wine

[Incatatus]

only be about another month and the grapes will be in the country, italian red, my first year on my own, i normally make it with my dad but he has passed the batan to me this year.

 

[roche]

Our grapes are ripening - another three or four weeks I think...

 

[Incatatus]

lucky you, red or white grapes? wish i had some vines, still love making the wine and the results

 

[biggles]

Loads of grapes here as well and I'm going to have a go at wine for the first time. How much sugar do I need to add?

Ta

Pete

 

[Frisbee]

Loads of grapes here as well and I'm going to have a go at wine for the first time. How much sugar do I need to add?

Ta

Pete

None for grapes

Frisbee

 

[biggles]

Even better. Fed up buying sugar for beer, bees and cider.

Ta
Pete

 

[Incatatus]

for 20 gallons i add 2-3 kilos of sugar, depends how dry it is to start, it also boosts the alcohol content.

 

[jimbeekeeper]

Even better. Fed up buying sugar for beer, bees and cider.

Ta
Pete

Dont add sugar to my cider

correction, I add 2 tea spoons on bottleing per bottle for a fizz.

 

[Incatatus]

a lot depends on the grapes, how strong you want the wine to be, how long you want to ferment it for, how much you make. like beekeeping there is not one way, whatever works for you.good luck

 

[biggles]

Thanks for the advice.

Pete

 

[Tom Bick]

for 20 gallons i add 2-3 kilos of sugar, depends how dry it is to start, it also boosts the alcohol content.

20 gallons O my lord dont need a hand do you say round about bottling time.

 

[roche]

lucky you, red or white grapes? wish i had some vines, still love making the wine and the results

Red grapes, making red wine...

 

[Incatatus]

red wine ahh the essence of life, good luck

 

[hedgerow pete]

I make loads of beer a wine and i find my grapes the easy way , grapefest, this is where the wine forum that i am on , buy a tranist lorry load of grapes from london (imported) and then have a grape wine making weekend, great fun

but can i point out the english grape !!!! eldderberries

 

[roche]

red wine ahh the essence of life, good luck

We've still got some of the 2006 - whats really interesting is putting different years next to each other. We've used the same method every time, but the difference in season has a real impact. 2007 was good, 2008 OK, haven't tried 2009 yet...

 

[wojciech]

Vines

lucky you, red or white grapes? wish i had some vines, still love making the wine and the results

I've planted a Madeleine Sylvaner and a Mueller Thurgau (Riesling) this year around our arbour but next year I'm planting some Red and white vines on a Trellis that I've built. I've been intending to have a go for a while but have been spurred on by a visit to a vineyard at Market Rasen, one of the most northerly in Britain. Thanks to Google, I've found an importer who brings grafted vines over from Germany every spring and will sell at wholesale prices for a minimum of 6 vines so I'm getting 3 of each and some seedless dessert grapes to grow in the polytunnel. He's been very helpful in recommending some of the newest varieties that will grow and ripen oooop north and are disease resistant. I'm looking to do a group order through the local gardening club - if anyone is interested in sharing please pm me.

 

[hedgerow pete]

that would siut my retirement plans , a small vinyard in wales, hedgerow plonk

 

[barratt_sab]

Dont add sugar to my cider

correction, I add 2 tea spoons on bottleing per bottle for a fizz.

What's the view on added yeast?

I don't sterilize, but do add yeast - a compromise designed to avoid the broken heart that would result from losing 40 pints of hard work to the wrong yeast.

What about conditioning and sweet vs dry?

I've always made dry, fizzy - but that's probably because I came to cider via beer kits.

 

[Arfermo]

Loads of grapes here as well and I'm going to have a go at wine for the first time. How much sugar do I need to add?

Ta

Pete

Even with grapes one sometimes needs to add sugar or grape concentrate. The reason for adding sugar to juice from grapes grown in the UK is that sometimes the sugar level in the grapes is not up to a sufficient level to produce a wine that has an alcohol content of 11% by volume, ie the must should reach about 1075 specific gravity on your hydrometer before fermentation is started. Adding grape concentrate to the must depends upon the amount of wine one is brewing. Too much concentrate for the volume in the fermenter and the specific gravity will exceed the ability of the yeast to ferment it. For single gallons it is better to use sugar to bring the must up to about 1075 specific gravity on your hydrometer and then add more as and when the yeast is able to ferment it without making the wine too sweet.

 

[wojciech]

Vines

that would siut my retirement plans , a small vinyard in wales, hedgerow plonk

Heres' a link to the vineyard where you can order vines at wholesale prices :

http://www.winegrowers.info/

I've found the proprietor, Derek Pritchard very helpful with advice about what of his catalogued varieties would work best for you.