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veedub

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I am a beer guy and don't drink much wine except the occasional celebratory champagne. I have brewed beer several times but never have made wine. I found a recipe for a backcountry dandelion wine and as we have an abundance of these things this year I thought why not try it worst I will be out is a bag of sugar and a couple oranges. I found a few different recipes but some things struck me as odd. There is nothing in any of the recipes about aerating the wine before pitching yeast an important step in the beer making process. Also is wine less damaged by light, I notice most wines come in clear or green bottles where most any good beer comes in brown bottles to block the most light, I have never seen wine in a brown bottle. While on the topic of bottles, what is with corks? Is this just tradition? Is there any reason I can't bottle wine in a beer bottle with a standard metal cap? I know oxidation is still a problem with wines as it is with beers and that storing wine long term without temperature control can have a push/pull effect on the cork allowing air into the bottle and ruining the wine. Why then do they not go with a different style cap (like beer)
 
Wines ARE damaged by light, that's why red wines are in brown or green bottles and why people "cellar" their wines. When you make it, keep it in a cool dark place or cover the carboy with a blanket.

Aeration isn't commonly done simply because the must isn't boiled. Since the must isn't boiled, the oxygen isn't driven off. Also, most wines have you stir in primary, to break up the "cap" the forms so the fruit doesn't dry out and to get rid of some of the c02 and aerate the must.

I have a really good dandelion wine recipe posted if you want to take a look at the instructions I have with it.
 
Funny I was just reading your recipe thread as you posted this. Your recipe is one of the ones I found online when searching although until now I did not have an OG/FG to work with. You say aeration isn't necessary because wines are not boiled but you do boil your dandelion recipe for an hour so I would aerate this before pitching?
 
Funny I was just reading your recipe thread as you posted this. Your recipe is one of the ones I found online when searching although until now I did not have an OG/FG to work with. You say aeration isn't necessary because wines are not boiled but you do boil your dandelion recipe for an hour so I would aerate this before pitching?

You can, but I don't. I stir well in primary, and I don't think I boil all of the water anyway. Just the petals in the water they are in.

For bottling, you can bottle in beer bottles with caps if you want. That would be fine. I sometimes bottle wines in Grolsch bottles, since 16 ounces is perfect for two glasses for us with lunch.
 
If you're starting the wine in an open bucket primary the must will get aerated by mixing and/or punching down the fruit cap per the recipe's instructions.

I've started juice wines in 1 gal carboy under airlock and they definitely DO start better after a good 2 minute shake. I've also forgotten to shake some and the yeast do finally come around in a day or two. Funny thing is they seem to finish in roughly the same amount of time. :confused:
 
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