I made about 2 cases per month for 4 years in Saudi Arabia and 4 years in Kuwait. About 200 cases worth one bottle at time. Takes 13 days to drinkable wine 18 days to clear wine, the decanting is the most technical skill set. Never made a bad bottle, but a continued live yeast intake makes for a very gassey experience. Never had a need for preservatives.
Since then I have never had a bad bottle of wine from any supplier
I know zip about wine-making or drinking it. I use a lot of cheap Chianti for cooking but that's it. My sister is the wine-expert and goes to California wine country twice a year to buy wines. I would love to get my feet wet,(no pun) making wine. I have seen the grape juice sold in 5 gallon plastic buckets at the wholesale places. How much room do I need? Could someone give me a little primer or a point in the right direction? TIA!
Go Dogs wrote: I know zip about wine-making or drinking it. I use a lot of cheap Chianti for cooking but that's it. My sister is the wine-expert and goes to California wine country twice a year to buy wines. I would love to get my feet wet,(no pun) making wine. I have seen the grape juice sold in 5 gallon plastic buckets at the wholesale places. How much room do I need? Could someone give me a little primer or a point in the right direction? TIA!
Search "home wine making" and you will get a boatload of information. There is a lot to learn but the basics are very straight forward and easily understood. Another resource is local supply stores but, you need to develope a basic knowledge first. Check with you community resource centre, there may well be a "club" of winemakers. There may also be courses through the city recreation department or local schools or colleages extension programs. Great hobby. The success is very palatable and down right tasty!
Vic
Go Dogs wrote: I know zip about wine-making or drinking it. I use a lot of cheap Chianti for cooking but that's it. My sister is the wine-expert and goes to California wine country twice a year to buy wines. I would love to get my feet wet,(no pun) making wine. I have seen the grape juice sold in 5 gallon plastic buckets at the wholesale places. How much room do I need? Could someone give me a little primer or a point in the right direction? TIA!
Search "home wine making" and you will get a boatload of information. There is a lot to learn but the basics are very straight forward and easily understood. Another resource is local supply stores but, you need to develope a basic knowledge first. Check with you community resource centre, there may well be a "club" of winemakers. There may also be courses through the city recreation department or local schools or colleages extension programs. Great hobby. The success is very palatable and down right tasty!
Vic
GoDogs,
It's as easy as purchasing a reusable wine equipment kit and a wine juice concentrate kit. Get 30 empty bottles from friends. You don't need another thing for your first batch. The instructions are short and super simple. You only need room for either a 6-gallon pail or a 6-gallon carboy, depending on the fermentation stage, both come with the kit. I push mine into a small closet.
I new NOTHING about making wine and got the kits for Christmas. I started last New Year's Day and had 30 bottles ready by January 31st. I'm on batch #4 and wish I could say I had 120 bottles. It's drinkable right away.
Eventually, I want to expand and try stomping on grapes or whatever, and learn the science behind winemaking. For now, this is working nicely, and my husband and teenage boys are hooked on helping me.
My friends in Canada have been making their own wine for years. I love it because of the low alcohol content and no headaches afterwards. I am saving wine bottles now, getting ready for my first attempt.
The wine they made was similar to a nice French red table wine - my favorite anyway. Very much like Coates du Rhone.
I became a wine expert of sorts 40 years ago when I was in the Navy. We spent long periods at sea and between the bitter military grape juice, sufficient sugar, and a little yeast we made wine . Fermented in gallon jugs from the soda fountain for a couple of weeks. We drank one gallon a day and made one gallon a day. A lot better than the stuff they made in the engine room out of potato peeling mash.
Randy & Dianne
2011 Ford Superduty F250 6.7 Lariat Crewcab
2008 CrossRoads Cruiser CF30SK
Retired andLoveIt wrote: I became a wine expert of sorts 40 years ago when I was in the Navy. We spent long periods at sea and between the bitter military grape juice, sufficient sugar, and a little yeast we made wine . Fermented in gallon jugs from the soda fountain for a couple of weeks. We drank one gallon a day and made one gallon a day. A lot better than the stuff they made in the engine room out of potato peeling mash.
I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman around the same time period. We actually had 5 gallon cans of 190 proof grain alchohol. We denatured it to make rubbing alchohol because it was cheaper than just buying rubbing alchohol. Since it was a controlled substance, it had to be accounted for, but sometimes a quart or so of the good stuff would "spill". Mixed with grape juice, it wasn't bad, but if you were using a paper cup, you had to drink fast before it ate thru the cup.
Retired and visiting as much of this beautiful country as I can.
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