A beginners guide on how to make apple wine

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A lot of people ask me questions like, “how many apples or how much grapes does it take to make wine?” Or, “how much sugar do I add to my wine?” In this vide…

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25 Responses to A beginners guide on how to make apple wine

  1. blah blah blah everybodys got something differnt to say about wine making
    …yeast, juice and sugar let it sit clear it drink it simple๏ปฟ

    mike myers
    May 17, 2014 at 9:47 pm
    Reply

  2. Hi jason.. First off great videos very informative and easy to understand
    so thanks for posting. I started off making my first batch of apple wine
    about a month ago and it has stopped fermenting. I wasn’t so sure of what I
    was doing at first and started my wine at a sg of 1.115. I know realise was
    probably a little on the high side. It has stopped at 1.025 which I
    estimate to have given me a potential alcohol of around 11.5-12% which is
    good. The problem I have is the wine is still quiet sweet. The yeast I used
    said it can tolerate alcohol up to 14%. I drank some already when raking it
    for the first time the other day and it was very nice but just a bit to
    sweet. Is there anything I can do so its not so sweet. Thanks again,
    James….๏ปฟ

    James o'brien
    May 17, 2014 at 9:54 pm
    Reply

  3. That must be a matter of taste. I would have just gone with hard cider at
    that point. If it was too much then slowing it in the fridge or freezing
    for apple jack works great too. Do not diss wild yeast.

    gwynedd1
    May 17, 2014 at 10:11 pm
    Reply

  4. @WDeet Absolutely, you can make wine out of about anything. Ideally, the
    pears would be nice and ripe… (Softer and juicy) – In any case, you will
    shred or mash them up and press the juice out first thing. Use a hydrometer
    to measure your SG (initial sugar) and if necessary, add needed sugar to
    bring up to about 1.075 SG. If you hate tossing all the pear matter, tie it
    up in a bag and toss it in the must like a tea bag (pull out and drain the
    bag daily). Tons of recipes online.

    Jason Morgan
    May 17, 2014 at 10:25 pm
    Reply

  5. Some might argue to wait and add the pecans to the secondary. That is, wait
    until you rack from the primary, then add them to the secondary when you
    have it in that vessel. That’s a gentler fermentation that make keep more
    of the pecan notes you are wanting. I haven’t done it, but it sounds good.
    I added oak chips to one batch of apple because I made it dry and it was
    tasting similar to a chardonnay… believe it or not. Have fun.

    Jason Morgan
    May 17, 2014 at 10:26 pm
    Reply

  6. I have not taken wine to jack yet. You’ll have to tell me ๐Ÿ™‚

    Jason Morgan
    May 17, 2014 at 10:57 pm
    Reply

  7. Thanks so much! im new to the hole process, and in my search for valuable
    information, your video was one of the best, so thanks for the insight.

    Whil Cub
    May 17, 2014 at 11:35 pm
    Reply

  8. @Dillonfromforks Shred or grind those babies up as fine as you can get
    it… and then press the juice out from it. Shred with a food processor and
    then make a press using 3 5-gallons buckets. Drill holes in one of them…
    on the sides and bottom. Put your mash in there and then put it in another
    bucket to catch juice. Use a 3rd bucket to put down on the top and press it
    that way if you have to. When aging, keep racking it off the sediment until
    no more… let it go and don’t rush it to bottle.

    Jason Morgan
    May 17, 2014 at 11:50 pm
    Reply

  9. cherry sherry lol

    Ronald FlobJobbin
    May 18, 2014 at 12:50 am
    Reply

  10. Hi. You are correct. To kill the yeast and stop fermentation, I use the
    measured amounts of potassium sorbate, and K-Meta (pot. metabisulfite). I
    add this to the wine at the same time I am back-sweetening. Let it stay in
    the carboy at least for another week so you can see if it starts up again.
    Better to deal with that in the carboy, then to have already bottled it!
    When sweetening, it’s best to use an inert sugar (wine conditioner, I use
    HONEY!) something that the wine can easily assimilate.

