Newbie, 7 day wine? Be honest now...

giftgrub

Howdy I'm new to these parts,looking for some help...

So Ive decided to have a stab at making my own wine.

Came across Homebrew west and their syphonless starter kit for about 50 quid, which looks ok to me.

Anyway i mailed them asking what kind of red would be good for a beginner and they recommended a 7 day Australian kit, described by the rep as "very drinkable"

Thoughts, opinions, advice would be appreciated....

Khannie

The 7 days thing is nonsense so don't rush it. Probably 2-3 weeks realistically.

Expect your first one to be not super and lastly if you have the patience, leave them in the bottle for 3 months before you drink them. The difference is *huge*.

That kit looks grand and you'd be able to use it for ciders / beers too. I prefer the 33L buckets myself.

Last thing: I'd urge you not to add the full amount of water to the kit. Leave it a litre or two short. They can come out a bit thin sometimes.

Ratsathome

I did the "Solomon Grundy" 7 day as my first.Was impressed with the results.After bottling leave it for at least 2 weeks.Keep a bottle and do a test taste every 2-3 days and you will notice the difference in the taste.

giftgrub

One other thing i meant to ask...do i have to use corks or can i re-use screw caps?

Ratsathome

giftgrub wrote: »

One other thing i meant to ask...do i have to use corks or can i re-use screw caps?

I re-use screw caps. A soak in starsan while you bottle will do the trick.

giftgrub

Ratsathome wrote: »

I re-use screw caps. A soak in starsan while you bottle will do the trick.

Ok cheers, just a bit confused, some sites and videos say that corks allow air to escape better while you're letting them sit for a few weeks after bottling

wendykavanagh

do not re-use any sort of corks as they can make your wine go bad. I have been brewing for 15 years and it's not worth the risk. Use new corks, they will cost you only aprox 3.00 per 30 bottles.

antodeco

Ive used a 7 day kit. However, double all of the time that it states. Then, let it sit for around 2 weeks at least before bottling. After about 6 weeks, it will start to taste near on perfect (its fine beforehand, but it does depend on your pallate!)

I did the Pinot Grigio one, and what I did find, and I will stress this point, you will need to stir for a good 15 minutes, a fair amount, in order to rid all the Co2 from the wine. If you dont, it will stay fairly cloudy, and I found, it left a bit of a bitter taste on it.

giftgrub

Well the starter brew kit and the merlot arrived from Homebrewwest. I have my bottles...however we've been hit by a dose of winter vomiting bug in the house so its been put on the back burner for a while...

joctcl

giftgrub wrote: »

Well the starter brew kit and the merlot arrived from Homebrewwest. I have my bottles...however we've been hit by a dose of winter vomiting bug in the house so its been put on the back burner for a while...

I can highly recommend the Australian Blend Chablis, my missus prefers it to the 90 quid Kendridge showcase.
Cheaper kits have less juice, more expensive kits use less water and in theory impart more complex flavours.
IMO there is no such thing as a 7 day kit as the other posters above comment, take your time do it slowly you will get a better overall result.

giftgrub

joctcl wrote: »

I can highly recommend the Australian Blend Chablis, my missus prefers it to the 90 quid Kendridge showcase.
Cheaper kits have less juice, more expensive kits use less water and in theory impart more complex flavours.
IMO there is no such thing as a 7 day kit as the other posters above comment, take your time do it slowly you will get a better overall result.

Well the brew is on now....going to let it do its thing, then bottle it and let it rest for a few weeks before drinking.

Not a very picky wine drinker to be really honest, as long as it doesnt burn on the way down!!

joctcl

Did I say Chablis, no such product.
I meant Pinot Grigio:) and she prefers that one to to 90 Euro version:D
As an aside one of the vendors way out west is having a sale on the 23rd I believe.
Usual commission Brian

giftgrub

So its 4 days in now and I took a sample (the bin has a tap)

Still VERY sweet and nowhere near the right hydrometer reading, saying that it is in a cool spot, 18 degrees or so.

