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  • Hi! Newbie needing a bit of advice please....

    Hi everyone, sorry if this is in the wrong forum but it is my first post so be gentle!

    Was rec this site by Srpitzer (Carole) so here I am with a few questions.

    I made Beaverdale wine a few years ago from a kit and it was lovely.

    However, although it was great, money is a bit tight so after reading Bob's step by step guide on No 1 wine I thought I would give it a go.

    I don't have a homebrew shop nearby but do have a Wilkinsons.

    Could someone please telll me which basic items to buy from there (from the link below) as there are quite a few diff types of yeasts etc.

    We're back! The only official wilko site is here. Shop online & choose from 1000's of products across Garden, DIY, Home, Storage, Pet Care, Cleaning, Toys & more.


    Basically the things I still have are a couple of demijohns, loads of bottles, corks, corker, large fermenting barrel (the ones with a large screw cap with hole for the bung), airlock, bungs and hydrometer.

    I have just seen tons of fruit juices on the sainsburys site, can anyone recommend good ones to buy please? I shall be making in small amounts to start with ie 1 gallon demi.



    Hopefully I can go and buy everything I need tomorrow and get started.

    Ta!

  • #2
    Hi and welcome aboard

    I take it you have the physical equipment required......


    then this will be a good starting point.

    We're back! The only official wilko site is here. Shop online & choose from 1000's of products across Garden, DIY, Home, Storage, Pet Care, Cleaning, Toys & more.


    We're back! The only official wilko site is here. Shop online & choose from 1000's of products across Garden, DIY, Home, Storage, Pet Care, Cleaning, Toys & more.


    We're back! The only official wilko site is here. Shop online & choose from 1000's of products across Garden, DIY, Home, Storage, Pet Care, Cleaning, Toys & more.




    As for yeast......well I'm no fan of general purpose yeasts.... however, this will do if they have nothing else

    We're back! The only official wilko site is here. Shop online & choose from 1000's of products across Garden, DIY, Home, Storage, Pet Care, Cleaning, Toys & more.



    (ignore me really I'm a yeast snob....but if you would like a good quality yeast to do a side by side comparison, PM me your address and I'll post you a sachet of the good stuff))
    N.G.W.B.J.
    Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
    Wine, mead and beer maker

    Comment


    • #3
      Welcome to the forum, sb44!

      I wish I could help you with the yeasties, but I am new to the yeasts available too.

      However....

      Young's u Brew Wine Finings A/B 65g
      Young's u Brew Yeast Nutrient 50g
      Young's u Brew Citric Acid 50g
      Young's u Brew Pectolase 17g
      Young's u Brew Wine Corks Straight x 12 (will be good for roughly 2 batches, and get new ones, the old ones might be brittle)
      Young's u Brew Stabilising Powder 30g (if you want to sweeten)
      Young's u Brew Campden Tablets x 100

      And then you're pretty much set, I'd say...



      Welcome to the forum, and woohoo! Join a wine circle!

      Virtual Wine Circle & Competition Co-Founder
      Twitter: VirtualWineO
      Facebook: Virtual Wine Circle

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      • #4
        As to juices to use, well 1 litre white grape juice and 1 litre of apple juice is a great starting wine, (replace the apple with 1 litre of any kind of juice and replace the white grape juice with red if you wish) read the label to see that there are no artificial colours or additives (especially preservatives)


        and off you go.

        the white wine No1 is ready to drink in around 28 to 35 days and makes a lovely little quaffing wine. Dont be tempted to go overboard with sugar additions or using too much juice, this is a balanced light style easy drinking wine. (it can't by definition be any more than that)

        hope this all helps...and again, welcome, feel free to ask as many questions as you like along the way, but follow the wine No1 tutorial along, omitting no detail no matter how slight and you wont go wrong
        regards
        Bob
        Last edited by lockwood1956; 24-03-2008, 06:45 PM.
        N.G.W.B.J.
        Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
        Wine, mead and beer maker

        Comment


        • #5
          Good point on the cork, stabiliser and finings end of it Danina, I didn't look that far ahead

          nutrient good idea too

          DOH!

          I'm tired...long journey today
          N.G.W.B.J.
          Member of 5 Towns Wine and Beer Makers Society (Yorkshire's newest)
          Wine, mead and beer maker

          Comment


          • #6
            Addendum:

            Some things you might want to consider just for the ease of the process:

            spray bottle (will get to that in a bit)
            pill/tablet crusher (available at any drug store)
            funnel (available at any supermarket)
            2-3 marmelade jars
            A racking tube (if you don't have one)

            spray bottle is good to have to make (out of the campden tablets) a sanitising solution. You can use the pill/tablet crusher to mash the tablets into a very fine powder and add water. Then you can spray anything with it, and you're fine. The campden tablets are easy to dose, so that's why I would suggest you use those.