    Jason Morgan
    May 18, 2014 at 1:16 am
    Reply

  11. HELLO JASON, WHAT DO I NEED TO KILL THE YEAST? AND I BELIEVE AFTER KILLING
    THE YEAST I CAN SWEETNING THE WINE WITH SUGER AND IT WILL NOT GET
    FERMENTING ANY MORE ? THANKS A LOT

    Prince Anokye
    May 18, 2014 at 1:52 am
    Reply

  12. Depends on PH, tannis , how much meta, and storage. Free sulfite will
    protect the wine as will a low PH. If you end up with a 4.0+ PH wine best
    to drink it sooner than later. A high tannin and sour batch of crab apple
    should age 2 years and can last much longer, especially with meta.

    gwynedd1
    May 18, 2014 at 2:08 am
    Reply

  13. @krullion I don’t use sulfites, but I also don’t know how long to let the
    ML fermentation go on until it’s “done”. Do you just wait until there are
    no more bubbles? Thanks for replying! ๐Ÿ™‚

    teddyd30
    May 18, 2014 at 3:04 am
    Reply

  14. Your choice… I wait until it tastes good, then I drink it ๐Ÿ™‚ I’ve had
    wines that tasted great earlier on… and thought letting it sit would get
    better. Not so with fruit wines. The acids & other factors make the
    chemistry of the wine unstable… or, maybe not stable over time. So, I
    learned with fruit wines to drink them when you like them ๐Ÿ™‚ Now, if you
    test and adjust things like acidity, S02, and keep racking it off the lees
    (sediment) then your wine will remain more stable & keep longer.

    Jason Morgan
    May 18, 2014 at 3:11 am
    Reply

  15. Daniel… trial and error is the key. I know it’s frustrating. I have had
    my share of wine that didn’t meet my expectation. Bitter to you might just
    be tannic to another… hard saying withing being able to taste it.
    Bitterness can also be the result of how you originally extracted the juice
    from the fruit. Are your pH and TA readings OK? I bought the wine aroma
    wheel (google that) to try and help me describe to others what I am tasting
    and I use the wine forums a lot myself.

    Jason Morgan
    May 18, 2014 at 3:49 am
    Reply

  16. Hi.. I usually do go for 0 SG if I am fermenting out to dry. I usually do
    ferment out to dry and then backsweeten. I once stopped fermentation early
    on a blueberry wine and the result was acceptable, but I find that unless
    cold stabilized, it could start back up in the bottle. In the primary, I
    would agree there is enough C02 coming off to prevent oxidation… and you
    should have some K-META in there at that time as well. You will be fine
    until you get to the secondary. Then, air lock it.

    Jason Morgan
    May 18, 2014 at 4:16 am
    Reply

  17. this was such a big help. doing an experiment on wine making and stuff in
    chemistry at school, very fun. sadly we don’t get to taste it aha

    Winnie thepooh
    May 18, 2014 at 4:59 am
    Reply

  18. what does yeast nut do

    ejb1984
    May 18, 2014 at 5:54 am
    Reply

  19. I cant wait to try this myself. I have mastered Beer Brewing and would like
    to add some Wine for the Girlfriend. I cant wait till I buy my own house
    and stop renting so I can have an awesome Wine cellar such as yours. Great
    Video!

    Dillonfromforks
    May 18, 2014 at 6:53 am
    Reply

  20. @krullion Thanks!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    teddyd30
    May 18, 2014 at 7:14 am
    Reply

  21. This is day 6 of my Fermentation. The bubbles on the air lock slowed to 1
    bubble every 15 seconds. I had a fair amount or lees sitting on the bottom.
    I sanitized my equipment, racked to a bucket, then took a gravity reading.
    I was a bit under 1.000. It smells good, I couldnt resist a little taste
    and it tastes like wine… I cleaned and sanitized the carboy then put the
    wine back in it and topped off with distilled water. I think so far so
    good. Any advice going forward from this point?

    John Cramer
    May 18, 2014 at 7:27 am
    Reply

  22. thumbs up if you think he sounds like nicholas cage

    Cole Stittle
    May 18, 2014 at 7:50 am
    Reply

  23. That Looks Very Interesting Where Do You Get These Kits At.

    Charlie Irvin
    May 18, 2014 at 8:30 am
    Reply

  24. Great wine making. Keep up the good work

    billnewman1970
    May 18, 2014 at 9:19 am
    Reply

  25. Just to clarify, after your wine reaches 1.000 SG, rack for the first
    time… then all future rackings happen when you can find the time after
    you see the lees collecting. OK to leave it for a while, just don’t let it
    sit too long. That’s what causes S02 to kick in (rotten egg smell) In some
    styles of wine, you can stir the lees back up in to the wine (called
    sur-lee) but that’s usually on things like Chard, Viognier, etc. Won’t add
    nothing to our apple :). 3 days was a fast ferment, what yeast?

    Jason Morgan
    May 18, 2014 at 9:36 am
    Reply

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