With just about anything, it’s the little details that end up making the biggest difference. So it is with your home wine making kits, where just the slightest alterations to the process can produce a significantly different tasting drink, as well as a vastly more or less potent concoction, perfect for those times where you’re simply looking to relax and enjoy a fine drink, and those other times where you want to get rip roaring smashed as soon as possible (or at least somewhat drunk).
Kicking it Up a Notch
For the process for strengthening your wines is rather simple. Believe it or not, sugar is the main source of the alcoholic content in your future wine, so the general rule of thumb is that adding more sugar will create a more potent wine. As a general guideline, a pound of sugar per gallon of wine amounts to approximately a 5% alcoholic content rate, though this is also slightly affected by other factors such as storage methods.
Rather than using all of the desired sugar at once as per usual home wine making standards, the sugar should be added in stages, as soon as the previous stage of sugar has completed fermentation. This can be judged by monitoring your wine’s bubble production. Of course you can’t simply toss in all of this additional sugar without making further adjustments. Too much sugar will make the wine too sickly sweet to consume, so there are two additional steps you should take.
Firstly, you should add a comparable percentage of yeast to the original recipe as you are sugar. For example, if you’ll be adding twice as much sugar, you should also add twice as much yeast. The yeast is a necessary ingredient in the fermentation process. Likewise, you should add a touch of tartaric acid into your brew to take some of the sweetness out of your sugary (and soon to be highly alcoholic) treat. About half an ounce of tartaric acid per gallon of wine should be enough to compensate for the additional sugar.
The most important thing is to ensure your brew ferments and ages properly, as slight adjustments to its taste can always be made afterwards. Another way to raise the alcoholic content in your wine is to add a little bit of brandy too it after the aging process has been completed. This is common in commercial production of port wine.
Cutting it Down to Size
Likewise, in the event you would like to lessen the alcoholic content in your wine, try dropping the amount of sugar and yeast as stated in the original recipe. As with stronger wines you may need to compensate slightly in other areas afterward to adjust the taste to an ideal level.
If you’ve found the ideal wine for making at home, but aren’t quite satisfied with its alcoholic content one way or the other, don’t despair. With some fine adjustments and an adventurous spirit, any home wine can be moulded into the perfect accompaniment for just about any situation.
If you’re enough of a wine lover that you’ve begun to look into making your own wines from home, chances are you already know a thing or two about storage. Home wine making comes with some additional wrinkles though, namely the manner in which you’ll store and preserve your wine. You have two real choices, which we’ll explain below, as well as one choice which should generally be avoided at all costs.
The Mother of All Wine Storage Devices
When people think of a keg or barrel, beer is the first thing that typically pops into mind. While this picture is an accurate one for the most part, kegs have also become extremely popular in wine making circles of late. They afford wine makers a simple and highly effective means to store large quantities of wine, and do so quite well.
Of course if you’re going to go this route in your wine making, there are a few things you should be aware of. Naturally, you should be sure that the wine you’ll be making is one you’ll enjoy, so experimenting with smaller batches of home brewed wine beforehand would be ideal. Secondly, you’ll want to be sure to properly sterilize and clean the barrel before use, as you’d hate to have a large keg of wine go bad on you. Any wine making supply store which sells barrels should also have all the necessary cleaning supplies, and instructions to help you on your way.
Bottling Your Wine the Right Way
If the cask is just a touch overboard in your case, your next best bet is to bottle them using glass bottles. This is also gives you the opportunity to label them and give them a professional look if you desire. Many wine makers love creating their own labels and branding their creations, and this is the perfect way to do so. Of course these glass bottles are not easy to come by, so you’ll probably need to purchase them through a wine making supplier. You’ll also need to purchase some snug fitting corks to go with your bottles to ensure your wine is kept airtight until the grand opening and tasting.
Bottling Your Wine the Wrong Way
One method of bottling wine that should be avoided is doing so with plastic bottles. These are a popular alternative to glass bottles, as plastic bottles such as 2L soda bottles are easy to come by. While using plastic bottles is more acceptable for homemade beer making, it should be avoided in the case of homemade wine making.
Plastic bottles have a much greater chance of tainting the wine, and could even explode while fermenting. Depending on the bottle, it could even be eaten away by the acidic content in your wine over the course of aging it, though this is the least likely scenario.
Storing your wine would seem to be the simplest task involved in the home wine making process, but as you can see, there are plenty of little subtleties that can catch the unaware by surprise. Individual wines may come with their own set of ideal storage methods as well, so study your craft well and reap the tasty rewards of your home wine making kits.
After a heck of a lot of efforts in making your wine or beer, now comes the problem of storage. A barrel might be an option. But that could cost several hundred dollars. What if you just want something cheap & simple? 5 Gallon Glass Carboy is your solution. It’s relatively easy to pour & move around. In fact you can even use it for fermentation & aging. And of course, you can use it for other alcohol such as beer. Cleaning is easy. Just rinse with soap & water, and let air dry.
