Wine Tips & Info

To make home made wine from wine juice kits or fresh fruit, the first thing you need to have is the right equipment. The easiest way to get that is to buy a Fine Wine or Deluxe wine making equipment kit from Noni Bacca Winery. Our Fine Wine and Deluxe wine making equipment kits include:

Primary Fermenting Bucket
The primary fermenting bucket is a 7.9 gallon, food-grade, plastic bucket. It comes with a grommeted, air-tight lid that will allow you to attach an airlock. Even though the volume of the kit is only 6 Gallons or 23 Liters, you will need the extra fermenter volume to accommodate the CO2 build up dring primary fermentation.

Glass Carboy
The glass carboy is a six-gallon (23 Liter) bottle-shaped container. This is generally used for secondary fermentation. After primary fermentation, your wine is transferred to the Carboy using a Siphon Hose (see below). You must use the right size carboy. Your carboy needs to hold the entire volume of your wine with very little or no space left over. Wine Juice Kits will fit in a 6 Gallon Carboy. Anything larger than this will leave a gap in the top and will lead to oxidation and spoilage of your wine investment. Any extra space should be topped off with water or preferably finished wine of a similar kind.

Airlock and Bung
A bung is a tapered rubber stipper with a hold drilled in it. Your airlock will fit into the hole and it helps form a valve to seal the carboy. The airlock prevents oxygen and spoilage organisms from entering the carboy and at the same time it allows the CO2 to escape. Remember to fill your airlock half way with water or a potassium metabisulfite solution (sanitizer).

Siphon Hose
A sipon hose is about 5 or 6 feet of food-grade tubing that attaches to an Auto-Siphon or racking rod. The siphon hose is used to transfer wine from one contailer to another while leaving the sediment behind. The siphon rod prevents the tubing from collapsing during transfer.

Triple Scale Hydrometer
This instrument looks almost like a glass thermometer. A Hydrometer measures the Specific Gravity (S.G.) and is used to monitor the progress of fermentation. As the yeast eats the sugar and makes alcohol, the hydrometer will sink lower and lower. Taking hydrometer readings is important so you can accurately track the progression of your fermentation. You can drop your hydrometer directly into your primary fermenter, but a test jar or wine thief is suggested during secondary fermentation when your wine is in the carboy.

Wine Thief
A wine thief is generally a glass or plastic tube that allows you to remove samples from the carboy for testing or tasting and then return it safely to the carboy.

Spoon
Your winemaking spoon should be made of a food-grade plastic. You will use both ends of this 26" or 28" spoon. You will use the wide end in the primary fermenter and the "stick" end of the spoon in the carboy. This will allow you to reach the bottom of the carboy and help you drive off the CO2.

Bottle Brush
A bottle brush is used for scrubbing your bottles or containers with narrow necks.

Corker
With a deluxe winemaking equipment kit, you will get a double lever or twin-handle corker and 30 Corks!

Bottle Filler
The deluxe winemaking equipment kit comes with an automatic bottle filler that stops filling when the bottle is full.

No-Rinse Cleanser
Finally, your kit will come with some type of cleaner and cleanser. This is probably one of the most important items in your kit. Your equipment should never be used unless it is clean and sanitized.

...And you thought wine needed to be made in wooden barrels!

WINE MAKER MAGAZINE'S TOP 100 WINE KITS (We're giving you the Top 10!)

1. RJ Spagnols Orchard Breezin' Kiwi Melon Pinot Grigio

2. Winexpert Selection Limited Edition Australian Petit Verdot

3. Advintage Anniversary Edition Rosso Imperiale

4. RJ Spagnols Cellar Classic Winery Series Old Vine Zinfandel

5. Winexpert Selection Original Series Piesporter

6. RJ Spagnols Signature Seriens En Primeur Sicilian Syrah

7. Cellar Craft Limited Release Chilean SCS - Cabernet, Syrah, Carmenere

8. Winexpert Selection Estate Series Oregon Yamhill County Pinot Gris

9. Cellar Craft Showcase Amarone

10. Cellar Craft Porto Corinto

To see the Top 100 Kits, pick up a copy of Wine Maker Magazine right here.

Recipes from our customers:

WINE CAKE RECIPE

1 Box of Betty Crocker Yellow cake mix
1 small box Instant Vanilla Pudding(3 3/4 Oz)
3/4 cup salad oil
3/4 cup Sherry Wine(Livingston Cream Sherry by Sheffield best flavor)
4 eggs
1 tsp ground Nutmeg
1 tsp powdered cinnamon
1 Tblsp Butter or Margerine
1/4 cup sugar or 1/2 cup sugar(depends on how sweet you desire)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

In small bowl mix sugar, chopped nuts, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Mix other ingredients well by hand till butter or margerine is completely dissolved.
Pour 1/2 batter into well greased(oil) and floured bundt or tube pan.
Next sprinkle half of sugar mix over layer and then pour in remainder of batter
Put remainder of sugar mix over top of batter.
place cake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Check cake at 35-40 mins to see if done/close to done as ovens are different types and " temperaments".
Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting

My own oven I use 37/38(convetional oven) minutes. This recipe is quiet old and most cake mixes now use Instant pudding as a moistener and also call for no eggs. I still use the eggs and continue to put in the Vanilla Instant Pudding mix.
Try it and enjoy

WINE JELLO

1 cup cold water
2 envelopes plain(unflavored) gelatin
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups Boiling Water
2/3 cup wine(Sherry)
1/4 tsp salt
Sprinkle gelatin on cold water to soften. Add sugar, salt, and boiling water
STIR until dissolved.
Let cool briefly then stir in wine.
Cover to prevent evaporation and chill
Serve with whipped cream serves 8

Hope all this will sit well with your table

Lauchlin Lee