Hi -Help - just got a load of Grape juice and I am NEW !!!!

[Maurice]

Hi I am new here and totally new to brewing..
I live in Kettering Northants and last year moved into a bungalow which had a grape vine..

This year -- last week -- we picked 40 Kg of grapes -- black about the size of a large pea, and very sweet.

Now what do I do with them -- you lot will know but me :?
So I have been out and bought a book -- also some tools - big fermentation plastic bucket -- Hygrometer --thermometer air locks -- and several chemicals --
All after reading a book !!

I have just sat down and "plucked" all the green stems from the grapes and now I have about 30l of grapes and juice.

What is my next step..

I have been trying to get hold of some demijohns?? but cant get them from Wilkinson's until at least next Wednesday.. how many will I need ??
do I need more kit..

What is my next move..

Maurice

 

[stevander74]

welcome to the forum maurice. :
im an ale brewing newbie so cant help with the wine making questions but theres loads of great information on this site and a very friendly and helpful bunch of guys so im sure youll get all the help you need.
good luck with the wine :

 

[Tony]

Hi
I made a gallon of red last year from local grapes - and I'm doing another later today!
These are the notes I used for making mine:
Firstly, make sure the grapes are ripe to ensure a high natural sugar content. Rinse the grapes in a campden tablet solution (2 campden tablets to one pint of water) this will sterilise the must.

For red grape wine, crush the grapes and leave in a covered bin, this will ensure a good depth of colour. (For every one gallon of juice pressed, this will make approximately one gallon of wine.) If using a hydrometer test the juice to determine how much extra sugar has to be added if any. A good starting specific gravity for a white wine is 1.080 and for red 1.095. Do not worry if your reading is much lower, this will be corrected by adding white sugar.

Depending on the variety of grape and the weather, the natural sugar content of your juice will vary from year to year. At a guess if you do not use a hydrometer but it is strongly advised you do, the addition of approximately 670 grams of sugar to each gallon of red juice is required.
Once in the covered bin, add a good quality yeast and leave in a warm place (75of). After 7 days, strain the red juice off the skins/pulp and put the juice into an enclosed vessel under bung and airlock.

Depending on temperatures your wine should finish fermenting within approximately 4/6 weeks. Rack off any sediment, the wine is finished fermenting when the hydrometer reads in between 1.000 to 0.996. Add one campden tablets to each gallon of wine. (This is in all commercial wines and preserves and reduces oxidation. Make sure the finished wine is kept in an enclosed container which is topped up to the neck preventing the wine spoiling.

Maturing time varies, red wines usually about 12 months.

Hope this helps - but Moley is the man to ask ...!

 

[Moley]

Hope this helps - but Moley is the man to ask ...!

Negative, Moley knows SFA about making wine from grapes, but there are others who should be able to advise.

 

[Maurice]

Thank you -- spent yesterday removing all the stems and left the grapes in a covered container. Now looking this morning they look like a load of pulp..

no chance of "washing".
do I strain this into the large white 25 Lt bucket?

or what do I put in? at this stage..

Smells very nice and strong..

Haven't got any demijohns as yet as the shop will not have them till at least Tuesday

Do you strain the stuff through muslin? if so when -- before it goes in the bucket or before it goes into the demijohns?

Going out now to try and find a shop that sells litmus paper -- as I have just read that I need it.. :hmm:

As you can see I am VERY new -- but I am trying !!!

thanks for the advice

Maurice

 

[Tony]

Moley knows SFA

Hey .. how about a THBF tee shirt... my vote for a snappy slogan is this! Sorry, Moley, couldn't resist!

With Red wine, the colour comes from the skins, so leave the whole lot in a FV with the yeast for 3 or 4 days fermenting - so add your yeast now. I've never used litmus paper with wine!
I have a big fine mesh grain bag that I'll strain mine through, but I would imagine that muslin is fine. You strain everything through into your DJs.

I've just collected 16kg of red grapes and have just this minute finished treading them, great feeling! I'm about to add the yeast and let it sit for 3 or 4 days.

 

[Maurice]

Thanks Guys...

OK so what I have done -- very messy !!

Strained all of the grapes and mush through a fine sieve.. got all the seeds out .

Then used a muslin cloth and strained the resulting liquor into the fermentation bucket -- now got 2.3 gals --Very dark red
Checked the Hg and it was 1.03 so added sugar stirring all the time - 2.2 kg
-- now the Sg is 1.08.
Crushed up 4 campden tablets and stirred them in ..

Wowo it tastes great !!

Now put a bit of cling film over the top of the bucket and then the lid - making sure it was clipped all round..

what is next??
and when?
Maurice

 

[Tony]

Hi Maurice
have you added yeast yet?

 

[Maurice]

No -- I was told to wait 24 -48 hours then add it?? Monday- Tuesday ??

 

[Tony]

I added mine 2 hours after adding the campden - first day!

 

[Tony]

Thought you might like to see this... just bottled this from last September's batch of grapes. Plan to leave it in the bottle for a year now (if I can!). Still tastes a long way from being ready.
This year I've made 4 gal and used a fruit press to get all the juice from the grapes.

 

[screamlead]

Out here in Turkey the locals dont have access to fancy chemicals and stuff.
For all wines they just pick off the vines - crush/trample in big plastic bowls then chuck the juice into big plastic screw top FV's. The red they leave with the pulp for 5 days then strain through muslin to FV.
They dont even use yeast either. Just the natural stuff off the grapes. Some rinse in plain water to get rid of bugs first - others dont even bother!

 

[Tony]

Tried doing that, wanted to do the 'original' thing .. ended up with a real nasty and undrinkable brew. Now I use fancy chemicals

 

[evanvine]

The problem with trying to grow grapes in UK is that it just isn’t warm and sunny enough for long enough!
The grapes will grow, but will not mature properly.
You finish up with decreased sugar, which can be replaced, and enhanced acid content, which is difficult to remove.
All of the Tartaric acid may be removed by precipitated chalk, it’s when you begin to remove the Malic acid that Calcium salts are formed giving undesirable flavours.
You really need your Must to be around 5.0 – 5.5 ppt Sulphuric, but this needs basic lab equipment to measure it.
Good White and Rose can be produced, but Red is very iffy.

 

[Maurice]

You may wonder why I haven't continued this thread !!!!

Well I put the bucket of juice all going nicely into our small hallway
-- standing next to the radiator under the window
-- the other night my wife went - in the dark to draw the curtains
-- and YES she fell over the bucket
-- all over the floor and the carpet..

There was I ripping up the carpet throwing things out of the door whilst nearly crying
-- was I angry -- Well what do you think.... :hmm:

She came out of hospital last week !!!! :party:

What a disappointment.. for all that - I DID taste it from the floor -- it was great !!

Now I have all the toys -- and nothing to play at..!!!

So -- I have ordered a box of grape juice - RED - of the web
-- should make 32 bots
-- hopefully and will start over with the juice..

Determined to complete and do something !!
Are there any things I should do
-- apart from banning the wife from anywhere near the area.

Is it just the same??

Help please

Maurice

 

[tonyhibbett]

Usually such quantities of juice are part of a kit, including instructions, yeast etc. Don't bother with 30 bottles. Buy a polypin. It's like a wine box but re-usable and holds 20 litres. That way, you'll only need 1 bottle.
By the way, you don't need a radiator. Room temperature is fine so you can put it somewhere safer!

 

[Tony]

Your wife was in hospital?????

 

[Maurice]

Your wife was in hospital?????

Only joking -- of course -- she is fit and well and at aerobics at the moment.

Now -- down to how to get my self started again !! with the commercial wine juice..?

Maurice