# What was the first wine you made?



## TxBrew (May 29, 2012)

What was the first wine you made and how did the process go?


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## Julie (May 29, 2012)

Concord, lol, it was so bad we called it wine shine.


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## Deezil (May 29, 2012)

Peach... I still have plenty of it, but its not bad.. It's disappearing quickly!


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## winemaker_3352 (May 29, 2012)

Thompson seedless - it was rocket fuel!!! Not very good.


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## g8keeper (May 29, 2012)

WE VR Liebfraumilch....added entire f-pack at beginning, not knowing any better....contacted cust. service...said they have had it happen before....told me to stir every day and they arranged to have a replacement f-pack sent to my lhbs....turned out pretty nice....a little higher abv than should have been, but all in all a pretty good wine....


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## Watchdog (May 29, 2012)

Once it's done I'll let you know how it tastes. The first one I made is from Welch's White Grape concentrate.


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## Boatboy24 (May 29, 2012)

First one started was a Vino Italiano Barolo. That's still bulk aging in the carboy on some oak and will be bottled within a month. My first bottled wine was "Easy Peesy" - Triple Berry Skeeter Pee. Still improving in the bottle, but coming along nicely.


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## tonyandkory (May 29, 2012)

Welches grape concentrate 
4 cans 
water
sugar (no SG) 
baking yeast...
ferment and straight to bottle 
tasted like cheep box wine


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## Chateau Joe (May 29, 2012)

It was a 5 gallon batch of niagara. It came out really good.


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## GreginND (May 29, 2012)

Well, when I was in high school I tried to make mulberry wine but it didn't turn into anything drinkable. Not surprising with no equipment, way too much sugar and baker's yeast. But that's another story. In 2000 I started my first real batch of wine - rhubarb. It turned out really well and I still have a bottle or two stored away for a future rhubarb vertical tasting!


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## pjd (May 29, 2012)

Wine Experts, French Cabernet Sauvignon. It ended up having no resemblence to Cabernet but it was good enough that I became consumed with winemaking! It's nearly 3 years old and I still have some of it. Maybe I will try that one tonight!
Phil


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## Runningwolf (May 29, 2012)

Island Mist Blackberry, I was expecting the worst and I was pleasantly surprise. I've been obsessed ever since.


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## grapeman (May 29, 2012)

The first wine I made was an apple wine which I used to make from my own fresh pressed apples I grew. I prefer grape wine, so I am now Grapeman, no longer Appleman. LOL


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## cpfan (May 29, 2012)

Wine Kitz Ultimate Riesling
ž started Oct 1999 - bottled Jan 2000 (24 + 11 halves)
ž April: seems harsh - Aug: seems stale??
ž drinkable July 2000, enjoyable Jan 2001 ??


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## Neviawen (May 29, 2012)

Blackberry wine. I got inspired after reading a book about wine making. I went to a local farm and picked a TON of blackberries. (I think I picked 9 lbs with the help of the kids. They were stained purple by the time we were done.) I got a recipe online and got the ingredients and tried my hand at it. It turned out good and I've been hooked since!


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## roblloyd (May 29, 2012)

WE Port started in Jan 2011. Just opened some recently and it's quite good. Once that batch was out of the primary it quickly took over and another 15 or so batches have been done or currently aging.


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## Fordguy (May 29, 2012)

I am still new at this, but Istarted a gallon batch of apple wine from concentrate. I found this site and learned that it takes so long for it to age, so I started a batch of skeeter pee. Bottled it about 10 days ago, I am happy with it but think I can do better. Started a kit (Sharaz) that will be ready to bottle in a few weeks. Started a batch of blackberry last weekend. I want to start another skeeter pee and also, when the watermelons get ripe, I want to try that. Many of you on here say that is a difficult one to do, but for some reason I really want to try that......with respect to Tom T Halls song Old dogs, children and watermelon wine.


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## roadwarriorsvt (May 30, 2012)

I made a 5 gallon batch on lychee wine, 2 years ago. It turned out great until I learned what sulfates are and why they are used. It slowly spoiled.


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## SpoiledRotten (May 30, 2012)

My first batch was what you would call bad vinegar! 


Or some might call it brake fluid.


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## btom2004 (May 30, 2012)

New to the hobby, but I just got a 6 gal batch of Merlot Red into the primary fermenter on 05/29/12.


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## jswordy (May 30, 2012)

That's a trick question.

The first MUST that I made was apple juice. I misread the recipe and put too much k meta in it, and it never would ferment through 3 tries. *FAIL!* Down the toilet.

The first WINE that I made was five gallons of Welch's Concord. I still make an improved recipe of it today, 10 gallons at a time.

I followed that with another apple attempt. This time, it became wine. And so it began...


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## DirtyDawg10 (May 30, 2012)

The first one I made is an Advintage FC Collection Blanc de St Vincent wine kit. It is a blend of Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. I have it still bulk aging. I plan to bottle it soon though.


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## teebone673 (May 30, 2012)

WE Selection Johannisberg Riesling. Still one of my favorite kits I've ever made. I love a Dry Riesling.