            The funnel is good when you are filling the bottles after the wine has cleared.

            And the marmelade jars (the smaller, the better) are just good to have for storing the powders. You can reach more easily into them with a measuring spoon.

            They are also good for dumping the yeasty-lees rests into and you can actually get a little bit more out of the wine when it settles that way. It takes practice, but it certainly is worth it. I've been amazed at how much more wine I get out of sediment that way.
            Last edited by medpretzel; 24-03-2008, 07:01 PM.
            Virtual Wine Circle & Competition Co-Founder
            Twitter: VirtualWineO
            Facebook: Virtual Wine Circle

            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks everyone for the advice. I shall be following your instructions to the letter Bob, don't want to get it wrong!



              Danina, by 'yeasty-lees rests', do you mean the sediment that is left at the bottom of the demi once you have racked it? (think that is the term).

              If so, do you mean you just pour all of that into a marmalade jar until the sediment settles again and pour off the wine (like you would if you were skimming chicken fat)?

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by sb44 View Post
                Thanks everyone for the advice. I shall be following your instructions to the letter Bob, don't want to get it wrong!



                Danina, by 'yeasty-lees rests', do you mean the sediment that is left at the bottom of the demi once you have racked it? (think that is the term).

                If so, do you mean you just pour all of that into a marmalade jar until the sediment settles again and pour off the wine (like you would if you were skimming chicken fat)?
                Basicaly, yes as the lees / sediment settles you can often get a little more wine which is helpfull for topping up, it would be best to syphon it off rather than pouring to prevent the lees being disturbed.

                Oh and welcome btw.
                Discount Home Brew Supplies
                Chairman of 5 Towns Wine & Beer Makers Circle!
                Convenor of Judges YFAWB Show Committee
                National Wine Judge
                N.G.W.B.J Member

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Duffbeer View Post
                  Basicaly, yes as the lees / sediment settles you can often get a little more wine which is helpfull for topping up, it would be best to syphon it off rather than pouring to prevent the lees being disturbed.

                  Oh and welcome btw.
                  Yes, but what I mean was the 1/4 inch that is usually too full of sediment to want to rack, but you know it's clearer than the full sediment. What I do is add a bit of water, swoosh it around, pour it into a marmelade glass and let it settle. Then carefully syphon that into the wine the next day.
                  Virtual Wine Circle & Competition Co-Founder
                  Twitter: VirtualWineO
                  Facebook: Virtual Wine Circle

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Danina View Post
                    Yes, but what I mean was the 1/4 inch that is usually too full of sediment to want to rack, but you know it's clearer than the full sediment. What I do is add a bit of water, swoosh it around, pour it into a marmelade glass and let it settle. Then carefully syphon that into the wine the next day.
                    Right, I get you now.

                    Cheers!

                    Off to make my shopping list for tomorrow.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Duffbeer View Post
                      Basicaly, yes as the lees / sediment settles you can often get a little more wine which is helpfull for topping up, it would be best to syphon it off rather than pouring to prevent the lees being disturbed.

                      Oh and welcome btw.
                      Ok, shall remember to syphon.

                      Cheers and thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Regarding the apple and wine juices from the supermarket, is there one supermarket brand that is superior to the others with regards to a better quality of wine or are they all much the same?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by lockwood1956 View Post
                          As to juices to use, well 1 litre white grape juice and 1 litre of apple juice is a great starting wine, (replace the apple with 1 litre of any kind of juice and replace the white grape juice with red if you wish) read the label to see that there are no artificial colours or additives (especially preservatives)
                          What Bobby said. (Sulfites, for example, try to steer clear of them)
                          Virtual Wine Circle & Competition Co-Founder
                          Twitter: VirtualWineO
                          Facebook: Virtual Wine Circle

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Regarding the apple and wine juices from the supermarket, is there one supermarket brand that is superior to the others with regards to a better quality of wine or are they all much the same?
                            I have found that the Tesco Apple and the Tesco White grape juice made from concentrate gives me the best results

                            Hope this helps

                            Oh and welcome to the mad house!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by kerosine View Post
                              I have found that the Tesco Apple and the Tesco White grape juice made from concentrate gives me the best results

                              Hope this helps

                              Oh and welcome to the mad house!
                              That's good as Tesco is the nearest, only one mile to drive for that then.

                              Ta!

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