How long should I set aside for my first day with a wine kit?

[Daren_Z]

Hello there,

I will be making my first wine kit, and I'm wondering how much time I need to set aside on the first day in order to make it? The kit is a cab/sauv if that matters.

I've made quite a few searches on google and found nothing of the sort... only the time it takes for the entire process.

Thank you for any information,

Daren

 

[novalou]

Including sanitizing your equipment, a couple of hours with no interruptions.

 

[RobertRGeorge]

One thing I do is use distilled or demineralized water in my wine kits so in the end there's theoreticaly nothing in there but grape juice so you might consider the time spent going to the store to get that. Otherwise it takes about 15 minutes to proof the yeast and five minutes to clean the equipment and fill the primary. In other words, a trivial amount of first day effort! Have a good time!

 

[Daren_Z]

I've heard that there are some issues with using de-mineralized water, so I think that I'll save that one until I'm at least a bit more advanced. And I've got sanitization down to a science with my beer brewing, so I should be good. I have a pretty limited amount of time this week with exams and assignments coming up, so I figured it's probably best to make sure I have the time before sacrificing sleep to immerse myself in a four-five hour process that could potentially wait until Friday or Saturday.

Thank-you both for the information! I'll get it started tomorrow evening!

 

[novalou]

I use spring water from the store. Works well for me.

If you already brew beer, it won't take you long to mix things together and add the yeast. Maybe an hour for you.

Follow the directions exactly.

 

[Yooper]

It must just be me, but it takes less than 10 minutes to make a wine kit. It's like making kool-aid.

Sanitize the fermenter. Mix up some water and the bentonite. Stir well. Add the juice and juice concentrate. Add water up to 6 gallons. Stir well, take a hydrometer reading, and cover and airlock. That's it.

I use tap water that doesn't have chloramine in it, or a chlorine odor, and it's great.

I've been making wine for YEARS, and do several kits a year.

 

[saramc]

For an individual who is brand new to home fermentation and is opening the kit and reading the instructions first...I feel quite sure you will spend less than 30 minutes getting this in the primary, and pitching yeast.

I recommend reading your instructions in advance and make sure you have all you need...your hydrometer, highly recommend backup hydrometer, wine thief and test jar are nice, long handled spoon, primary bucket with lid, carboy with bung and airlock, racking cane and tubing, along with cleaning and sanitizing chemicals.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Don't forget the most important rule for 1st day wine kit making.

You CANNOT make wine unless you are drinking wine.

 

[bullinachinashop]

Reading the instructions over and over, +/- 2 hours.
Not believing and questioning yourself that it can't be that easy, +/- 1 hour.
Actual time spent sanitizing, making it and cleaning up, +/- 15 min.
Total time, +/- 3.25 hours.
or 15 minutes if you leave out the worrying!
Have fun,
Bull

 

[RobertRGeorge]

I've heard that there are some issues with using de-mineralized water,

I can't imagine what that might be. But these kits are pretty fool-proof as it is and likely will do great with a wide range of water, probably just not exceptionally hard or home-softened with salt. The brunello I made with demineralized water took first place in a local competition.

With that in mind I can't recommend highly enough that for the extra 20-30 dollars it pays to get the best wine kit you can afford. You're still at less than 4 dollars a bottle and the difference is very noticeable.

 

[novalou]

Don't forget the most important rule for 1st day wine kit making.

You CANNOT make wine unless you are drinking wine.

Yes, drinking wine while making wine is a sacred rule that must be followed!!

 

[saramc]

I've heard that there are some issues with using de-mineralized water...

The issue with demineralized water has to do with nutrients...at least this is what my home ec teacher taught me back in the day. Said if you want a healthy ferment use a mineral rich water.

 

[Daren_Z]

I recommend reading your instructions in advance and make sure you have all you need...your hydrometer, highly recommend backup hydrometer.

Why the backup hydrometer?

 

[novalou]

Why the backup hydrometer?

If you ever have dropped one, you'll find out they don't bounce!

