hi from Madison, Mississippi

[padre]

I haven't made wine before, and have yet to receive the wine making stuff I've ordered up, but figured I'd chime in with a howdy.

What I've seen so far reminds me of the Chemistry labs I took in college. Looks like fun.

(edit: starting with a Vintners Reserve Riesling kit)

-Rob

 

[Wade E]

Should be a decent kit. Im not thrilled with smaller red wine kits as they seem to always come out thin but the white kits do a pretty decent job.

 

[padre]

I figured a riesling would be a great starter. Pairs well with a lot of the food I like and should result in a wine on the table soon enough while I pursue more adventurous follow-up pursuits.

 

[Hillbilly Bill]

I haven't made wine before, and have yet to receive the wine making stuff I've ordered up, but figured I'd chime in with a howdy.

What I've seen so far reminds me of the Chemistry labs I took in college. Looks like fun.

(edit: starting with a Vintners Reserve Riesling kit)

-Rob

Rob,
Welcome...
You will get a chance to use your college chemistry as much as you choose to when making wine. You will be able to use titration that you learned in Chemistry 101 and you will be able to apply Normality values that you learned in Chemistry 201 if you so desire.
The good thing is that you don't have to remember all of the tecniques... the test kits always come with directions... very simple and easy to use.
If you are making wine from a kit this is already done for you and the acid levels and concentrations are pre-adjusted. All you need is a thermometer and a hydrometer. You can add more test equipment as you expand your knowledge and your desire to make wine from scratch.
Once again, welcome...
Bill

 

[padre]

Thanks for the warm welcomes.

I've enjoyed wines for years and tasted at least hundreds, but had always assumed that making wine was out of reach. Only recently have I been set straight on that.

 

[smurfe]

Welcome aboard. Glad to have you here. Kits are easy, just follow the directions and it will work out fine.

 

[Runningwolf]

Rob, Welcome aboard. You Will find this site to be very friendly and more than willing to help out no matter how trivial your questions may seem to you.

 

[padre]

Elaborating on my starter setup...

I was referred to Northern Brewer by a beer brewing acquaintance, and have ordered all my initial supplies from there, which I expect to arrive within the next few weeks.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/winemaking/winemaking-starter-kits/deluxe-winemaking-kit.html

I added a second BB carboy and whip degasser to the kit, and a cheap riesling.

(Just received the shipping notification while typing this. Woot!)

I expect I'll stick with kits for the first few batches while I learn my way around the process. Figuring out a few dry, medium body wines to make will be one of my next great mysteries.

 

[Wade E]

Thats a nice set up. The only thing I would change there is the whip degasser. It pastic and will break pretty fast, If you can I would upgrade to the Fizz X. The only thing that ever btreaks on those are the fins and they can be replaced for about $2.50. Ive had mine for 7 years now and just replaced my fins for the 1st time.

 

[padre]

Since FedEx already has it, I won't be going for the upgrade just yet. But I expect I'll be adding more gear soon enough (carboys and the like), so I can have more than one thing going on at a time.

So if something breaks or proves insufficient, I'll swap out as I go.

The hunt for empty bottles is turning out to be less formidable than I'd feared. "I've got about 20," said one of the guys at the office.

(A few of the locals I talked to also told me of their own wine making escapades under what one might politely call "less controlled" conditions.)

 

[Wade E]

I gt all mine form a dump. I call them in the morning and oick up late in the afternoon and he'll usually have around 120 for me. I throw him a few bottles and hes happy as a pig in ****!