The bin thermometer says 16 degrees, which is low, so i wrapped a blanket around it, is that ok?

I'm not in any real hurry, just want to get something drinkable on the first attempt

Khannie

giftgrub wrote: »

The bin thermometer says 16 degrees, which is low, so i wrapped a blanket around it, is that ok?

I typically get 2 degrees extra when I do that. It should still ferment away happily at 16C though.

giftgrub

Moved it into the hot press last night.... bin therm up at 20 degrees now.

Going to leave it another 2-3 days and check it again

joctcl

Carefully with the hotpress temps can fluctuate depending on hot water usage.
18-20 should be loads

Sky King

God keep a very close eye on it if it's in the hot press - if it's creeping up over the 20 degree mark i would take it out again

giftgrub

The temp in the press itself is about 20-22 degrees right now, the bin temp is about 20. It was bubbling away there the last 2 nights....but i forgot to put the cap on the airlock.

redser7

I'd definately take it out of the hotpress. If the temp is too high you will get bad tastes developing and the batch will be ruined. Temperature fluctuations are also bad for the yeast. If the temp is a little too low, no harm, it will just take longer to ferment. If anything a slightly lower than recommended temp is a good thing. A slow steady ferment can give the best results. Try not to be too impatient So put it in normal room temperature and keep it well wrapped up in blankets to keep the temp constant and you'll be grand. Try not to open it to sample and take measurements too much. Give it another 2 weeks and then go back, it should be done by then.

Sky King

redser7 wrote: »

Temperature fluctuations are also bad for the yeast.

Are you sure? I remember there being a debate about this.

giftgrub

Well a reading this morning is coming in at 1.020 (i think) smells sweet, but tastes dry, slightly fizzy.

Ive moved it back to the cooler room and will give it another 2 or three days.

redser7

Sky King wrote: »

Are you sure? I remember there being a debate about this.

What was the debate? Sorry but I've never some across any opinion other than steady as she goes is best. It doesnt stress the yeast and stressed yeast creates off-flavours. I always took it as received wisdom.

Sky King

That was always my opinion also, slow and very steady gives the best results but I remember someone else calling it into question and saying fluctuations don't matter.

redser7

I'll go with the old timers I've definately ruined a couple of batches using the hotpress. Whether it was down to fluctuations or being too hot, or both, I guess I cant say. I didn't want to experiment further. They ended up tasting burnt and like port, so lesson learned for me. Never had a problem since by just using towels and a blanket, even during the cold of winter.

joctcl

Sky King wrote: »

Are you sure? I remember there being a debate about this.

Would you drive you car down the road ramming your foot to the floor and taking it totally off and ramming to the floor again:eek:

Sky King

No, however I don't know what mechanical sympathy has to do with the fermentation process.

joctcl

Fluctuations in fermentation temp do matter and whoever posted otherwise was incorrect.
A nice consistent temp will not stress your yeast on the high end send it of at 90 miles an hour leading to potential off flavours and on the low end leading to stalled fermentation.
Consider a water bath or insulation to regulate it will result in better beer.

Sky King

Here's the contentious thread!!

giftgrub

Well its still doing its thing. Ive had to keep it in a cooler room thats child proof.

Its reading around 1.000 at the moment, going to give it til the weekend, starting to taste ok though.

Its been more than 7 days..thats for sure!!

redser7

I'd give it longer. Wait until it is giving the same reading for 3 days in a row. It will be slowing down a good deal now but it could continue to drop to dryness (.090 - 0.094). That will give you an extra 1%

joctcl

Sky King wrote: »

Here's the contentious thread!!

That wasn't really contentious, John quite rightly pointed out that 18-20 was a good target.
As I said its not good for your beer if daytime falls to 10-12 degrees and with central heating or a fire rise to 25 every night, your poor little yeasties wont know if they are coming or going:(.

Sky King

23 litres of beer / wine has a lot of inertia, I would be amazed if you got fluctuations like that in a normal house.

giftgrub

Ok, its stuck at 1.000 for about 5 days now. Should I move it somewhere warmer to wake up the yeast?