Perhaps it’s just the quarantine boredom kicking in but I am feeling the urge to try my hand at country wine (like strawberry wine, rhubarb wine, peach or plum etc etc ...). It’s something I’ve wanted to do for awhile but hadn’t gotten around to it. I’m looking now for the necessary supplies in order to be ready when the local fruit is nice and ripe. Anyone have tips on where to find the equipment or on books/websites/etc they found helpful?
I am doing different types of fermentation, but not yet wine (but I did different types of vinegar). Here is one of Swiss online seller where you can buy different tools and ingredients:
Thanks for the answers! I have browsed that website and my severe lack of German knowledge is really coming through I found the wine yeast at least But I think I need some kind of air valve for the top of the jars that allows the gases to escape without getting any outside air in. Until I find what that word is in German I'm not having much luck finding it But I'll get there. Still have a good month anyway before the fruit is ready I would think. Thanks again for the responses. I'll update here if I take the leap!
You can make your own without much difficulty, thats what I did anywawy, just some flexible tubing or some left over copper tube from the still with a few bends.
I ferment all kinds of stuff at home all the time. If I were you I'd brew a sour beer with fruit rather than "fruit" wine. These "fruit" wines, even the best ones, are simply mediocre drinks and they are usually tasty only to the person who concocted them. Yes, a sour beer is trickier to pull off, but you'd be on a much more exciting journey with much more versatility and complexity
And yes, Brauundrauchshop is my go-to place for brewing equipment together with sios.ch
I'll be brewing some elderflower wine again this year. Elderberry is trickier, but nettle and dandelion wine definitely do not come in the mediocre category.
Home made beer -not been in that dark place since I was a student
I'm celiac so can't do gluten-containing grains and beer has never been interesting to me anyway. Cider however I would love to try my hand at as well.
If anyone is in Zürich or around and is getting in to wine making send me a message (or maybe we could get a chat group going). I made country and kit wine for a few years before moving to Switzerland and am just now getting back into it.
If you are just getting started, check out https://www.winemakingtalk.com/ It is absolutely packed with good info and knowledgeable people. They are pretty friendly too, just make sure to search first
I find wine making very rewarding, including from fruit rather than grapes, but I'd strongly recommend that you try one of the kits (starter kit + box wine kit). They are as dead simple as it gets and it's a good way to make sure you like the hobby and are prepared for all the waiting involved. If you don't enjoy making the kits, I'd stay away from fruit wine, it's much more fiddly. Keep in mind that what you make today, you probably won't be enjoying until sometime next year...
This has been my experience as well, especially starting out. Of the first 12 batches I made with various fruits, only half were worth drinking. But 3 of those were really good. Lack of experience surely played some part, but take a look at the discussions on Wine Making Talk around flavor packs. Fruit wine really rewards exceptional precision for your starting conditions (which will involve measuring tools you don't have) or else a healthy bit of "cheating". It does really make you appreciate how perfect grapes are for the task though.