Thread/Book for beginners making wine from juice?

Hi guys,

I apologize if there's a sticky I missed, but I didn't see any "basic, beginner" thread for wine making.

My wife has made wine kits (with juice extract) for years, and now that she's seen me making beer from scratch (all grain), she wants to try the same thing with wine. We have a shop in town that sells the unconcentrated grape juice, but my concern is that neither of us has a good understanding of all the different additives we should be using.

With her kits, they usually include various additional packets of powders and liquids to be added at various phases (stuff like bentonite, potassium metabisulphite, and a bunch more I can't recall). We have no idea if we should be using those when making wine from scratch, and if so, how much and when.

Is there a thread/sticky/book that will us through the whole process and explain what all those things do, and when we should be using them?

I would love to know the same thing actually. Fairly experienced beer brewer.

Thanks!

After reading up on beer making, wine seems pretty easy. If it will ferment add sugar and water until you reach gravity you want and add a few c tabs and some yeast. Wait three to six months with racking as needed. Sorbate if back sweetening. Bottle ,drink and enjoy. Mike

Look for some old winemaking books on Ebay. You can pick them up very cheap. Once you get started, you might not ever want to use a kit again. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!!!

From Vines to Wines - Jeff Cox is a good beginner book.

Techniques on Home Winemaking - Daniel Pambianchi is my bible, but reads like stereo instructions!

Good luck!

No laughing, but I use my family's basic recipe: no more than 5 cups of sugar per gallon of juice (to taste, of course) and incorporate some of the directions of "Successful Wine Making at Home", which I got on Ebay for about $3. My husband and I are the only drinkers, except at the holidays, when the family comes to town, and occasionally some friends (which are few and far between )birthdays. Just simple, country wines, here. Fortunately, I live in Mississippi where the ability to grow my own ingredients is only limited by two months of winter. Getting ready yo drink the Prickly Pear wine we harvested this summer!