemically-minded brain, and the other had lots of practical tips. Between them they answered all the questions I had, and then some

.

update pending tomorrow

Hashie · Post by **Hashie** » Sunday Oct 29, 2006 9:34 am

Hope it all goes well for you Blandy.

I've been thinking of doing a wine kit for some time, but coming up with the readies for the kit and a Demijohn are holding me back.

I'd always thought that the wine was brewed in a fermenter and then racked into a demijohn, I haven't researched it all that much.

Keep us posted.

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Sunday Oct 29, 2006 11:38 am

Hashie wrote:I'd always thought that the wine was brewed in a fermenter and then racked into a demijohn, I haven't researched it all that much.

Well you've done enough research to be correct

. You use a normal 30L fermenter for primary (just like you do with beer), but then you need to rack into a fermenter that has a volume such that there will be little or no headspace.

The "20L fermenter" I got is really a 20L demijohn. One of the guys from Brewcraft said he'd been using a 23L demijohn with his wine kits (as reccommended by the wine kits), but found that since there was so much sediment after primary, a 23L initial volume was more like 20L of wine and 3L of yeast slurry by the time it needed racking into the demijohn.

So since I already have two 30L fermenters, they said I'd be better off racking early into my second plastic one; since there's still fermentable sugars at this stage, the headspace isn't a problem because it will quickly be replaced with CO2. Then later reack into the demijohn for maturation.

Anyway, I'll start making it after lunch, and I'll post after that.

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Sunday Oct 29, 2006 12:40 pm

Cool, glad to hear it's finally happening.

Where are you getting your grape juice from?

Also, I still have those empty wine bottles. You still want 'em? ALSO, I saved a fair percentage of your longnecks from B&Fs, they should be in the office.

Now we just have to get Rob Paul to do his honeysuckle wine, but I think he's missed the honeysuckle season again this year.

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Sunday Oct 29, 2006 1:41 pm

Hi rwh,

The wine ingredients I used were from a kit "Vinters reserve Riesling", which I got from Brewcraft (they seemed to have better prices on wine kits than G&G). The kit basically contains about 3L of grape juice extract and some sachets of preservatives, finings etc (which MUST be used, unlike beer where hops are a natural preservative).

As for the wine bottles, I'm still very interested, but if you want the longnecks in the office, go ahead. I've got another supply of them coming in soon and I don't think it would be healthy to drink them as fast as I'm getting them.

For all of those wondering about wine kits, I found mine really easy to use. There seems to be more steps, but the steps are simpler. It sort of goes along the lines of this:

Dissolve sachet #1 and and grape juice exrtract in warm water, top up to 23L, add yeast.

after ~5 days: rack into another fermenter, maybe add another sachet.

another 5 days: rack into carboy/demijohn, add another sachet.

wait until SG is stable over two days, then bottle.

sound familiar? IMHO if you can brew a K&K, you can brew a kit wine.

BTW, grape juice extract tastes yummy on it's own.

Duane · Post by **Duane** » Sunday Oct 29, 2006 4:26 pm

Cool, sounds good blandy. I've wanted to try one of the red wine kits for ages.
You've just persuaded me to give it a go, sounds fairly simple.
Cheers

Hashie · Post by **Hashie** » Tuesday Oct 31, 2006 1:09 pm

Decided to have a go as well.

Have asked the handbrake to get me a red kit and demijohn for Christmas.

Her face lit up when I said I'd have a go at making wine, here's hoping it has some other benefits...

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Tuesday Oct 31, 2006 2:39 pm

Update on my wine:

This morning it was bubbling faster than anything I'd seen before, and then even more so in the afternoon. The gas out the top is starting to smell a lot like wine

.

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Tuesday Oct 31, 2006 3:05 pm

I'm really looking forward to finding out how this turns out, because home-made wine doesn't exactly have the best reputation...

rwh · Post by **rwh** » Tuesday Oct 31, 2006 3:06 pm

But then again, neither does beer, and look how good ours is!

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Thursday Nov 16, 2006 7:43 pm

On Tuesday I racked the wine into tertiary, so now my glass fermenter is in use. During this rack, you add some preservatives (matabisulfite) and some finings. It's cleared pretty well already and I'm meant to leave it there for two weeks. The hydrometer sample tasted pretty good.

Hashie · Post by **Hashie** » Friday Nov 17, 2006 8:23 am

So what are you using for secondary?

A glass demijohn or a glass carboy?

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Friday Nov 17, 2006 8:30 am

Primary and secondary are both 30L plastic fermenters like you'd make beer in. They're OK to use at this stage because the headspace is quickly filled up with CO2.

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Tuesday Nov 28, 2006 3:06 pm

Just finished bottling ... and sampling ... my first batch of wine.

Since it's a riesling, it'll be nice to see how it tastes cold. So I've got a bottle in the fridge for dinner tonight. Anyway, the state of the kitchen was a testament to my lack of planning for the bottling procedure; due to the fact that the bottle filler I have for beer is too small for wine bottles. To cut a long story short, better planning next time should result in at least another full bottle.

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Tuesday Nov 28, 2006 4:36 pm

If you havent already whack some plastic tubing on the bottler so that you can feed it further into the bottle, you should have more luck this way

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Wednesday Nov 29, 2006 7:16 am

Thanks, Lethal. I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Pale_Ale · Post by **Pale_Ale** » Wednesday Dec 06, 2006 9:24 pm

How does the wine taste?

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Thursday Dec 07, 2006 8:29 am

Unfortunately the whole family loves it. I think we'll have some trouble ageing it for three months like the kit reccommends.

It's similar (but better) taste to the De Bortoli cask Riesling. The taste's a little bit more intense (in a good way). I'm nowhere near as good at describing wine, but I like it.

Well worth the $4 a bottle cost anyway

lethaldog · Post by **lethaldog** » Thursday Dec 07, 2006 5:28 pm

Congrats Blandy, glad it all turned out ok m8, good luck on the next 1

blandy · Post by **blandy** » Thursday Dec 07, 2006 7:07 pm

lethaldog wrote: glad it all turned out ok m8,

Much better than "ok," Lethal.

Very much like the yumminess one experiences when they make their first good batch of beer!