And for the entrepreneurs & wine bottlers out there, slap a label on this 5 gallon carboy, and you might even sell your wine wholesale. When storing, obviously remember not to expose your wine to sunlight. The shipping weight is about 15 pounds. This makes a great present to the home wine makers in your life.
Amazon is have one at a great price!
There is no better place to taste wine than in a cave. Especially if happens to be a hot day. Then, you can drive to any major winery in Napa Valley, and descend into a wine tasting cave that has either been drilled into a hill or has been built underground.
Each of these caves has an ambience of its own, and transports you into another world. The lighting is soft, and in front of you are some of the best wines waiting to be tasted. Each glass is quarter full, and it is for you to take your pick.
Before that, you are given a crash course as to how to go about your job. You are first asked to take a quick and light sniff. Next, you are asked to twirl the glass gently to let the bubbles rise, and oxygen to flow in. Once this happens, you are told to take a long and deep sniff.
You are now ready to share your first experiences with the bartender. What is it that you felt, and smelt before, and after the twirl? The bartender is all smiles, and encouragement. You are now asked to take a healthy swig, and roll it on your tongue, allowing air to mingle with the wine.
This is a big test, and separates the beginner from the regular. You have the option to spit out the wine or to swallow it. Most beginners prefer to swallow it. Those who want to spit out the golden liquid are cautioned to be careful. They should not let the wine dribble down the chin. It should be one, clean swift act. Only then you would taste wine like a professional.
You can taste as many wines as you want. But you should give your taste buds and olfactory lobes a chance to recover before tasting a new wine. You should also rinse your mouth with cold water to wash away all traces of the sample.
We tried three wines, and found each heavenly. My favorite was a Pinot Noir preparation. It was nice and cool, and flowed smoothly down my throat. I was told that Pinot Noir is a delicate grape and needs special handling. Any rush or hurry in selection of grapes or fermentation may deprive the wine of its flavor. As a special precaution, special barrels made by small cooperages in the Burgundy region of France are used for aging.
I also liked the garnet-colored Syrah. It was dry and earthy, and almost tasted like dark blackberries, maybe with a tinge of cedar and chocolate. I struggled as I tried to define the flavor. But the experience was made memorable as the bartender rescued me with a wonderful description of how the wine had been made.
This is what I liked most about the experience. It was almost like an education, of being a part of a magical tale. I realized for the first time the effort that goes into making each bottle of wine.
So, next time you are in wine country do make it a point to taste wine in a cave. It will be an experience to savor.
Progress is often visible in every industry. However, certain things do not seem to change. Often, this is because they do not have to. For example, when it comes to home wine making, what is there to change? The common equipment used for home wine making has remained the same for centuries. The “old’ equipment works just fine. Well, it works fine if you are patient. If you want “instant” home made wine, however, you were out of luck. Well, all that has changed. The change comes in the form of an automatic, instant wine maker called the WinePod.
For some, this is a heresy. The WinePod often appears like a device imagined by Ron Popeil of Pocket Fisherman fame. However, the Pocket Fisherman sold millions of items to casual fishermen. The WinePod targets a somewhat similar audience. Yes, some folks would like to make their wine at home. They just are not “all that” into it.
The WinePod is a metal, electronic device that makes wine quickly and easily. All you need is $2,000 and a lot of grapes and you are in business. And, yes, the taste of the wine it produces is not all that bad. Of course, the WinePod is not a device that is beneficial to winemaking hobbyists. There is no craft involved with the WinePod. However, it does deliver on what it promises and that makes it somewhat worthwhile.
What would winemaking equipment be without all those little accessories? The answer is that you would have a potentially ineffective the winemaking setup! Yes, a lot of those “little things” may seem utterly innocuous at first glance. However, if you try to make your equipment set up work without them you will discover their importance. In some cases, while they may not to be 100% to make wine, they do make the process easier.
Consider the basic “stopper”. It would seem that a stopper is little more than a “wooden nickel”. In a way, it is. It is merely a round plug of wood (or plastic) that reduces the potential for a leak. Now, imagine if you had no stopper in your fermentation container. Even if the liquid did not all leak out at once, the problems would be vast. Even minor, minimal leaks would prove problematic as any percentage of lost wine is a waste if the leak was preventable. Stoppers are important – no matter how minor they may seem.
This can be said of all wine making accessories. There really are no “add-ons” to be found in wine making kits. Mostly everything in the kits is important. If they weren’t, they would not be in there. Yes, this includes other items such as sanitary filters, bottle neck cleaners, and all the other overlooked items. Actually, can you imagine what the wine would taste like without a sanitary filter? It would not be pretty!
That is why it is critical to never assume something is unnecessary when purchasing wine making accessories. Everything has its place and its duties. When you do not have all the parts in their proper place, things fall apart. If you want a great bottle of homemade wine, then your winemaking kit must be complete.
As previously mentioned, all wine making equipment is important. If you are missing one or two pieces of equipment, you can’t properly produce homemade wine. However, there will always be those little pieces of equipment that will be overlooked. This is because we take them for granted. Spigots, for example, are hardly the first thing that comes to mind when shopping for wine making equipment. But, having the proper spigot on a fermentation container or wine barrel provides a number of benefits.
