how do i begin???

[loveisblonde528]

alright here it goes...
So i want to start making my own wine but i do not know where to start?? I was looking at finevinewines kits but im really just not sure...any suggestions??

 

[Wade E]

Do you have any equipment? What kind of wine do you like? What kind of budget are you on! I must say that if you are looking to do a red wine that the bigger kits will give you more of what your looking for as the smaller kits can be thin in body and flavor. Welcome to the forum and feel free to ask as many questions as you want but be prepared for questions in response when there is not enough info. This is a great place to learn and make friends and share experiences.

 

[grapeman]

Welcome to the forum loveisblonde. What type of wine do you like. The choices are endless and you know best what kind of wine you like. Fill us in a little and we can help you get going. You will need to get supplies for starting with, either gallon size or larger. So give us some info and let's get going.

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

Welcome to the forum,Call George, he will lead you where you want to go 866-417-1114

 

[PeterZ]

Welcome, loveisblonde. If you like wines like white zin, and some of the fruit plus wine types that are very popular, then the Island Mist or Orchard Breezin kits are for you. These kits run 7.5 - 10 liters of concentrate, and make a very enjouable wine.


If, on the other hand, your tastes run to Cab Sav, Red Zin, Chianti, Chardonnay, and other dry wines I suggest sticking to kits with at least 15 liters of juice/concentrate.


George has a great page on choosing the wine kit that is right for you. Here is a link to it.


http://www.finevinewines.com/how-to-choose-a-wine-making-kit.html


As far as equipment goes, buy the most complete setup you can afford. If you don't you will wind up buying the extra pieces of equipment one at a time anyway. Ask me how I know.

 

[uavwmn]

Welcome. I too am a newbie. I read this forum for a couple of weeks before I jumped in. This is the place to be for friendly, knowledgeable advice.


You will enjoy the wine process, the forum, and most of all the end product!


Enjoy~

 

[loveisblonde528]

I dont have any equipment yet and i know that i def. want to make red wine (around 20 - 24 bottles). Also, I dont want to spend anymore than $150 for a kit. Is it hard to make?

 

[Wade E]

Absolutely NOT!</font> All you have to do is follow simple instructions. Though you will need to spend some money on some equipment. For a little more money say around $200 you can get both a decnt equipment kit and a good wine kit. The equipment kit will be used for herte on in so that price can be divided by all the wine you make from here on in. These kits produce 6 gallons(30 750ml size bottles. If you really like wine then youll enjoy making wine and after a few kits youll really be saving money as the cost for making a bottle of wine will be around $4-$6.</font></font>
Edited by: wade

 

[bj4271]

For $150 George can definitely set you up as far as equipment is concerned. Equipment &amp; a wine kit for $150 might be pretty hard, even for George.


You can start out for considerably less money. I started by making 1-gal batches in used gallon jugs (from store bought wine).


USe 5 or 6 cans of Oregon (Kroger's brand is the same) fruit @$1.99 ea, 3-5 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you want it), water to the neck of the jug, one packet of Fleischmann's dry yeast (@ 1.79 for 3 packets - from baking section of the store). Put in the yeast &amp; attach a latex glove or balloon over the bottle mouth with a rubber band. Shake it every couple of days. Come back in a month&amp; you have wine. There's alot of filtering to be done at this stage, but the wine is made.


It won't be the best in the world,but for the cost, it's great.


It's also a good way to see if you're seriously interested.After dumping everything together in the jug, it will need a lot of filtering to get a clear product.


I know what I've saidmay besacrilege to many on this forum, but you can't start any cheaper (unless you pick the fruit yourself). From there, you can start accumulating equipment &amp; try using the kits.

 

[grapeman]

Your first batch of wine will probably be the most expensive because you need to by the equipment to make it. If your budget is tight buy just what you need to make it and then add on as you can afford. This package will give you the basics and still leave you enough money for an affordable kit. Keep in mind it won't be the best you can do. Later as you can afford it, buy a more expensive juice kit(without equipment) and make a better age worthy wine.
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetKits.asp?PartNumber=1015


You can start with one of the Winexpert Kits- either an Island Mist or a Vintners Reserve, or a less expensive Mosti kit..
http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdListWV.asp


http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdListVN.asp


Add some for shipping and you should be under $150.00.


