- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Home Winemaking
Posted on 5/1/26 at 10:19 am
Posted on 5/1/26 at 10:19 am
Anyone do this? I bought a couple of books on the subject. I'm a homebrewer, so naturally making my own wine is appealling to me. However, i want to make grape wine, not fruit wine, and it seems most of these books focus on "you can home make all sorts of wine with fruit".
For the home wine makers, do you buy the grape juice/skins and then make your wine? If so, how'd it turn out?
For the home wine makers, do you buy the grape juice/skins and then make your wine? If so, how'd it turn out?
9
Posted on 5/1/26 at 12:25 pm to BugAC
I've done a few kits. Four reds, one white and one rose. The rose was the best, drinkable in about 6 months. The white, a chardonnay, was fine, but it didn't have the buttery character that I would have liked because of the lack of malolactic fermentation.
The reds, honestly, were just ok. The more expensive kits ($180+) were better, but none of the 4 were good. I aged them up to 3 years, and they were just ok. If I do another wine kit, it will be a white.
You have to keep in mind that the grape juice that you get in these kits is not coming from good wine regions, so you as a "wine maker" have no control over the viticulture part of the wine making process.
With all that said, I think it is worth doing at least once.
Not much of your homebrew equipment will carry over. Your hydrometer, air locks, and auto-siphon are about it. Your standard 5-6 gallon carboy will be too small. You will need a 7 gallon fermentation bucket since the kits make 6 gallons of wine. You will yield 28-30 bottles.
Also, if you think you might want to make more than one batch, get a floor corker. The hand corkers suck.
The reds, honestly, were just ok. The more expensive kits ($180+) were better, but none of the 4 were good. I aged them up to 3 years, and they were just ok. If I do another wine kit, it will be a white.
You have to keep in mind that the grape juice that you get in these kits is not coming from good wine regions, so you as a "wine maker" have no control over the viticulture part of the wine making process.
With all that said, I think it is worth doing at least once.
Not much of your homebrew equipment will carry over. Your hydrometer, air locks, and auto-siphon are about it. Your standard 5-6 gallon carboy will be too small. You will need a 7 gallon fermentation bucket since the kits make 6 gallons of wine. You will yield 28-30 bottles.
Also, if you think you might want to make more than one batch, get a floor corker. The hand corkers suck.
Posted on 5/1/26 at 12:55 pm to Bleed P&G
quote:
The reds, honestly, were just ok. The more expensive kits ($180+) were better, but none of the 4 were good. I aged them up to 3 years, and they were just ok. If I do another wine kit, it will be a white.
I'm interested in reds, i don't really drink whites.
quote:
You have to keep in mind that the grape juice that you get in these kits is not coming from good wine regions, so you as a "wine maker" have no control over the viticulture part of the wine making process.
This is a concern. I want to be able to make the best wine that i can make, without restrictions. And what i was thinking before, you confirmed. Winemaking is about the viticulture moreso than the process, am i right?
quote:
Not much of your homebrew equipment will carry over. Your hydrometer, air locks, and auto-siphon are about it. Your standard 5-6 gallon carboy will be too small. You will need a 7 gallon fermentation bucket since the kits make 6 gallons of wine. You will yield 28-30 bottles.
Also, if you think you might want to make more than one batch, get a floor corker. The hand corkers suck.
I've got a bucket and a floor corker (i use for bottling lambics).
Brewing is all about process, temperature control, and aeration control. How sensitive is wine to temp and aeration? I was reading you want to ferment between 65-75, and aging in the bottle should be at 50-55. The fermentation is no problem, i have a chest freezer for fermenting beer. The aging is an issue. I have a room under my stairs that i use for aging my lambics/sour beers. However, the temperature fluctuates from 65 or so in the winter, to 75 in the summer. If wine is very tempermental in the bottle to temps, then i'd have to invest in a 2nd wine fridge just for aging bottled wine.
Posted on 5/1/26 at 1:18 pm to BugAC
It's been ages since i made wine, always from kits. I tried several different kits and quality definitely tracked with cost and I seemed to have better luck with Australian and Washington sourced juice. I think the first couple kits were bought from Jim Waits when he had the homebrew shop on Wooddale, afterwards I bought kits from Austin Homebrew and Midwest (?). As mentioned by the previous poster, quality of whites was generally better than reds. I remember buying on kit of Zinfandel where the result looked more like a rose'.
