WINE MAKING WITH CONCENTRATES

March 7, 2022March 8, 2022 / stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

By Adventures in Homebrewing

If you are just starting out, wine concentrates offer an easy way for you to get rolling. They come with simple, easy-to-follow directions that eliminate all of the guess-work for even the first-time winemaker. In most cases, the wine making concentrates also come with all of the additional home wine making ingredients that are called for, pre-measured and ready for use. By offering concentrated juices in this way all of the variables have been eliminated, so you have to work hard to make a mistake.

In short, wine making concentrates provide you with an easy, consistent way to make impressive grape wines with remarkable flavor, body and character. And what’s more, you can create these bottles of wine for a fraction of what they would cost you at the store, as little as $4.00 a bottle. Tremendous wines that are worthy of recognition by friends and family.

So, go right ahead and dive into the interesting and rewarding hobby of home wine making. By doing so you will be joining the thousands of happy people who make and enjoy their own wines everyday with pride.

WHAT KIND OF WINES CAN I MAKE?

With wine concentrates there is a larger variety available to you than if you were to try to purchase or grow your own grapes. Currently, we offer over 200 different wine making juices from all over the world: France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Canada and California. From Cabernet to Chianti it’s all there for your choosing. It’s an incredible selection that allows one to make a medley of wines that never gets tiring.

And unlike growing your own grapes, these wine concentrates are available all throughout the year. So you can make your wine whether it be April or August. These concentrates will consistently make wines that are comparable to any $10 to $15 bottle of wine you buy at the store, and in the case of our higher-end juices such as Cellar Craft Showcase Collection, they will make wines that equal the $15 to $50 range.

HOW DO YOU USE WINE MAKING CONCENTRATES?

Getting started with a batch of wine from concentrate is very quick and easy. It is simply a matter of pouring the wine concentrate into your wine making fermentation vessel, adding water and then adding the wine yeast and any other home wine making ingredients that are called for by the accompanying directions. After that it’s only matter of siphoning the wine off of the sediment from time to time as directed (“racking”) and adding any additional ingredients that may be called for along the way. The whole process usually takes anywhere from 30 to 45 days, from beginning to bottling, depending on the brand of wine concentrate you purchased. Your primary role in the whole process is to simply watch and wait.

WHAT COMES WITH THE CONCENTRATE?

Of the 14 different brands of wine making concentrate we offer, 11 of them come with all the ingredients you will need. All you need to do is add water. With the other 3 brands, these juices will have directions that call for wine making ingredients that you will need to buy separately.

INGREDIENT KITS:

These brands are considered “ingredient kits” because of their inclusion of everything you will need to make 6 gallons (30 bottles) of wine. They come with: the wine yeast, the nutrients, the clarifiers and such, all pre-measured in little packets. The sugars and fruit acids are already incorporated into the concentrate and have been balanced for superior flavor and character. Depending on the type of wine you are making, you may also receive flavor enhancement items such as oak powder to give a barrel-aged effect, dried elderflowers to develop the wines bouquet and dried elderberries to add body and depth to the wine. Very clear and complete directions are included, making these ingredient kits a powerfully, simple way to make incredible wines starting with your very first batch.

OTHER CONCENTRATES:

The other three brands do not come with any ingredients. They are simply the concentrated juice. These brands are as follows: SunCal Vineyards, Alexander Sun Country and County Fair Premium Fruit Bases. All three of these brands come with directions that explain what other ingredients you will need. You can also find this information on our web site within the description of each concentrate. The items that are called for are basically the following: Yeast Nutrient, Acid Blend, Wine Tannin, Wine Yeast, and sometimes Pectic Enzyme or Bentonite. These concentrates will also need sugar added to them as well.

WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL I NEED?

One of the things that makes wine making so attractive is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started, and if you already are buying wine at the store it can actually save you money. But there are some fundamental pieces of home wine making equipment you will need before making your first batch.

Obviously you will need a fermentation container for fermenting the juice. You will also need to be able to fit the container with an air-lock. This is to allow gases to escape without letting stuff back into the wine during fermentation. And, you will need some hose for siphoning your wine off of the sediment. All very simple items.

Beyond this you will also want to get a wine hydrometer. The hydrometer will allow you to determine the alcohol level of your wine, and it will help you to track the progress of your wine’s fermentation. An invaluable tool!

You may also want a second fermentation container to make it easier when you are transferring the wine off the sediment. Otherwise, you can temporarily move the wine into a couple of large cooking pots, just long enough to rinse out the fermentation container and then transfer the wine back to it.

