Beginner wine interest

I would like to try and make my own wine at home. I am not a huge wine drinker, but have had some homemade stuff that was great. The homemade wines I have had have been scuppernong by some of the older crowds.

I have a 5 gal glass jug and access to food grade plastic buckets with kids (I am in the food processing business). Also have access to different types of rinse or no rinse sanitizer, mainly Sani-T 10.

What else do I need as far as items to begin my first batch. I would love to make some sweet muscadine or scuppernong wine. I like the sweet stuff being from NC right down the road from Duplin Winery.

If you are looking to get started, you won't need too much.
The following is a list of some of the basics to have on hand:
Hydrometer
Meta -Potassium Metabisulfite - used to stabilize wine and as a sanitizer.
Sorbate - If you plan on back sweetening your wine, this is a must have.
Fermaid-K - Yeast Nutrient, in my opinion, a must have.
Stopper and airlock for the 5 gallon glass jug.
Auto siphon or some way to rack\transfer the wine from fermenter to the carboy & to rack off the lees\sediment.
Sparkolloid - This is a popular wine clarifier, I prefer it over others.

If you plan on continuing to make wine there are a bunch of items that I can recommend, but for now, the above listed items should get you started, I'm sure that others will chime in as well.

Here is a good recipe/method to try for your first wine http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41825

depending on what you are making the wine from, you also might want to add pectic enzyme to your list.

Lherring81, I'm in the second year of making Muscadine wine. Another guy on this site that makes red muscadine wine recommended using Lalvin EC-1118 yeast. Get it at any online wine supply store along with the other items mentioned by pumpkinman I'm using it this year for the first time. I've already racked to a secondary container and got a taste of the wine. It was pretty good...much better than last year's batch. Since you're in muscadine central, give it a shot. I think you'll find it a bit intimidating at first feeling the need for a degree in chemistry, but rest assured, it's actually habit forming and makes for a great hobby. I grow my own muscadines, so I'm only making 2 gallons of wine because I have only 2 vines. Planting more this fall.

don't forget the yeast. EC1118 is pretty hardy and hasn't failed me yet.

Another note: I'm not sure what kind of muscadines Duplin's uses, but in Mississippi we have a winery that uses Noble muscadines....Old South Winery in Natchez. I love their Sweet Noble, which is actually a semi-sweet. Have been looking for Duplin but apparently it's not carried in my area...near Memphis, TN. I've tried two brands from Arkansas, but wasn't impressed. Try useing noble muscadines and EC-1118. You'll be pleased with the results.

Wow. Thanks for all These great answers! Not sure what kind of grapes Duplin uses but they have deep red sweet wine. Which is what I like! What is the time period in which you all would think
It takes from start to finish.

1st stage - Primary fermentation, a few days, maybe 5.
2nd stage - secondary fermentation a month to a few months to stop fermentation completely. Then rack the wine every month or so until it is as clear as possible. Last year, I did this for about6 months. This year I'll go longer.
Bottling - you can drink it immediately or you can let it age for a year or two.

When you rack wine, do you rack to the primary container and back to the secondary after removing sediment? During secondary fermentation, do I need to keep the wine under an airlock? During each racking should I taste test and test SG? Should I add campden tablets during each racking?

During secondary fermentation, I keep two glass jugs (carboys). One is full of wine and under airlock. I use the other to siphon the wine, leaving the sedement and lees behind. (always siphon, never pour). Top off this newly filled jug with a similar commercial wine to keep air away from the wine. Leave only an inch or so of headspace. Then apply the airlock to the new jug. Wash the jug with the sedement and lees and get it ready for the next racking. I'll let others answer your other questions. I'm still a novice.

The first "container" is the fermenting bucket, carboy, or so forth, when it is fermented to dry, around .990, you'll want to rack it off the lees or sediment and stabilize it with meta. If you are making a kit, follow their instructions.
The wine must me kept closed and topped off while aging, if you have it in a carboy, put a stopper, using a stopper and airlock is the perfect thing to do.
Do you have any way of testing the SO2? If not, add 1/4 tsp of meta diluted in water every 4-5 months.

1st stage - Primary fermentation, a few days, maybe 5.
2nd stage - secondary fermentation a month to a few months to stop fermentation completely. Then rack the wine every month or so until it is as clear as possible. Last year, I did this for about6 months. This year I'll go longer.
Bottling - you can drink it immediately or you can let it age for a year or two.

Click to expand...

jonereb -
Fermentation shouldn't be measured in days, fermentation is complete when the yeast has used up all of the sugars, use your Hydrometer, that is the only way to be certain.
If you ferment to dry, why would it take up to a few months for fermentation complete? Are you referring to Malolactic fermentation? I wouldn't rack monthly unless it's absolutely necessary, you run the risk of oxidation.
I agree with you regarding letting the wine age longer.

Thx, Pumpkinman. I use a Hydrometer...it's just that my minimal experience tells me that fermentation from 1.090 to 1.020 takes a few days, and then a few more days to go below 1.000. Lees will continue dropping, which I referred to as further fermentation, perhaps incorrectly. I racked about every 6 weeks last year, but your point about oxidation is well taken. I may back off on that going forward.

Anyone know how many lbs of grapes I need to a 5 gallon mix? I have seen anywhere from 10 to 60. ???

One 36 lb lug of grapes will give you approx. 2.5 gallons, so 72 lbs should give you 5 gallons, but keep in mind that you always want to make a little extra for topping off, I'd make 108 lbs, or 3 lugs, this will give you approx 7.5 gallons.