Frozen grapes or wine kit or???

[Chavi]

I'm new to the whole wine making deal and am more or less inquiring. I want to have a finished wine by Christmas 2011, so I feel like time is of the essence. My LHBS only includes wine kits from cellar craft and wine expert. I have been looking online on other brewing websites such as midwest supplies and see that they will ship frozen grapes from california. The cost of the kit and the frozen grapes are similar but I dont know which will taste better considering I have no experience in wine making. Can anyone offer me any suggestions to choosing a kit from my LHBS or ordering frozen grapes? I only have beer making equipment so I know I will need to buy some extra supplies for wine such as a 7 gallon bucket. I know I wont have a press for the frozen grapes but I dont mind pressing them by hand using a brew bag. Also, is it already to late to expect to have wine by Christmas to gift out/ drink? Again any suggestions would be great.

 

[deb_rn]

If you have no experience, I wouldn't start with grapes.
Try a frozen concentrate wine... like Welch's white grape/peach or white grape/raspberry... both are good and fairly early drinkers.

You should spend a little time reading up on the process as well, so you know what to expect from your wine.

Personally, I didn't give any of my first batch away... not enough experience to know what it should taste like at what stage... it's a learning process.

Knit some scarves for this Christmas... make the wine for next year, when you have some experience under your belt.

Jack Keller's web site has a lot of useful information, as well as this site. You'll want to read about what to do at what stage and the equipment you'll need.

Good Luck!


Debbie

 

[Chavi]

haha thanks, i guess i'll gift out beer instead... ive been making that for almost 2 years now so I wont screw that up majorly. I will check out Jack Keller's website as well. Thanks for the information

 

[macosenza]

I just want to chime in that I am a beer maker as well. I did a kit a few years ago (Selection Estate Series) and it turned out incredible. You have plenty of time for a kit. It is easy and rewarding.

 

[Chavi]

Macosenza, thanks for the insight!

 

[MileHighHops]

You have plenty of time to try out 2 or 3 batches of wine from a kit before Christmas. I started a batch of Pinot Noir a couple of weeks ago that will be ready to drink by Memorial Day. Fully aged by July 4th. My first batch was a White Zin that came out great. Only takes 4-6 weeks from start date to bottling. We drank the White Zin a few days after bottling and it was fine. Most kits suggest 1-3 months for aging, depending on the wine.

Go for it!

 

[Hugh_Jass]

I've used this kit and it turned out fantastic.

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/product/3000410/cru-select-platinum-australian-chardonnay

for reds, I make sure there's a grape pack included with the kit. Mrs. Jass and I have done several En Premier kits. All have been great.

I've brewed > 1000 gal of beer, most all grain. for wines, I chose kits because of their ease of use. YMMV.

Like any hobby, until you understand the processes and science behind the process, it's difficult to excel without exact instruction and guidance.


Good luck

 

[Brewkowski]

Depending on what you or your gift receiving friends like to drink you could do some lower ABV fruit wines. They're great anywhere from sweet to dry/oaked, and if they're 10% or so they should mature nicely by xmas time.