So I bought a wine making kit

**phillysrt4** · 07-05-2010, 07:23 PM

As any of you know alcohol is expensive north of the border, so I decided to buy a wine making kit with some cab wine juice. I'll let you know in about 30 days how well it goes. The kit makes 30 bottles of wine so im either going to be very drunk or have enough wine vinegar to last a lifetime

**SK@StreetLethal** · 07-05-2010, 10:18 PM

I'm a huge fan of homemade wine. Good luck with it!

**Stangman701** · 07-05-2010, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by SK@StreetLethal

I'm a huge fan of homemade wine. Good luck with it!

+1 I hate most store bought wine, but I've liked almost every homemade wine I've ever had. I've got a couple friends down in WV that are pretty good at it and have thought about giving it a shot myself. Let us know how it goes.

**AdamantiumSilvr** · 07-06-2010, 02:12 AM

My buddy's in a wino club and I've been to a few winery's with him, n picked up some cream of the crop wine. Nothin really like it!

**phillysrt4** · 07-06-2010, 09:44 AM

thanks everyone! Now im really looking forward to getting some product. Worst comes to worst I have the tools to make beer too!! w00t!

**phillysrt4** · 07-07-2010, 12:33 AM

Well it appears that I got everything started okay. Seems I sanitzied adequately without overdoing it. Within 3 hours of putting the yeast in so much gas was generated that the top of the fermenter is bowing out.

5-7 days to the first racking :)

**phillysrt4** · 07-07-2010, 12:29 PM

Looks like I got everything sanitized properly! Within a few hours of adding the yeast the top of my primary bowed out from the amount of gas produced. I covered but didn't seal the lid so that gas could escape. I'd say fermentation started!

SG started at 1.082 so with temperature correction it should be about 11.9% alcohol by volume when its done, pretty much where I'd want an enjoyable table wine with a meal.

I'll update again when I rack it to the secondary.

**KeystoneJohnny** · 07-07-2010, 01:57 PM

The GF loves wine it's her thing totally. She spotted this thread over my shoulder is like Mmmmm. I'm like you lush, lol. Good Luck with the wine.

**phillysrt4** · 07-07-2010, 04:43 PM

Originally Posted by fordmanforever

The GF loves wine it's her thing totally. She spotted this thread over my shoulder is like Mmmmm. I'm like you lush, lol. Good Luck with the wine.

LOL!!! I'll admit it I love wine, but I hate the pricing up here. What would be a 10-12 dollar bottle in PA is 16-18 up here. I'll be sure to keep updating so your GF can stay in the loop... LOL

For all of you interested, I purchased a kit that includes a primary fermenter (32 litre food grade plastic drum), 23 litre carboy, thermometers, wine thief, sanitzers, racking cane, hygrometer, and a few other odds and ends to get you started for 50 bucks CDN.

For starters, I didn't want to go with something too expensive on juice but I enjoy Cabs and Merlots. I decided to go with Chai Maison's Cabernet Sauvignon:

http://www.brewerylane.com/wine/chai...n-wine-kit.htm

Kit cost: 54.00 CAD with a yield of 23 litres (30 bottles)

If I like how this goes, I`m probably going to be a bit more adventurous and try a top-flight Cab like the Lodi Ranch 11 Cabernet Sauvignon from Winexpert:

http://www.winexpert.com/products/ul...-estate-series

More expensive to start for sure, but that description sounds like damn good wine.

Stangman: if you're thinking about doing it, i'd give it a try. Even a cheap bottle of wine is gonna be 8 bucks so if you can make it for 2 you can give a lot of it away and still come out ahead. I'll write a full review in about a month once I bottle it to let you know what I think of this particular kit.

SK: do you make your own? if so got any suggestions or reviews of juice kits out there?

**KeystoneJohnny** · 07-07-2010, 05:06 PM

LOL I'm not going to encourage her!

**stieny** · 07-07-2010, 08:10 PM

Nice. I'm very interested in seeing how this turns out.

I love wine. I have a bunch of bottles in my wine rack at the moment.

**phillysrt4** · 07-11-2010, 12:16 AM

Stieny: Well here's the update...

Thanks to the unusually warm weather (and no air conditioning), my primary was stuck at about 27C. Thus the 5-7 days of primary fermenting were reduced to 4. SG as of earlier today was 1.000 as I read it which really surprised me since the instructions said that after 5-7 days it should be around 1.020 or slightly lower.

There was quite a bit of lees on the bottom of the primary and the fizzing had greatly subsized over the last 24 hours. Whether or not it was due to being a cooler day today or the sugars are almost gone remains to be seen. I'll let things settle in tonight and see if I get any bubbles from the fermentation lock. If I do I'll be happy and let it sit until I hit the point where I can fine it.

I snuck a taste while I was racking. It wasn't bad at all for where it was in the process. No obvious signs of spoilage or bacteria contamination (knock wood!). I think I'm still going to be happy with this as a table wine.

Given what I've learned from this "trial run" I'm glad I didn't blow the money on a high end cab (e.g. what lees look like, how much space I can expect at the top of the carboy from the first racking, how the wine looks and sounds when it goes through its primary ferment, etc). I'll save the high end stuff for when the weather turns a little cooler in about a month so it can develop and age under the right conditions.

EDIT - If anyone out there has even considered giving this a try, I say GO FOR IT! Its stupid simple and hardware kits are cheap (around 50 bucks). You'll have more than enough for yourself and to share with your friends. It pays for itself after the first run.

