Complete newbie

[Commoncandi1]

Hello all,

My name is candy and I'm about to venture into wine making any tips or suggested first time recipes? I'm doing my research while I wait for my equipment to be delivered.

Thanks in advance!

 

[AkTom]

Welcome to the greatest forum. Try Danger Dave's Dragon Blood. Delicious and easy.

 

[Commoncandi1]

Thanks I saw that it seems simple enough , my dad has been wine making for years I got a kit (everything but the fruit) should be here in a couple days the master vitners fresh harvest kit for my first couple batches I'm starting small however once I'm more confident in my wine making I plan on moving up to 3 or 5 gallon batches

 

[Ron0126]

thanks i saw that it seems simple enough , my dad has been wine making for years i got a kit (everything but the fruit) should be here in a couple days the master vitners fresh harvest kit for my first couple batches i'm starting small however once i'm more confident in my wine making i plan on moving up to 3 or 5 gallon batches

you can do it!

 

[Commoncandi1]

you can do it!

Thanks Ron! I've made mead in a plastic jug but I want to venture into wine now

 

[dralarms]

Welcome to WMT. This is a great place to learn about wine making. Don't hesitate to ask questions, we all want you to succeed in this hobby. There are as many different recipes as there are members here. We all will try and tweak recipes to suit us, that's what. Make this team best hobby around, if you like the way it tastes then that's all that matters. Best advice I can start you with is document everything, that way when you make a killer wine you can reproduce it again and again.

 

[Commoncandi1]

Welcome to WMT. This is a great place to learn about wine making. Don't hesitate to ask questions, we all want you to succeed in this hobby. There are as many different recipes as there are members here. We all will try and tweak recipes to suit us, that's what. Make this team best hobby around, if you like the way it tastes then that's all that matters. Best advice I can start you with is document everything, that way when you make a killer wine you can reproduce it again and again.

Thanks I have a knack for making things (cooking, baking, lots of crafts) so I know sometimes your first try is a jumping off point and it'll be a learning process but I enjoy that process and it's amazing to have found a great community just doing some research before I get my little toes wet

 

[Ajmassa]

I see you found out about the secret club. Congrats. And welcome.
What kind of wine will you be making first??
Jumping into 3 and 5 gal batches can be done without hesitation. Don't feel like you need to be more experienced or anything. One 5 gallon batch is the same amount of work as a 1 gallon. It's all about the amount of vessels. The toes will become the whole foot and a headfirst dive sooner than you think.
The only other advice would be not to hesitate to ask questions. Even if you think it's a ridiculous question. People on this forum are amazing and genuinely enjoy giving insight and advice.

 

[Johny99]

Welcome. We were all newbies at one point and love to share our successes and failures.

 

[Commoncandi1]

I see you found out about the secret club. Congrats. And welcome.
What kind of wine will you be making first??
Jumping into 3 and 5 gal batches can be done without hesitation. Don't feel like you need to be more experienced or anything. One 5 gallon batch is the same amount of work as a 1 gallon. It's all about the amount of vessels. The toes will become the whole foot and a headfirst dive sooner than you think.
The only other advice would be not to hesitate to ask questions. Even if you think it's a ridiculous question. People on this forum are amazing and genuinely enjoy giving insight and advice.

Well the equipment kit I ordered has a 1 gallon fermenter bucket and 1 gallon carboy and there's not much around me in the ways of home brew stores so I figure at first I'll do 1 gallon and once it's ready to bottle I can decide on an upgrade or just keep doing 1 gallon batches for a little bit but I have the feeling I'll be ordering larger vessels once I find a wine that works. I'm not too sure what will be my first. Strawberries are readily available right now and there's usually a sale on them at one of the local grocers. I don't turn down a glass of wine ever or a bottle for that matter lol

 

[Commoncandi1]

Thanks johny99 . Gotta start somewhere right?

 

[NorCal]

Welcome! Lots of different kinds of winemakers here; kits, juice buckets, mead, grapes, fruit other than grapes.

 

[Commoncandi1]

Welcome! Lots of different kinds of winemakers here; kits, juice buckets, mead, grapes, fruit other than grapes.

Thanks a bunch have yet to discover all of the above

 

[GaDawg]

Welcome Candy! Wine making is like having a chemistry set for adults

 

[Johny99]

Thanks johny99 . Gotta start somewhere right?

Well yes and we all start out at the bottom. The amazing thing is that some, not me, actually get better at this. You will have fun

 

[Johny99]

Welcome Candy! Wine making is like having a chemistry set for adults

Adults, where?

 

[Commoncandi1]

Well yes and we all start out at the bottom. The amazing thing is that some, not me, actually get better at this. You will have fun

Thanks my brother brews beer and has an extra 5 gal carboy and fermenting bucket that have never been used so I'm getting those soon !

 

[AkTom]

Oh yeah... someone had to go and mention mead. Jump into 5 gallon wine asap and use your gallon setup for mead. I've made some good at 6 months, other not so good. At 12 months, wowzers! Tremendous. What a difference another 6 months make. So hurry up already and get some mead going;-)
Cheers

 

[AkTom]

Welcome Candy! Wine making is like having a chemistry set for alledged adults

Fixed it for you.

 

[Bodenski]

I'm not too sure what will be my first. Strawberries are readily available right now and there's usually a sale on them at one of the local grocers.l

I hate to rain on your parade, but just be warned that making wine from store-bought fresh fruit might not give you an awesome wine. They are normally picked too young, and don't have all the flavor you'd see from getting fresh-picked fruit that is fully ripe when they pick it. When I buy strawberries form the grocery store I try to see if I can smell anything from the package. If it smells like plastic, it will probably taste like plastic too. Where I live it's rare to get a good strawberry smell from the store-bought fresh berries.

Having said that, I tend to use store-bought frozen fruit for my wines. The ones that are too ripe to make it to market end up getting frozen (or turned into jam/jelly), so (my understanding at least) it's better to use store-bought frozen fruit than store-bought fresh fruit. Will probably have more flavor. The only fresh fruit I've ever used has been cranberries!

Best of luck, and like everyone else says just start something. It almost all gets better with age. My first wine (total experiment with apple juice and frozen triple berry mix) was actually quite tasty after aging for a while. And I knew nothing back then!