Making wine from juice buckets

Cibb · Jun 20, 2017

So I've ordered some juice buckets for this fall. Now my next question is how do I prepare them for fermentation when they arrive.

The place I ordered from says he simply sulfite waits a day and ferments as is no ph adjustment etc... is this common?

What are the common TA, PH numbers for reds vs whites?

I tried searching but haven't located a basic guide. Sorry for the noon question.

Julie · Jun 21, 2017

It would depend on where you are buying the buckets. Some places do nothing while other places will adjust ph and add yeast to the bucket. If nothing has been done definitely check ph, take a hydrometer reading and add k-meta then wait 24 hours and add your yeast. PH should be 3.4 to 3.65 for reds and 3.1 to 3.45 for whites. Also, you should think about adding tannins as well.

Floandgary · Jun 21, 2017

A few simple questions put to your supplier should set you on the right track. Many adjust and pre-inoculate, making the process very simple for the winemaker. However, just as many do nothing (other than maybe some sulfites to prevent wild things from happening) in response to consumer complaints of fermentations under way prior to delivery... As Julie said, if you get untreated juice, give it a good going over to see where you stand and feel free to customize your wine from the get-go!! There's a lot of good how-to/what-to info here and elsewhere. Don't be afraid to research. http://winemakersacademy.com/ Good luck and enjoy the results!

jburtner · Jun 21, 2017

Here are two places that stock and ship frozen must pails. These are grapes run through a destemmer/crusher - put into a bucket, sealed, and frozen for storage. They ship frozen to your door in a box insulated with 2" styrofoam and the pail is wrapped in a heavy duty plastic bag. I have ordered from Brehm and they arrive in a couple days still mostly frozen and need to be completely defrosted (takes a day or two). If you want enough buckets they can ship in a freezer truck on pallets. The product from Brehm lists the ph, TA, brix on their site for each batch. Buckets may vary a bit but have all been within that range so re-measure when you have them all up to temp. You do any adjustments and additives. Almost like getting the grapes directly from the vineyard except they are frozen (which actually helps with extraction so...)...

http://www.brehmvineyards.com/
http://juicegrape.com/

Good luck!
-johann

Floandgary · Jun 21, 2017

jburtner said:
Here are two places that stock and ship frozen must pails. These are grapes run through a destemmer/crusher - put into a bucket, sealed, and frozen for storage. They ship frozen to your door in a box insulated with 2" styrofoam and the pail is wrapped in a heavy duty plastic bag. I have ordered from Brehm and they arrive in a couple days still mostly frozen and need to be completely defrosted (takes a day or two). If you want enough buckets they can ship in a freezer truck on pallets. The product from Brehm lists the ph, TA, brix on their site for each batch. Buckets may vary a bit but have all been within that range so re-measure when you have them all up to temp. You do any adjustments and additives. Almost like getting the grapes directly from the vineyard except they are frozen (which actually helps with extraction so...)...

http://www.brehmvineyards.com/
http://juicegrape.com/

Good luck!
-johann

Good info, but I think this response should have gone to Ron0126 on his quest of "where to buy juice pails".