If a spigot is loose it will end up dripping wine out making it go to waste. If a spigot is clogged it will pose a number of health problems. (Fruit debris will rot and excrete toxins into the spigot) That is why a defective spigot needs to be replaced as soon as possible. Thankfully, there are a number of outlets that sell replacement spigots. They also sell a great variety of spigots. So, no matter what type of spigot you need you will surely find it in short order.
This is not to say you should ever neglect taking care of your current spigot. This is not all that complicated although it be a little time consuming. Taking a spigot off a container and cleaning it will work wonders for increasing the life of the spigot. Neglect will obviously have the inverse effect.
Handling a spigot properly is also critically important as well. If you are too abrasive or rough with the spigot you may end up snapping it. This would necessitate the expense of purchasing a new spigot. However, if you do end up breaking the spigot it can be replaced easily. Granted, you will not want to do this if you don’t have to but accidents and oversights do happen. If they do, don’t worry it! Just get a new spigot!
When it comes to winemaking equipment there is very little that will be dubbed unnecessary. Yes, some equipment such as cleaning kits might be overlooked. However, it is doubtful that fermentation containers will ever be ignored. After all, if you are not using a fermentation device when you’re not making wine. You will end up with a several week investment to make stale grape juice! Actually, you won’t even be able to do that. You won’t have anywhere to store the grape juice! In all seriousness, it is important to pick the right fermentation container. However, not all fermentation containers are identical. Some are quite different from the others and this means you need to examine which container would best suit you needs.
Classic glass jugs are a perennial favorite. Glass is very easy to store when not in use and it does not find itself subject to rust or other common ailments. Yes, glass can crack but if you store properly and handle it carefully this shouldn’t be a problem. Also, glass is fairly inexpensive and some swear glass add to the taste of the wine.
Collapsible containers are the cousin to a glass jug. The obvious difference between the two is that these plastic jugs can be “crushed” for easier storage. They are also the cheapest of a fermentation containers. If cost is a major concern, these containers would be a smart purchase.
For durability, however, stainless steel and metal screw lid tanks are the best. These tanks do not damage easily so they will last a long time. Also, if you are looking to make A LOT of wine, stainless steel tanks are the most helpful. In fact, some of these tanks are outright huge and hold up to 25 gallons of wine. Are you running a commercial business? Then a huge tank is what you will need.
Again, you want to select the right fermentation tank for your needs. Thankfully, there are many, many tanks to choose from.
If you are in the mood to create homemade wine, you need wine making equipment. Of course, this means you have to find a seller for such equipment. What does it take these days to find someone who sells wine making accessories? A simple search through Google or Yahoo would provide the answer. Well, not exactly. Skimming the search engines will give you the web address for sellers. It will not, however, provide any insight into what websites are reliable. That is why you must look for those companies that have a reputation for providing top of the line equipment. E.C. Kraus is definitely one such company.
Although E.C. Kraus may be relatively new to online wine making equipment sales, the company has been in business for a long time. In fact, E.C. Kraus debuted on the wine making scene in 1966. The company’s longevity alone should make you feel comfortable purchasing from them. You can’t spend 42 years in any business unless you are top of the line. That is why you can purchase from E.C. Kraus with confidence.
Of course, time of the job must play second fiddle to quality and quantity of inventory. Thankfully, E.C. Kraus delivers on both regards. Whether you are looking for wine presses, fermentation vessels, or filtering systems, you can find them and more at E.C. Kraus. (The company stocks pretty much every accessory under the sun as well) This even includes rare flavoring kits and some less well known kits. The prices are fair so cost should not be a major concern. The equipment the company sells is also top shelf. So, there should be no worries or concerns about the quality of the equipment. Well, you can be concerned but you need not be worried. E.C. Kraus delivers. It is a solid company and you can order with confidence.
Have you looked at any wine making equipment lately? If so, you are probably wishing you had a few extra bucks to spare on your favorite hobby. As much as we would wish otherwise, our favorite hobbies come with expenses.
Well, here is some good news: there is no reason to assume home wine making is out of your budget. There is a multitude of ways to stay within budget while enjoying winemaking. The most common way to do this is to purchase used. Thanks to the internet, online auctions make it possible to acquire discounted used accessories at little cost. However, an important question does arise. Is it wise to purchase used or new equipment?
The answer really depends on the shape of the used equipment. Yes, some may wonder how it is possible to inspect equipment purchased online. Well, you don’t have to. You simply need to examine the ratings on the seller. A highly regarded seller will not sell poor equipment or accessories. So, even if the equipment is old or used, it will still have value. A quality seller will make sure of it. So, if the seller has positive feedback you can purchase used with confidence.
Purchasing used should not come with fear. If all used items were bad purchases, Ebay would not be in business. Actually, no business that deals in used items would be in business. Considering there are so many of them, buying used is not always a bad idea. In fact, it can be a budget saver.
If you still have reservations you may wish to email the seller with any questions you may have. If this does not instill confidence then you may wish to stick with purchasing new. It may cost extra but you need to purchase things in a manner that makes you comfortable.
