Hello from Western Australia

[Obelix]

Hi Everyone,

About to make my first wine this year.
Planning to make around 150L of Shiraz.
So far, obtained a crusher and press, converted 3 beer kegs (taps and legs), ordered a 350L Vat and pre-booked 280kg of Shiraz.
Still looking to buy a variable capacity tank in 200L.

Educating myself in the process, ingredients... currently keen to identify the correct yeist for the grape and climate.

Looking forward to learning from you guys.

Regards Obelix

 

[AkTom]

Welcome. You came to the right place to learn.

 

[sour_grapes]

Wow, jumping in with both feet. Best of luck, and be sure to ask questions!

PS: How is Asterix?

 

[Obelix]

Thanks guys
Sour_grapes - Asterix said hallo ;-)

 

[Arne]

Howdy, welcome to the forum. Arne.

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

Wow, what a gutsy way to start a hobby. Do you have an experienced friend or neighbor that can help you through this first batch?

 

[Obelix]

Welcome to the forum!

Wow, what a gutsy way to start a hobby. Do you have an experienced friend or neighbor that can help you through this first batch?

I'm Dalmatian by heritage, and "should have it in my blood"

Joke aside, plenty of Dalmatians in Perth making their own wine at home so I can obtain advice.
Having said that (in my opinion - personal taste), something is lacking in their wine when compared to commercial wineries.
Or better still, it has something extra in aftertaste that makes it ....not sure of the expression. Not nice.

Hence I'm keen to follow advice from here and read up as much as possible before I start.
The amount of text written on it has been a bit overwhelming so far. Not always consistent.

 

[Toonster]

Welcome to the forums! Nice to see a fellow Southern Hemisphere-ite on here (I'm from NZ)

Good luck - you'll get plenty of great advice here

 

[Obelix]

C

Welcome to the forums! Nice to see a fellow Southern Hemisphere-ite on here (I'm from NZ)

Good luck - you'll get plenty of great advice here

Cheers Toonster.

 

[mainshipfred]

Welcome, your are not always going to get consistent here. The basics are the same but it is an art form and different opinions are going to arise. My initial recommendation is to ferment it in smaller batches and use different yeasts to give it a more complex profile and make sure you feed it. Good luck!

 

[Obelix]

Thanks. Makes sense. In particular - as it seems after reading a number of forum posts - it's good to mix a few differenrt Shiraz yeasts to get a nice blend.
However, given it's my first attempt, I'll try to be conservative and record all the steps so to learn from the process.

 

[Johny99]

Welcome. You’ve jumped in with a good equipment list. As you say, record. Take lots on notes on what you do and what you observe.

 

[Toonster]

However, given it's my first attempt, I'll try to be conservative and record all the steps so to learn from the process.

Recording everything is really important - that way you know what to do if you want to recreate a good batch, or what to avoid if something goes wrong. I really regret not taking good notes for my first couple of wines, particularly as I'm getting great compliments about one of them, and I've got nothing to refer back to for next time.

Tasting notes are also good - how the flavour develops over time, sweetness etc.

 

[Obelix]

Tasting notes are also good - how the flavour develops over time, sweetness etc.

Good point thanks.

 

[REDRUM]

Hey Obelix - Adelaide here, and I have started home winemaking thanks to my Dalmatian in-laws! Looking forward to hearing another Aussie perspective.
As for the funky aftertaste (let's call it 'rustic')... I know what you mean ... if the wine you've had is anything like my father-in-law's it could be anything from unclean equipment, wrong yeast (or more likely no use of cultured yeast at all), too much oxidisation, hot ferment (big problem in an Aus summer), keeping flagons and demijohns in a hot shed ... or all of the above
Mostly it's OK for table wine / bevanda but I want to get a bit more serious about quality control too.

 

[Obelix]

Hey Obelix - Adelaide here, and I have started home winemaking thanks to my Dalmatian in-laws! Looking forward to hearing another Aussie perspective.
As for the funky aftertaste (let's call it 'rustic')... I know what you mean ... if the wine you've had is anything like my father-in-law's it could be anything from unclean equipment, wrong yeast (or more likely no use of cultured yeast at all), too much oxidisation, hot ferment (big problem in an Aus summer), keeping flagons and demijohns in a hot shed ... or all of the above
Mostly it's OK for table wine / bevanda but I want to get a bit more serious about quality control too.

Hi Redrum - very much so
(Will respond in my other thread)

 

[Obelix]

Starting
https://www.winemakingtalk.com/threads/beginners-diary-shiraz-making.64892/

Please feel free to share your experience and advice.
Thanks

 

[wrongway]

Hi Obelix,
Welcome to the forum!!

 

[dailyxe]

Welcome to the forum

 

[the_crane]

Hi Obelix, I'm from Sydney. I did my first vintage of Shiraz last year and came out with 200l. I'm happy the way it came out and got a good, honest feedback from my friends whom i shared it with.
I didn't use a commercial yeast and did it old school and it came out fine. I crushed some Merlot grapes 2 weeks ago and the must came out with 27 Brix, which was way too high for what i wanted. I adjusted it down with water and tartaric acid to 22 Brix. have used the R56 yeast so looking how that will develop.
Get yourself a something to measure your pH, TA, thermometer and Brix/SG. Keep things sanitised.