Beer brewer looking for advice

[kev]

I've brewed beer for donkeys and have 70 All Grain batches under my belt. I'm quite confident of my abilities at beer but have NEVER made wine.

I'd like to ask the forum for advice on what to buy. I'm pretty sure I have all the equipment needed but the kits seem to vary massively.

I like a nice Rioja wine so if you can recommend something along those lines I'd appreciate it. Also, I like the idea of a 100% juice kit but I'm not sure of the pros/cons of the different types of kit.

Any helps appreciated

K

 

[CaptainMallard]

I've never made wine either, but I'm up for making a variant of Wurzels Orange Wine. There is a really good post on it by Moley here and a list of variants by Chippy_Tea here, which includes some videos. Basically, you need 2 FVs so you can transfer them from one to the other to remove the sediment. I might use 2 brew buckets, then transfer it to glass demijohns for maturation, which will prevent oxidisation. I've seen FV's badged as "wine fermenters" but don't see how they differ from a brew bucket other than being much more sturdy (handy for lugging around), and having a small screw on cap, usually with a hole bored in it.

Re: 100% juice kits - I think it's the same as for beer kits. If you use juice to provide the sugar, then you've got more good stuff than if you use less juice and bulk it out with sugar.

 

[mwestin]

I am fairly new to winemaking - and only really played around with hedgerow stuff or what i can get from the garden. However i have had some inspiration from the superb wow thread on here and now have 3 on the go to see what i prefer. Very original tastings - not sure 2 cartons of juice are any good for me, i think i like a richer wine so will probably do 3. (the one with 2x tescos rgj+raspberry and 1x apple and raspberry so far has the most promise but they are still bubbling after a month - we have a cold house)

Worth a couple of fivers i reckon as an experiment! I don't expect you could get a deep red though, but going after whites and roses.

 

[Pearlfisher]

I suggest starting with a 6 bottle CALIFORNIA CONNOISSEUR RIOJA TINTO kit (7.5L grape juice), although the 30 bottle kits are much more economical.
Selection International Spanish Roja Tinto Wine Kit (15L grape juice) will make a much more full bodied wine but is considerably more expensive.

 

[narmour]

With red kits, the more you spend, the better the wine will be. Beaverdale and California Connoiseur kits are good for a passable table red. But the Kenridge kits are immense. Usually they cost around £70-80 for a 30 bottle kit but this is a worthwhile investment.

 

[Paul Narramore]

I used to make quite a bit of wine but never ever made anything remotely as good as the cheapest table wine so I stopped. If only I could find a kit which matched up to a decent Rioja or Shiraz.