DIY Winemaking: Kits, Clubs, Supplies

[jsolomon]

One week post-racking, it's time to stabilize, kill, and clarify the wine.

We started by assembling the Quality Assurance group. That's Kody on the left, and Gabrielle (it's her birthday!) on the right.

One thing I don't have a picture of is actually adding the additives. They are Potassium metabisulfite to kill the yeast, Potassium sorbate to stabilize the wine, and Isinglass to clarify.

Whenever modeling power tools in the use of food-making, one should always look quite demented.

Immediately after adding the additives, the next step is to stir the crap out of the wine to liberate any dissolved CO2. This will change the pH and allow both the isinglass and the potassium sorbate to work their magic.

Now, I have two more weeks to wait and then bottling. Well, bagging, mostly. I got 3 5 liter bags and 3 3 liter bags from Scholle as testers, so I'll likely use them.

[Anna N]

My daughter and I make our wine from kits on a regular basis. Neither of us has the palate to appreciate excellent wine so we find this just fine. Let's face it, it's wine from kits or no wine at all - the budget dictates that!

Some are definitely better than others but we have had only a couple that were undrinkable - probably our own fault as this occurred early on.

We bottle as much as 3x26 bottles at a time. It's a full morning's work but goes fairly quickly when there are 3 of us helping out.

[Rebel Rose]

From the delightful Home Winery site, by Ian Scott:

Wine Kit Snobbery

November 13th, 2005 by Ian

So, you’ve made a few five gallon batches of wine from kits, and you’re starting to really enjoy the hobby. The wine you’ve made is not half bad either! And of course, it is considerably cheaper, and if it means anything to you, you’ve also by-passed the taxman and are enjoying wine that has not had the theft of duties or taxes added to it.

You run into someone else, and during a discussion, find out that he/she also makes wine. You’re excited to find others that share your hobby, when the other person asks, “So, what have you made wine from?”

You respond excitedly, “Well, I’ve made Pinot Noir, a few Valpolicellas, Liebfraumilch, Chamblais, and my favorite right now I think is the six week Pinot kit from RJ Spagnols. And yourself?”

You get a dirty look. And then, “Oh, you’re making wine from those wine kits?”

“Uh, yeah,” you say.

And then it comes. That arrogant voice. “Well, that is not really making your own wine, you know.” And he or she sniffs with their nose in the air. “The real way to make wine is to start with grapes or fruit. Kit wine is well.. just.. not the real winemaking at all.”

You feel disappointed. The excitement you felt at first, meeting another winemaker, and hoping to share some thoughts, or get some advice is blown out of you.

Yes, wine kit snobbery does exist. And you may run into it from time to time. But don’t let it get you down at all. In fact, you are likely to learn more over the next year by using wine kits then the snob did in his or her first year, and first attempt at making wine from the grapes or fruit.

And guess what? You didn’t need to wait a year for your wine to age before you could sample it. And it wasn’t half bad at all, was it?

Yes, you will come across this. But don’t let it bother you in the least.

I love this blog! Lots of good tips, insights, and a great sense of humor. And yes, lots of good advice on wine kits!

[jsolomon]

Yes, wine kit snobbery does exist. And you may run into it from time to time.

I have to admit, I had that at some point in the past. I'm over it now, mostly due to poverty, and the wish to have more than a couple of bottles of wine on hand. I don't drink a lot of really great wine--just look at my posts about wine in the past.

But, I am in AnnaN's camp.

we find this just fine. Let's face it, it's wine from kits or no wine at all - the budget dictates that!

If it's being sold, it must make a passable product. And, everyone I know who IRL that has made one, has always come back with good reports. I'm looking forward to this.

[LindaJ]

I heartily agree. The days when I could plunk down $100-$200 for a few bottles of wine ended the moment I decided to be a stay-at-home Mom. Until the wee one is in school and I'm gainfully employed or until that PowerBall finally hits, it's wine kits for me. And actually, it's a lot of fun spraying wine around the kitchen.

I gave away a lot of my Petite Verdot for the holidays. Very big hit with the family and neighbors along with my home made orange/grapefruit/limoncellos. I wasn't terribly impressed with it though. I'd love to do a Pinot for my next. I'm thinking about doing some white and rose for the spring and summer even though I'm a red wine drinker. Wine kits are great that way - it's almost like planning your garden. Wine kit snobs don't know what they are missing - more for us to drink anyway!

