Instead of the sugar you could just make a little over 5 gals of wine and that would boost the alcohol and not make the wine watered down. A better way is to put in all juice concentrate and top up with water until the hydrometer reads the correct reading for 12.5% alcohol. If you follow this you will never have watery or weak wine. The only drawback is you will have a little less wine.
Ben also wondering you use 2 gallons of water, what approximately is the amount of juice your using? Can you use a grape juice and what it be the same ration? Looks like 2 gallons water to 2 gallons juice? Thanks!
I'm using a concentrate wine kit grape juice that's made for 6 gallon batches.
If you're using welches or anything like that I think it's 2 or 3 cans per gallon. I'm not sure though because I've never made it that way. However, just use your hydrometer to measure the sugar content and get it to where you want it for alcohol content and go from there.
@fark337 well.....maybe, of course pretty much all you can get in canned is concord, and it's cheaper....and I only have three gallon carboys so that's what I have stuck with as far as grape juice goes. If you ever in TN give me a holler and you can test the quality.
Hi porkchopz.. I made wine from pure juice the first 4 years I made wine. It's plentiful here in the Niagara area. All of my attempts failed except one. I then tried a wine kit. I am now on my 100th kit and not one failure. Family members request it at family functions, they all love it. One good thing is you and I both like making wine and that's the good thing. Don't give up on wine kits, give it another try, you'll be surprised.
Wine kits are terrible and more complicated than making real wine. Wine is not made properly by adding water and chemicals. The only thing you need is the wine grapes crushed and yeast added, let ferment, then rack off yeast, then rack into bottles. I know not everyone has grape's available for wine, but you can get high quaility wine juice from places like california ordered in that has no water added or chemicals. That is what wine kits are just the wine juice but water added = garbage
You can get wine juice from California. But it's seasonal. For those who don't or can't get the seasonal wine juice, the kits are their next best option.
A few things I noticed. When you sterilised the funnel you let the solution drip into the container and didn't rinse. That could prevent the yeast from working properly. Secondly, all wine kits will make wine that is 11-12% alcohol. If it doesn't then it's not wine. You shouldn't need to add sugar to bring it up to this alcohol level. I have been making wine from kits for 12 years and they are consistently at 11-12%.
The sanitized used is a No Rinse sanitizer and it actually breaks down in the must and aids as a yeast nutrient for the yeast.
Also, the kit made in the video is a wine "beverage", it has juice as a base, but it's not as high in alcohol.
The wine kits you are probably making aren't the wine based kits, there are plenty of other wine kits that do come in at 11-12%, but not the Island mist or Orchard Breezin' kits.
You can use almost any kind of fruit. Bakers yeast will work but I don't know the alcohol tolerance of it. I highly recommend wine yeast if you can get your hands on some.
Wow, do pro winemakers really add clay, corn sugar and chemicals like this, or is that just a necessity of these small kits? I thought wine could be made just by fermenting the crushed grapes, no?
I bet many of them do use all of the above. They most certainly use chemicals a.k.a. Sulphite in their wines; that's FDA required. And I know many of the east coast wineries have to add sugar to their wines because the grapes don't yield enough sugars for a 12% wine. Crazy, but true.
If you order a wine kit then it comes with all the additives and clarifiers you need to make that style of wine. If you need equipment I sell beginner equipment kits too that give you everything to start making wine.
Reminded me of Bill Murray!
jamesbondaygee 2 weeks ago
@Adol666
Yes you do you nonce
405OklahomaBrewing 2 months ago
Good video, but starsand you have to rinse, one step and easy clean you dont need to rinse
405OklahomaBrewing 7 months ago
@405OklahomaBrewing Wrong. You dont have to rinse star san. its a no rinse sanitizer. In fact that defeats the purpose of using a no rinse Sanitizer
Adol666 2 months ago
wont the sanitaser kill the yeast? :/
bratmassakern 1 year ago
@bratmassakern
No, the sanitizer will be diluted so much that it won't be effective.
benshomebrew 1 year ago
Instead of the sugar you could just make a little over 5 gals of wine and that would boost the alcohol and not make the wine watered down. A better way is to put in all juice concentrate and top up with water until the hydrometer reads the correct reading for 12.5% alcohol. If you follow this you will never have watery or weak wine. The only drawback is you will have a little less wine.
anthony0803 1 year ago
yeah, corn sugar...boast that alcohol!!!
WineMakingToday 1 year ago
Ben also wondering you use 2 gallons of water, what approximately is the amount of juice your using? Can you use a grape juice and what it be the same ration? Looks like 2 gallons water to 2 gallons juice? Thanks!
gregga17 2 years ago
Gregga,
I'm using a concentrate wine kit grape juice that's made for 6 gallon batches.
