Allotments 4 All

I have never made wine or any other beverage from allotment produce but am considering starting home wine making.  Could you please recommend a good beginners book on how to make wine, equipment needed for the initial outlay and basic wine recipes? 

My OH has inherited my dad's M&S book on winemaking from 1982! It's v good and comprehensive. It's called Home Made Beers and Wines by Ben Turner. I bet there's a copy in all good charity shops.  ;D

Many years ago, when i first started making homebrew wine i bought this book,

Fruity Passions - An Introduction to Country Wine-making (Paperback)
by Margaret Vaughan (Author), Mary Hardiman-Jones (Author)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/0563207930/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

It appears to be out of print, but there are some available second hand through Amazon.
It contained all the information needed to get me going.  Still it might be worth trawling through the charity shops and/or freecycle for second hand equipment.

This has been an invaluable guide to me to making my own wines

First Steps in Winemaking by C.J.J. Berry

It`s been many years since I used to make/show beer and wine but C J J Berry is still a classic.

If you get into it try also `Making wines like those you buy` or even `Progressive Wine making`- both by        Duncan&Acton.

It`s not difficult to make a reasonable `wine` at home so try, but remember also that to make really good stuff takes a little bit of experience/knowledge and above all patience!!!!-especially for red wines-3 years + would not be too long to let it mature a bit

I second third the C J Berry book, but use the recipes and adjust the sugar content to your own taste ;)

Ebay always has old winemaking stuff - just find a local seller to save postage

Keep an eye on Freecycle for someone having a turnout

Wilkinsons' bigger stores have winemaking bits n bobs fairly cheap

Use supermarket 5litre water bottles instead of glass demijohns - they're cheaper and can't get smashed - just drill hole in lid and fit rubber grommit to take the bubbler

Thats a good tip Dadnlad I just bought 4 plastic demi johns and a few days later
realised they were the same water bottles you buy in the supermarkets.

So drink the Spring water and then all you have to buy is the grommets and Air locks and like you say drill a hole (Simples Lol).

I've never bought a book, just surfed the net and found lots of directions and recipes to try.
The best advice, keep everything sterile. Haven't had a batch go bad yet. Fun seeing things perking in the basement ;D