OK, I found a couple websites describing how to make super-easy
homemade wine from your own fruit or grapes. I've made batches
"scientifically" in the past but recently came across a story about a
young fellow who rode his bike around California this summer making
wine from roadside grapes which he then carried in a little jug in his
packs. It gave me the idea to try to make some simple "jiffy" wine.

Here are the links, for your amusement:

http://www.metroactive.com/papers/so...vest-0448.html

http://ingeb.org/junk/wine.html

http://members.aol.com/MtFreehold/cider.htm

http://www.wineworldfdw.com/fruit_wine.html

THE GRAND FINALE:

I got a half gallon of juice from anonymous red grapes at my brother's
farm and squeezed them and let the juice (no skins) sit in a small jug
with some bread yeast in it. Loose lid. No tests, no nuttin'. Fruit
flies were around it but I figured they weren't creeping under the lid.
A couple weeks later, I just now racked it off an inch or two of lees
(no bugs) but it doesn't taste so hot. Maybe I could still add sugar?

I also set aside a half gallon of fresh apple cider I pressed, with
loose lid---it's pretty darn vinegarey now. Rats.

I'm thinking I might've had too much airspace above the wines---4".

I bleached out the jugs.

Oh well.

So much for the easy way. How did I botch it? Any fixes possible?

JP
outyourbackdoor.com

wrote:

>
> I'm thinking I might've had too much airspace above the wines---4".
>
That's probably the worst thing that you did. The guy on the bike got
lucky, he must have got a strain of wild yeast that wasn't so bad. And
he cultured it as he went along. So buy some wine yeast, at least
once, and try again. This low alcohol wine doesn't keep well, but you
can drink it young -- that is fermented last month -- and it might be
palatable. C.J.J. Berry's books often have a couple of recipies like
that.

My concern is, what if it comes out great, and you have no one to share
it with at that time? That's why I like to make wines that are made
carefully, so they're worth bottling, and storing.

for another attempt at commercial wine grapes visit
www.elitevintners.com. This is exciting developments in wine making

I like the idea of topping up, I would surely do that. Just as a heads
up, grapes vary all over the place as to how much sugar and acid they
have in them, even from day to day and what side of a hill its on in
season. That white powdery stuff you see on grapes contains yeast, it
can go on it's own. When you drink wine very young, the yeast still
contributes to the flavor; I have no idea what to do there but i would
not use bread yeast.

If you want to drink it young the juice probably needs to be high in
sugar and low in acid; if it's the other way around, it might be like
drinking lemon juice. If it tastes really sweet, go for it; if it's
not so sweet and pretty tart; add sugar until it's noticably sweet.
(If you are not on that bike, get a hydrometer...))

Joe

Joe Sallustio wrote:
> I like the idea of topping up, I would surely do that.

Even now? Or am I kaput for this batch... I note that the taste is
*astringent.* It's not necessarily bad. Maybe I can revive the action
with sugar syrup and wine yeast, make sure I'm topped off (near top of
jug) and get something gulpable, as a young thing?

As for drinking young wine alone---no worries there. There's always
someone around at the OYB Corral! : )

Man, the cider sure tastes vinegary, though. Wrecked as hard cider?

I have a hydro---I just wanted to try the "wing it" method. : )

--JP
outyourbackdoor.com

Joe Sallustio wrote:
> I like the idea of topping up, I would surely do that.

Even now? Or am I kaput for this batch... I note that the taste is
*astringent.* It's not necessarily bad. Maybe I can revive the action
with sugar syrup and wine yeast, make sure I'm topped off (near top of
jug) and get something gulpable, as a young thing?

As for drinking young wine alone---no worries there. There's always
someone around at the OYB Corral! : )

Man, the cider sure tastes vinegary, though. Wrecked as hard cider?

I have a hydro---I just wanted to try the "wing it" method. : )

--JP
outyourbackdoor.com

Astringent could be youth, but try some sugar. Don't waste your time
on the cider if it _smells_ like vinegar, apples are not as high in
sugar as you might think, it may just need sugar.

Joe

why not just learn how to make wine right. its not hard if you
have recipe to follow. lucas

http://www.minibite.com/america/malone.htm

With the Apple juice you can just add wine or beer yeast to the jug and
drink it as it bubbles. Alcohol will be low and it will be cloudy but it
will be like bubbly cider. Not bad. It is called "Letting the cider be
kissed by yeast."

Ray

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> OK, I found a couple websites describing how to make super-easy
> homemade wine from your own fruit or grapes. I've made batches
> "scientifically" in the past but recently came across a story about a
> young fellow who rode his bike around California this summer making
> wine from roadside grapes which he then carried in a little jug in his
> packs. It gave me the idea to try to make some simple "jiffy" wine.
>
> Here are the links, for your amusement:
>
> http://www.metroactive.com/papers/so...vest-0448.html
>
> http://ingeb.org/junk/wine.html
>
> http://members.aol.com/MtFreehold/cider.htm
>
> http://www.wineworldfdw.com/fruit_wine.html
>
> THE GRAND FINALE:
>
> I got a half gallon of juice from anonymous red grapes at my brother's
> farm and squeezed them and let the juice (no skins) sit in a small jug
> with some bread yeast in it. Loose lid. No tests, no nuttin'. Fruit
> flies were around it but I figured they weren't creeping under the lid.
> A couple weeks later, I just now racked it off an inch or two of lees
> (no bugs) but it doesn't taste so hot. Maybe I could still add sugar?
>
> I also set aside a half gallon of fresh apple cider I pressed, with
> loose lid---it's pretty darn vinegarey now. Rats.
>
> I'm thinking I might've had too much airspace above the wines---4".
>
> I bleached out the jugs.
>
> Oh well.
>
> So much for the easy way. How did I botch it? Any fixes possible?
>
> JP
> outyourbackdoor.com
>