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Post by Ali on May 13, 2011 18:58:39 GMT 1
Just because I sampled the donkey0aty familys home-made wine which was flippin lovely (rhubarb one and a plum one) I'm now embarking on a home-made wine hobby. Having looked through various web sites today I'm totally confused as to what I need to get to start the process. Theres talk about sterident tablets (or summink) and all sorts. Donk is being very generous and offered to lend to me a demi-john, I think I need the bubbly thing and also a 'festerer' and a few other bits n bobs. Are you a home-made wine maker? Any advice out there about the essentials to get to start the process? Any recipes? Am looking to do what 'they' call country wines, which are basically stuff from the garden - rhubarb, elderberrys, parsnips etc but just want to start simply and learn as go on. Please help
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Post by Donkey0aty on May 13, 2011 19:31:26 GMT 1
My bog-standard recipe for any "country" wine.
4lb fruit/veg 4lb sugar Teaspoon of yeast (currently using some from Wilkinsons,but have used bread yeast before.There's also Champagne yeast!) Some water.
Basically,simmer the hell outta the fruit. Whilst that's bubbling away,put a cap of bleach into the demi-john and top up with warm/hot water. Give it a swirl and a scrub with a bottle brush,and then rinse very well,empty it and keep it warm. Put the airlock in.
Once all the fruit has broken down,pour in the sugar,place a funnel in the demi-john,a sieve inside the funnel and ladle in the fruit. Pulp either goes to the chickens/pigs or I make jam/jelly with it. If needs be,top up water.Now shake/stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool to blood temperature.
Put the yeast,teaspoon of sugar and some warm water in a cup and let it "get started",then pour into the demi-john when it's cool enough,replace airlock. Now stand the demi-john in the sink overnight with a dishcloth over the airlock.
In the morning,top up with water if needs be,then put it somewhere warm and dark for 6 weeks or when the air-lock stops bubbling.
Right,here's where you get the choice. You can add some "finings",leave it to settle out then bottle and keep for two years before drinking. Or,you can add some more sugar and some champagne yeast and let it go for a while longer,thus making it a bit more alcofrolic. I sometimes then filter it through a paper coffee filter when bottling. Either way,it all tastes better after 2 years and before 5 years old......Donk
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2011 19:34:58 GMT 1
Bleach
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2011 19:58:52 GMT 1
It all falls down on the demi-john ,it seems the French don´t sell them,what can you use instead?? I was told that they don´t make wine at home,so you can´t get the equipment.We have mega amounts of plums,and there are only so many pots of chutney you can eat,I think we have some from 2006,yummy?probably not!
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Post by Donkey0aty on May 13, 2011 22:22:38 GMT 1
BC I seem to remember seeing in Point Vert,a very large,raffia/plastic imitation covered glass bottle.Must hold a couple of gallons at least. If you can't find a cork and airlock to fit,then cotton wool is just as good.Anything to stop the bar flies getting in and turning it to vinegar!........ Donk PS And yes,bleach. Like I said,"then rinse very well".
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Post by Ali on May 13, 2011 22:36:36 GMT 1
I've been looking in every supermarket that I have passed here for something like 'demi-johns' too, but nothing, no bubbly glass things either. Just a few vats and corks and caps and those r prob for cider. I have seen the big glass raffia things that donk has decribed, didn't know about cotton wool or bar flies (apart from those pesky tiny flies that land in yer glass of merlot!) As soon as I been taught by our hero country wine maker donk I'll gladly put some demis and glass thingys and stuff on the UK shopping list for import by the fli anyone that wants them pls shout, my dad says they are available in 'The Range' (shop) I just cant see it being viable to import by post! I read today that the rhubarb wine is improved if u freeze the roo for 24hrs previously, I guess it helps to break it down? Also read about finnings, thats used if you want purity/non cloudy if it clouds innit? Those Campden/Camden (forgot) tablets stop the fermentation I understand? I'm sure you said you have an alcohol measurer and equally sure I've seen those contraptions in the s/markets here. Yeast - guess the proper thing is to buy in, that must be easy to do coz it's light to postage shld be ok. 2 years - yikes - is it possible to wait that long I'd be so tempted sooner to try it. Dad used to make wine at home, his par snip was always pretty good. Am sure to receive an email from him once he's read all this lol I'm all excited
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hellfire
I'm settling in nicely
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Post by hellfire on May 14, 2011 11:36:15 GMT 1
We make gallons of the stuff and have been doing so for 30years now so know a fair bit about it. Make sure you have sterilising solution like Camden tablets because otherwise you risk bacteria and for the airlocks, to prevent vinegar fly. Everything must be absolutely sterilised including the syphoning tubes and tap, corks and anything that comes into contact withthe must after it has finished fermenting. Remember that a good wine will take a year before it is ready to drink, if you want an alcohol content in it, so you have to be patient and start to save your empties. I do not recommend the screw top wine bottles as they do leak when put on a wine rack but its trial and error. We get all our needs such as yeast, camden tablets, sterilising powders from the UK and you can order them online if you have no one to bring them, but demijohns are a no no as they are glass. Daughter gets them from Wilkinsons for about £6 each. For dark wines we use newspaper to keep the light out whilst they are fermenting and racking for a further 4 or 5 months as the colour will fade otherwise.
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Post by Ali on May 14, 2011 12:16:17 GMT 1
Would the dishwasher sterilise them enough? If not what would be the best way to sterilise all the tackle?
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Post by Donkey0aty on May 14, 2011 16:02:36 GMT 1
Not sure the dishwasher gets up to 100*C,then again,ya could add sterilising solution instead tabs?
Milton,in the baby aisle? I might have a tub of proper stuff you can have,I haven't used it on account of being a bleach-freak!.... Donk
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Post by Ali on May 14, 2011 17:02:31 GMT 1
Ahahahaa!! Never thought of baby steriliser stuff ! Good point Fanku Thank you hellfire for your tips! The no to screw tops is an interesting one, guess thats coz the seal has already been broken? Looked inside our 'personal botle bank' today and there's quite a few cheapo fizzy wine bottles in there MT, think they may be the best ones to use? Next question............... My neighbour bottles his cider and uses caps with a capping machiny thingy, would caps work on H-M wine?? Or do they have to be corked?
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