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## joebab (May 30, 2012)

The first wine I made was Concord, about 1964. Turned out fairly well, but through continuous sampling from the 5 gallon carboy there was nothing left to bottle!


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## In_Vino_Veritas (May 30, 2012)

It was a "Vino Italiano" 4-week Wine Kit. Cabernet Sauvignon. It cost $45 with free shipping (Prime member) from Amazon.com. It is technically a six gallon kit, but after reading some reviews about it turning out too "weak" I decided to make five gallons. It was drinkable after 4 weeks. I was happy, considering it is such a "cheap" kit. My wife and I drank most of it within 6 months. We saved a couple of bottles to see how aging would affect it. After about a year and a half, we tried the last remaining bottle that a friend had kept. It was EXCELLENT. It tasted like a $50 bottle. We were really sad that we hadn't kept the whole batch on the rack for a year or more. Lesson learned!


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## canada22 (May 30, 2012)

I made a Sangiovese. I've been making wine with my Grand-father and when he passed with my Dad, and now that I'm on my own. I've made my own batch. Came out as I expected, smooth, black berries, caramel and fruit flavored. Sangiovese is a very delicate grape and can be drowned out by Merlot, or Cabernets. We made this wine as a wedding favors for all who attended!

I don't typically post here, mainly because I know most of what I'm doing. But I'll gladly help others if need be. Usually I'm looking for Demi Johns, a filtration system to help remove the sediment, althought now I believe it to be more 'romantic' attribute of the wine.


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## xanxer82 (May 30, 2012)

I made a Bergmais (Beaujolais). It was a Wine Expert kit and it came out very nice. I think I may have one bottle left but not sure.


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## shoebiedoo (May 30, 2012)

WE Italian Pinot Grigio Turned out to be a pretty good wine


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## Huntingtag10 (May 30, 2012)

The first wine I ever made was dandelion wine back in the 70's. Steeped the blossoms in boiling water in a crock, added sugar, when it cooled down, floated bread yeast on a piece of bread. Covered the crock with a plate wrapped in a dish towel. Came out sweet with a lot of alcohol in it. Bottled it in 10 oz. pop bottles. one bottle would get you looped!


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## lsnapoli (May 30, 2012)

In 2000, it was a riesling from a wine kit. I used a heating pad to get fermentation started, then after fermentation had to put the carboy in a bathroom to protect it from the California heat! Smelled great, tasted just OK, and ended up a little fizzy!


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## echoloc8 (May 30, 2012)

Made a Vino Del Vida Pinot Noir back in 2005 or so after homebrewing beer for several years. Bought a 5-gal carboy when I should have bought a 6, and it threw the kit's balance off enough that it didn't settle down (was way too acidic) for over a year, and even then it wasn't great. 

I have a big enough Better Bottle these days, and my Vino Italiano Merlot currently in primary will be diluted/topped-up appropriately. 

-Rich


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## rniles (May 30, 2012)

My first wine was a raspberry wine. Just put that into a bottle 9 months later. Then I went and made a Blackberry, Blueberry, Salal, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and a Riesling. Needless to say, I got addicted. Happy to say that soon more fruit will be ripening for another round of fruit and grape wines.


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## AZ_Sky (May 30, 2012)

The very first wine I made was two years ago, A Cellar Craft Showcase Cabernet.
Since then I have made five more kit wines from CC, MM, and RJS.

My wines:


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## memojo (May 30, 2012)

*First Wine*

The first wine I made was from WalMart frozen Concord Grape Juice. It was decent, at least for the frist attempt.


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## GardenGnome (May 30, 2012)

I like to make things hard on myself so the first wine I made was from grapes (no idea what kind) that I picked from my neighbors back yard here in Northeast PA. It turned out fantastic for my palet! I am just sad that I only made it in a one gallon batch. The following year the next house over had destroyed the grape vine. But later that same year I went in search of new material and found a nice pond that was surrounded by cranberries that I picked by hand from a kayak. That was tricky! That batch was drinkable but not nearly as good as my first ever batch.


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## beachbum53 (May 30, 2012)

The first was a WE Chocolate Raspberry Port, a friend gave me a bottle he had made and after homebrewing for a couple of years thought we would give it a try. It turned out very well and we are now hooked.


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## samwisegamgeese (May 30, 2012)

Back in 1980 or 81 ...I was 11/12.....white wine...Leibfraumich I think from a concentrate.....tasted good but hey at 11 it al tasted good!


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## btom2004 (May 30, 2012)

echoloc8 said:


> Made a Vino Del Vida Pinot Noir back in 2005 or so after homebrewing beer for several years. Bought a 5-gal carboy when I should have bought a 6, and it threw the kit's balance off enough that it didn't settle down (was way too acidic) for over a year, and even then it wasn't great.
> 
> I have a big enough Better Bottle these days, and my Vino Italiano Merlot currently in primary will be diluted/topped-up appropriately.
> 
> -Rich


I have a Vino Italiano Merlot currently in primary. Will you be adding anything like a sweetener to this or is it best left as is? I like dry wines, but as a first timer not sure how sweet or dry this kit will be.


