Topic: Complete novice !

[B7jac]

Hi everyone,
After reading some of your posts, i am very intrigued and would love to start having a go at wine making myself (even tho I'm not much of a wine drinker!)

Is it something that I could just 'have a go at' and only make a little ? or do I have to have loads of equipment and need to be serious about it?

Also can you advise me step by step or should I get a book ?

Thanks for any info you can give me !

[Mojo_77]

I'm very new to this too, and found CJJ Berry's First Steps in Winemaking very useful. Be careful though, it's addictive, I've been doing this for less than a month and currently have around 8 gallons blooping and fermenting away in various parts of my home! Only took it up because I have elderberries growing in the garden!

[Baccy Man]

You don't have to spend a fortune to begin with.
You will need:
Steriliser
Demijohn (either glass or plastic)
Airlock & bung (just the airlock if using a plastic demijohn with grommet fitted)
Thermometer
Hydrometer & hydrometer jar
Syphon tube
Bottles
Corks & a corker to fit them.
I find a 10 litre bucket is extremely useful for the first stage of most 1 gallon wine recipes.
Look at the recipes you intend to try some common ingredients you may need & could buy at the same time are: citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, yeast, yeast nutrient, tannin, campden tablets and pectic enzyme.

It may be worth considering a starter kit as it would include most of the equipment you will need at a reduced price.
http://www.hamstead-brewing-centre.co.uk/itmidx9.htm

I am sure you will get all the advice you need on here but CJJ Berry's book is worth having anyway, just take a pound of sugar off each recipe in it unless you have a sweet tooth.

[B7jac]

Wow !    That sounds quite a lot of stuff !

Thanks for your info, I will get the book and look at the website you advised for a starter kit, as I'd love to have a go, and I do have a sweet tooth so maybe I will like their recipes !

[Baccy Man]

That list could be thinned down a bit.
If you can get hold of an empty 5 litre whisky bottle from your local pub they make very nice demijohns.
The thermometer you could get by without.
You can save your own wine bottles.
Citric acid can be replaced with lemon juice.
Tannin can be replaced with tea or oak leaves.
Look at recipes before ordering anything, tartaric & malic acid are only used in certain recipes.

If you want some recipes then http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/ has hundreds as well as lots of info on winemaking.

[B7jac]

Thank you so much Baccy man !

I have looked at a couple of starter kits on the web, which are not too bad, and they also do a kit for the actual wine eg chardonnay etc., I wouldnt mind trying the Pinot Gr. as hubby likes that, but much prefer the idea of making my own with fruit etc.,

I will get the CJJ book first and take it from there,

I have started some blackberry vodka though, as per an earlier thread ! I had too it was so easy !! (no fermenting !)

[STEVEB]

try your local freecycle group for demi jons and ask your freinds to save wine bottles for you.
a quick and easy starter to build up some readdy to drink wine try the supermarket juice wines and cheap as anything,1 gallon for around 3 quid

[lillian]

If you want to do it on the very cheap there are some videos on youtube on how to make wine using a PET drinks bottle and a baloon.  ;D

[calamityjayneuk]

My brother works in a bar and I asked him for bottles, he said I could have as many as I wanted, because they all get binned anyway. So I am guessing if you asked at your local pub they would be more than happy to oblige with bottles and even possibly a great big spirits bottle for fermenting.

Also As SteveB says, freecycle is always a great place to try for this kind of thing.

[adrianhumph]

Hi B7 jac,  :D
                   A fair bit of advice given, all of it sensible ;D so i thought I might as well add my tuppence worth. First of all the problem with the CJJ Berry recipes are that they usually contain 3lbs of sugar, this (if it ferments out) will give you a wine far too high in alcohol in comparison with normal table wine that you are used to drinking.If it doesn`t ferment, you will be stuck with a sweet tasting wine that you probably did not want.
I would leave the starter kits alone, they are usually high in price, & the resulting wine is NEVER like the real thing.
 For a beginner stick to simple recipes, using cartons of fruit juices, there are loads of recipes available on line, just do a search. As an idea try this; 2 litres white grape juice, 1 litre apple juice, 1 kilo sugar, dissolved in 500 mls of hot water. Pour this into a large enough bucket, add 1 teaspoon tartaric acid, 1 tsp yeast nutrient, & a good quality white wine yeast, (do not buy general purpose or bread yeast) Ferment with a lid on for 3 or 4 days, then pour into a demijon, top up with more juice or water & ferment until dry. Rack into a clean demijon &  add some thing to stabilize it (sulphite) place somewhere cool for approx 6 weeks to clear & stabilize. By then it should be clear & ready to bottle/drink.

                                                                  Hope this helps
                                                                  Adrian.

[STEVEB]

juice carton wines are great at the moment i have on the go
1gallon white grape and apple
1x white grape and orange
2x white and red grape rose style
and im supping a grape and apple as i typppppppe hic,
Do you know anyone who buy the 5 litre water bottles?these can be easily adapted to demis