my home made wines
My father did a lot of home winemaking, and I'm just starting to get into it. I put an ad on Freecycle and got a lot of free kit that way, which was great.
The first lots were made with kits, which are cheap and easy, and seem quite successful. However, I'm now branching out into making it from scratch, and at the time of writing, have apple, gooseberry and plum on the go. So far, 56 bottles made, 3 drunk.
I write and maintain Nibblous, and I'm putting this wine diary here for now - but now I've decided to build a community site for winemakers. If you'd like to be notified when it's ready, please wander over to Glassofpeapod.com and fill in the box!
Welcome to Chateau Badger!
Completed
Pinot Grigio (id:#4) - white, from kit
bottled 02 Aug 2009
6 bottles, 3 remaining | location: kitchen winerack
Shiraz (id:#64) - red, from kit
bottled 26 Jul 2009
5 bottles
In progress
Barolo (id:#14) - red, from kit
6 bottles | location: kitchen windowsill
08 Aug 2009 - started
15 Sep 2009 (after 38 days) Hydrometer should read 990-994 for 3 days in a row. Add stabiliser, shake container for 3-4 minutes to remove carbon dioxide.
Repeat 3 times a day for 3-4 days - helps to clear the wine..
Add finings (Kieselsol) shake for 10 seconds, leave for 24 hours.
Wine should be clear within 7 days.
Siphon off and bottle/decant into clean demijohn.,
Gooseberry (id:#24) - white, from scratch
6 bottles | location: hall
18 Jul 2009 - started
22 Aug 2009 (after 35 days) Rack off. After 28 days this is still bubbling quite merrily, so I'm upping the time to 35 days. ,
18 Feb 2010 (after 180 days) Rack off, and leave at least another six months if possible.,
Apple (id:#34) - white, from scratch
6 bottles | location: bedroom shelf
11 Oct 2008 - started
11 Oct 2009 (after 365 days) Check and bottle if ready,
Apple (id:#44) - white, from scratch
3 bottles | location: bedroom shelf
10 Nov 2008 - started
11 Aug 2009 moved to new demijohn because I needed the one it was in!
10 Nov 2009 (after 365 days) Check and bottle if ready,
yellow plum (id:#74) - white, from scratch
12 bottles | location: hall
Made with 9lbs of plums from Mike Karthauser - thanks!
08 Aug 2009 - Cleaned fruit - you're supposed to cut the plums in half and stone them but to be honest there were so many of them I just hurled them into the bucket and squished them by hand. Covered with 8 pints boiling water, and put a lid on.
09 Aug 2009 - add 8 pints cold water, 500 ml white grape juice, 2.5kg sugar, 2 tsp citric acid, 2 tsp pectolase, yeast, nutrient, 2 cups cold black tea
11 Aug 2009 - Leave 24 hours and strain off. Don't squeeze too much or you might release too much pectin, which will cloud the wine.
Divide into two demijohns, add another 1/2 teaspoon of pectolase to each. Fit airlocks, and leave until the wine stops frothing (should be around 48 hours).
12 Aug 2009 - Top up with cold water to the shoulder of the demijohns. (I didn't need to do this as I had enough plum juice from the previous stage).
09 Sep 2009 (after 28 days) When it stops fermenting, syphon off into a clean demijohn and add a campden tablet and a potassium sorbate tablet.
Leave about a month if it doesn't clear, add finings and another campden tablet.
Bottle when clear.,
elderflower (id:#84) - white, from kit
6 bottles | location: bedroom shelf
18 Jul 2009 - started
14 Aug 2009 - check for 1004 or below for 2 consecutive days. Add sachet C into clean cup, add two tablespoons cold water and mix. Add to wine, rinsing cup with a little wine.
add sachet D (finings), agitate well. Agitate several times over the next 24 hours - assists clearing.
Transfer to cool place out of sunlight, leave to clear.
15 Aug 2009 - Leave for 14 days then it can be bottled. It can stay in its demijohn for a few months.
Gooseberry (id:#94) - white, from kit
6 bottles | location: kitchen windowsill
18 Aug 2009 (after 3 days) Top up with tepid water, agitate, refit airlock. I upped this by a day, as it took a long time to get going.,
16 Aug 2009 - Put juice in sterlised demijohn, add 3 pints cold water. Dissolve 1lb sugar in 600ml water. Add sachet marked A & B
15 Sep 2009 (after 30 days) When fermenting stops, add pack C (stabiliser) to a clean cup, dissolve in 2 tablespoons of cold water. Add to wine. Should be 1004. Add finings (pack d) and agitate well at least 6 times over the next 24 hours,
16 Sep 2009 (after 1 day) Should be clear after 10 days. Ready to bottle.,