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## noclue (May 30, 2012)

I made a RJS Chardonnay Kit into 6 gallons of something that smelled of "pond water". I ended up pouring it out after 7 months and trying again. Pitched the yeast on it last night.


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## Slamsmith (May 30, 2012)

My first batch was a Vino Italiano Muscato from Amazon. I followed the suggestions in the comments and also reduced the batch size by about 1/2 a gallon. A first I was a little concerned about how it would taste, but as it's aged, it's definitely improved. It now tastes really good. I've also made some grapefruit wine and that is excellent. I want to make another batch of that, but this time 6 gallons instead of 3 gallons. I made some 3 gallons of apricot wine from the apricots from my own trees and I don't think that is going to turn out. I'm going to let it age and see if it becomes drinkable in a half a year or so. I also made a 3gallon batch of black cherry and I've got a 3 gallon batch of jalapeno wine bulk aging. (if you can't tell all my carboys are 3 gallons.) I'm debating getting another wine kit from amazon soon or starting the grapefruit wine next.


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## 26tiki (May 30, 2012)

First wine was and elderflower and marigold wine. Tasted not too bad but packed a hell of a punch. I've also made a batch of beet root wine (weird I know but that's what I had in the garden at the time) Was nice, amazingly sweet but it went rather well with a sugar deficient batch of ginger beer that I was waiting to find a use for.


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## robwrx (May 30, 2012)

My first attempt at winemaking was from homegrown grapes. I have two vines called Strawberry Vines (fragola) and unfortunately I didn't have any test equipment nor did I realise that they were meant to be red grapes. The vines were about 7 years old and every year the birds ate the grapes but I wondered if it would be possible to make wine from them if I could beat the birds to them.

I picked sufficient grapes to make make 3 gallons and set about crushing by hand. The green skins were thrown away and it was at that point that I discovered that the brix was very low. I poured in some sugar syrup and added the yeast. After 72 hours the must still wasn't fermenting so after seeking advice I made up a yeast starter and got the must fermenting that way.

A test of the acid level, about 12g/litre tartaric showed that the grapes were very under ripe and produced something undrinkable but I had got the bug and 18 months later I am on ferment no.48.

Rob


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## Duster (May 30, 2012)

Pumpkin and I could not even get my 17 year old at the time to drink it. Must be bad when a teenager turns down free booze.
I have learned a lot since then, mostly thanks to WMT. Thanks to all for the addiction LOL


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## Moonrabbit (May 30, 2012)

I've made meads in the past, but my first actual wine is a strawberry rhubarb which was the reason I had joined this forum in the first place, I was trying to find information on using a steam juicer. Someone had posted exactly the information I needed, I didn't even need to ask. 
I sat on the juice for almost a year before getting around to making the wine and it's now in the process of clarifying. 

The last two times I've racked it down, I've taken a bit off to taste. It's already quite nice. I can't imagine it will gain much with age. 
It seems a bit tart at first, but that goes away after it's had a chance to breath, or maybe I just get used to it and stop noticing.


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## mmadmikes1 (May 30, 2012)

Syrah pick from my Grandfathers upper vineyard. Don't remember the process,
It tasted bad, hell I was 8 what do you want


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## millwright01 (May 30, 2012)

My first was a WE Selections White Merlot. Followed immediately by a Mist Kit for the DW. Just finished the last bottle of that White Merlot a couple months or so ago. I am seriously considering making 2 of every kit from now on except the Mists. The best tasting bottle of every kit so far has been the last one.


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## tonyt (May 30, 2012)

Firsts are always special. My first time was with my wife . . . We made a wine expert selection international Amarone. It lasted about 8 months.


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## bells (May 31, 2012)

Rhubarb is our first attempt. It's on the go now. We got fresh rhubarb from our neighbours garden, so decided to give it a go. Not sure how it will turn out. We also did a Solomon Grundy Cherry kit, just so we had something to show for our efforts without waiting 6 months. We only started 3 weeks ago, but have several kits brewing nicely. Can't wait to taste the fruits of out labour.


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## ffemt128 (May 31, 2012)

Fist wine I made was October 2009 and it was a Wine Expert Valpolicella. Most only lasted 4 months but we did have a bottle saved and had it when it was just over a year old.


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## Dugger (May 31, 2012)

1994 - a Vineco California Connoisseur Mosel for my brothers' wedding. It was backsweetened quite a bit, as I did with all my early wines, and was quite popular. I've been expected to supply all functions since, but these days all they want is mist kits which is fine with me since I get to keep the good dry reds for myself!!


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## Lebanoncedars (May 31, 2012)

My first Red Wine that i made it was so great , and you never test like this Wine before....... and this is a secret .....


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## echoloc8 (May 31, 2012)

btom2004 said:


> I have a Vino Italiano Merlot currently in primary. Will you be adding anything like a sweetener to this or is it best left as is? I like dry wines, but as a first timer not sure how sweet or dry this kit will be.



