Newbie Wine Maker
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voltron
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I always tell people to start simple and small for the first batch. and use inexpesinve ingredients. just to get your feet wet before you get more fancy with the wine. When I show people for the first time, i have them do a welches concrd grape wine with stuff from the super market. For the first one i say keep it simple and as you progress you can tweak the basic steps to make your wine to your liking and also use fancier equipment. most supermarkets also sell inexpensive concord wine (personally i feel it is underrated ) and you can grab a bottle to comapre with your batch. https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-make-homemade-wine-using-welchs-grape-juice/
bernardsmith
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Yeah, but red wine uses grape skins and grapes skins are not usually available from the supermarket. I would recommend Daniel Pambianchi's Techniques in Home Wine Making. Pambianchi is a professional wine maker (Canadian) and he has a great understanding of the issues facing the hobbyist and home wine maker. He is also a columnist. Bottom line. He knows his field and is recognized by his peers. So those are the pros. The cons include the fact that this book has a great deal of technical detail so if you are only interested in the art of wine making and want to ignore the science then this book may not be for you. But IMO, the science is not heavy. Check it out on Amazon or your local homebrew store MAY have copies.
voltron
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.most suoermarkets have grapes all year at keast in my area so you grab a handful, and theow them un even use raisain, but personally i have peol,e go simple on their first one gallon batch before moving uo to traditional stiuff just to get their feet wet and keep cost lowl also since most suoermarkets carry conccord grape wines inexpensinve its nice to compare your final product to tbe store version.
bernardsmith
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Not sure that I would call concord wine a wine... and table grapes don't make a good wine. They have no taste and not much sugar - unless all you are looking for is the buzz. From my perspective it's one thing not to go over-board with expensive ingredients until you can really make good wine in your sleep but it's quite another thing (IMO) to buy ingredients that really make poor wine. Just sayin'...
You can make a decent rosé by mixing Concord grape juice and Niagara half and half. In my unsophisticated opinion, it's better than straight Concord (red) or straight Niagara (white.) Add a little bit of sugar to get the specific gravity north of 1.070 (but not much higher) and some yeast nutrient, and use a decent wine yeast. Not champagne yeast.
It's good practice, and you'll end up with something worth drinking in a few months. Just make sure the grape juice does not have any preservatives. Vitamin C added is okay.
It's good practice, and you'll end up with something worth drinking in a few months. Just make sure the grape juice does not have any preservatives. Vitamin C added is okay.
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jgmillr1
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I double vote for this book. Great reference with more than enough detail to answer both superficial and deep questions. The book has a very handy summary table of ingredients in the appendix along with typical dosage and usage notes.
bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
and Dan Pambianchi responds to email questions. He is a good guy.
I started with a couple of GranCru kits in 2007, they turned out well, then to the juices, start up temp is priority I notice the dry red juices start up a day later than the whites or sweet red. After primary has begun patience is the protocol. It is also possible to have a bad batch every 15-20 runs. Sanitation is a main concern, I keep my Lab retriever out of the room when I am wining. If you consider this a hobby for 10 years it must be a passion.
