WELCOME TO OLD WEST SUPPLY
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WELCOME TO OLD WEST SUPPLY |
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Welcome to our Wine FAQ. These questions are oriented primarily toward making wine with one of our excellent recipe kits. Kit instructions have been graciously provided by Brewcraft, Portland OR. If you have a question you don't see an answer to below, please email us at sales@oldwestbrew.com.
What Equipment Do I Need To Make Wine? All of the equipment you will need to make wine comes in our Old West Complete Starter Wine Equipment Kit. If you choose not to buy the Complete Kit, individual components you will need are these:
Simply put, you are making wine. You will introduce yeast into a solution of natural sugars which will begin a biological reaction as the yeast consumes the sugar and leaves behind alcohol and carbon dioxide. Unless you are fermenting wood or some item you would not normally eat, winemaking is safe and fun. Many fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers have been made into delicious wine for centuries. Occasionally, organisms other than yeast can get into your wine and alter the process. When this happens your wine will usually have offensive flavors or aromas. Drinking this affected wine will not hurt you, but neither will you find it enjoyable. To minimize the chance of anything going astray, make sure anything that will come in contact with your wine is well sanitized; that directions are followed, and that accurate records are kept at every stage of the process. Every Old West wine kit comes with an easy to follow instruction guide. There is a spot on this sheet to keep track of how your wine is doing at the different stages of its creation. The process can be grouped into four main areas; Primary Fermentation, Secondary Fermentation, Stabilizing and Clarification/Bottling. Since complete directions are included in each kit, only a brief description of each step will follow. Sanitize all of your vessels and equipment per kit instructions. Fill your fermenter with contents of kit. Add any packets (included in kit) if directed and top up with water to the 6 gallon mark. Note: It is a good idea to know where this mark is before you start. Many people note the gallon marks on the outside of their fermenting vessel by adding a gallon of water at a time before they even start the winemaking process. When topping up with water consider your water source. If your municipal supply is reliable then topping up from the tap is not problem. If you are in a community that relies on bottled water then it is best to use this for your wine also. Mix well and take a sample, measuring it with your hydrometer (see equipment page on this site) Add yeast per directions. Cover your fermenter per the directions, attaching an airlock if your equipment requires one at this point and keep your wine at a comfortable 65 to 80 degrees. Fermentation should begin in the next 24 to 48 hours. In five to seven days when you again take a sample and measure it with your hydrometer, it should read 1.010 or less. If it is not yet dropped to that point, give it a few more days before moving your wine to a secondary vessel. When your wine is ready you will be moving it to another fermenter to finish the fermentation process. This is called "racking" your wine. Remember to sanitize all equipment and the carboy (large glass vessel) which will soon hold your wine. Leave all sediment behind as you transfer to secondary. This stage allows more sediment to settle out of the wine. Secure an airlock in the mouth of the carboy to prevent any oxygen from entering the headspace above the wine. Let wine sit for another 10 to 15 days. Once your hydrometer drops to 0.996 or lower, you are ready for this step. In theory, yeast will continue to consume sugar as long as you continue to offer it. Eventually the alcohol level will rise sufficiently to kill the yeast off, but the goal here is to make good wine, not rocket fuel. Sometimes the wine we make is too dry for our taste and needs to be sweetened. But unless we stabilize the wine and prevent the yeast from consuming any added sweetener, we are just increasing the alcohol level. So, we stabilize. This is a fancy term for adding potassium sorbate which keeps yeast from rebudding. The kit directions will walk you through the process every step of the way. Many Brew King kits have "F" Packs which are flavor packs used to enhance your wine. Directions will tell you when to add this if necessary. You will also be advised about adding any clarifying agent. Allow another week for wine to settle before proceeding to the final step. By now your wine should be clear enough to bottle. If not you can allow more time to settle or pass your wine through a filter to make it sparkle brilliantly. Many home wine and beer shops sell small filtering units and pads for this very purpose. Rack your wine into bottles and seal with a cork. The truly fun aspect of winemaking is dressing up your bottles with labels and bottle top dressing. To find out more about bottle types and dressing, check out our wine bottle page. Store your wine on its side to keep the corks moist. A good temperature for storage is about 50F. So When Is My Wine Ready To Drink? In theory you can drink your wine any time after bottling. In reality, all wine benefits from a degree of aging. Big reds and oaky whites should be aged three to six months minimum to allow them to begin mellowing, and will continue to improve with age. Sweet whites don't require as much cellar time. Bottom line...if it tastes good to you, drink it. You can always make more.
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