My wife and I prefer dry reds, so I racked it onto oak chips last night with the intent of finishing drying it out. I don't plan to backsweeten at all unless it's just way, way out of balance. This is my first Vino Italiano kit, so I'm not sure what it will need, but a friend of mine has had fantastic experiences with them.

-Rich


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## reefman (May 31, 2012)

Wild Berry White Zinfadel. - Summer Breezin kit - 6 gallons.
Turned out pretty good, even with mistakes.


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## Brent2489 (May 31, 2012)

Wine Expert Merlot. 
Bought beginners kit for wine making and got $20 discount on the WE kit. 
As we pulled away from the store, my wife looked at me and said "You will never make a good wine." 
I think that over the past 3-4 years she has eaten (drunk?!?!) her words quite often.


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## blacktib (May 31, 2012)

First wine was a Costco Kit. I have since done 4 more kits. First one was a little rough around the edges but the second one came out perfectly. I had learnt from a few mistakes the first time. #1 - Don't get greedy!


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## harleydmn (May 31, 2012)

My first was a Vino Italiano Sauvignon Blanc because of being new to wine making, it was cheap. My wife liked it so much I am on the monthly mailing for $37.50. I have the WE New Zealeand Sauv. Blanc but she still perfers the Vino Italiano.


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## lbwines (May 31, 2012)

Wife got me a starter kit and WE Columbian Valley Washinton Riesling For X-mas. Thee other kits since then and I'm going to try making Skeeter Pee this weekend.


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## oldwhiskers (Jun 1, 2012)

Started out with mead but switched over to wine. Apple was my first wine followed by skeeter pee.


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## mind-eraser (Jun 1, 2012)

My first wine was suggested by my neighbor who got me started in the wine making hobby. started with a Blackberry/Merlot that I made sweet and came out very good (I think so and everyone that's tasted it). I also started two hot-packs of Catawba the same day, But they're still clearing right now.


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## winegal53 (Jun 1, 2012)

*Strawberry merlot.*

Our first wine was a box kit. Was going to be a merlot but didn't taste like one. Was good but my partner called it red koolaid. Lol


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## samwisegamgeese (Jun 1, 2012)

*?*



oldwhiskers said:


> Started out with mead but switched over to wine. Apple was my first wine followed by skeeter pee.



What is Skeeter Pee

I am English


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## Verge (Jun 1, 2012)

Well, the very first I ever made was actually a mead. I was 14 and relatively obsessed with Norse Mythology, so I took a bucket and made a pretty straight forward recipe I found online. I had no clue how this stuff worked, however, so when it stopped bubbling I got worried and added more honey. I did this several times, because I assumed the finished product was supposed to be bubbly and, therefore, needed more sugar (and sometimes yeast). Eventually it wouldn't bubble anymore no matter what I put in, so I took it to my father's house and asked him to sample it. He and his friends drank the entire five gallons in an afternoon, and when I returned that evening they were nearing paralysis. 

The second wine I made was actually a wine. I think it was a merlot. Also, I was of legal age (I think).


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## oldwhiskers (Jun 1, 2012)

samwisegamgeese said:


> What is Skeeter Pee
> 
> I am English



Skeeter Pee is the lemon wine made from ReaLemon juice. There is a seperate forum just for Skeeter Pee.


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## Miti (Jun 2, 2012)

i made red grape wine first with no yeast (organic) . that was so good but when i bottled them i added some honey in and after a year i had bubbling red wine . i thought the wine spoiled but that was good . first bottle that i opened splashed on my face and t-shirt


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## warrior1884 (Jun 3, 2012)

My first was Pinot grigio and surprisingly it turned out really well.


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## 3274mike (Jun 3, 2012)

*my first wine*

 The first wine I made was ? Not real sure I have an Uncle who worked part time at a green house and brought me a couple of grape vines with no tags. They were purple grapes and Im pretty sure not concord. Picked the one evening with my 3 year old daughter. twoo days later I spent an evening in my garage with some buckets and a potato masher making juice. I will have a press next time i attemp this. mixed everything up according to the directions and waited and watched and waited. Did i mention that I am not the most patient personBottled it December 30th and tried it on new years. yes I know no aging time . my friends said it was awful but I was happy with it. A few months later my and I shared the last bottle on Valintines day and was shocked at how \much better it was. yes I learned about the aging process and my said it was really good wine.{probably to not hurt my feelings but I was happy my first wine was a success in my mind


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## wavery (Jun 4, 2012)

Welches grape concentrate 21 cans to 6gal. It is still in the clearing stage waiting to be back sweetened and bulk age. Not sure why this happened but it fermented from 1.086 to .996 in a couple of days. I now have a 1gal pear wine going 5lb pear and two mango we will see. Also ready to start a skeeter pee.


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## slh (Jun 4, 2012)

Cranberry, from a canned concentrate. It was "OK" but I should have used twice the fruit.