There may be other items that may pique your interest like stirring paddles, testing jars and bottle brushes, but this is the basics of what you will need to get started.

ADDITIONAL WINE MAKING INFO

Here are a few articles on our website that may be of interest to you. They are more specific articles about making wine. https://www.homebrewing.org/Wine-Making-Articles_ep_123-1.html?AffId=785

Fermentation 101

Corking Your Wine Bottles

Wine Bottle Storage And Temperature

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Making Wine From Grapes

Making Wine From Fruits

Making Wine From Kits

Be sure to check out our selection of wine making equipment and wine making supplies available online.

The Benefits Of Wine Kits vs Fresh Grapes

September 2, 2021September 8, 2021 / stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

What is the going opinion of making wine with fresh grapes and crushing them, as opposed to using a wine kit? Is one better than the other by default, or would you say either method can produce excellent or horrible results?

Phil B. – TN
_____

Hello Phil,

Thanks for bringing up this great question about wine kits vs fresh grapes. It’s a question we get from time to time, so I’ll be more than happy to answer it here…

Whether you are making wine from grape s or making wine from kit s the quality of the wine starts with the quality of the grapes. There is an adage in the wine making industry that says:

“You can never make a wine that is
better than the grapes used to make it.”

What this means is that you’ll never make great wine out of poor wine grapes. The quality of the wine always starts with the quality of the grapes.

When making wine from fresh grapes the individual winemaker usually has a limited selection of grapes to choose fro m. Quality can suffer when dealing in the take-it-or-leave-it type of market that often arises for the home winemaker.

The quality of grapes that you will find in wine kits varies from good to outstanding. It is not in the interest of these kit producers to spend their time preparing and packaging poor wine grapes. It doesn’t make economic sense, so great care is taken to locate and acquire grapes that are above average quality.

This is one of the major advantages to using a wine kit vs fresh grapes. You are able to rely on the wine kit producer’s expertise in selecting quality grapes. So on the whole you’ll be starting with a better quality grape when using a wine kit than when obtaining grapes on your own. Of coarse, there are always exceptions. Living near a grape growing mecca such as Napa can turn this point on its head, but for most home winemakers, this is a consideration that should be given some weight.

We offer an array of different brands of wine kits. As you go up the ladder in price, the finer your selection of grape. How much you spend depends on the level of taste. Some people are completely happy with the On The House wine kit s and could not tell a difference even if they did choose a more expensive kit. For others, the On The House simply would not do. How far up the ladder one goes is very much a personal choice.

Unfortunately, quality grapes do not guarantee a stellar wine, it’s just the first requirement necessary to get there. Between the grapes and the wine bottle is a whole host of other factors such as: acidity, alcohol, sweetness, etc.

Making wine from a wine kit alleviates you from these variables. This is because all these factors have already been taken care of for you by the wine kit producers. They balance the acidity, sugar content and many other features such as clarification and oak treatment to match the typical character of the wine you are making. By eliminating as many variables as possible they are helping to insure that you will make a remarkable wine every time. This is a very valuable benefit of using wine kits vs fresh grapes – especially for the beginner.

Now having said this, I understand completely that we are talking about a hobby, and for some, part of the hobby is the passion that goes into the picking, the crushing, the pressing, and so forth. I get that. And if this is you, I completely support your efforts to make wine from the dirt to the wine bottle. I’m just trying to bring total objectivity to the consideration of using wine kits vs fresh grapes.

So while both wine kits and fresh grapes holds their own rewards, by starting with a wine you are virtually eliminating any chance of producing a bad wine. Add to that the incredible selection that is now available to the home winemaker and it starts to become apparent that a wine kit is the way to go for the beginner.

I hope this covers all your questions and curiosities about wine kits vs fresh grapes. Please realize that regardless of which path you decide to take, we will be more than happy to help you in any way you need.

Best Wishes,
Ed Kraus
—–
Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.

From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

Below you will find listings for Small Batch Wine Kits and One Gallon Wine Kits, there are several wines listed. What is your favorite wine? If you see it or one similar make note, Read the article How to Make Wine at Home, watch the videos read the article, and see how easy a wine kit can be. Try one, enjoy the results of your efforts. Start your new hobby and share it with family and friends. You never know your wine could be in great demand.

Beginner’s Winemaking

What Is In A Bottle Of Wine?

