Homemade Wine

[Pistol&Pearls]

So I have been buying homemade wine from a fellow down the road where I live and have decided that Im going to venture out on my own and try to make it. I have bought in the past lemon, muscadine grade, peach, and strawberry. I have had a friend make some honey wine as well but I ahve no idea how.

My first attempt was to make watermelon wine (FAILED ATTEMPT) it taste like rubbing alochol! Everyone that I ad talked to said that theirs had never turned out either.

I have 3 glass 5 gallon jugs and airlock arerators. I have lemon trees around where I live so Im going to try and make some lemon wine and also some clemintine wine (at lest i think that is what they are)...


If anyone has any advice or would like to chim in on this thread, please do!

[fishanhunt]

I've never made any but my FIL makes it all the time. I'll try and get some info from him for you. I brew beer every now and then and I buy some of my supplies from Austin Homebrew. I think they have wine supplies too. There real helpful, you might try them also.

[goofiefoot]

I've been brewing beer for a while, and have considered making some wine. My closest attempt was Apfelwein, which is literally taking 5 gallons of pure apple juice, 2 pounds of corn sugar, and some champagne yeast. Really easy and tasted awesome! A little too easy to drink.

Austin Homebrew Supply has a TON of wine-making equipment and information. Good luck!

[LemmeOut]

One rule of thumb I have always heard is it takes about 5 lbs of fruit to make a gallon of juice but I have never tested it because we always picked a whole bunch of mustang (wild) grapes and grind them and make as much wine as we have juice for.
I am trying to remember if he uses 3 lbs of sugar per gallon of juice or per gallon for the size container you have. I want to say he uses like 2 or 3 gallons of juice in a 5 gallon container.
There is more to it than you would think but it isn't as hard as most believe.
Good luck.

[jkk831]

The only kind I have made is taking unsweetened grape juice, distilled water, sugar and yeast. Put it all in a 5 gallon water jug and set it in the back corner of the garage for 3 months. Strain it and bottle it up........................the rest is a party.....and a headache!

[simek]

jackkeller.net

[tbeak]

for some reason, this reminds me of the Duck Dynasty episode.

[Wildwilly]

Get a good book or visit a supplier or both. Mustang grapes (undersides of the leaves are silver) are very acidic and you have to balance the ph to get good wine. Post Oak grapes are way better for wine and not as acidic. Muscadines just smell and taste funky to me. Its really fun to see the alcohol climb the sides of your glass, just remember that stuff will knock you on your butt if you're not careful. When you are racking from one container to another its real easy to taste too much. Jump in and try it. Its fun and fairly easy.

[Phi Phi Hunter]

i want to make homemade moon shine!! I even picked up my mom's old pressure cooker from my dad....he keeps asking me if I have used it yet, but he doesn't know exactly what I wanted it for!!

I had a fraternity brother who's dad made sangria. I don't exactly remember all the steps, but he took like 5 lb of grapes, 5lbs of sugar, a package of yeast and put it one of those big water cooler bottles and tied a surgical glove on the top. When the glove inflated and then deflated he strained the wine into bottles. It was always good for a round of "Sangria Wine" at the parties!

[Ellen]

I've never made it so I can't offer any suggestions but, I can tell you I've had some homemade wine that was P-R-E-T-T-Y darn good.

Good Luck.

[bulletpusher]

Keep the equipment clean, clean,clean or you will end up with skunk water.

[Silent Assassin]

no advice here but wanna try some of these stuff!

[SixForty]

So I have been buying homemade wine from a fellow down the road where I live and have decided that Im going to venture out on my own and try to make it. I have bought in the past lemon, muscadine grade, peach, and strawberry. I have had a friend make some honey wine as well but I ahve no idea how.

My first attempt was to make watermelon wine (FAILED ATTEMPT) it taste like rubbing alochol! Everyone that I ad talked to said that theirs had never turned out either.

I have 3 glass 5 gallon jugs and airlock arerators. I have lemon trees around where I live so Im going to try and make some lemon wine and also some clemintine wine (at lest i think that is what they are)...


If anyone has any advice or would like to chim in on this thread, please do!

fruit wines are harder to do than grape wines because most fruits don't have the right natural balance of tannins and yeast nutrients to make it ferment right. So you end up having to add them in order to get it right. Also if, after it is done you age it for a few months right in your carboy before bottling it it will mellow and not be so tart.

[SixForty]

Also it is easier if you have a hydrometer so you can check the specific gravity and know when to go to the next step. Doing it by instinct... well requires instinct. and lots of experience.

[Pistol&Pearls]

Wine is brewing

Well I'm not starting with anything fancy but I have just now finished with juicing a whole bunch of lemons for this wine! So now all I have to do it let it sit!