**stieny** · 07-13-2010, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by phillysrt4

Stieny: Well here's the update...

Thanks to the unusually warm weather (and no air conditioning), my primary was stuck at about 27C. Thus the 5-7 days of primary fermenting were reduced to 4. SG as of earlier today was 1.000 as I read it which really surprised me since the instructions said that after 5-7 days it should be around 1.020 or slightly lower.

There was quite a bit of lees on the bottom of the primary and the fizzing had greatly subsized over the last 24 hours. Whether or not it was due to being a cooler day today or the sugars are almost gone remains to be seen. I'll let things settle in tonight and see if I get any bubbles from the fermentation lock. If I do I'll be happy and let it sit until I hit the point where I can fine it.

I snuck a taste while I was racking. It wasn't bad at all for where it was in the process. No obvious signs of spoilage or bacteria contamination (knock wood!). I think I'm still going to be happy with this as a table wine.

Given what I've learned from this "trial run" I'm glad I didn't blow the money on a high end cab (e.g. what lees look like, how much space I can expect at the top of the carboy from the first racking, how the wine looks and sounds when it goes through its primary ferment, etc). I'll save the high end stuff for when the weather turns a little cooler in about a month so it can develop and age under the right conditions.

EDIT - If anyone out there has even considered giving this a try, I say GO FOR IT! Its stupid simple and hardware kits are cheap (around 50 bucks). You'll have more than enough for yourself and to share with your friends. It pays for itself after the first run.

Nice little write up.

I'm going to have to try this seeing how I'm always drinking wine.

**phillysrt4** · 07-13-2010, 11:49 AM

Steiny I would give it a try. Here's my breakdown of costs for this run:

Starter Kit (Primary and Secondary Fermenter + supplimentary equipment) and Cab grape juice from Chai Maison = $104.00 taxes in
Artesian well water = free
30 Wine bottles = (almost) free (thanks to donations from people, but I still have a drink a few more to get 30).

Cost per bottle for this run: $3.46
(EDIT - corks are going to be $2.00 for a lot of 30 and corker is a free rental for those who buy their kits from them, so actual cost is $3.53/bottle)

The cool part about this cab kit is that it includes a small packet of toasted oak shavings that you sprinkle into the primary fermenter. This way you get that oak flavour that a cab should have without needing an oak aging barrel.

My local wineshop carries the complete line of Winexpert kits- reds, whites, port, icewine style, etc- with pricing ranging from 50 (this Chai Maison kit) to 150 bucks (their "Crushendo" line which includes a packet of grape skins to get the naturally producing tannins). Id hit their website and see where your local dealer is.

**phillysrt4** · 07-18-2010, 10:00 PM

Update:

Took an SG reading tonight: 0.995 +/- 0.001

According to the instructions, this is the correct SG to begin the clearing process provided that I get the same reading on a 2nd consecutive day. I'll test again tomorrow and if it comes out correct, then I am going to start clearing.

Temperature stayed a constant 23C during this stage. Still a skosh too warm for my liking, but acceptable for the secondary fermentation.

On removing the fermentation lock to take a sample, there was a very pleasant "wine" smell that came out of the carboy. I was tempted to sneak a taste at this stage, but I think I'll hold off until tomorrow and keep back some of my sample to put in a glass.

**stieny** · 07-18-2010, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by phillysrt4

Update:

Took an SG reading tonight: 0.995 +/- 0.001

According to the instructions, this is the correct SG to begin the clearing process provided that I get the same reading on a 2nd consecutive day. I'll test again tomorrow and if it comes out correct, then I am going to start clearing.

Temperature stayed a constant 23C during this stage. Still a skosh too warm for my liking, but acceptable for the secondary fermentation.

On removing the fermentation lock to take a sample, there was a very pleasant "wine" smell that came out of the carboy. I was tempted to sneak a taste at this stage, but I think I'll hold off until tomorrow and keep back some of my sample to put in a glass.

Send me some.

**phillysrt4** · 07-18-2010, 11:11 PM

Originally Posted by stieny

Send me some.

Come get it! In 2 weeks I'll have 30 bottles!

I'll bring some with me next time I'm in town. Flying with liquids is a PITA so when I get vacation next year I'll bring some down (assuming customs isn't a dick).

**stieny** · 07-18-2010, 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by phillysrt4

Come get it! In 2 weeks I'll have 30 bottles!

I'll bring some with me next time I'm in town. Flying with liquids is a PITA so when I get vacation next year I'll bring some down (assuming customs isn't a dick).

If I'm up that way I'll take a detour to get a bottle. I know a few buddies I want to see the hockey hall of fame so....

**phillysrt4** · 07-19-2010, 09:58 PM

Update:

Well, I got a stable SG and with the temperature being high throughout the primary/secondary fermentation phases, I made the judgement call to clarify a day early. I'm now approximately 14 days from clear wine suitable for bottling.

I took a sample which is the attached photo. As you can see its quite dark in colour typical for young wine. Im sure it will lighten up a little on clearing. When I first drew the sample, there was a hint of oak in the nose, but on taste it seemed kind of... boring... with a dry finish moderate in tannins. I let the sample breathe for about 15 minutes while I did the clarifying steps and it really helped open it up. Although still rather "plain" and "straightforward", you can tell it has the potential with age to be something quite acceptable.

Will it ever develop to the point where I could pair it with lamb or game fowl? Hard to say, but I could see enjoying it by itself right away and in a few months it could probably stand up to a good pasta with meat sauce or a steak or beef stir fry.