Interesting.
Keep with the updates, I'd like to see how this turns out.
I stumbled upon a much simple method I think I might play around with:
http://fivegallonideas.com/1-minute-wine-recipe/
A couple of things. This guy is right, but well. Yeah, no.
You DON’T need exotic chemicals like potassium sorbate and sodium metabisulfite and campden tablets and acid blend all the other weird extras home wine makers are adding these days.
This is true. You don't need potassium sorbate. (wine stablizer) Potassium sorbate basically causes the fermentation (yeast converting sugar to alcohol and CO2) to cease. If you bottle (or completely seal) the wine in a container without an air lock, and there is still sugar and yeast in the wine. It will continue to ferment which does a lot of things you don't want. Including continue to increase in pressure. You can occasionally release the pressure, but that exposes the wine to oxygen which causes oxidization. Oxidization converts wine to vinegar. (yeah, unless you're going to cook with it, you don't want that)
You can buy a pound of it shipped for about $17. You use very little.
Sodium metabisulfite is used as a sanitize and used to prevent oxidation. You want to sanitize anything you use to make wine as any bacteria will contaminate your wine and make it bad and make you sick. Also to note (and you can look this up) hot water alone helps, but it's not the best. Using soap (as he suggests) is not good as soap has perfumes and your wine will pick up those flavors. You can buy a pound of it shipped for $7. That can be used to make A LOT of wine. Why wouldn't you invest $7 to make lots wine that is safe to drink?
Do you think the pilgrims who landed at Plymouth rock used this chemical warfare when they made wine?
Very true. They did not. Their wine wasn't very palatable either, but that's all they had and sometimes you had to drink alcoholic beverages so you weren't drinking tainted water that will make you sick. I promise you, if the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock had today's wine kits, they would use them over the harsh means they used back then.
You DON’T need expensive cleaners like PBW and StarSan and Iodaphor to make good wine either. A certain degree of cleanliness is important, but soap and water – and maybe a little bleach for tougher jobs – is enough to keep a home brewery clean.
You don't need to buy those, you can just buy Oxiclean Free. (Oxiclean without perfumes, dyes, or chlorine) Oxiclean free can be bought for $7.60 at Walmart. This is what you clean your equipment with. No perfumes, dyes, or chlorine that will make you sick or alter the chemical make up (and taste) of your wine. Oxiclean cleans with oxygen which is one of the best cleaners. That's what most of those products clean with too. The difference is Oxiclean is extremely cheap, the others pretend they are for doing this stuff and require special pricing, but no. They are the same thing. Just more expensive.
I agree with him that if you're going to use this type of manner to make wine. Definitely do it in small batches. If you don't, your wine won't last long. You will have to drink it quick. Making 30 bottles in this fashion, you would need to drink at least a bottle of day hah and still hope you're hearty enough to deal with any ill effects.
You don't need all the equipment, but I highly suggest you do use the potassium sorbate (stabilizer), sodium metabisulfite, (sanitize and prevent oxidation), and Oxiclean (proper cleaning without tainting the wine with perfumes, dyes, and chlorine) I would suggest clairfiers too to help the floaties to clump and fall to the bottle so they don't get stuck in your teeth when you drink it hah. (and the wine looks more appetizing)
There are also small batch wine kits (equipment) that range from $50-$80. The big six gallon kits are around $130ish. You still need the recipe kits unless you're going to make it from scratch as that guy does. The pre-compiled recipe kits will make much better wine though.
