First Time Making Wine

[presence]

I've put away around 30 gallons of wine so far. My favorite is the pomegranate. It is so special, I put it in smaller bottles so I don't have to open an entire fifth each time I open a bottle. My second favorite is the raspberry. That is made with pure raspberry juice. It's expensive and it also gets the small bottle treatment.

These are $35 per can and make 5 gallon batches; my local homebrew has pomegranate variety on the shelf:



http://www.homebrewit.com/wine-ingre...-concentrates/

keyword vinters harvest

[Dr.3D]

These are $35 per can and make 5 gallon batches; my local homebrew has pomegranate variety on the shelf:

http://www.homebrewit.com/wine-ingre...-concentrates/

keyword vinters harvest

I've used those and they gave me what I would call, a watered down wine.

Here is how I made my Pomegranate wine:

Pomegranate Wine from Juice (3 gallons)

1 tsp Bentonite in 1/2 gal hot water
12 - 16oz bottles of POM pomegranate juice
2 - 34oz bottles of Looza Black Currant Nectar
5 lbs sugar (I ended up using 4 lbs of sugar.. for a specific gravity of 1.106)
water to 3.2 gal
3 cc Rapidase Pectic Enzyme
3 tsp yeast nutrient
1 lbs black seedless raisins chopped, in straining bag = 0.6 lb sugar
K1-V1116 yeast

Condensed instructions: Put it all in your primary, rack to carboy in 1 week, rack in 3 months and add SO2, rack again in 4 months, SO2 and fine, final racking, balance and bottle.

At bottling, I sweetened with 12 oz of sugar solution (1 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water), 1 1/2 tsp sorbate. It's pretty good at 4 months of bottle age, but right now (four years bottle age) it's fantastically amazing!

Raisins and sugar = 4.6 lbs sugar.

Edit: I originally found this recipe on the internet, but sadly, I can't remember where or I would credit them with it.

[ClydeCoulter]

Good info in the posts, guys!

I drew the wine off last night and put back into the 5 gal carboy, topped off with the 2nd run of the grapes that I put raspberries in. I have a gallon of the 2nd run after straining it and racking into a gallon jar (lost a bit since there was actually a bit more than a gallon after using to top off first run...but it will be good for future topping off).

The flavor (yes, had to have a small glass) is...unusual. The taste starts off with alcohol...then follows with the grape flavor.

[presence]

So, you're going for about 7.5%?

Depends on how you calculate, the online thing I go by says 1.060 to .999 is 8%.

The hotter you make it the longer it needs to age. 8% is very drinkable in 6 months.

@ 8% a 750ml (25oz) bottle is about 4 12oz domestic beers

A corny keg usually works out to 5 gallons of juice in and 4 gallons (20 @ 750ml bottles plus a few glasses of samplings) out after fermenting.

= 20 bottles of 8% hard cider

~ 80 cans of of 4% beer

[ClydeCoulter]

This is confusing to me.

Last night, after racking, the wine started getting darker red over a period of about 4 hours. More sediment accumulated in the bottom (about 1/2") of the 5 gal carboy.

Today, the wine is much denser and deeper red (less translucent). The flavor has gone from a (bang) alcohol followed by grape to a smoother overall start and finish. Although, 2 other people told me that it is too strong alcohol wise (I think it's fine). (I'm testing the taste tonight from a quart jar that was filled from the bottom remainder of the temporary when siphoning off the carboy and then siphoning back to the carboy).

I really don't understand how the wine would get less translucent and darker in such short time after racking. It's just removing the wine from the sludge. The wine that I topped it off with (about 1/2 gal) is from a 2nd run, so not darker, and has raspberries in it. The 2nd run is pink, and looks like grapefruit or pink lemonade. So, what's up?

[ClydeCoulter]

For comparison:

Current secondary (1st run, 5 gal carboy)



(current secondary (2nd run, 1 gal glass)

[donnay]

My father made wine. He also made Kahlua too! I used to like being the taster.

[ClydeCoulter]

My father made wine. He also made Kahlua too! I used to like being the taster.

Hah! Chocolate & batter spoon with a small glass of wine! (If mom is making cookies too)

[Suzanimal]

My father made wine. He also made Kahlua too! I used to like being the taster.

My Grandma made muscadine wine, good stuff. I liked being a taster too.

