White Wine - The Grogans Looking Good!
September 3, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Well having been away for a week, I was slightly apprehensive about the state of the white wine when I returned ( the aptly names Grogan! ).
However, my fears were unfounded - the wine is looking clear as day, has a lovely colour to it, and a swift sniff of the contents gives a lovely fruity smell which on aroma matches a lot of Chardonnays I have tasted from the supermarket!
The particularly exciting part of this, is the white wine is actuall ready to drink - i just need to bottle it, and then refrigerate it for a little while, and its ready to taste!
Due to work commitments, this may have to wait until sometime next week - but who cares, I’m sure it will be worth the wait!
Septembers Top 5 Wine Making Tips
September 3, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Apoliges that the site has been a little quiet - its been that holiday time of year, which was actualyl a good thing, as both batches of wine needed time to finish fermenting. I’ll update on the progress of the white wine and the red wine in klater posts.
This post is the first of a monthly regular feature - Top 5 tips!!!
So i’m no expert at making wine, but I have already discovered a few fundamental things which will help make sure your winer making goes without a hitch :
Tip 1 - ALWAYS sterilise and clean all your equipment before use! It may seem boring, and you may not be able to spot any dirt, but believe me, them pesky little bacteria’s are lurking there and they will cause your pride and joy batch of wine to be rendered useless and tasting horrible! Just do it and rest safe in the knowledge that you’re using clean wine making equipment.
Tip 2 - ALWAYS read the instructions through, and then read each step through prior to actioning it! Even for the more experienced wine makers, I guess this would be a good tip!! Not all wine has the same process - it may be similar, but they can differ!!
Tip 3 - ALWAYS plan your batches of wine! Especially if you intend to do this on a constant basis! I have started to keep a diary and calendar of my wine, so I know when I can realistically start a new batch, when i need which equipment for which batch…and of course when I can organise a party!!
Tip 4 - ALWAYS reuse your bottles! I thought wine bottles would be 10 a penny, but they do actually cost money, so when you’ve finished with a bottle, save it, sterilise it, and then reuse it! You’ll save loads over the course of the year!
Tip 5 - ALWAYS be constructive in your criticism of your wine! If it doesn’t taste right, why doesn’t it taste right? What could have been done to make it better? Is there too much or too little of something? Only by being constructive, and objective, can you hope to refine your wine making!
I hope these top 5 tips are of use, if anyone has any other tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below!
Meet the Staff - Chris Onslow
August 19, 2008 by admin · 2 Comments
So since I started my hobby of making wine, i’ve managed to accrue some seasoned help on the way! My joint partner in the project is Chris Onslow
Chris Onslow is an online entrepeneur with his own successful B2B Training Course business, but has shown a passion for wine making that kind of matches my own - so it made sense to go into partnership together.
Luckily we have a good synergy of skill and experience - whereas I position myself at the sharp end of wine production, Onslow ( as he is affectionately known ) is the Marketing and Sales director, with a keen eye for product names and the all important label production!
So far we have 3 products in development :
The initial batch of white wine - Grogan
The new red wine - Crickadilla
And some cider making kit, which will produce the inaugral batch of - Strumpet
The names have been chosen between myself and Onslow - and i’m sure you’ll agree they’re pretty signifcant and catching!
A picture of Chris Onslow will follow shortly!
Not all home wine making kits are the same!!
August 19, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
So my red wine kit has finally arrived - I opened the package with anticipation, expecting to see the same as my original White Wine Making Kit - how was I wrong!!
Ok, so the basis was the same, tubes, pails, etc etc - but this had a much lesser amount of grape concentrate, and the method to make the wine is a little different.
To chart the two processes, i think i’ll start a Red Wine Diary, and make my current Wine Making Diary a White Wine Diary.
Clearing my homemade wine!
August 15, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Up until now ( and bearing in mind I’m 2 weeks into the home made wine process ) the wine has looked a little bit like cloudy urine - not the most enchanting description, I appreciate, but true nevertheless!
