wine making questions

Hi, I am completely novice at making wine at home, and have just attempted my first wine following the directions in a wine making book.

the yeast is added and nothing seems to be happening,
how long does it usually take to start fermenting?
whats signs show it is fermenting?
and if it it doesnt start fermenting how do I get it to?
how long should I leave it before doing something.?

if anyone has any good advice id be most greatful, my dad doesn't think ill suceed, it would be nice to serve him a glass of something good one day that I actually made..

Hephziba

Hi Hephziba

Did you sieve it after adding the yeast and before adding the water? Did you lock it airtight? It should take up until 6 weeks approximately after that to have completed fermenting....

yey, Ive just started another batch of wine, after the last decided not to ferment. tea wine two gallons fermenting nicely and smelling surprisingly good. hope it turns out well.. we shall see !!!

Heph

That's good news Good luck on this batch

Is there anything different you done from last time, now it is fermenting?

well this time I bought some brand new wine yeast, and mixed it with warm water and left it for a while till it activated before adding it to the must. and ive got a really clear how to make wine book which has step by step guides.

my next plan is to make mead(honey wine) assuming this batch turns out well that is, but I shall not give up.

Heph

That's the way to do it - never give up But I'm sure this will turn out just fine being that the most difficult part -the fermenting- has succeeded.

Honey-wine?

its apparently a medievil drink one of the earliest known wines in britain or so I read... I have tasted it in the past and it was really rich, you dont have to add sugar of course.

It sounds good... I'm getting curious now The blend of grapes and honey mixed somehow makes sense

Do you know where I could get a list of the visible signs of fermentation, Ive been searching the internet, but not much luck so far. my wine is bubbling a bit, and smells rich and seems to fizz a bit. but Id love a comprehensive list.

ps honey wine, has no grapes, honey is the main must. ill let you know anyway... when I get round to making it .

Heph

I heard it must be bubbling? If you want to see a picture of it?

This honeywine sounds more and more intriguing to me

maybe i could send you a bottle, wont be for a year or so though ..

yeah the pic of fermenting wine is pretty much what my wine is doing..

Then you're probably doing the right thing

OK, please remember: your first honeywine customer is me

horray, last night I transfered the wine, strained it, then poured it into demijohns, fitted the air locks, and sat and waited, now we have two gallons of nicely bubbling wine, monday I shall purchase the stuff for my honey wine(mead) and start the next gallon of wine.. this is so much fun.....

Heph

{Feel-good-000200BB}

Wow how proud you must be to be able to serve your guests your own home-made wine.

I'm happy for you, Heph !

Looking forward to hearing what's goin' on with the honey-wine

Hi, I started my honey wine last night, and for a while it just would not ferment, I had followed the recipe exactly, but nothing no bubbles, so i added more yeast and yeast nutrient and shes off, slowly but surely. So I now have 3 gallons of wine bubbling in my living room....hmm what wine shall I make next ?????

Does it really go that fast? Doesn't it have to 'rest' for a while first?
Wow... I'm so surprised!

most recipes I have read had me ferment it for a week in a fermentation bucket to get the yeast strong. but this recipe said to poor boiling water over the honey and stir untill disolved cover and leave till luke warm.

add raisins campden tablets, citric acid, tannin. then bottle it in the demijohns with an air lock...

so I did anyway problems are ironed out now and it is bubbling and fermenting at the same speed as my tea wine..

planning on orange and raisin for the next batch. picked up to more demijohns this evening...

so are you a wine maker ??

No, I'm not a whinemaker. My friend is though and very enthusiastic about it as well I gotta tell her about honeywine (or maybe she knows already).

Orange and raisins sounds good as well. How much wine do you plan to make? How long can you keep it for (I mean the 'different' wines like honeywine and orangewine etc.) ?

some recipes for honeywine say to let it mature for up to a year or more. I dont know if I am that patient.

tea wine is apparently a good wine for blending or mixing and is supposed to taste something like sherry, allthough it was my father in law who said that, and he had accidently left it maturing in his attic for 11 years.....


I have plenty of storage space and have managed to get most of the euiptment for free. from freecycle. I am due to collect another demijohn next week which means I will be able to brew about 7 gallons of wine.. should be enough to get me started, and Most of it you cant really drink for six months, so I figure brew now taste later. and God willing Ill get some good tasting wine to give as gifts and Enjoy myself. besides its a fun hobby.......

Heph

11 years????? Hahahaa... LOL.

Why didn't you taste you? I'd be so curious....

Giving your wine is indeed an original gift to give!

well a quick update:

the mead was invaded by wild yeast and tasted undrinkable, I shall try again in the future, tea wine tastes excellent and we have now bottled a first batch of apple and tea wine. we have another gallon of tea wine clearing, and have just started a moselle home wine kit, which is bubbling away at high speed

and we have just bought elder flowers and plan to try making elder flower wine later this week. sun is shining life is good, and I have about 25 demijohns anyone would think I planned on starting my own home brew company, well since I am only using three at the moment has anyone Got any good easy wine recipes???????

Heph so good to hear from you again and your progress

Euhm... an easy wine-recipe? I don't know, but have you ever heard of rhubarb wine?

No but Ill check out some recipes and if I find an easiesh one Ill give it a try.

dont really know what is about but I like it

Heph

For me wine = grapes (till now) - that's why I place the when I hear of yet another ingredient that could form the basis for a wine... Please put up with me. I'm following your updates with great curiosity and interest

Hello again, today I bottled ten bottles of really good tasting wine, if it tastes this good before It matures it will taste amazing.

five bottles of apple and tea wine, five bottles of mosell, and a half gallon demijohn of orange and tea wine, which i shall leave in the demijohn,

x

Oh this sounds so good Pitty pc-screens can't let one taste some.

Will you let us know the results?

Are they for private consumption btw? Or maybe as well as presents for certain occasions....

probably as gifts, now I have to get my self into action and get some more brewing, we have to many empty demijohns hanging around the house, and I am collecting another 8 tonight which means I will have 25 demijohns and 9 airlocks, enough to make nine gallons of wine, now what flavours will I choose.....

9 Gallons?
Wow. I'm impressed.

Can you just chose the flavor of liking? I'd go for strawberry flavour then (abundant here now)

basically yes. clean bottles and equiptement, basically sugar, fruit, or veg, something to enhance acid, eg lemon juice, orange juice, citric acid.

pour boiling water over your fruit of veg, add sugar,

leave in plastic bucket, add yeast and cover, stirring daily for seven to ten days.

the smell will change radically. sterilise a demijohn, air lock & bung.

strain your fruit water mixture through a siv coffee filter or something. into the demijohn add a campden tablet, and airlock.

pour some water into airlock and cover the top with cotton wool. watch your wine bubble for a few weeks, when the bubbles slow to two a minute, its nearly ready..

yes almost anything, strawberry sounds interesting. if you lived near enough id get you set up to make strawberry wine for yourself....

today I am going to make coffee wine, apparently tastes good and is easy. and last night I started my elderflower and raspberry wine should be nice. I am also going to make some more tea wine this week, I miss having a house full of bubbling bottles....

Wow, Hephziba thank you! That doesn't sound very difficult at all (but in practice I bet I'd mess-up anyway). Your offer is very sweet, pitty I'm so far away.

Coffeewine I thoroughly like your ideas and am SOOO curious as to the taste of your wines.

Got hooked on the bubbling bottles hey?