My Grandpa made Applejack and Moonshine, I didn't get to taste that but my cousin still makes the Applejack and brought some to my Dad's funeral. That was good stuff too.

[presence]

Just started a 5 gallon batch of cheap store bought apple juice ($20) (water, apple concentrate, nothing else). Juice was 1.045, added 5 cups evaporated cane juice to bring my OG to 1.060. I'm going to rack 2 gallons of it over a pint of organic lime juice and the other 2 gallons over a pint of pure organic cranberry.

Bubblin' in a corny on Lavin 1118

[donnay]

I couldn't resist this commercial popped into my head upon reading this thread.

[ClydeCoulter]

Just started a 5 gallon batch of cheap store bought apple juice ($20) (water, apple concentrate, nothing else). Juice was 1.045, added 5 cups evaporated cane juice to bring my OG to 1.060. I'm going to rack 2 gallons of it over a pint of organic lime juice and the other 2 gallons over a pint of pure organic cranberry.

Bubblin' in a corny on Lavin 1118

I think this could end up being an ongoing hobby.

My wife said she thinks her dad still has his carboys stored away in the basement...she'll be visiting NC for Christmas, maybe she will bring 'em back.

[luctor-et-emergo]

That 5 gal carboy you've got there is really neat ! Nice piece of glass. I have been trying to encounter things like that but as of this moment I have not.

I'm looking forward to when you post a glass of the finished wine..

[ClydeCoulter]

That 5 gal carboy you've got there is really neat ! Nice piece of glass. I have been trying to encounter things like that but as of this moment I have not.

I'm looking forward to when you post a glass of the finished wine..

Too bad I couldn't send you a quart. In a "real" world, I could.

[ClydeCoulter]

Just started a 5 gallon batch of cheap store bought apple juice ($20) (water, apple concentrate, nothing else). Juice was 1.045, added 5 cups evaporated cane juice to bring my OG to 1.060. I'm going to rack 2 gallons of it over a pint of organic lime juice and the other 2 gallons over a pint of pure organic cranberry.

Bubblin' in a corny on Lavin 1118

Do you make it dry or sweet?

[ClydeCoulter]

It's raining, been raining all day. And I just paid to have a 400 ft trench dug 4+ ft deep for the water line to the cattle.

So, I built a carboy stand out of cherry. (Yes, it needs to be sanded and finished, it's nude, right now).



Also, you will notice a 6 gallon bucket on the floor of fresh squeezed California Merlot (set me back 90 bucks), on it's 2nd day in the primary (used Red Star Pastuer Red yeast). My wife said, "It says Keep Refrigerated!" Was good for a laugh.

Oh, and the carboy stand acts as a carboy dryer:



The 6 gal carboy awaits it use as a secondary for the Merlot.

Now, I need to make more of them, at least one more, and maybe a couple for smaller glass, like gallon jugs.

One more thing, I found the price sticker on the piece of 12 ply 3/4" premium Poplar plywood that I used as the carboy floor. I bought it in 2004. It says "$14.90". Now, tell there's no inflation.

[presence]

Do you make it dry or sweet?

Its fairly dry when I'm done; about 8% when it runs out of sugar. 1118 will go much higher... but by starting at 1.060 I place a limit on the alcohol content which limits how much time I'll have to let it age. I drink at about 10 months from the first day of fermentation. Generally you have to add some sorbate or benzoate to make a sweet hard cider... I try to keep it natural.


On another note... I just got my hands on a 50L (13.2 gallon) stainless milk jug that seals. The local grocery store has Organic Apple Juice on sale atm for $5.16 gallon.

Today I'm racking those two 5g batches over lime and cranberry respectively. Gotta wash gallons.

[ClydeCoulter]

Its fairly dry when I'm done; about 8% when it runs out of sugar. 1118 will go much higher... but by starting at 1.060 I place a limit on the alcohol content which limits how much time I'll have to let it age. I drink at about 10 months from the first day of fermentation. Generally you have to add some sorbate or benzoate to make a sweet hard cider... I try to keep it natural.


On another note... I just got my hands on a 50L (13.2 gallon) stainless milk jug that seals. The local grocery store has Organic Apple Juice on sale atm for $5.16 gallon.

Today I'm racking those two 5g batches over lime and cranberry respectively. Gotta wash gallons.

That stainless sealing milk jug is a keeper and holds a nice large batch!