wine kit for xmas

[flitwickone]

hi all
hope you are all well

ive been given a kit for xmas it consists of

steriliser
2 x 5 litre fermentaion bins
8inch sppon
syphon
2x airlocks
12 in thermometer(spirit)
trial jar
170mm hydrometer
some yeast
and a can of  red wine enricher 245g

i have no instructions so can anyone enlighten me on what i am supposed to do 

thx
 

[OllieC]

You have most of the hardware there - but you need a few more things to get going. I'd suggest trying one kit and one fruit wine, or maybe even 2 kits to get you started. You could do a lot worse than getting a couple of Beaverdale 1gal kits on the go.

Alternatively, if you Google "Wurzel's Orange Wine" you will find the staple drink of our household these days.

[BarriedaleNick]

I can recommend these kits
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Brew-Wine-Making-Connoisseur/dp/B002ID2DQ6/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1325253247&sr=1-2

I do the 25 litre versions but they both take about a month to finish - 6 bottles don't last long here!
The kits have clear simple instructions and you seems to have the rest of the kit..

If you want to make your own wines from scratch I would try a few kits first - just to get used to idea.

[macmac]

http://www.the-online-homebrew-company.co.uk/shop/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=51_74&products_id=492

We buy this one on a regular basis and also the Merlot the results are pretty good
we've made Ollies "wurzels orange wine" and it's pretty powerful

[flitwickone]

one last question and its probably a stupid one if i have two 5 litre containers that means i could do two kits at once ? if so then thats what i will do

[OllieC]

In general, most things in the world of home brewing are either 5 litre (1gal) or 25 litre (5gal), so yes, 2 small kits would be a good start to finding out what works for you & what kits you like.

Please ask away & post your progress, it would be nice to have more on home brewing here!

Interesting to see that you've done WOW Macmac - ours comes out at 16%! (where's the "bleeding eyes" smiley?!)

[macmac]

you'll need another 5 litre to rack off each one so 3  if you want to do 2 lots.
We rack into the spare then clean the empty and rack 2nd into that .
I've just read that and it's confusing  
Basically 3 bins 1,2,3,
1&2 -ferment wine,when done rack bin 1 into bin 3.                                                               clean bin 1 and rack bin 2 into bin 1
still sounds confusing  

[macmac]

In general, most things in the world of home brewing are either 5 litre (1gal) or 25 litre (5gal), so yes, 2 small kits would be a good start to finding out what works for you & what kits you like.

Please ask away & post your progress, it would be nice to have more on home brewing here!

Interesting to see that you've done WOW Macmac - ours comes out at 16%! (where's the "bleeding eyes" smiley?!)

[OllieC]

you'll need another 5 litre to rack off each one so 3  if you want to do 2 lots.

Oh yeah, the racking, good point!

[flitwickone]

ok i will get another bin     so to recap    bin 1 and 2 ferment the brew and at the right stage i rack bin 1 into bin 3 wash and steralize bin one and rack bin 2 into the now clean bin 1

right im off to get the kits will keep you posted http://;D

[katynewbie]

See, now here's the thing, a new to wine making person will struggle with terms like "rack" Is that where you siphon off some liquid into a bottle?

Thanks..

[BarriedaleNick]

I leave a two week gap before starting the second one off - that way there is normally one fermenting and one clearing down.
My kits suggest two rackings off..  
One after about 8-10 days after primary fermentation - then another after 20 ish days after all fermentation is finished.  Spare bins are always useful!

I'm off to check out Ollie's "wurzels orange wine" - if it turns out like my Elderflower Champers then..... "hic!"

Rack just means moving from one vessel to another.  Normally done once fermentation is complete - you take the wine off the sediment each time..

[macmac]

See, now here's the thing, a new to wine making person will struggle with terms like "rack" Is that where you siphon off some liquid into a bottle?

Thanks..

siphon off a bin or demi into a bin or demi 

[queenbee]

Never mind wine kits, a friend of mine has managed to find a STILL on a New Zealand website and he received it on Xmas eve. It makes a 70 proof spirit within hours, the sachets included are Whisky, Gin, Vodka and Brandy, It is legal in NZ but I am not too sure about the UK, he reckons that it will cost about 80p per bottle. It looks like a large electric kettle and I am just waiting for his first results. He bought it for 150 pounds. Has anyone else had experience of these.

[flitwickone]

wow where can i buy that from in NZ 

[OllieC]

The Orange wine recipe gives you bottles of pleasant tasting 16% wine at around 90p a bottle (using good juice - you could do it for 50p if you care less about the taste). To me, the risks of distilling are too great just to make something that needs diluting again.

The main risks are:
1) It's illegal
2) Blowing yourself up like these guys - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-16083900
3) Going blind or killing yourself like these guys - http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/15/illegal-alcohol-india-kills-100?newsfeed=true

[Melbourne12]

I agree with OllieC.  In the days when we made our own wine, I considered distillation, but the risks to your health are quite frightening.  And it is of course illegal in the UK to distil alcohol, although it's perfectly legal to own the equipment.

Apparently it is legal in New Zealand, though.  http://www.brewersbarn.com/index.php supplies stills and other equipment.  Worth a read, as is http://www.homedistiller.org/

[Stopp]

What a great gift .... I'd love this .... I've already made my own wine with these kits and can purchase yeast, sterilser, campden tablets from my local Tesco so I'm having fun experimenting with wine making. Just remember to sterilise, sterilise and then sterilise again. 

Happy wine/beer making in 2012 xxx

[flitwickone]

just a quick update ive been into wilkinsons and got two kits    here goes will keep u all up dated

[OllieC]

Which kits did you get?