So today was the day scheduled to add some clearing agents - to be more accurate Potassium Metabisulphite, Potassium Sorbate and a Fining Agent!
After adding each ingredient, the shout of the day was to stir the mixture vigorously for a few minutes! Luckily, I had the help of Chris Onslow who introduced the Pacman method of stirring!
All this completed - I can only report on two things.
Firstly, the wine is still very cloudy, but this shouldn’t be too suprising, as the vigorous stirring will have caused all the sediment to cloud up, and I guess the next step of the process takes two weeks, and the clarity should come in this time!
Secondly - the colour has changed already from an amber colour to a more grapey colour!
I’ll update on Monday!
Home made Red Wine Kit Bought!!
August 15, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
As I mentioned a few days ago, I now intend to start making a fresh batch of wine, this time red wine! Now, you can buy just the red wine concentrate and then reuse all the equipment from my current batch of white wine to make it - however, I’ve gone for the option of buying a whole new set of kit - here’s my reasoning why :
Two whole kits mean I can make two loads of wine at anyone time - so as my wines become more popular amongst family and friends, I can up production!
We’re nearing Christmas ( still some time off, but hey, it will be here pretty quickly ) so I want to get some wine in reserve.
And lastly, why not???
I opted for the cabernet sauvignon in the end - once it arrives, I ‘ll update you and let you know how progress goes with it!
There’ll also be a heads up on the white wine making later today!
Planning the next batch - Making Red Wine
August 12, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
So the first batch of wine is firmly on the way - at last a photo below to prove it! Basically, it does look a little cloudy and a little like cider rather than wine, but I have been assured that in the next step ( due to take place on Friday! ), the clearing process will begin!!
So, as any confident wine maker would do, I’m already planning my next batch of wine! Oh yes indeedy!!! This time, i have made a white wine, and its with the mix that came with the wine making starter kit, so i’m a little unsure as to what the quality will be like, but I do fell confident I’ve built enough knowledge to be a bit bolder with my next batch.
So, I have decided to make a red wine - just to compare if nothing else - and I think i’ll go for a cabernet sauvignon rather than anything overly complicated or complex in taste, like a Rioja for example.
I’ll look on the internet this afternoon, select and post tomorrow!!
Also coming up in next weeks blog postings - my step by step guide to wine making, plus the brewing plans for the remainder of 2008!!
Caution when reading Wine Making instructions!!
August 11, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
I was always taught to read instructions through, then read them again! If only I had listened!!!
So what i did wrong was - when I siphoned my home made wine into the glass carbouy, I “assumed” the sediment left behind would just sit in the pail, and the wine would be sediment free and ready for the secondary fermentation process to begin!
Having action/ed the siphoning, I noticed after 10 mins a fair amount of sediment grouping on the bottom of the glass carbouy. At this stage, i thought I should reread the instructions to see if this was normal!!
Alas, it’s not normal - what i should have done is use the racking tube and gauze on the end of the siphon tubing to filter out the sediment - obvious when you think about it!!! Further disaster - I could not find the needed racking tube or gauze!! So I improvised - using an old shirt, I siphoned the home made wine back through to the pail, then respiphoned ( again through the shirt ) back into the glass carbouy. Unconventional, but it seems to have done the trick.
The resulting wine is now air tight and looking decidedly clearer already!
So the advice? Read the instructions clearly, reread the instructions before each step, and make sure you understand what is happening at each step!!!
My wine is bubbling!! And it smells….good!
August 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
The wine is bubbling and smelling like…well, like wine suprisingly enough!! The only slightly disconcerting factor at the moment is the fact that its quite murky in the pail! Not looking much like the clear white wine i’m used too - but its early stages, and a quick look at wikipedia reveals that all is on schedule and going to plan!
I must sort out some wine making photo’s tomorrow!
Adjustment to yesterdays instructions!!
August 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Yikes, having read through yesterdays post, i noticed I had made a small error - the yeast was added to the pail after the oak shavings, and it was not stirred - the yeast just settles on top of the mixture. Such are the fineties of wine making!!
