wine making

[Good Gourd 2]

What do I need to start making wine, say elderberry, blackcurrant, parsnip.  I have looked in books and it sounds really complicated. Anyone got an idiots guide or something. ::)

[Good Gourd 2]

[petengade]

Plenty on google.
http://www.yobrew.co.uk/parsnip.php

[Poppy Mole]

I find the more old-fashioned the recipe the easier it is to make

[davejg]

All you need to make a gallon of wine is a platic bucket with a lid (white food grade is best, some cleaner steriliser milton will do. a demijohn & airlock BREWING yeast  and a recipe from the net.If you let me know whereabouts you are iwill finnd the nearest homebrew supplier to you. not sure if wilkinsons still carry any bits. any questions PM me.

[katynewbie]

I started making wine last year and found it all very confusing too! Wilko's do the white bucket with a lid and demi johns etc. Try and find a little book by Daphne More called Country Wines, very old fashioned and straightforward. Good Luck!

[petula]

Hi Just to say that the wine making book ( Drink you own garden ) which is on amazon is a easy to follow guide. If I can follow it eveyone can good luck.

[Kleftiwallah]

The first rule of winemaking.  CLEANLINESS, CLEANLINESS, CLEANLINESS, CLEANLINESS.  An excelent book is "Drink your own Garden"  by Judith Glover. Sorry, no I.S.B.N.  Good solid information and basic recipes with very little mucking about with hydrometer readings etc.  I would start with fruit wines, veggie wines are a bit more convoluted.

It's my standard reference book.    Cheers,   Tony.

[macmac]

We've made loads hic ;) and it gets easier as you go along.
Wilkies are very good and we've just used their online shop and collect in store which was brilliant.(we use their own brand baby bottle steriliser)
I just google for a recipe eg "parsnip wine recipe" and read through until I find one that suits.
Once you get the hang of it it's a bit like making bread you discover the basic ingredients and adapt.
Have fun.
Cleanliness is the MOST important rule.

[lillian]

Found this site very useful http://www.winesathome.co.uk/   It has lots of tutorials and recipe for beginners upwards.  Also Youtube has alot of wine making vids :)

May be start with a supermarket juice recipes until you have mastered the basics.

[earlybirds]

hi mal in billingshurst the quickest is rasperry ready to drinkin less than three weeks , it also clears itself enjoy,

[macmac]

hi mal in billingshurst the quickest is rasperry ready to drinkin less than three weeks , it also clears itself enjoy,

can you post the recipe ,please  :)

[pg]

Look in charity shops or on Freecycle for brewing equipment (demijohns, buckets etc). There is always some being given away.

[northener]

Whats the results like? I used to make it from kits years ago and it was ordinary. How does your own fruir compare to a kit?

[Kleftiwallah]

I took a dozen bottles of assorted home made wine on a sailing trip and everyone said they never thought 'home made hooch' could taste so good ! ! !     Cheers,   ;D  Tony.

[Gordonmull]

Found this site very useful http://www.winesathome.co.uk/   It has lots of tutorials and recipe for beginners upwards.  Also Youtube has alot of wine making vids :)

May be start with a supermarket juice recipes until you have mastered the basics.

Where I started (and am still starting with!!). Great tutorials and loads of friendly advice.

[fishhead]

hi,I've only recently joined so I'm jumping in on this a little late but i recently bought a hedgerow wine making guide with some recipes in it off eBay ,it came in an email so if your interested send me your email and I'll have a go at sending it to you,as i work nights I'm not always on but I'll do it as soon as i can,martin :D

[queenbee]

sorry if I am deviating good gourd 2, I remember as a child of 6 or 7 in the late 40's or early 50's my dad sending me to the local bakers for 1lb of brown sugar and 4oz of yeast. it was always a note with a shilling wrapped in the note. I was always told that if anyone asked it was for my grandfather who wasn't very well. I was sworn to secrecy and must never divulge what it was really for as it was against the law to make your own wine or beer  in thoswe days which was what my dad was doing. He made wine out of Potato peelings, beetroot and any other veg or fruit he grew. Thinking back I often saw him drinking very cloudy beer or wine. We were not well off. And I suppose this was his weekend treat. I remember a batch exploding in our pantry and my mother crying because it had ruined some cakes that she had made.

[cleo]

Making wine is not difficult and there are many books/sites out there. Making good wine(and I used to show the stuff) takes a bit more experience and patience!!

A decent full bodied red wants at least three years to mature,preferably more and some `veg` based wines can take 5 years to become respectable.

So make some quick `plonk` for everyday use and then learn,read and after a little while try something a bit more demanding and wait.

OK it`s true I no longer make the stuff,nor do I mash beer but I did and I won a shed load of prizes so I hope my suggestions help

[grannyjanny]

One of my daughters old school friends now lives in France & they have a vineyard. This year they had to sell their entire crop as their well had run dry :'(.

[GrannieAnnie]

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp
This site by Jack Keller I've found to be very clear since he gives explanations for each step
also lots of recipes.

Using a sanitizer (not bleach) is very good advice to make sure you have no contaminants. Ask me how I know!
I also have a goodly supply of bottled fruit vinegars and had one good explosion. Lively place here, Delaware. ;D