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## itsmillertime (Jun 6, 2012)

Two batches of apple last fall. I built a press just for the purpose of making apple juice then had a great idea to try to make some wine. I had plenty of apples from my 4 trees. I made a 6 gallon and a 5 gallon batch. It turned out great. Everyone loves it. I added cranberry juice concentrate to the 6 galon batch before bottling for a bit of a different taste and to sweeten. Everyone likes that one a little bit better. Now I'm hooked. I have rhubarb, cherry, dandelion and cranberry going now. Can't wait to try them.


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## novafire (Jun 7, 2012)

Applewine for sure!


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## willne1 (Jun 13, 2012)

The first wine I made was a Winexpert Selection Original Series Merlot Kit it was good, better than my second try which was a Winexpert Selection Original Series Cabernet Sauvignon.


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## SarahRides (Jun 13, 2012)

Mine was a Vino del Vida Pinot Noir! I think I might still have a bottle of it somewhere.


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## ibglowin (Jun 13, 2012)

I placed an online order from FVW for some middle of the road cabernet kit. Did a bit more research and said what the heck, go big or go home. Called him up and cancelled the El Cheapo kit and replaced it with a Cellar Craft Showcase Red Mountain Cabernet. That was 3 years and too many kits to count. It was an excellent substitution. No regrets as they say. You get what you pay for in most things in life including kits. I still have 3 bottles left. The last one I opened was just amazing. I made another one 18 months ago and have all 30 bottles on the rack. I don't plan on opening the first until the 2 year mark. Then it will be fun to have around for a year or so. Worth every penny (or dollar) in this case!


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## coachjones (Jun 14, 2012)

*1st wine*

Ours was a Merlot. We made it from a kit to see if we would enjoy making wine. We have since started a Rhubarb and a strawberry. We will blend some of each for a strawberry/Rhubarb in a little while. Both have just been moved into secondary.

Coachjones
helplessly addicted and recruiting our friends into the fold


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## wineh (Jun 25, 2012)

Cellar Craft Global Cuvee Chardonnay. It was a beautifully clear wine until I added wine conditioner (wanted an off dry wine) which gave the wine a haze. It was still very drinkable. Have never used wine conditioner since.


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## saramc (Jun 25, 2012)

I made a batch of Concord from Welch's 100% juice frozen concentrate, using a gallon glass jug and a latex balloon. The recipe came from " The Last Whole Earth Catalog" which sold for about $5 in the 70s....it is one of the most interesting things I have ever read (plus they have a killer yogurt recipe). My copy is quite dog-eared, and I literally read it at least once a month.
Anyway, the wine was fine but I got crazy on the back-sweetening and over did it. It is Concord dessert wine! Even too sweet for me. I like to use it to blend with drier wines and have made some really good blends with it.

I have now graduated up to 5 and 6 gallon carboys with bungs and airlocks but I do keep latex balloons around for emergency airlock situations (rarely happens now that I have plenty of supplies)--but the kids love to keep track of the inflated balloon.

The crazy thing is I remember my older brother (by 9 years) making this same wine (from the same book!) in his room in the basement when he was in high school---with my Mom right at his side.


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## CellarRat (Jun 25, 2012)

My first wine was cab sauv with thompson seedless! lol. Not proud of that blend or how I vinified it, but I have to say the wine came out pretty well. Truth is it was my first wine - I paid for the grapes but my father made all the decisions regarding skin contact - none- yeast -none- sulfite, you guessed it - none! That was 1992 or 1993; things have changed abit.


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## Boyd (Jun 25, 2012)

First wine I made was from wild grapes.

Picked a bunch of them and then said to myself, Self, now what in hell are you going to do with all those grapes, You don't like grape jelly dummy.

So I got me a recipe of the internet and made grape wine. I kept adding sugar until it quit working and as I used EC1118 yeast it had some kick to it.

Gave it all away as I seldom drink and I am told it was wonderful stuff.

One old gal got through 1 serving and 1/2 the second and then poured out the rest. She was pickeled I guess.

Going thru my saved wine a while ago I found a bottle of that wine. My daughter did not share with anyone. Said it was very smooth and tasty.

You would think she would have saved me a tablespoon full so I could taste it.


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## fizzerzz (Jun 26, 2012)

*first wine i ever made*

I made my first wine when I was 12. It was a recipe for champagne from my grandmothers old wine book. It had no yeast and loads of apples. It looked disgusting and I threw it all away. Little did I know it was meant to look like that! I am now 57 and hold my local winemaking cup so as you can see, I persevered.


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## kat50496 (Jun 26, 2012)

tonyt said:


> Firsts are always special. My first time was with my wife . . . We made a wine expert selection international Amarone. It lasted about 8 months.


I can't agree more Tony - our first(s) were a WE International Sangiovese and Aus. Chardonnay done at a local FOP one year ago next week. Still have 6 of the Sangio and 12 Chardonnay's left. Done 15 more kits and a skeeter pee since then. Looks like I'll be building more racks this winter!!


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## LoneTreeFarms (Jun 26, 2012)

welches concord grape concentrate tasted like mogan david, or church wine, and has since became pastors punch


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## melrosewine2004 (Jun 26, 2012)

*My First Wine Made*

The first wine I made was Blackberry, we picked several gallons of sweet wild blackberries. Mixed up the juice and all the other stuff, made 5 gallons, it turned out Awesome, entered it in a homemade wine contest and won 1st place. Been winning 1st place and best of show with my wine ever since. It is really fun to make and drink homemade wine.