If you're using welches or anything like that I think it's 2 or 3 cans per gallon. I'm not sure though because I've never made it that way. However, just use your hydrometer to measure the sugar content and get it to where you want it for alcohol content and go from there.
benshomebrew 2 years ago
What is the 1st package you add to the warm water in the beginning? Thanks, Good Video!
gregga17 2 years ago
Gregga,
It's bentonite. It comes in the wine making kits and I don't think it's necessary for all wine making, just for the wine kits.
benshomebrew 2 years ago
get grape juice frozen concentrate from kroger..approx 4 of them to a gallon jug then top off with water and yeast, it's the exact same thing.
palehorse5 2 years ago
@palehorse5 the juice in the kits are probly alot higher quality for making wine than canned juices
fark337 1 year ago
@fark337 well.....maybe, of course pretty much all you can get in canned is concord, and it's cheaper....and I only have three gallon carboys so that's what I have stuck with as far as grape juice goes. If you ever in TN give me a holler and you can test the quality.
palehorse5 1 year ago
Hi porkchopz.. I made wine from pure juice the first 4 years I made wine. It's plentiful here in the Niagara area. All of my attempts failed except one. I then tried a wine kit. I am now on my 100th kit and not one failure. Family members request it at family functions, they all love it. One good thing is you and I both like making wine and that's the good thing. Don't give up on wine kits, give it another try, you'll be surprised.
chrisnotap 2 years ago
Wine kits are terrible and more complicated than making real wine. Wine is not made properly by adding water and chemicals. The only thing you need is the wine grapes crushed and yeast added, let ferment, then rack off yeast, then rack into bottles. I know not everyone has grape's available for wine, but you can get high quaility wine juice from places like california ordered in that has no water added or chemicals. That is what wine kits are just the wine juice but water added = garbage
porkchoperz 2 years ago
You can get wine juice from California. But it's seasonal. For those who don't or can't get the seasonal wine juice, the kits are their next best option.
benshomebrew 2 years ago
A few things I noticed. When you sterilised the funnel you let the solution drip into the container and didn't rinse. That could prevent the yeast from working properly. Secondly, all wine kits will make wine that is 11-12% alcohol. If it doesn't then it's not wine. You shouldn't need to add sugar to bring it up to this alcohol level. I have been making wine from kits for 12 years and they are consistently at 11-12%.
chrisnotap 2 years ago
The sanitized used is a No Rinse sanitizer and it actually breaks down in the must and aids as a yeast nutrient for the yeast.
Also, the kit made in the video is a wine "beverage", it has juice as a base, but it's not as high in alcohol.
The wine kits you are probably making aren't the wine based kits, there are plenty of other wine kits that do come in at 11-12%, but not the Island mist or Orchard Breezin' kits.
benshomebrew 2 years ago
hey wat type of fruit can u use and i can only buy bakers yeast is that bad thanks for posting 5 stars
bowmasterpigo13 2 years ago
You can use almost any kind of fruit. Bakers yeast will work but I don't know the alcohol tolerance of it. I highly recommend wine yeast if you can get your hands on some.
benshomebrew 2 years ago
Wow, do pro winemakers really add clay, corn sugar and chemicals like this, or is that just a necessity of these small kits? I thought wine could be made just by fermenting the crushed grapes, no?
BazBuzinkum 3 years ago
I bet many of them do use all of the above. They most certainly use chemicals a.k.a. Sulphite in their wines; that's FDA required. And I know many of the east coast wineries have to add sugar to their wines because the grapes don't yield enough sugars for a 12% wine. Crazy, but true.
benshomebrew 3 years ago
thats not sugar.. its coke..
thehyper 3 years ago
yes please I am interested to pay this equipment kits
wildcamal 3 years ago
I'm sorry, I don't do international shipments.
benshomebrew 3 years ago
can i order the juce with all the things to make wine?
wildcamal 3 years ago
If you order a wine kit then it comes with all the additives and clarifiers you need to make that style of wine. If you need equipment I sell beginner equipment kits too that give you everything to start making wine.
benshomebrew 3 years ago
Where did you buy that home brew system and how much did it cost.
KhiaITrinaIfanI101 3 years ago
how long do the bottles need to age after bottling before they can should be drank?
unfun72 3 years ago
If you like how it tastes then drink it. That's what I say. General rule is for whites 3-6 months. For reds 6 months - 2 years or more.
benshomebrew 3 years ago
Great video......I need to start making my own homemade wine. What does it cost to make per bottle?
blankskate 3 years ago
The average cost per bottle is between $2-$3!
Thanks!
benshomebrew 3 years ago