I'm sure others will tell you to buy more expensive equipment or juice kits, but you need to decide what you can afford to get.


The kits really are quite easy to make and are very fun and enjoyable.

 

[PeterZ]

Wine making is not hard at all. The hardest part is the waiting. As long as you practice good sanitation, as recommended in virtually every tutorial, including the ones on this site, it is almost impossible to ruin a kit. Most of the tweaking that we talk about here is our attempt to elevate a very good wine to an outstanding wine.


The term "kit" here is pretty ambiguous. There are wine kits, and equipment kits. First you will need equipment. A good starting kit is George's Beginner's Package: http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdDetKits.asp?PartNumber=1009


That will give you everything you need to make your first wine kit except the wine kit itself and 30 750 ml wine bottles. Almost all wine kits are 6 gallons (23 liters) and make 30 bottles.


A complete list of all equipment kits is here: http://www.finevinewines.com/Wine-making-kits.htm


The next step is to choose your wine. That's really up to you. For dry reds I would not choose a kit with less than 15 liters of juice/concentrate. Kits of this type run from about $80 to &gt;$200. I have had good luck with the Mosti Mondiale All Juice kits - http://www.finevinewines.com/ProdListAJ.asp


Remember that if you register with the website and your first order is more than $140 you get 10% off. Don't forget to factor that into the budget.


Good luck, and remember that we are always here if you have any questions.

 

[PolishWineP]

Making wine with a kit is easy! If it weren't I probably wouldn't do it.

Once that first batch is made you'll want to start another. You can save loads of money this way.

 

[loveisblonde528]

I like the kit

and id have no problem spending the money for it! I want to make a wine that is good with dinner and just for everyday...any suggestions? I just bought the book wine for dummies and wine making for dummies so I am catching on

However, I am getting nervous with all of the math involved lol

Over the holiday someone said to me that all italians know how to make wine...haha i need to get started!

 

[Grant]

Hi, Welcome to the forum. I was like you at this time last year. About 450 bottles later, I still am not sure sometimes, but the help that you can get here is amazing. Don't be afraid to ask about anything. I started with a wine kit and slowly over the year bought more stuff. I found great deals in bargain finder up here. People who are not making wine anymore will almost give there stuff away.


Grant

 

[Wade E]

450 bottles and the wine rack you made is empty??????????????

 

[Grant]

That wine rack was a Christmas present for my mom, My wine rack is getting full. I will empty it a bit by filling hers.

 

[Wade E]

Good man!

 

[hannabarn]

Hi and welcome to this great forum. I am also a newbie. Like you, I just wanted a few bottles of wine so I bought a wine kit and all the necessary equipment. That was last August. I now have 90 bottles aging and lambrusco and riesling fermenting in various stages. My White Zin is gone. This hobby is addictive!!! But as you can see, if you need help, it sure is availableEdited by: hannabarn

 

[scotty]

I like the kit

and id have no problem spending the money for it! I want to make a wine that is good with dinner and just for everyday...any suggestions? I just bought the book wine for dummies and wine making for dummies so I am catching on

However, I am getting nervous with all of the math involved lol

Over the holiday someone said to me that all italians know how to make wine...haha i need to get started!

Try this friendly program.


http://www.geocities.com/mipeman/winecalc.html

 

[PolishWineP]

I like the kit

and id have no problem spending the money for it! I want to make a wine that is good with dinner and just for everyday...any suggestions? I just bought the book wine for dummies and wine making for dummies so I am catching on

However, I am getting nervous with all of the math involved lol

Over the holiday someone said to me that all italians know how to make wine...haha i need to get started!

The only math you need to know with a kit is how to count days. You don't DO any math.

With a kit everything is spelled out for you. No worries! If you can bake a batch of brownies from a Betty Crocker box, you can make wine.