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## Illyena (Jun 26, 2012)

My first wine was a sack mead which is still aging. It was closely followed by a honeysuckle wine which I would be able to drink sooner. Neither have been bottled yet though.


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## syncnite (Jun 26, 2012)

*2011 Napa Cab*

Cab Sauv from Napa grapes. It's still in barrel (30 gallon), sitting in my home office. So far it tastes very good and after 7 months in barrel, it's not close to being ready to bottle. Here are a few pics of the ferment, press, and barrel.


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## kip20 (Jun 26, 2012)

Blueberry. First we ate some, then we made pancakes, then we made jam, gave some to my sister and then asked....what the heck are we going to do with all these blueberries and they kept on coming......checked the web....found a recipe and a friendly wine supply merchant in Dunkirk, NY.
It was perfect.............have never been able to make it that good again...but keep on searching. In the meantime, Catawba, Gerwurz, Traminette, Concord, Strawberry, Strawberry Rhubarb, Raspberry Niagara.....but none match that first Blueberry.


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## Runningwolf (Jun 26, 2012)

Thats pretty cool. How many people have a barrel full of wine in their office?


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## Karey (Jun 27, 2012)

In 2010 with a bumper crop of chokecherries I started my wine making ventures. Since I was also defrosting my freezer I decided to use all the old rhurbarb and raspberries up as wine too. So I jumped in all at once - started 10 gallons of chokecherry, 5 gallons of rhubarb, and 5 gallons of raspberry. Then tried peach, crab apple, pear, and plum and on to kits. What have I narrowed down to? Still chokecherry and rhubarb, since that's what I've got for free and like (and hoping eventually to have elderberries and currants). But regularly do CC kits, and then Amazon's Tuscany Rosso Magnifico and Skeeter Pee as our cheap everyday boxed wines.


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## Slamsmith (Jun 27, 2012)

Runningwolf said:


> Thats pretty cool. How many people have a barrel full of wine in their office?



I'm officially jealous .

That is so cool.


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## cutty (Jun 27, 2012)

*First wine*

Traminatte 2009 not bad won a silver in new york state fair and also in erie county fair for it


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## mwestern (Jun 30, 2012)

We got our first "home grown grapes" off of our plants,bought a beginners how to book and got very lucky with some concord/catawba mix wine which was and still is very tasty.We didn't have enough of either grapes to make a batch of each so we just crushed them together and the rest is wine history... ;-)


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## stevenberry (Jul 3, 2012)

was about 13. mother left her wine making kit's books out. did not turn out too bad. being so young i thought the bubbles were suposed to be there. firmented it under a cool waterfall back in the woods.


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## FTC Wines (Jul 4, 2012)

It was the early 70's, made a Welches Grape Wine in a 5 gal. gas can [new] After a few days screwed on the cap with a hole drilled in it, aquarium tubing siliconed in, the other end in a glass jar with water in it. No local wine stores back then, heck NO money back then! Roy


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## UBB (Jul 14, 2012)

1st kit wine was a RJ Spagnols Blackberry Merlot. Turned out very good IMO. My first non-kit wine was a Cherry wine from our orchard.. I'm a bit biased but I think it's fabulous.


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## Taryn (Jul 28, 2012)

My first wine was an apple juice wine wine. It's not ready yet so the jury is still out!


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## keena (Jul 28, 2012)

welcome Taryn! My second wine was an apple juice wine, and it turned out pretty well I must say! I hope yours goes well!


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## dralarms (Jul 28, 2012)

Mine was a cheap pear kit off amazon. It was OK, but not enough alcohol content to keep long. Starting sg was 1.060


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## juventude (Jul 28, 2012)

Rocket fuel carob wine or somthing......


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## BMac (Jul 28, 2012)

Mine was RJ Spagnols "Heritage Estates - Sauvignon Blanc" It wasn't that great, but we drank it no problem. I figured my first time I wanted to do a cheap kit incase I messed up with sterilization etc.


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## ShelleyDickison (Jul 28, 2012)

My first 3 batches are RJS Strawberry Zinfendil and Riesling/Chardonnay mix and a batch of Dragon Blood Skeeter. Can't tell you how they turned out yet because they won't be bottled till this week and next. I am hoping for the best though.


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## jrh143 (Jul 29, 2012)

Blackberry Wine, still a staple at Hance Wines as well as being among the most eagerly sought after! Cheers!


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## mjrisenhoover (Aug 10, 2012)

I have yet to make my first wine, but I have bucket of 2012 frozen cabernet sauvignon grapes on reserve and I am working on my backyard wine trellises. I'll let you know how things work out.


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## pappyross (Aug 27, 2012)

Met the step father of a friend and he was a Prof. at local college teaching a class Wine Making 101. showed me the steps, ( even sent me a DVD ) made my first batch of Concord wine. That was 10yrs ago haven't stopped making since.


