can I do anything?

[raine]

did my first batch of red wine from a wilkos kit but its like vinegar! Possibly i left it too long before i tried to bottle it so it was left without a lid. Any suggestions what I can do? and any suggestions for next time-all advice gratefully received !

[Nicos]

Darn- that's disappointing isn't it??
Vinegar= fruit flies as far as I am aware- so yes, the lid off will have allowed access ( strange how they appear from no-where isn't it???)

Not a wine buff I'm afraid, but have had a few failures over the years too- so I know how you feel after all that effort and wait

(we're just sampling our first home brew beer- and it's OK!)* sigh of relief!!

[rustylady]

You really should ferment it in a demijohn or large plastic bottle with an airlock fitted. What did you use?

[Two_Sheds]

As already said: you need to keep air & flies out of the wine at all times.
What did you brew it in?

[raine]

I brewed it in the bucket that came with the kit! Think one of the animals must have left the lid off-either that or one of my adult sons! Somebody at the allotment suggested making a vinegar out of it but i cant remember how-what do you think?

[Hilary B]

if it tastes and smells of vinegar, it IS vinegar, pretty near. To get it more like shop 'wine vinegar' (strictly speaking if it isn't made from wine it isn't vinegar, but we all know what we mean....) just aerate it lots for a while (pour from one container to another, pouring from a bit of a height, can't remember how many times or how long, but probably daily for a week or 2 would work)

[mrdinkle]

I did my first batch of wine from a Young's wine buddy kit (7 day kit). If I remember correctly they tell you to put the lid loosely over it. Mine came out ok, but I can see how it could fail. I think I put a tea towel over the top of mine as well as the lid.

Really they should supply the buckets with a grommet in the lid and an airlock.

If you fancy trying again, might be worth getting some of these:

Airlock Grommet Wine Beer Making Bin Bucket Homebrew x3 on eBay (end time 10-Apr-10 21:59:11 BST)

and an airlock.

I don't have any glass demijohns, just a few food grade buckets and some 5 litre water containers with drilled lids.

Hope this helps.

[shirlthegirl43]

That is a shame but if you are trying another kit, press the lid down firmly all the way round then loosen one bit (not all the way off type loose but un-clicked) this will allow any excess gas to escape but not let anything in.