Wife says no way I'll ever make drinkable wine

[SBWs]

So of course I had to take that as a challenge. I haven't made any yet. I just ordered all the stuff I should need. This looks like a real good place to get help and reading some of the post a good place for newbies like me. Thanks in advance.

 

[Waldo]

Welcome, glad to have you onboard. What is your first one going to be?

 

[SBWs]

Thanks, I'm not sure yet. If I get all the stuff I ordered before the strawberry's come on around here I'll most likely try something from a concentrate. Maybe cranberry, or a grape of some kind just to get started. I'm only doing a gallon at a time for now until I get all the kinks worked out.<a href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CSitcom%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" target="_blank">
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[vcasey]

Welcome to the forum. Here is a book that should help you out. It has lots of recipes for 1 gallon wines and meads.

<table ="Catalog" id="products" align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><t><tr><td ="table" align="default" width="2%"><div align="center">7342
</td>
<td width="5%"><div align="center">

</td>
<td width="20%">

Making Wild Wines &amp; Meads - 125
Unusual Recipes Using Herbs, Fruits, Flowers and More by Vargas &amp;
Gulling, 169 pp.</td></tr></t></table>

 

[gaudet]

Boy is she gonna be in for a surprise.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Tom]

When I made my 1st batch SWMBO said she did NOT like it. I bought a like wine and she said she liked it. I then asked her if I should buy it again. She said YES. well.... I saved the empty bottle. I then poured MY wine in it and served it. She said tastes good. AFTER sha finished the bottle I told her its MINE.
The rest is history..
NOW she and our daughter drinks 2 bottles a day..
WATCH OUT you may be making a wineo....

 

[vcasey]

Packaging is everything!

 

[ibglowin]

Did the same thing this past weekend with my own "doubting Thomas" so to speak. Did a blind taste testing with my Pinot Grigio and my Chardonnay. She picked MY Pinot Grigio over the commercial bottle and her girlfriend picked MY Chardonnay over the commercial bottle and both of these wines are only 6 months old!

 

[Wade E]

Kind of the same thing here also. My wife loved this local winery's Black currant wine so i made a batch using the Vintners Harvest Black Currant base and about 4 months later I poured some into one of those bottles and let her pour her own glass and she said they changed it but it was still really good. The next batch I made she said it was better then theirs and they have stayed that way since. Now I have 18 Black Currant trees in my yard so maybe this year I can make a small batch and then after that I should be drowning in berries thatnks to appleman!

 

[Tom]

It just shows you NOT to pre-judge if you didnt taste it 1st. (this is what swmbo did since I said I made it)
Amazing what a little trickery will do.
NOW I have a hard core wine drinker...no if i can make her to like something than REDS...

 

[RickC]

Scott, welcome to the forum and the fun.

 

[hayfire]

Enjoy yourself and learn a lot, Scott.

 

[grapeman]

I have to agree with your wife Scott. No way in heck you will ever make a drinkable wine- unless you come here and learn some basic steps. Well you are here now- so you WILL suceed, unless you just plain want to make a bad wine. Now lets prove her wrong!

 

[uavwmn]

ibglowin, which chardonnay kit was it??

 

[ibglowin]

MM Renaissance Aussie Chardonnay

 

[SBWs]

Thanks to everyone for all the encouragement. I got my equipment today and started working on a 1 gallon batch of Blueberry. Everything in but the yeast, I'll do that tomorrow night.

 

[Wade E]

What is the starting sg? I recommend starting with about 1 1/2 gallons so that after racking off all the lees a few times youll have 1 gallon, until then you keep the extra after primary in a magnum or a 750 ml wine bottle with a smaller bung(#2 or #3) and airlock.

 

[grapeman]

Wade, is that 75 ml bottle the new airline sampler? They need to save money where they can after all- only getting $45 for a carry on bag now.........

 

[Wade E]

I dont know what your problem is, you must have been looking at something else! Just kidding I edited it!

 

[SBWs]

After mixing everything the SG was 1.085, Acid was 6.0 and ph was 3.2 tonight when I went to put the yeast in the SG was up to 1.005 so I added a pint of water and it came down to 1.096. I used Lalvin K1-V116 yeast no bubbles yet but I'm sure it's early. The water keeps moving to the bucket side of the twin bubble air lock is this normal? Looking at the bucket level I'm sure there is more than a gallon and with adding the extra pint of water I should have some extra. I drilled a wine cork for now and will be using a wine bottle for the extra.