Winemaking Quick Tip of the week

I will be trying to post a once a week wine/beer making quick tip of the week on here, so keep your eyes open.


When trying to keep the place you work in sanatary consider using this method. It works well and last for a few days, enough to keep it sanatary while your doing all the open vessel primary fermentation etc. I learned this from reading Jack Kellers blog.

Mix up a solution with your campden tablets, you can make it strong, say 3-4 tablets per gallon. Heat the water up and put it on the counter where you are working. After several hours it the steam will have gotten on to certain parts of the walls/ceiling etc. and now you can move it to another part.

The other way, not reccomended for weekly, or even daily basis is this. Mix up a strong solution and get out a rag. This time your actually wiping down every surface with it. The ceiling, cupboards, bowls, bottles, and anything that would have bacteria. Then take some and put it in a bucket and stick it in the cupboard for 10-15 minutes, to let the steam sanatize everything in it.

So next time you are having problems with your wine spoiling try this. I am right now trying it. And to leave with that I will say one last thing. Just get a bucket that you don't normally use and fill it with it and let it sit in your kitchen/winery all week, then use the solution to sanatize something and get start with some fresh solution.

E.V.

Wines I have made

I have been adding up the batches I have made. I think this is all of them. This does not count the batches that have gone bad, one or two.

Wine I’ve Made

5 gal. Riesling Wine%?
5.gal White cran strawberry%12
1.gal Tea %?
3 gal. Hard Cider%14-17
5 gal.Wildberry Shiraz %6.5
5 gal. Cran-Blueberry%?11
3 gal. Cran-Pomegranite
3 gal. Strawberry
1 1/2 gal. Blueberry Port
1 gal. Plum Port
1 gal. Pineapple Port
1 gal. Banana
1 gal. Whitecran Peach
6.5 gal. Concord Cranberry
5 gal. Dessert Wine
1 gal. Cranberry
1 1/2 gal. cabbage
7 gal. cider
4 gal. Fig port
5 gal. blackberry
5 gal. exotic fruits white zin

Thats about 63 gallons of wine
And about 315 bottles

I consider it a small amount made. And I hope to make
52 batches of wine this year alone.

Here is one more for now.

More Pics

Here are the rest of the pictures, in one you can see the bottle drain I made.

E.V.

It only post one photo, I will be putting more up shortly.

E.V.

My Winery

These are pics of when I first "finished" my winery. I have changed alot since then.

New batch

My most recent batch is Pine Apple. Not pineapple, as many would assume, pine apple. I used pineneedles and apple juice as a base. I have not pitched the yeast yet, still waiting to finish off adding everything.

I think I will aim for 11% on this wine. It will be on the dry side, where I am now adjusting my taste buds to from where I was when I started winemaking. The color is quite light, I can imagine that it will be lighter in color after fermentaion. Maybe a light hint of green, probably not though.

I think I will do Lavlin D-47, should come out with good aroma. I may sweeten one bottle a little for the people who like it sweet, and to see how it taste sweet compared to dry.

English Vintner

English Vintner begins

I have been doing more work on my winery. I started it last year, slowly been building on it. I have been setting out campden water to help sanatize the walls etc.

I started it in 2007 Januray with a kit. I then quickly moved on to juice. And now fresh fruit.