Making wine at home, advice please

I'd recommend "from vines to wines" by Cox as a book. Also, on-line at
www.morebeer.com (and probably other sites - that's the one I use),
they have a beginner's kit pre-packed, and it seems well designed for
the job of getting you started. I did my buying piecmeal over time,
because I started by helping a friend who had most of his stuff (handed
down from his dad), so I got to judge what I thought was most useful,
and what I thought I could do without, and you'll find over time that
your interests and the time you're taking to do the job will lead you
to all sorts of purchases later on. You'll also find that any of the
big equipment you might need (crusher, press, corker) can be rented, at
least until you're doing so much it's cheaper to buy them. :-)

I've never done a true full kit, so I don't know the price of that, but
I've bought fresh wine juice for about $100/6 gallons, and 100 pounds
of grapes (which I've found can get you about 6 gallons of wine) for
anywhere between 40 cents to $1.15/pound, depending on the type of wine
grape and where you're getting it from. If you become really good
friends with a wine grower, you might be able to raid their vineyard.

Hope that helps

Rob

"Lewis Lang" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi. I would like to get started making wine at home. How much
realistically will I need to spend $$$, and what exactly will I really
need to get started? Are any of those kits worth looking at, or are
those scams? Please also suggest a good book or 2.

Thanks.

--

Lewis Lang

Well You have come to the right place. ;o)

Yes, there are some good kits out there. But kits might not be what you
think they are. There are hardware kits that include the hardware you need
and then there are wine kits which assume you have the hardware you need and
include all the expendables needed to make a batch of wine.

First the hardware. The kits are pretty good and pretty complete. For the
most part, they do not try to take advantage of you. Get a kit that
includes a 6 or 6.5 gal carboy. It will probably run $85 or so and will
include most of what you need. Of course, as with any hobby, your needs
will grow if you really get into it. If you get serious one of the first
things you throw away will be the corker. You will want a good floor unit.
But what they sell you is serviceable.

Then, as I said, there is the wine kit, which includes all the ingredients
to make a particular type of wine. Oh sure, you can get your own fruit and
do it from scratch and you may go that way eventually but the wine kits of
today are really quite good. But you get what you pay for. Buy a cheap one
and you will may a poor wine. There really is a good correlation between
price and quality here. The kits are also an excellent way to get started
as they give you everything you need and very complete fool proof
instructions. Start with a good kit and you are almost guaranteed to make a
good wine your first try. I recommend you start with a good white wine kit
the first try. Some of them are ready to drink in 2 or 3 months so you have
quick feed back on your new hobby and can decide if you want to continue.
Try a Gewürztraminer in the $75 to $85 range. I bet you will love it a 2 or
3 months.

Books: What type of wine are you interested in? Any ideas yet? Are you
leaning toward making classic grape wines or country fruit wines? As a
starter I always recommend C.J.J. Berry "First Steps in Wine Making" It is
a bit dated but it is also a classic and should be in every winemakers
library. Others may point you to other good starter books.

Ray

What is this post doing in a photography group? Please do not respond to
these Trolls.

"Ray Calvert" wrote in message
. com...

"Lewis Lang" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi. I would like to get started making wine at home. How much
realistically will I need to spend $$$, and what exactly will I really
need to get started? Are any of those kits worth looking at, or are
those scams? Please also suggest a good book or 2.

Thanks.

--

Lewis Lang

Well You have come to the right place. ;o)

Yes, there are some good kits out there. But kits might not be what you
think they are. There are hardware kits that include the hardware you
need and then there are wine kits which assume you have the hardware you
need and include all the expendables needed to make a batch of wine.

First the hardware. The kits are pretty good and pretty complete. For
the most part, they do not try to take advantage of you. Get a kit that
includes a 6 or 6.5 gal carboy. It will probably run $85 or so and will
include most of what you need. Of course, as with any hobby, your needs
will grow if you really get into it. If you get serious one of the first
things you throw away will be the corker. You will want a good floor
unit. But what they sell you is serviceable.

Then, as I said, there is the wine kit, which includes all the ingredients
to make a particular type of wine. Oh sure, you can get your own fruit
and do it from scratch and you may go that way eventually but the wine
kits of today are really quite good. But you get what you pay for. Buy a
cheap one and you will may a poor wine. There really is a good
correlation between price and quality here. The kits are also an
excellent way to get started as they give you everything you need and very
complete fool proof instructions. Start with a good kit and you are
almost guaranteed to make a good wine your first try. I recommend you
start with a good white wine kit the first try. Some of them are ready to
drink in 2 or 3 months so you have quick feed back on your new hobby and
can decide if you want to continue. Try a Gewürztraminer in the $75 to $85
range. I bet you will love it a 2 or 3 months.

Books: What type of wine are you interested in? Any ideas yet? Are you
leaning toward making classic grape wines or country fruit wines? As a
starter I always recommend C.J.J. Berry "First Steps in Wine Making" It
is a bit dated but it is also a classic and should be in every winemakers
library. Others may point you to other good starter books.

Ray