 

[Peppers16]

Hydrometers are generally considered optional, if not recommended. I think he'll survive without a backup for his first kit ;-)

 

[novalou]

Hydrometers are generally considered optional, if not recommended. I think he'll survive without a backup for his first kit ;-)

Not to insult you, if you are making hooch wine, a hydrometer is optional.

For most of us, an extra hydrometer is optional, but a good idea.

 

[Yooper]

The issue with demineralized water has to do with nutrients...at least this is what my home ec teacher taught me back in the day. Said if you want a healthy ferment use a mineral rich water.

The thing is, water doesn't have nutrients anyway. So, you might have some minerals like calcium that make yeast happy, but you always have bicarbonates and all kinds of stuff in tap water.

You can certainly use demineralized (distilled or RO) water for wine, without any issues.

 

[Wulfonce]

It takes me about 10min including sanitizing and all that junk. I don't pre hydrate my yeast or whatever its called. I've never needed to.

The time consuming bit is bottling. It takes me about 2 hours to bottle a batch by myself.

All in all your looking at around 2 to 2.5 hours of total labor per batch, depending on how fast you can work.
Well worth it though, when its only costing $1.12 per bottle
Cheers

 

[springmom]

Reading the instructions over and over, +/- 2 hours.
Not believing and questioning yourself that it can't be that easy, +/- 1 hour.
Actual time spent sanitizing, making it and cleaning up, +/- 15 min.
Total time, +/- 3.25 hours.
or 15 minutes if you leave out the worrying!
Have fun,
Bull

Well, and if he has young'uns in the house.... multiply by whatever the normal chaos factor is for you being busy not paying attention to them.

 

[Daren_Z]

If you ever have dropped one, you'll find out they don't bounce!

Yep, found that one out right after I asked. From now on, I'll keep two hydrometers at home haha.

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

Well, and if he has young'uns in the house.... multiply by whatever the normal chaos factor is for you being busy not paying attention to them. [/QUOTE

get them involved, i've got a 3 year old that loves helping daddy bottle. she brings me the corks and helps set them. she also helps but on the labels.

in fact she helps me more than SWMBO does...haha

 

[mikeslag]

My 10 year old runs the corker lol.

But yeah I went up to Keystone Homebrew (joint around my way in PA) to take a class before we bought a kit and the teacher recommended using tap water if it doesn't have that chlorine smell because it's got minerals that help feed the yeast or something to that effect. That's what I use anyway. I love making/drinking my own wine.

 

[RobertRGeorge]

the teacher recommended using tap water if it doesn't have that chlorine smell because it's got minerals that help feed the yeast or something to that effect.

My take on that is that I have less control just relying on the tap water. Tap water is often recommended for the trace minerals, and I'm just being picky, but I would solve the problem of low yeast nutrients by adding yeast nutrient. I rarely do this with grape wine from kits, and always do it with mead, which I make with spring water.

The most important yeast nutrients are nitrogen and phosphates, and if you've got that in your tap water you've got pollutants. White Labs yeast nutrient has B vitamins in it which I can't imagine you get from tap water. Their yeast nutrient has the minerals in it too. So that's what I use, and I get very good, active fermentations consistently.

 

[saramc]

My take on that is that there is less control just relying on the tap water. I'm sure tap water is ok and I'm just being picky, but I would solve the problem of low yeast nutrients by adding yeast nutrient. I rarely do this with grape wine, and always do it with mead, which I make with spring water.

I guess the bottom line on water is...know your water if it is that much of a concern. I know mine...as it is analyzed twice a year. And yes, I do use added nutrients with my fermentation because it it not as mineral rich as my Mom's well water.

 

[WilliamSlayer]

Reading the instructions over and over, +/- 2 hours.
Not believing and questioning yourself that it can't be that easy, +/- 1 hour.
Actual time spent sanitizing, making it and cleaning up, +/- 15 min.
Total time, +/- 3.25 hours.
or 15 minutes if you leave out the worrying!
Have fun,
Bull

+1
Yeah, its that easy. Especially to a beer brewer.