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## Dend78 (Aug 27, 2012)

my first attempt was 1/2 gallon of peach and 1/2 gallon of blueberry, basically prison wine, I used can of peaches in syrup and bakers yeast, then i blended fresh blueberries and bakers yeast again. blueberry turned out okay but the peach was flavorless and really needed a lot of work to make it drinkable.


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## soccer0ww (Aug 27, 2012)

Way back in 1982 made a crab apple wine. Wasn't too bad but gave my sister in law one heck of a headache and hangover. Stopped making wine for a long time now back at it for the last 4 years. Glad I found this forum. Learning more all the time.


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## pappyross (Sep 8, 2012)

Made a one gallon batch from Welch's frozen concentrate, that was 10 years ago and I have been making wine since.


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## babered (Oct 26, 2012)

*My first wine*



TxBrew said:


> What was the first wine you made and how did the process go?



The first wine I made was a Riesling from a kit...I topped it off with waaayyy to much water and it is really bad. However, I recovered with another kit wine and 3 batches of skeeter pee that turned out fantastic!


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## mwestern (Oct 28, 2012)

We started in 2009 with a concord/cataba grape mix from our own grapes grown in our small 5-row vineyard then bought 6-gal kits off ebay,Angel Blanco,Liebfraumilch,Acai Raspberry Cabernet Sauvignon,Seville Orange Sangria and cherry from Vinters Reserve plus a batch of hand squeezed peach wine which was the most trouble.Brewing now is a 6 gal jug of Gewurztraminer.We have 2011 and 2012 grape crops frozen of our grapes to still smash for 2 new batches but not in any hurry.Having fun and enjoying the new tastes....


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## derunner (Oct 28, 2012)

My first is was a WE Mist Pomagranate Zinfandel. It is sweet and wine like so a success. I haven't bottled my next batches yet, but have a pinot Gregio and Reisling/Traminar kit wines aging and plan to start a 4th, a chardonnay/semillon next weekend. Hopefully these taste more wine like.


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## TODDO (Oct 25, 2013)

WE Vintners Reserve Shiraz. 

Not Good. Very thin, mostly because of novice rackings and topping with water. 

Learned a lot on the cheaper kits first !


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## vernsgal (Oct 26, 2013)

I don't remember the brand but it was a Barolo and it came with raisons. The store wasn't going to carry the brand anymore and it was over a year old and I got it for $10.00.


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## Tess (Oct 26, 2013)

Dragons Blood. I wasnt happy with it at first but it or I came around after a couple months in the bottle


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## dwhite53 (Oct 26, 2013)

Been brewing beer since 1989. Started doing mead 2003.

Starting my first grape wine today with a can of Alexanders Pinot Noir
concentrate. Going to do 2.5 gallons adding some white grape
juice concentrate and dextrose. Want something a little more
than medium bodied.

All the Best,
D. White


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## LoveTheWine (Oct 27, 2013)

Crab apple wine!

Came across these pictures of me fermenting it 15 years ago.
I think the non-food grade garbage bins and broom handle added a special taste to this one!

It ended up being rocket fuel as I followed some recipe and didn't own a hydrometer back then!


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## seth8530 (Oct 27, 2013)

Heh nice pics ( : 

My first "wine" was made of water+sugar+baker's yeast... I fermented it for a week or two I think and then drank it. It was very hard to keep down. I would like to think that my palate has improved since then.


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## Runningwolf (Oct 27, 2013)

Great witches brew! How did it come out, looks like a lot.


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## LoveTheWine (Oct 27, 2013)

Runningwolf said:


> Great witches brew! How did it come out, looks like a lot.



Ha HA.. all I remember is that a buddy and I would drink a bottle each in a night and we would be messed right up.
Pretty much what a 20 yr old is looking for right?
Funny, since then I've stuck to making hard cider if I have extra apples apples!

We were renting a 3-400 sq ft bst suite where it was made and the backyard had tons of crab apples. The nice part is that I actually quite enjoyed making the stuff and it got me going. 
The next year we made a lot of decent stuff out of cherries, raspberries, peaches etc... all measured with a hydrometer first. We even started using campton tablets, pectic enzimes, etc...


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## refinedmechaninc (Oct 27, 2013)

Ha!! LOL, my first was a crabapple rhubarb. I would have to say, anyone who had a "good" batch the first time around is either lucky or lying!!! Mine was so bad is want even good enough to be considered just bad!!!


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## Runningwolf (Oct 27, 2013)

LMAO These are the kind of stories I love to hear. It's great to see where you were and now where you are. I started off with kits, so I cheated and it's a good thing. My wife was not pleased with me going into this until she tasted the wine. If I had screwed up the first batch or two it would have been all history.


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## reefman (Oct 27, 2013)

Hahahaha...I can relate to that. I secretly told my kids I wanted a wine kit for Christmas about three years ago. Then I went out and slowly bought the equipment I needed. Fortunately the wife liked the kit.... and then the second batch as well. If she didn't, the hobby never would have lasted past the first bottling.


