Well it's hardly vintage, but....

[Don Vincenzo]

...It's my first go at it!

So here's a glass wot I brewed earlier!

I know that it's only from a Wilko cheapo kit, but it's clear, it tastes ok, and it is definately alcofrolic.....

Well done Hazel!!!
You will be surprised at how soon you will be able to produce a large variety of wines. You will be also able to use that surplus of fruit and vegs from your allotment for this purpose. Don' t miss elderflower and sultana wine...
regards
Don Vincenzo

[Hazel at the Hill]

Cheers!
Make it a nylon sieve Hazel - the acid can attack a metal one and you will get rust in yer brew.
Well kid, it's downhill all the way now!

I have investigated the sieve this morning and I don't think that it's up to the mark (looks a bit manky - and there's the one bit where the holes are bigger coz I snagged it) so rather than investing in another, I think that it's the old stocking route.

This will suit quite well, as I am someone who only throws the laddered stocking out rather than the pair, so do have a reasonable 'odd' collection in the drawer.

PS beware the winter morning, fishing two odd ones out the drawer in the gloom laydees - I have many times been to meetings to find I have one 'barely black' and one 'sherry' coloured leg....

[shirlthegirl43]

PS beware the winter morning, fishing two odd ones out the drawer in the gloom laydees - I have many times been to meetings to find I have one 'barely black' and one 'sherry' coloured leg....

That is a dead giveaway that you wear stockings Hazel!

[Flummery]

I've got a couple of jelly bags - bought for the purpose stated - but they double up as wine strainers too.

[scarey55]

I've got a couple of jelly bags - bought for the purpose stated - but they double up as wine strainers too.

Or perhaps, and old bit of net curtain? Need to make sure that it is quite fine though.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I've got a couple of jelly bags - bought for the purpose stated - but they double up as wine strainers too.

Ok, perhaps I'll just put my head round the door at Wilko at lunch time then.....

[Hazel at the Hill]

Or perhaps, and old bit of net curtain? Need to make sure that it is quite fine though.

Shame that - I did have a whole load of voile net curtain, but chucked it out. I bet a metre of that would be dead cheap. When I'm only-looking-at-jelly-bags in Wilko, I could pop into Rosebys too.

[scarey55]

When I'm only-looking-at-jelly-bags in Wilko,

'chea right

[Flummery]

As long as your strainer gets the big crud out it'll be great. The finer stuff will drop out as the dead yeast cells fall to the bottom of the demijohn. Panic not!

[Seahorse]

Hazel and/or Shirl - I had a look at these 7 day kits in Wilko this morning (just happened to be passing, you understand ). There was a 6 bottle 'starter pack' or a 30 bottle pack which (I presume) just had the mixture in. They were both the same price! So, is it worth getting the starter pack? I'm guessing from it's size that it contains a bucket but I don't know what else. 5 times more bottles for the money is very appealing but then again, I don't want to find I need to spend £20 on equipment if I just buy the 30 bottle pack.

[shirlthegirl43]

The starter pack contains a brew bucket and all ingredients and equipment (bar the sugar) to make 6 bottles of wine. It is what I started with. If you buy the 30 bottle kit (the one I now do) you will need to buy a big fermenting bucket (around £7.50 I think) a hydrometer and a siphon tube. You need to add the cost of sugar to whichever size kit you do - think it is 4 and a quarter bags of sugar for the big kit. A big plastic spoon is also very useful if you decide to do the big kit - that way you can actually make the wine in just one bucket (stirring vigorously does the degassing without pouring wine from one container to another).

I can recommend the Chardonnay kit, have done a small red kit but didn't taste it as I really don't like red wine. Madmax enjoyed it though.

[Hazel at the Hill]

In the 6 bottle starter kit you get 2 buckets, a siphon hose, a hydrometer, 6 bottle caps, a long spoon and the various pouches. I also bought separately a long testing tube - long enough to let the hydrometer bob up and down.

In the 30 bottle kit, I guess you just get all the pouches for 30 bottles.

So if you buy the refill kit it will be cheaper per bottle, but you'll have to buy the kit - e.g. a bucket, (I'd get a demijohn and a bubbler thing - seems more hygenic than it bubbling away in a bucket), hydrometer, siphoning pipe.

By having the 6 bottle kit with all the guff, you know that you have everything in, tho' the equipment is a bit cheap, and there's no sterilising tablets in - it just suggests boiling water.

I'm happy that I bought the kit as it had everything all in and has got me familiar with the processes involved, and now I can move on to making my own!

[Seahorse]

Thanks ladies. So, am I right in understanding that the 30 bottle packs can't be made bit by bit in the six bottle kit?

I've got demi johns, a syphon and a hydrometer thing but I'm tempted by the bucket cos it sounds less faff.

Do the wines store well? I like a tipple but it'd take me a while to get through 30 bottles, I think!

[scarey55]

Oh dear, they don't store well in our house

[shirlthegirl43]

You wouldn't want to try sharing out the ingredients believe me!!

I would say that since you have lots of the bits, just buy a big brew bucket (with a lid) and the 30 bottle kit.

As far as I can tell the wine stores fine. I haven't kept it for any length of time though as you tend to give a bottle to friends for the promise of some empties!!

It is easy to scrub out the plastic buckets and then I soak them with Milton (or Asda's own) steriliser. I use the same to sterilise bottles to re-use.