Homemade Wine

[ezlivinginvt]

sure, I've never started a new thread before so...not really sure how to do that.

Homemade wine is extremely easy. The hard part is having patience. It takes minimum of a month for it to do it's thing - 6 weeks is better.

It does inquire some initial investment. I make my wine in 3 gallon beverage coolers that have the spicket on the bottom to dispense the drink. It works great for draining.

The ingredients I use is simple.
1 cup of honey (we have our own bees)
2# white sugar (depending on your taste for wine this can vary, I consider this a very sweet, desert wine)
2 Cups Fresh Fruit (I have done berries & watermelon)
1 pkg. Yeast
1 1/2 gallons of Water

Place all ingredients into cooler container mentioned above, stir every 2 to 3 days. Afer about a month poor liquid from spicket, being careful not to "stir up" any settlement on bottom - so no tipping or shaking. When you've got about 1 inch of liquid/fruit left stop and discard remainder. Clean out container, return liquid "wine wanna-be" to the container. Let set, then drain every other day being careful not to disturb the settlement. Do this for a minimum of 8 days. Don't rush it or you'll have settlement after a few days in your wine bottles and that looks not so good.

The fruit will definately look unappetizing during that month, but that's normal.
If your fruit molds before it cures it will also have a foul smell - discard the entire batch. It's only happened once to me.

Good luck and it's all about experimenting. One year my watermelon wine was to die for, the next not as good but my strawberry was wonderful. I've made strawberry, blackberry and watermelon thus far.

[barbszy]

I moved this post to the Recipes forum.

Ezliving, to make a new post, just navigate to the topic area of your choice and then click on the button that says "New Thread."

Thanks for sharing your wine recipe!

[bluebird]

Sounds good! I like white merlot wine best. I made some wine last month with a different recipe using juice we weren't drinking. I don't know how it turned out. Guess I need to check on it.

[Sueanne]

My Sister bought the wine making kit they sell at the flea markets. She has been experimenting with different fruits too when they are in season. I know she does buy concentrated juice to make her wine now. She knows when the jug starts perking that it has started fermenting and heating up.
Give you credit for making it in the cooler good idea. will have to pay more attention what she does.
______
Sueanne

[ellenmelon]

ezlivinginvt - thanks for the recipe, I would have been too afraid to try but you have made me curious how it would turn out? why not use grapes? I have some concord juice I could try, it has been canned but I could try...