Need pointers.. Looking to do my first wine batch

[gt_andy]

My buddy has some property that we just found out has an overabundance of Chardonnay grapes growing. They are apparently ready to go now. My buddy home brews with me. We have done a few boil kits with good results. He is really pushing me to make some wine out of these grapes. He we have plenty. So no worries there.

My question is what is the best process to make the wine? Squash them and collect/strain the juice?
He has an uncle who is a huge redneck and make his own wine.. He said to wrap them in a bath towel and squash them and ring the juice out of the towel. (Seems dirty and not sanitary to me). Is there a better process? Also what other ingredients should I use.

Anyone have or know of a good write-up I can follow for wine using your own fruit? I’m very hesitant to take on this project as we are beginners to the home brew..


Any info will help..

Thanks ahead of time.

 

[satboy]

My answer may be a bit generic but simple. YOUTUBE. I am new to this hobby like you and managed to get through my first ever batch if wine from real friut. Did melon wine 2 months ago. Bought 90kgs and passed through a small juicer with the help of my gf.

My biggest advice is to have the equipment ready before each step you do along the way.

Hope this helps

Chris

 

[gt_andy]

I have watched 1000 youtube videos. They are involve buying the juice. :shrug:

 

[Yooper]

If you don't have access to a press, you can do it my "Yooper way"!

I put the grapes in a big mesh bag from the LHBS. It is the size that lines the entire "ale pale" with some room left over.

Sanitize the pail, and the bag. Then, put the grapes in the bag that is in the pail. For a red wine (not chardonnay), smash up with a sanitized mash paddle (or baseball bad) and then add 1 campden tablet per gallon crushed and dissolved in some boiling water. Stir well. Then add the yeast the next day. For a white wine, sanitize your hands and get to work squeezing the grapes, "pressing" them with your hands to get out all of the juice. Squeeze good and hard, and try to wring the juice out. (Better than an icky towel!). Then add 1 crushed tablet per gallon of juice. Stir well, and take the SG. You want it to be at least 1.085, but 1.075+ will do. Remove the bag for white wine. (For red, allow it to ferment for 3 days, and then do the same "pressing" thing).

You could get more high tech and check the acids and adjust, but in general if you taste the juice and it doesn't taste acidic you'll be ok.

Add the yeast 24 hours after the campden. Allow it to ferment, covered with a clean towel, stirring it daily, until you're at 1.020 or so. Then transfer to an appropriately sized carboy and airlock.

Rack whenever there are lees 1/4" thick, or in 60 days. Top up to within an inch of the bung. The wine should finish at .990-.996 or so. Once it's clear, and no longer dropping lees, stick it in the fridge or another cold place for cold stabilization. That will cause excess tartaric acid to precipitate out and give you a better flavor. At every other racking, add 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water. This will prevent MLT and oxidation.

If you're doing MLF, though, do that as soon as fermentation is over and don't sulfite. (If you don't know what MLF is, you're probably not doing it but read up on it to see- it's usually done for red wines).

That's about it, for the very short version. I've made good wines this way in the past, but recently haven't had access to fresh grapes.

 

[amandabab]

I have watched 1000 youtube videos. They are involve buying the juice. :shrug:

cheap simple wine press video

(Seems dirty and not sanitary to me).

its cider, buts it the truth about early process wine sanitation

 

[shelly_belly]

If nothing else, at least pick and freeze the grapes. This will allow you some time to prepare and freezing helps to extract the juice. I put 6 pounds of grapes in a gallon size freezer bag. After thawing, I crush them in the baggie with a rolling pin. I can crush 30 pounds in about 15 minutes.

 

[gt_andy]

I like the first Video. I could easily make that with stuff I got laying around. Just would need to get a jack! Being that its plastic buckets i could keep clean!

 

[gt_andy]

If nothing else, at least pick and freeze the grapes. This will allow you some time to prepare and freezing helps to extract the juice. I put 6 pounds of grapes in a gallon size freezer bag. After thawing, I crush them in the baggie with a rolling pin. I can crush 30 pounds in about 15 minutes.

30 pounds got you how much juice?

 

[shelly_belly]

30 pounds got you how much juice?

I didn't measure it. I actually did 36 pounds of muscadine grapes and made 6 gallons of wine per the Mucadine 1 recipe here:

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques15.asp


It looks like you need 14 pounds/gallon for Chardonnay:

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request142.asp

 

[gt_andy]

Well this sucks.. My buddie and i were going to get these grapes this weekend. He just called me last night to say some animals had gotten into it. So we dont have enought now. But thanks for all the info. I will use it in the furture.

Thanks

 

[IXVolt]

That's a shame!

 

[Honda88]

yea those critters like grapes too!! use a pesticide next time

 

[Jeremy_84]

Go old school pick them and put them in a wash bucket and foot press them lol.

 

[gt_andy]

Go old school pick them and put them in a wash bucket and foot press them lol.

I thought about that.. but i wouldnt want to drink any wine that my feet have been in.. lol

 

[Honda88]

sanitize your feet before smashing them, you wont be able to notice the difference, wine making is actually a really dirty process.