[jsolomon]

I put 2 5 liter bags away and 1 3 liter bag. I don't know where the wine all went. I swear I started off with more than 13 L. It's not a huge problem, though. I think we would have got more if

1: I had more hose to siphon with.

2: I wouldn't have knocked the bucket onto the kitchen floor when getting ready to siphon into the second 3 L bag.

On the other side of things, the shook up wine in the bottom of the fermentor that we didn't do anything with tasted really nice. It was nice and dry like I was hoping. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't anything disappointing.

I'm thinking it'll be great with some fried chicken and friends.

[LindaJ]

Congratulations. I've found that a lot of stuff gets left in the bottom. Very depressing for the cheap people like me, but the stuff is just sludge. I like your choice of power tools as an aid in winemaking. Must steal the idea.

After reviewing the thread, I find I have the same really classy "Biere et Vin" plastic fermentor that you do I would hope that it is food grade plastic because I've never noticed a petrochemical plasticy smell in my wine. I leave it in the kitchen high up so the Wee One doesn't get near it, and I swear, you can get high off the fumes that thing puts out in the first week.

Please let us know the reaction when you pop the top on that first bottle.

[jsolomon]

Hehehe, the wine that was spilled got "sampled" by the quality assurance department. The next morning, the dachshund and the terrier were not very pleased.

I'm sampling it tonight as soon as I get back into town.

[jsolomon]

I had the wine with some pizza last night while I was watching the dogs who were watching the nephew who was watching the Super Bowl (no, I'm not a huge football fan).

Remember that this particular try was a Pinot grigio.

Straight from the fridge it was way too cold to get a good handle on its flavor which is something that some pinot grigio's in my price point have industrialized out of them.

Upon warming slightly, there was a hint of mineral on the tongue, but it was much more subdued than many whites that I enjoy. It was dry, but not horribly so. There was almost no acid or hotness with the flavor. This wine, I think, is much more suited to having food with it than most whites that I drink. It doesn't seem to stand on its own, but instead asks for a dance partner.

Final evaluation: I will purchase and make this again. Suggested due to ease and flavor.

[Rebel Rose]

Here's an article in BusinessWeek.com on DIY Winemaking:

Brad Ring, the publisher of WineMaker magazine, estimates there are about 1 million active hobbyists who make their own wine at least once a year.

While home winemakers don't need vineyards or grape stompers, a bit of equipment is needed. Wine can be made from any fruit, but beginners usually start out with wine kits -- available at home brew stores and online -- that contain juice concentrate.

"Sales of winemaking equipment have been growing at a fairly good clip, up about 20 percent a year," over the past several years, says Ron Hartman, president of LD Carlson, a brewing and winemaking wholesaler. He estimates the wine kit retail business alone is worth about $30 million to $50 million a year.

The article closes with 5 links to winemaking suppliers and newsletters. Check it out!

[Feedbag]

Anyone know what the current opinion is on juice vs. powder? I've heard strong opinions from both camps. Thanks.

[Rebel Rose]

Sorry, I can't answer that, feedbag. But over at the Fermentation blog, Tom Wark recommends Tim's Blog:

The casually named TIM'S BLOG is an extension of Wine Expert, a leading supplier of home winemaking kits with a market that appears to be mainly in Canada. There are very few parts of the wine industry that are better suited for a blog than the home winemaking sector. Talk about the potential for community.

[Malkavian]

Perhaps my palate just isn't as sophisticated, as I've had homemade wine from concentrate kits and "country" wines from fruit that I thought quite good (OTOH I've choked down plenty of crap as well, from people going from various fruits or kits) I wouldn't suggest that homemade wine consistently surpasses top notch commercial offerings, but there is a price point where you can make just as good as you can buy, IMHO, especially for casual dining.

I think an important key is to make sure you're getting a brand new kit. When I was in that line of business we had some kits (usually the "off" varietals that were less popular/mainstream) sit on shelves for a LONG time (about a year) before they got marked down to get rid of them. Sure, the bags are supposedly not O2 permeable, but I hesitate to believe that nothing at all changes in that time, oxygen or not. Most kits do have a production date somewhere on them, so look carefully.

For the record though, I much prefer making beers, meads and ciders for reasons that are probably mostly off-topic.

Feedbag-- powder? You mean like dehydrated grape juice?

Edited September 25, 2007 by Malkavian (log)