Any winemakers here?

[WhollyHeretic]

My first batch of wine was finally ready last month. My wife gave me a wine making kit last Christmas. It was a Grand Cru Chardonay Kit. I'm really happy with how it turned out. We're actually going to be giving it out along with some homemade fudge for Christmas this year. I'd like to make another batch soon. I'm hoping I might get a different kit for Christmas. Eventually I'd like to make wine from grapes but that's probably a couple of years down the road. Anyone else make wine from kits or grapes? If you use kits what do you like?

Here is the label for my wine:

[Lucinda]

1. Awesome label! :)

I haven't, though we've talked about doing wines, cordials, and beer from time to time.
I hope there are other C&B'ers who do and who will post, I'd really like to read more about the process.

[WhollyHeretic]

3. Thanks. The picture is actually from a photo I took in Paris of the Moulin Rouge and then used a

program to make it look like a drawing.

Making it from a kit was actually not that difficult. A friend of mine who has been making wine from grapes since he was little gave me this book http://www.amazon.com/Home-Winemaking-Step-Fermenting-Grapes/dp/0965793648/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1323983227&sr=8-13 It gives you a good understanding of the process. I would definitely pick it up if you're really thinking about trying wine making. All told I think it came to about $300 for everything, including equipment, to make 30 bottles of good quality wine. Since I now have the equipment the next batch should cost me about $100 for 30 bottles. It was fun to do and it's nice to have all the wine for entertaining and gift giving.

[Lucinda]

5. Very cool photo!

And thank you for the link. We have gathered books on beer, and I have some old cordial recipes floating around, but we hadn't researched wine much yet.

The combination of fun to make your self, and the economy of doing it, really appeal to me. It would be a good thing to research over the winter.

[WhollyHeretic]

7. I got so many great photos in Paris. It really is just breathtaking.

I've wanted to go back since our plane took off. Eventually we'll make it back there. We said we'd go back for our 5th anniversary, which is now next year, but there is no way we'll have the money.

[NRaleighLiberal]

2. Not yet! Probably only a matter of time...it was my chem professor in grad school, a really good

home winemaker,who got me into wine in the first place. He made some really good fruit wines too - blackberry, raspberry, blueberry - just lovely, light reds with the fragrance of the fruit, but the flavor of a decent light red.

If I add beer this year to the coffee roasting and tomato developing and gardening and....my wife will throw me out!

[WhollyHeretic]

4. I had never liked wine much until I went to Paris on our honeymoon. I only really liked white wine

after that. I didn't really start appreciating reds until my friend who makes wine gave me a few types of reds.

I'd like to try beer making too once I do a couple more batches of wine.

[Lucinda]

6. I think we need a foodie commune.

[Suich]

8. Any idea how much it ended up costing per bottle?

I have a nephew who makes excellent beer from a kit and it's a lot cheaper than the store. They live in Canada and alcohol is v-e-r-y expensive!

[WhollyHeretic]

9. The first batch worked out to $10 a bottle. That includes all the equipment such as corker, carboy,

etc. Subsequent bottles will be just over $3 a bottle. Each batch makes about 30 bottles.

[Suich]

10. That's impressive!

I'll have to check out some of those kits!

[WhollyHeretic]

11. This is the kit I used

http://www.winemakersdepot.com/Grand-Cru-Chardonnay-Wine-Kit-P403.aspx

My wife bought if from a local retailer along with an equipment kit. You can usually get some good advice at local wine supply shops. The place I go to is great. When my wife bought me the stuff for Christmas she was actually recovering from open heart and lung surgery so couldn't leave the house. The owner drove it out to our house no charge and even carried it down stairs and put in a closet. If you buy an equipment kit skip the ones with the hand corkers. They are a pain to use and you have to actually use smaller corks. The $10 per bottle price I was talking about included me spending $60 for a floor corker.