Things to know about making wine

How To Brew Wine At Home

HOW TO MAKE WINE AT HOME From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

The Benefits Of Wine Kits vs Fresh Grapes From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

5 Myths About Homemade Wine

Try something new

How to make wine at home. A Great lesson. CLICK HERE

Small Batch wine Kits to try. Learning is Fun. CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON WINE KITS

The Total Wine System

Home Winemaking: The Simple Way to Make Delicious Wine

How To Brew Wine At Home

August 16, 2021October 24, 2021 / stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

Ever wonder how to brew wine at home? What do I need? How much will it cost? Is it legal? Well keep reading, I am about to tell you all you need to know to get started on making your wine from home.

First you need a wine making kit. These kits, to a lot of peoples surprise, are not that expensive. A 5 or 6 gallon kit will cost between $100 and $200. A one gallon kit will run about $30. Your equipment will cost $70 to $170. The equipment kit is a one time purchase. That comes out to about 2.50$ a bottle. This will very on the type of wine, your first batch will be slightly higher. After that the cost will drop. I strongly suggest that the first batch be a one gallon variety.

You don’t need a winepress. Wineries use these winepresses to extract every last drop of juice from the fruit. Not for quality reasons. At $1 to $2 a bottle for home wine makers, the last drop of juice is not important.

Making wine at home is legal. A household of 2 adults can make up to 200 gallons of wine a year. And a household of 1 adult can make 100 gallons a year. You will need to check with your local authorities if you intend to sell or distibrut your wine.

The most important thing you need to have is good recipes and clear instruction on how to use them. This is where alot of wine makers fail. The recipes might be good but the instruction part is to vague. There are some additives that need to be added wheter listed or not. And some wine need to be shaken every 48 hours and some don’t.

You will also need to determine how sweet you like your wine. This is done with a hydrometer. Wich comes with the wine making kit. A reading of 1020 on the hydrometer means it is a sweet wine, 1010 is medieum and 990 is very dry.

Wine making at home is not hard as long as you have the right equipment, a basic kit works fine, and some good recipes and instruction. The kits come with all you will need.

Read the how to brew and watch the videos to learn more.

What Is In A Bottle Of Wine?

Things to know about making wine

How To Brew Wine At Home

HOW TO MAKE WINE AT HOME From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING blog

The Benefits Of Wine Kits vs Fresh Grapes From ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

5 Myths About Homemade Wine

BOOKS

WINE MAKING BOOKS

ADVENTURES in HOMEBREWING BLOG

WINE MAKING KITS

Try something new

How to make wine at home. A Great lesson. CLICK HERE

Small Batch wine Kits to try. Learning is Fun. CLICK HERE

ONE GALLON WINE KITS

The Total Wine System

Home Winemaking: The Simple Way to Make Delicious Wine

What Is In A Bottle Of Wine?

July 24, 2021October 10, 2021 / stanholtzleiter6724 / Leave a comment

Wine is composed of unmodified grape juice which was fermented to create an alcoholic drink that many people enjoy the world over. In many countries, dinner or even lunch is not complete without a bottle of wine. Celebrations often require a bottle of wine and this is accompanied by cheers and saluts.

Generally, there are two types of wines; the red wine and the white wine. Both wines are made from grapes, although, different varieties of grapes and both are also fermented to create the wine. The two types of wines also have several kinds of wines. As such, they are usually named after the region they come from in the world or the type of grape used to make the bottle of wine. There are also several other kinds of wines other than the red and the white but these two are the more common.

Composition of a Bottle of Wine

A bottle of wine is primarily composed of grape juice. The grapes made into wine are the key factors to the taste of the beverage. These grapes are usually from the European grapes species. The location of the vineyard and the climate in the specific location has a lot to do with the taste of the wine. This is what is called the terroir and it plays a big role on the quality of the wine.

Yeast is also added to the wine composition to ferment the grape juice. The fermentation may take a few months to achieve the right flavor f the wine. Water is also one of the main components of a bottle of wine and definitely the most abundant component in it. Alcohol also comprises wine and the alcohol content depends on what kind of wine we are talking about.

The Uses of Wine

A bottle of wine is commonly used for drinking, of course. It is also used in liturgical events or other religious based events. Many use wine to celebrate victories and to drown out defeats. A bottle of wine can also be used in cooking, baking and to create cuisine around the world. It is usually used to flavor stocks (beef, chicken etc) or braising the food.

A bottle of wine can also be used to relax the body; as such it has gained a reputation of being medicinal and an aphrodisiac. Some researchers have stated that re wine may be more beneficial for preventing cancer compared to white because red wine contains more poyphenols.