Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
here.

Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all going
to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?

I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck interest
me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here, so if
someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would greatly
appreciate your help.

I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else. I
want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with some
sort of rating of the wine.

Can or will somoen help ?

Thanks,

Jim

Hi Jim,

You'll find this bunch is pretty tolerant -- most of the time.

One place to start might be:
http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisor...tingwine.shtml
....from there you can navigate to the "glossary" on the site to find out
what the words mean.

I suggest this route so that when we use a word or phrase that
needs explaining, go to that glossary first. If you don't find what you are
looking for, then ask. You'll see by the size of that glossary that your
request for us to list the terms is, well, daunting and we probably would
step all over each other trying to feed you ALL the information. I'd even
suggest you pour a glass of your favorite wine, start with the letter "A"
and just read the glossary as a text.
The best place to start will be to invest in a wine kit. If you
don't have a local store to buy from, then Googly up the term "winemaking
supplies" and find a source near you. The kit will have all of the
ingredients you need. If you follow the instructions on the kit religiously
for the first couple of batches, and observe what the kit does regarding the
instructions, that will be the best lesson you can buy.
If on the other hand you want to go at it from scratch... well,
have at it, but don't be surprised if you spend a lot of time and energy on
making weed killers.
I was going to make a list here of the hardware you will need,
like fermenter, carboy(s), thermometer, hydrometer, gas locks, racking tube,
sanitizer(s), .... and more. But that list becomes very subjective. Maybe
the best thing to do there would be a starter kit -- one with the basic
tools and toys, then build from that.
Oh, one last comment. Moving the wine around in the mouth will
NOT let anyone, even an expert, properly evaluate a wine.

Have fun..., and welcome to the table.

Casey




"Jim" > wrote in message
.. .
> Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
> first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
> you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
> here.
>
> Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
> tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all
> going to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?
>
> I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck
> interest me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here,
> so if someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would
> greatly appreciate your help.
>
> I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
> understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
> tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
> from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else.
> I want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
> moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with
> some sort of rating of the wine.
>
> Can or will somoen help ?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>

Nah, don't you google it. I'll do it for ya.

Winemaiking terms:
Get to know Jack's site:
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/glossary.asp

Wine tasting terms:
The Davis 20pt rating scheme good to know:
http://www.finias.com/wine/ucd_scoring.htm

About grapes:
http://wine.appellationamerica.com/varietal-index.aspx

Steve
Oregon




On Fri, 28 Dec 2007 18:50:11 -0600, "Jim" >
wrote:

>Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
>first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
>you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
>here.
>
>Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
>tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all going
>to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?
>
>I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck interest
>me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here, so if
>someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would greatly
>appreciate your help.
>
>I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
>understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
>tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
>from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else. I
>want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
>moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with some
>sort of rating of the wine.
>
>Can or will somoen help ?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jim
>

"Casey Wilson" > wrote in message
news:nuhdj.86$v_4.71@trnddc03...
> Hi Jim,
>
> The best place to start will be to invest in a wine kit. If you
> don't have a local store to buy from, then Googly up the term "winemaking
> supplies" and find a source near you. The kit will have all of the
> ingredients you need. If you follow the instructions on the kit
> religiously for the first couple of batches, and observe what the kit does
> regarding the instructions, that will be the best lesson you can buy.
> If on the other hand you want to go at it from scratch... well,
> have at it, but don't be surprised if you spend a lot of time and energy
> on making weed killers.
>
>
>
Jim, I absolutely agree with Casey. Find a homebrew supply shop, buy a
mid-priced kit and the minimum equipment to go with it, and *follow the
instructions*..Exactly.

This should give you a decent, drinkable plonk and get you into the basic
principles. After you've made a couple of these, branch out into trying a
diy fruit wine from something freely available, so it doesn't matter if it
goes wrong.

And.... oh, yes .... the Most Important Thing is cleanliness /
sterilisation.

Good luck and have fun!

Barb UK

Jim,

I recommend starting with a Niagara wine made from Welches
concentrate. You appear to be located in the States, so you shouldn't
have any trouble finding the concentrate at your local grocery store.
The other ingredients are available at any homebrew shop. If you don't
have a local homebrew shop, look online.

Jack Keller's site lists several variations on this recipe. Some list
the specific quantity of sugar; others indicate that you should use
your hydrometer. Starting out I suggest that you skip the hydrometer
for now. It will be a nice wine whether it is bone dry or slightly
sweet. 1 lb of sugar is about 2 1/8 cups.

Keep everything clean. Minimize oxygen exposure after the first week
or so (use the airlock correctly). Rack every month or so (from
pitching the yeast to bottling should be 3 or 4 months). Bottle age
for a few months before tasting.

Good luck.

Greg G.

On Dec 28, 6:50*pm, "Jim" > wrote:
> Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
> first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
> you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
> here.
>
> Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
> tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all going
> to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?
>
> I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck interest
> me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here, so if
> someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would greatly
> appreciate your help.
>
> I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
> understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
> tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
> from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else. I
> want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
> moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with some
> sort of rating of the wine.
>
> Can or will somoen help ?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim

Hi Jim;

I, too, am a relative newcomer to winemaking. Started my first batch
in June of this past year and have not had any great disappointments
after 20 gals or so of winemaking.

I would highly recommend for your first few attempts that you use Jack
Keller's site and his recipes for using Welch's juice concentrates
(Iink below). You need only the bare essentials for chemistry and
control, you can make decent drinkable wine quickly, cheaply and it's
very hard to make a mistake! My second batch of wine was using
cranberry juice concentrate and Jack's recipe as a framework and it
was the hit of our Christmas dinner after only 6 months aging.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques65.asp

Good luck; this is a great group and winemaking is a great and, ah,
self-serving hobby!

