This what I need for a successful start?

[justaround]

I'm looking to get a Shiraz (Vintner's Reserve)wine kit from Midwest Supplies and their "Starter Winemaking Equipment Kit" (sry can't link 'til i have 5 posts). Do you think that's all I'll need?

I'm on the East Coast so heading into the winter season and hope to begin making the wine in my basement. Is there anything I should do regarding temperature and for storage down there to make this a successful start?

 

[Rocky]

Looks like a decent kit for the money. I like to use #9 x 1 3/4" corks but the #8's probably work better with the corker included. You will have a shorter shelf life with the #8's. That corker is not the best, but it will work with some practice. I like having a spigot on my primary fermenter, but a siphon tube will work. An "auto siphon" is really great, but you can get by without one until you see if you want to continue with the hobby. Same with the corker. It will get you through making a kit, but you should also have:

1 thermometer (you might have one in the kitchen)
1 long handled spoon (plastic or Stainless Steel, NOT wood)
1 lb. of Potassium Metabisulfite (to make sanitizing solutions)

Everything else you will need comes in the wine kit and this will get you by minimally.

 

[ffemt128]

Check out the starter kits at finevinewines.com as well. They are a sponsor here also. George is very helpful and can get you started with everything you need. IMHO the started kits are the way to go when first starting out. Get a long spoon as was suggested and also an auto siphon. Makes racking and bottling much easier. The rest will come with time. As far as cool basements, you can look into a brew belt for the primaries. I've used them on Carboys as well without issue.

 

[justaround]

thanks Rocky. yeah my idea is to try this first and see if it's something I continue with. while I want to make a good wine, I don't want to sink $$$$ for my first attempt.

when you say "shorter shelf life" - what does that mean? I wasn't figuring leaving this batch bottled for years.

any idea what ideal temperature for fermentation and storage? I'm worried my basement will be too cold with winter coming to do this? My basement is unfinished and wide open.

edit: thnx ffemt128. will contact finevinewines and get their advice as well. much appreciated!

 

[ibglowin]

Get a brew belt to keep things warm in the Winter. A heating pad will work in a pinch but it not designed obviously for this type of job. You might also look at a bottling tree as well as a Vinator to sanitize your bottles just before bottling.

 

[robie]

Also buy one of the Vacu-Vin pumps, which are designed to create a vacuum on an opened bottle of wine, so it will not spoil so quickly. It is handy for helping in the degassing phase of wine making.

Take a look at our tutorial section and read up on the wine making process. That will tell you what to do and what you need.

Buy an extra hydrometer; they beak very easily and these days it is hard to make wine without one.
I second, third and fourth the suggestion for getting a brew belt.

 

[Rocky]

I agree with all the advice on this page but if you want to minimize your initial investlment, get an old spray bottle and put the k-meta sanitizing solution in it and spray it into the bottles (held horizontally) and stand them up to drain in a wine case. I agree with Mike that a Vinator is something you would like, but maybe down the road. You can also make a "bottle tree" that will work fine. I drilled a 1 x 6 board about 4 feet long with two rows of 3/8 " holes and inserted and glued short (4" dowels) into the holes. I then screwed this to an old table that I have adjacent to my sink in my basement.

Fermentation should take place in an ambient temperature of something greater than 72 degrees F and the "ideal" temperature for storage is 55 degree F and with a relative humidity of 75%. When I said a shorter shelf life for the #8 corks I meant that they do not fit as tightly as the #9's and could possibly leak wine out or air in. Again, with that corker in the kit, the #8's would work better. If I am not mistaken, that corker forces the cork through a tapered hole, reducing the diameter to fit the bottle. The #8's, having a lesser diameter than the #9's, would work better.

Regarding your cellar, you could warm a portion of it with plastic sheets hung from rods with a space heater inside? The "brew belt" would be the best short term solution.