New Wine Maker

[Billdean]

Hi everyone. I have been trying my skills at wine making for about 3 months now. My first was a WineExpert Moscato 1 gallon kit. It came out OK but not quite as good as a commercial bottle. A little darker than commercial Moscato also. Then I when on to ordering some Moscato juice and tried a couple of more times. My results were not very good for the most part. I also tried some red wine made from Welsh grape juice, and actually it turned out pretty good. Now I started a 6 gallon batch of skeeter Pea. I am in the process of back sweeting and bottle it now. It seem to have better prospects of turning out good as soon as I get the sugar content right. I have a cup-an-half in in now, but seem like it maybe better with more. Anyway I found this forum and have been reading a lot. I appreciate everyone input as I believe it will make me a better wine maker.

 

[ChuckD]

Welcome. There are lots of Michiganders on this site. Have you been allowing your kit wines to age (bulk or bottle)?

 

[Billdean]

Yes…I have them all bottled up and aging now. Before I bottle them I tasted each recipe. A couple of the Moscato recipes had an off taste to them. Not bad but not like Moscato should taste. I though some aging might improve them, but then again maybe not

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[winemaker81]

Welcome to WMT!

Regarding "bulk aging", that refers to the time the wine spends "in bulk" before bottling. Wines go through a lot of natural changes during the first 4 to 12 months, and aging in a single container makes the bottles consistent. Plus it ensures the wine is clear, e.g., not dropping sediment in the bottle.

Look through the Beginners Forum, reading the threads that catch your eye. We have a lot of discussions and you'll pick things up quickly, and the lingo will begin to make sense. If you don't know what something means, ask a question -- if you don't know, other beginners don't know, either!

Your first few batches will disappear quickly -- this is normal. This requires you to make more wine .... welcome to winemaking.

 

[Jovimaple]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[David Violante]

Welcome to WMT!

 

[BigDaveK]

And another........Welcome to WMT!

 

[Billdean]

Welcome to WMT!

Regarding "bulk aging", that refers to the time the wine spends "in bulk" before bottling. Wines go through a lot of natural changes during the first 4 to 12 months, and aging in a single container makes the bottles consistent. Plus it ensures the wine is clear, e.g., not dropping sediment in the bottle.

Look through the Beginners Forum, reading the threads that catch your eye. We have a lot of discussions and you'll pick things up quickly, and the lingo will begin to make sense. If you don't know what something means, ask a question -- if you don't know, other beginners don't know, either!

Your first few batches will disappear quickly -- this is normal. This requires you to make more wine .... welcome to winemaking.

Thanks 81.....I guess I didn't realize you could do that. It does make sense to me though. I have another 6 gallon of skeeter Pea going. I usually go to Arizona for the winter. Maybe I will try bulk aging on that six gallons batch. It should be ready when I get back in April to bottle.

 

[winemaker81]

Thanks 81.....I guess I didn't realize you could do that. It does make sense to me though. I have another 6 gallon of skeeter Pea going. I usually go to Arizona for the winter. Maybe I will try bulk aging on that six gallons batch. It should be ready when I get back in April to bottle.

My sig contains a link to the MoreWine! manual page. Skim the red and white wine manuals to get a better understanding of the overall process. Don't read them intently -- not yet anyway -- as you'll drown in details. Just dig deeply enough to understand the overall process. You'll find it helpful.

 

[ChuckD]

Thanks 81.....I guess I didn't realize you could do that. It does make sense to me though. I have another 6 gallon of skeeter Pea going. I usually go to Arizona for the winter. Maybe I will try bulk aging on that six gallons batch. It should be ready when I get back in April to bottle.

Skeeter Pee is one of the “quick drinkers” so the benefit you get from aging may it be minimal.

If you leave your wine for a few months in a very dry environment, make sure the airlock liquid doesn’t evaporate away. That would leave your wine unprotected.

 

[David Violante]

You could also use silicone “breathable bungs” that let CO2 escape but seal back up and don’t let anything back in.

More Wine has them:
https://morewinemaking.com/products/breathable-bung-glass-carboys-cellarscience.html

 

[winemaker81]

You could also use silicone “breathable bungs” that let CO2 escape but seal back up and don’t let anything back in.

I switched to this style of vented bung for long term storage. Once fermentation is complete, bungs not airlocks.

 

[wineview]

Welcome to WMT! You can learn a lot here.

 

[TechAdmin]

Welcome to the forum. Enjoy!