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## refinedmechaninc (Oct 31, 2013)

reefman said:


> Hahahaha...I can relate to that. I secretly told my kids I wanted a wine kit for Christmas about three years ago. Then I went out and slowly bought the equipment I needed. Fortunately the wife liked the kit.... and then the second batch as well. If she didn't, the hobby never would have lasted past the first bottling.



I have a wife that dont like wine so, it doesnt matter if it turns out or not!!!


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## drumlinridgewinery (Oct 31, 2013)

started helping a friend when he had bypass surgery few years back. He needed help with the lifting so when I made my own first batch several years ago it turned out ok. Elderberry it was and I still have a few bottles left. Just started this years batch with the same recipe.


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## Tess (Oct 31, 2013)

Runningwolf said:


> LMAO These are the kind of stories I love to hear. It's great to see where you were and now where you are. I started off with kits, so I cheated and it's a good thing. My wife was not pleased with me going into this until she tasted the wine. If I had screwed up the first batch or two it would have been all history.



My husband was not pleased at all!!! He was told by friends I would blow the house up. lol Thank God for this forum and me learning to always ferment in a bucket and one that is not snapped shut!!!!


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## Jesse (May 7, 2014)

TxBrew said:


> What was the first wine you made and how did the process go?



The first "wine" I made was awful but here is what I did:

1 package of koolaid
1 package of bread yeast
twice the amount of sugar the koolaid package called for and the requisite amount of water.

put in a gallon jug and let stand 1 week tasted nasty but had alcohol.

I was 13 at the time. =)


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## x_diver (May 8, 2014)

My wife and I decided to give sausage making a try. So we were poking around on YouTube and came across a video by an Irish gentleman demonstrating how to make wine from store bought grape juice. After realizing how much fat goes into making good sausage, I decided wine making was probably a better choice. 

The guy at our local wine making store tried to sell me a kit but I insisted on making wine from Welches in the same way as was done in the video. It came out pretty well. 

That was a little over a year ago. I now have 15 five-gallon carboys and 20 one-gallon jugs filled with anything and everything that I can figure out how to ferment.

And thanks to everyone on these forums, I am making some damn good wines.


Sent from my iPhone using Wine Making


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## Hunt (May 8, 2014)

3 gallons of watermelon wine. After about a year I declared it a total loss and down the drain it went lol.


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## jojabri (May 8, 2014)

Oh dear! On my first attempt, I did several 1 gallon batches from grocery store juice, apple, concord, and berry blend. Not having a hydrometer and following Youtube videos, I made wines, but barely tolerable wines.


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## peaches9324 (May 8, 2014)

my first wine was a fresh pear from own tree it was AWSOME! Thanks to Wade and all his help, racking, racking, aging, racking, aging, racking, did I mention aging?


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## peaches9324 (May 8, 2014)

Hunt said:


> 3 gallons of watermelon wine. After about a year I declared it a total loss and down the drain it went lol.



Hunt I made a watermelon flop I think it was my second wine that one burst my bubble! I used it as marinade it had a week flavor of watermelon and never really cleared it didn't go south though I babysat the temp


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## Hunt (May 8, 2014)

peaches9324 said:


> Hunt I made a watermelon flop I think it was my second wine that one burst my bubble! I used it as marinade it had a week flavor of watermelon and never really cleared it didn't go south though I babysat the temp



I had no idea what I was doing at the time and let it sit on the gross lees for about 8 months.


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## peaches9324 (May 8, 2014)

Hunt said:


> I had no idea what I was doing at the time and let it sit on the gross lees for about 8 months.



you were doomed before you even started! haven't attempted making another one but think my next watermelon will be a kit! The chances of that going wrong aren't as high lol Well at least you know more now. Any plans to start another now that you know better?


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## Hunt (May 9, 2014)

peaches9324 said:


> you were doomed before you even started! haven't attempted making another one but think my next watermelon will be a kit! The chances of that going wrong aren't as high lol Well at least you know more now. Any plans to start another now that you know better?



I'm thinking about it. My store has 5 LBS for $1. I'm thinking of juicing 20 lbs and boiling it down to a gallon and giving it a shot.


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## apnonimus (Jan 22, 2015)

Dandelion Wine! A long but very rewarding process.


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## wine (Jan 23, 2015)

mine was apple ,,,, after it was all done and ready to drink ,, my brother in law ( he like to hit the bottle all the time )he came up ,,, after dinner I took out the wine ,, hwe each had 3 4 glasses , and he says """ lets go get some real stuff ,, this suff is like apple juice ,,, and stands up ,, weaves grabs the table plops back down in the chair ,, and says maybe we should just have another glass of this ... It tasted like juice but would kick your butt


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## GreginND (Jan 24, 2015)

When I was a kid I would go to the library and read all the old British country winemaking books. There is a long tradition of fruit winemaking there I guess. When I grew my palate I became somewhat of a self professed wine snob. And I knew where I lived I couldn't get quality grapes at the time. So I took on the challenge of making drier food friendly fruit wines. And they turned out good.


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