first attempt at wine making!

[thatgirlemma]

First attempt at wine yesterday :) i tried the ribena wine recipe as it looked easy. i dont know if its worked though! maybe im just inpatient but it dont look asthough its doing anything!!!! ive seen one bubble, bubble up through the air lock and thats it! when is it meant to DO something?
xx

[chickenchargrill]

lol I'm trying dandelion wine for the first time. No idea how it's doing, just put it in the cellar and hoping for the best.

[MKG]

You started it yesterday and you're already impatient?

Assuming that you put in the yeast when everything was at roomish temperature (otherwise, if things were too hot, it's dead and you should add some more), it's spending its time right now multiplying to build up a large colony. Depending upon a lot of things (but, more than anything else, the amount of oxygen dissolved in the liquid) it can carry on doing that for 48 hours, during which time you won't see a lot of activity. When the oxygen is used up, the yeast will go over to its alcohol and CO2 production cycle - that's when the bubbles begin to rise in earnest.

In this weather, it'll take about ten days after that point - possibly more - to finish.

Instead of being impatient, you're supposed to be using this time to make another batch

Mike

[gregorach]

The single most important thing any home brewer or winemaker should posses is patience.

[thatgirlemma]

Oh come on, its my first time and Im keen!!! I want to see a bubble or two, you cant blame me for that!!
Hmmmm well i did put the yeast and nutrient when the water was warm...maybe i killed it....oh dear :| so after 48hrs its going to bubble and i shall know if its worked yeah?
Thanks guys
xx

[thatgirlemma]

As for making another batch, ive got no more demijons and a 7month old baby!! Otherwise i definately would be making thousands more batches!!!
xx

[gregorach]

Oh come on, its my first time and Im keen!!! I want to see a bubble or two, you cant blame me for that!!
Hmmmm well i did put the yeast and nutrient when the water was warm...maybe i killed it....oh dear :| so after 48hrs its going to bubble and i shall know if its worked yeah?
Thanks guys
xx

OK, patience and attention to detail... How warm is "warm"? It certainly shouldn't be any hotter than the baby's bathwater at the absolute most.

I'd certainly expect to see some sort of activity after 48 hrs.

I do know what it's like though - I've been brewing for years, but I still can't help watching on tenterhooks for the first signs of active fermentation.

[thatgirlemma]

hmmmm perhaps it was too warm, so, if nothing happens by tomorrow i can just dd more yeast and nutrient without having to throw the whole lot away?
xx

[gregorach]

Yeah, that'll do the trick. You shouldn't even need more nutrient, just yeast. It's always worth having a spare packet of yeast in the fridge for just such occasions.

[thatgirlemma]

ive got a pot of yeast so ive got plenty :) luckily!
xx

[chickenchargrill]

You don't necessarily need a demijohn. I've copied my mum this time, as no extra cash for a demijohn and just steralised a couple of wine bottles and stuck a balloon with a couple of little holes in over the top. If you've got some dandelions in the garden - http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Dandelion-Wine it's really quite simple :)

[chickenchargrill]

Plus the steps should fit in with baby's nap time - I have a 5 month old :)

[clare.donovan]

Brewing your own wine is great fun! Our first batch was ribena too. Unfortunately we didn't factor in just how much sugar was already in the ribena when adding sugar to it (as stated in the recipe), and ended up with a very strong wine (with an after taste of vodka!!) that tasted much better diluted down! We have been brewing our own wine, beer and cider for a couple of years now and are getting much better in checking the SG of the wine and then adding the sugar required, although this is taking some practice too! I've currently got 8 gallons of dandelion wine on the go with several requests from friends and family to willing to 'try it out' once its ready

Good luck with your wine!

[thatgirlemma]

Thanks chickenchargrill (love the username!) for the recipe :) i had loads of dandelions in the garden a few weeks back, they've now all turned into those annoying little flying seeds! Theres plently around the parks etc though so i might have to go pinching a few :p using old wine bottles is a good idea!
The recipe i used for the wine said 1 and 1/2 bags of sugar...is this going to be too much clare?
xx

[phil55494]

That will depend on how big the bags of sugar were...
It will probably be ok and should be drinkable but may end up better mixed with a little water or lemonade (the first time I did wine following MKG's instructions elsewhere on Selfsufficientish was like that).