First Timer

After an incredibly fun first visit to Napa Valley over the weekend, I of course want to try my hand at making some wine myself. I have all the beer brewing equipment along with some 5 and 6 gallon glass carboys and better bottles. Where is the best placve to start? Should I go with one of the AHS style wine kits and just have at it or should I buy seperate ingredients elsewhere?

Any advice for a wine making noob would be appreciated!

Wine kits have are on sale at AHS so I think that is a great place to start. Just bought another one myself.

Wine kits are really easy and you get an almost guaranteed good finished product. I've been really happy with the wine kits I've made.

Does it make a difference starting with reds or whites? I prefer red, swmbo prefers white and she has been putting up with my brewing antics for almost a year now. If one is not necessarily easier then the other, I will probably go with a white...maybe a reisling. Sound good?

Monghetti said:

Does it make a difference starting with reds or whites? I prefer red, swmbo prefers white and she has been putting up with my brewing antics for almost a year now. If one is not necessarily easier then the other, I will probably go with a white...maybe a reisling. Sound good?

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I bolded what is important. It might be good to start with the white. (Just think that might entice her to ok the new equipment you want)

All this kits are pretty much the same in ease. Buy your wife a nice white Riesling kit to make her happy. If you are smart you will let her make it if she doesn't already brew with you. Once she finds out how easy it is and how good the wine is she will be more on board with your brewing.

Thanks for the replies...Im going to go with the reisling. I think it was like 60 bucks from AHS. If I get 30 bottles, thats $3 per bottle. Pretty sweet. SWMBO has brewed a few times with me and besides all the waiting, she enjoys it. Im sure if it is a beverage she actually enjoys, she'll like it even more! Im excited to convert her (and myself) to a winemaker!

By my math, you should make sure SWMBO handles any accounting.

But you'll definitely be happy with it, and more importantly, so will she. Have fun, jsut follow the directions exactly for now, and enjoy those $2 bottles of wine.

Also, key to getting started is that no matter how much you think you may have degassed it, as directed, keep going at least a minute or two longer.

I agree you're going to want to go with a kit. It's not the same as in beer, where you can just throw together a few ingredients. You'd have quite a bit to learn if you wanted to piece together things or go with real crushed grapes. Kits lead you by the hand and really turn out pretty good.

The main piece of equipment you'll need is a corker. I'd urge you to beg, borrow or rent a floor corker. Hand corkers are for young, coordinated musclemen (maybe you are one) and masochists (I'm neither).

Lastly, no need to abandon this forum, but there's a wealth of wine info at:
WinePress.US Wine Making and Grape Growing Forum -> Kit Wine Comments

sweet...Thanks everyone for the info, links, and math corrections. I've always had trouble with division