When some people think of winemaking, the image of stomping on grapes in a vineyard in Italy comes to mind. Luckily it is a lot easier these days. With innovative winemaking kits, it’s a simple case of mixing the ingredients, letting it ferment, then bottling and enjoying.
The quality of the wine kit will have an impact on just how good the wine will be, it’s great to make a house white wine for around £1.00 per bottle but don’t be put off by the wines that work our £2.83 per bottle or above as they will produce wines that will be comparable with wines at £15.00-£20.00 in your local off sales. The savings are significant as you aren’t paying expensive government duty and VAT plus you’re producing at a manufacturing price.
It is possible to make wine better than you can buy in the store. Using basic equipment that you might already have. There is something for everyone’s taste and budget. It really is a simple process and doesn’t take alot of hands on time in making a quality wine kit.
WINEMAKING EQUIPMENT
If you are brewing beer, you most likely have everything you need to make exceptional wine.
This is the basics that we recommend for a 30 bottle kit
2 x 33 Litre graduated GEB fermenters complete with lids
2 x Grommet and bubbler airlock
2 x Taps
1 x Bottle Filling Stick
1 x Stick on thermometer
1 x Paddle for mixing
1 x Twin Lever Corker
30 x Corks (always use new corks)
30 x Wine bottles
Check out our winemaking equipment kits and bottles on our website:
https://www.geterbrewed.com/wine/
https://www.geterbrewed.com/bottles/
KEEP IT CLEAN
With all brewing, everything must be clean and sterilised. The last thing you want is a microbe destroying your hard work.
- Use a good cleaner and/or steriliser, and follow the instructions ensuring the minimum contact times
- All your brewing equipment must be tested
- All your work surfaces must be cleaned and sterilized
- It is good practice to sterilise your yeast packets and scissors as well.
- Give used and new bottles a good clean.
We have a range of cleaners and sterilisers as well as bottle cleaning products on our website.
https://www.geterbrewed.com/cleaning-products-en/
https://www.geterbrewed.com/bottling-solutions/
PICK YOUR KIT
There is a wide range of kits to choose from. Something to suit everyone’s tastes, budget and experience.
Have a look at one of our previous blog posts. This shows a list of most of the kits and some details on each.
https://www.geterbrewed.com/blog/2020/06/04/professional-homebrew-wine-kits/
LET’S GET TO WINEMAKING
The process is relatively easy. Even if you have the basic skills in brewing, you will be able to produce top quality wine.
Each kit will be slightly different, so read the included instructions.
Here is a basic rundown on most kits:
- Mix ingredients. The kits differ from one another, so follow the instructions. Most will need hot water, so make sure you have that on hand. You will need to get the mixture up to temperature; this is where your thermometer comes into play.
- Let it ferment. Again all kits will differ. Some will take a few days, others a few weeks. Just make sure you maintain the temperature in order for the yeast to do its thing. Watch the bubbler for activity as well
- Once the brewing is done, you will need to degas your wine. There a few ways this can be done. The easiest way is to pour the wine into another bucket and mix it vigorously. You might also have to add a few more ingredients depending on the kt at this stage.
- Bottle your wine. Make sure your bottles are clean. Always use new corks to ensure a good seal. Use a bottle corker to push your corks in place
And that’s about it. There is no much to the process.
Now sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
For some more details and helpful tips, watch our YouTube videos on winemaking
Have a look at our amazing selection of wine kits here:
https://www.geterbrewed.com/wine-kits/