Posted on 5/1/26 at 2:34 pm to BugAC
quote:
Winemaking is about the viticulture moreso than the process, am i right?
Its kind of like cooking. Brewing beer is like preparing a nice home cooked meal where you have control over the ingredients and process. Home wine making is like making boxed mac n cheese.
quote:
I was reading you want to ferment between 65-75
From what I remember, this is right. I seem to remember fermentation being similar to ale fermentation temps.
Posted on 5/1/26 at 7:35 pm to BugAC
Unless you like moscato like sweet wine, I think it’s a complete waste of time. Good grapes are going to be made into good wine, anything sold in kits is going to be very low end. Fine for sweet wine but that’s about it.
Posted on 5/2/26 at 1:01 am to BugAC
I planted about 20 Frontenac vines, I will let you know how that goes in about 5 years.
Posted on 5/2/26 at 7:47 am to BugAC
CSB
Went to Brooklyn ages ago with a buddy to visit his grandparents who were from Italy. Had some awesome homemade food. Learned to roll some sort of pasta. Drank their homemade wine. One of the worst hangovers and I grew up in NO. Not an inexperienced drinker. It was great but packed a punch.
Good times
Went to Brooklyn ages ago with a buddy to visit his grandparents who were from Italy. Had some awesome homemade food. Learned to roll some sort of pasta. Drank their homemade wine. One of the worst hangovers and I grew up in NO. Not an inexperienced drinker. It was great but packed a punch.
Good times
Posted on 5/2/26 at 2:19 pm to PerplenGold
quote:
Drank their homemade wine. One of the worst hangovers
Fusel alcohols being produced during fermentation because it fermented at too high of a temp.
Posted on 5/2/26 at 2:51 pm to Bleed P&G
Home wine making is like making boxed mac n cheese.great analogy.
1. Buy 20L bucket of juice
2. Add yeast and airlock
3. Wait for fermentation
4. Add potassium sorbate to stop fermentation.
5. Strain & Bottle
It might be too boring for a beer maker...
1. Buy 20L bucket of juice
2. Add yeast and airlock
3. Wait for fermentation
4. Add potassium sorbate to stop fermentation.
5. Strain & Bottle
It might be too boring for a beer maker...
Posted on 5/2/26 at 3:21 pm to BigDropper
every homemade wine grape wine I’ve ever had has been pretty terrible. Muscadine wine on the other hand can be amazing if you know what you are doing. I had a superintendent who made it in plastic barrels and it always came out dry and interesting
Posted on 5/3/26 at 7:36 pm to BugAC
quote:
For the home wine makers, do you buy the grape juice/skins and then make your wine? If so, how'd it turn out?
I did it a couple of years in a row with some grapes I produced in my yard. One year it was drinkable, but far from anything you would buy. The other year, my system had an air leak and it quickly turned into vinegar!
Like any other type of alcohol production, every now and then you come out with something you can drink…..but it is never really worth a frick!
Posted on 5/4/26 at 12:44 pm to BugAC
My dad used to make muscadine wine when I was little. One year the bottle built up too much pressure and exploded in the closet over all my mom's dresses. That put an end to his winemaking.
I hadn't really thought about this, but might consider it. Is it legal in Louisiana?
I hadn't really thought about this, but might consider it. Is it legal in Louisiana?
Posted on 5/4/26 at 1:34 pm to BugAC
quote:i have been going down this route but moe so for distilling. great philosophy i read was,
Anyone do this? I bought a couple of books on the subject. I'm a homebrewer, so naturally making my own wine is appealling to me. However, i want to make grape wine, not fruit wine, and it seems most of these books focus on "you can home make all sorts of wine with fruit".
For the home wine makers, do you buy the grape juice/skins and then make your wine? If so, how'd it turn out?
"Make your fruit wine, do all the things needed to make great wine, learn how to do it, wait the time it takes. After that and you taste what you made, never do it again and realized why win eis make with grapes."
This post was edited on 5/4/26 at 4:46 pm
Posted on 5/5/26 at 6:00 pm to BugAC
You could take whatever you might invest in this foolhardy errand and just buy some really nice wine.
Page 1 of 1
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News