The following FAQ may answer your own questions.

What size fermenter should I use?

Firstly, Choose a fermenter to match the quantity of wine you wish to ferment.

There are several options for fermenting wine. You can choose from food grade polyethelene, stainless steel or glass demijohns. The amount of wine that you wish to ferment governs the type of fermenting vessel that you purchase. It must match the volume of wine to be fermented so as not to have a large air space.

Glass demijohns are one of the best options, as they also double as excellent maturing containers for the wine. Food grade polyethelene fermenters are just as good for fermenting the wine. ... however glass makes the better maturing vessel. The art to having clear sediment free wine in the bottle is to mature until crystal clear before bottling.

A popular choice is to use the polyethelene to ferment the wine and transfer to glass demijohns for longer maturing.

To view our range of wine fermenters click here

Do I need to syphon or rack the wine?

Once the wine has finished fermenting you are required to rack the wine (syphon) off the yeast sediment. You may need to do this several times until the wine is sparkling clear and not throwing off any more sediment. This can best be achieved by using a syphon system which is designed to avoid sediment disturbance and to eliminate excessive splashing. You will need either some food grade household kitchen items to rack into or have a second fermenter on hand to rack into. If you plan on maturing the wine for a longwhile we recommend glass demijohns.

We make up a syphon system in various sizes depending on the fermenter size and they consist of: a glass rod which fits inside the fermenter or demijohn, a rubber sediment reducing U bend, food grade beverage hose and In line bottle filler which cuts on and off and fills from the base of the bottle. The fermenter will have a rubber bung in the lid which houses the airlock during fermentation.....so this also acts to hold the syphon in place when racking or bottling. Syphons vary in price from between AUD $15.00 to $19.00. (depending on fermenter size)

There is also an automatic bottle filler which we import from Cananda called the Buon Vino bottle filler...AUD $45.00

How do I bottle the wine?

We recommend a two handle corking tool $48.00 which will give a good cork insertion and give many years of use. Smaller corkers than this are only suitable for very small quantities of wine as they can damage the cork on insertion resulting in a poor seal. A two handle corking tool is suitable for wine quantities up to 30 bottles at a time. (the corker will handle much larger quantities, but the 'corkee! usually gets tired!!)

For larger quantities of wine a floor model corking tool with jaws makes the bottling process very efficient and easier to handle.
We have several selections of Italian imported floor model corkers, some with plastic jaws (from $135.00) some with brass jaws priced (from $195.00). The floor corkers with jaws have the advantage of inserting the cork with a lot less damage to the wall of the cork..ensuring a better seal and less risk of oxidisation.

Which are the best wine corks to use?

There are many grades of wine corks available and the quality required is determined by how long you wish to store your wine. Generally , most home winemakers do very well with natural wine corks. They are easy to insert with a two handle corker and give a secure seal. There is a range of composite, twin top corks and synthetic stoppers available for all aspects of corking.

The price of natural cork is directly related to its quality and long term storage ability. If you intend on maturing your wine for a long period..several years, then it is also important to have good quality corking tool as well as a good quality cork. If you have a poor means of inserting the cork, where it can be damaged on insertion, then this will have an adverse effect on the corks ability to seal correctly.

more information on corkers and wine corks click here

Do I need test equipment?

We highly recommend the use of a good winemaking hydrometer. The hydrometer is essential to ascertain if fermentation is complete and is also an aid in pre determining the potential alcohol content of the wine.

  • A standard brand is AUD...$12.95
  • A German Widder 30cm long glass hydrometer ....AUD $18.50

It is also a good idea to have a tall test jar which enables you to float the hydrometer in for an accurate reading

more information on test equipment available

 

 

What other consumables will I need other than the wine ingredients?

  • Sodium Metabisulphite sterilising powder..1kg AUD$7.50
  • K40 Wine stabilising liquid (to prevent refermentation in bottled wine..120ml bottle ...AUD $8.60
  • Bottle Brush...(horsehair $7.50)
  • Brewers Detergent glass bottle wash (to remove old labels and clean second hand bottles) 1kg AUD $7.50
  • Campden Tablets per packet of 30.... AUD $4.90 per packet of 50.. AUD$7.50

Is it necessary to purchase any more equiment?

Like any hobby there are always OPTIONAL EXTRAS. These are luxury items and purchased by those who make home winemaking a really rewarding hobby:

The following items will give your winemaking that professional edge:

What ingredients are available to make wine?

There is a huge range of recipes available on the internet and in books, incorporating fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables. Preparing wine from a surplus of produce is indeed very rewarding and very cost effective, but does require more knowledge and the results can vary . If you are using your own fruits or vegetables, we recommend using a good quality wine yeast like German SIHA yeast or Lalvin wine yeasts.

The Austro Vino 100% grape concentrates made entirely from Australian Varietal grapes will enable you to make first class grape wine, first go, even if you have never fermented wine before. And don't think that grape concentrates like these are for beginners only. On the contrary, these 100% grape concentrates (free of any added sugars or syrups) are used within the commercial wine making industry to add to and enhance grapes from individual wineries.

Our supplies of concentrates are seasonal and we regularly purchase the following varietal types:

  • Riesling
  • Trebbiano
  • Chardonnay
  • Moselle
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Shiraz
  • Pinot

The concentrates are sold in 1 litre containers (to make 5 litre of wine) or 2 litre containers (to make 10 litre of wine) It is therefore easy to purchase the exact quantity of concentrate you require to match your fermentation container. for example if you have a 15 litre fermentation container you would purchase 1 x 1 litre and 1 x 2 litre of concentrate.

We supply a suitable German SIHA yeast or lallemande cultured wine yeast , to match your chosen grape variety. Grape concentrates are priced from $21.00 per 1 litre (which will make 5 litres of wine)

download pdf of Austro Vino concentrates and fermenting instructions

We are more than pleased to guide you through making choices to meet your home winemaking needs. You can start with the basics and grow to include some very sophisticated equipment as you progress and enjoy your hobby.

for a quote for goods delivered, or information please contact info@ibrew.com.au Please advise the QUANTITY OF WINE you wish to ferment so that we can make equipment recommendations to match your needs