Mike

Read this from beginning to end. It is easy to understand and is easy
to read. You should be beyond beginner at the end.

http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/contents.html

Bob


On Dec 28, 7:50*pm, "Jim" > wrote:
> Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
> first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
> you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
> here.
>
> Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
> tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all going
> to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?
>
> I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck interest
> me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here, so if
> someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would greatly
> appreciate your help.
>
> I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
> understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
> tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
> from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else. I
> want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
> moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with some
> sort of rating of the wine.
>
> Can or will somoen help ?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim

Thanks for this one Bob! I hadn't found this before...

Barb UK


> wrote in message
...
Read this from beginning to end. It is easy to understand and is easy
to read. You should be beyond beginner at the end.

http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/contents.html

Bob

First, make a serious effort to find a local mentor. Ask everyone
you know if they know someone that makes wine. Some of the
"pros" aren't very friendly, but I don't think I ever met a hobbiest
that wouldn't gladly show off his "cellar" and help a newbee get
started.

Failing that, you can use a group like this as a rather poor
substitute. Lots of folks have used this group to learn, and they
are now good winemakers.

But _do_ do some homework. Read the references already
given here and then come back to the group for clarifications
and additional info.

It's the newbies that keep this group going and I really_hate_
to see google given as an answer to_any_ question. I mean,
what the heck can I do when I get 10,000 hits ?? Even If I
sample a few of these, there is so much misinformation out
there that I can end up more confused than before !! HTH

Frederick


"Jim" > wrote in message
.. .
> Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
> first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
> you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
> here.
>
> Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
> tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all
> going to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?
>
> I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck
> interest me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here,
> so if someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would
> greatly appreciate your help.
>
> I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
> understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
> tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
> from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else.
> I want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
> moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with
> some sort of rating of the wine.
>
> Can or will somoen help ?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim
>

No problem Barb. If you notice, Lum Eisenman wrote it. He posts here
frequently. Thank him. He wrote it. I think it's apparent that much
effort was put into it, all to help others. It reflects the type of
man who wrote it.

Bob

On Dec 30, 7:17*am, "Barb" > wrote:
> Thanks for this one Bob! *I hadn't found this before...
>
> Barb UK
>
> > wrote in message
>
> ...
> Read this from beginning to end. It is easy to understand and is easy
> to read. You should be beyond beginner at the end.
>
> http://www.geocities.com/lumeisenman/contents.html
>
> Bob

" I mean, what the heck will I do when I get 10,000 hits ??"

You need to narrow your searches. Use double quotes around phrases so
you get exact matches. You can use multiple double quoted phrases in
one search, each double quoted phrase separated by a space. Try it,
you'll see your searches become a lot more useful.

ex. WINE BARREL is not the same as typing "WINE BARREL" into google.

Bob

On Dec 30, 8:12*am, "frederick ploegman" >
wrote:
> First, make a serious effort to find a local mentor. *Ask everyone
> you know if they know someone that makes wine. *Some of the
> "pros" aren't very friendly, but I don't think I ever met a hobbiest
> that wouldn't gladly show off his "cellar" and help a newbee get
> started.
>
> Failing that, you can use a group like this as a rather poor
> substitute. *Lots of folks have used this group to learn, and they
> are now good winemakers.
>
> But _do_ do some homework. *Read the references already
> given here and then come back to the group for clarifications
> and additional info.
>
> It's the newbies that keep this group going and I really_hate_
> to see google given as an answer to_any_ question. *I mean,
> what the heck can I do when I get 10,000 hits ?? *Even If I
> sample a few of these, there is so much misinformation out
> there that I can end up more confused than before !! *HTH
>
> * * * * Frederick
>
> "Jim" > wrote in message
>
> .. .
>
> > Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
> > first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
> > you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
> > here.
>
> > Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
> > tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all
> > going to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?
>
> > I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck
> > interest me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here,
> > so if someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would
> > greatly appreciate your help.
>
> > I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
> > understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
> > tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
> > from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else..
> > I want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
> > moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with
> > some sort of rating of the wine.
>
> > Can or will somoen help ?
>
> > Thanks,
>
> > Jim

On Dec 28 2007, 6:50*pm, "Jim" > wrote:
> Ok people, I am a dummy and don't know where to start in making my very
> first batch of wine, but before I get started, I guess I should know what
> you guys are talking about, soecifically the terms in which you guys use
> here.
>
> Would someone please take as much time as they can afford to give me and
> tell me what terms are used and tell me what they mean. Or are you all going
> to tell me to GOOGLE IT ?
>
> I've read some on the net about making of wine and it sure as heck interest
> me, but I don't see the terms on google that you guys use here, so if
> someone will please enlighten me on what these terms mean, I would greatly
> appreciate your help.
>
> I would, naturally, like to know these terms and have a complete
> understanding of them before I make that first batch. I want to be able to
> tell if I screwed up or if I did good. I know my taste buds are different
> from others and what may be good to me, may be pure SH-T to someone else. I
> want to be able to do the taste testing where someone takes a small sip,
> moves it around in their mouth and spits it back out and comes up with some
> sort of rating of the wine.
>
> Can or will somoen help ?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim

A little late on this thread.

I found the book The Joy of Home Winemaking by Terry Gary most
helpful. Covered the basics, equipment, sanitation ect. For me
reading through the recipies was most helpful. It got me started on
understanding the wine makeing process. Been doing this for a couple
of years now and I'm still learning and tweaking my process.

The cool thing about this hobby, (other than it producing a awsome
result you can share) is that you can be as simple or a complicated as
you like. They got some pro's in here that really know thier stuff.
Most over my head of course. But I pick up tid bits along they way
and keep getting better and better.

Be paitent and stick with it, time and gravity are your friends.