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Hubby and I have an allotment so if we grow too much on the plot we turn it into preservable stuff like jam, chutney and, best of all wine, we make homebrewed beer too but that's not from the plot as you can imagine. Anyone elsr like brewing their own hooch?

Just had a glass of elderflower wine-this stuff is from Wlikinsons Homewbrew section, once made it's jolly nice. Don't get me wrong, if you have a pound or two of fruit going to waste try making wine. All you need is some sugar and a demijohn with an air lock. Brew it , wait a few weeks and enjoy. If your are interested let me know and I'll tel you how to make home brew.

Summer, why don't you Have a wiki party in your garden?

Gazebo's music karaoke barbecue beer/wine

What do you think?

Everyone could chip in on the munch?!

I've put together a few tips on making your own wine so I might as well post it here.

A FEW POINTS ON WINEMAKING
BEFORE YOU START
All utensils, glassware and buckets etc should be sterile. This is very important. You will need a demijohn (a large glass bottle with a narrow neck that holds a gallon of liquid), an airlock and a siphon (try Wilkinsons). Places like Wilkinsons or chemists will sell sterilising compounds as well as yeast, enzymes and nutrients that might appear in the wine recipe.
If you want to work out the alcohol conent of your wine you will need to buy a Hydrometer and a measuring cylinder. Use the hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the liquid BEFORE you add the yeast (ie the fruit juice/wine concentrate plus sugar and water mixture you get after following the recipe). Keep a note of this reading and then take the specifig gravity of the wine AFTER it has finished fermenting). The difference between the two readings will give you the alcohol content from a list of figures provided with the hydrometer. Don't expect a high alcohol content, some kits only make wine to about 8%, but if you find a stronger yeast you may get higher alcohol contents.
FOR A FIRST ATTEMPT AT WINE MAKING
Try a wine making kit and just follow the instructions. You will probably have to buy some sugar for this, to add to the wine concentrate in the kit. This should be granulated sugar, not fruit sugar or jam making sugar, which contain pectin and makes your wine cloudy. Make sure the liquid is at the right temperature before adding the yeast otherwise it will be killed off. Don't be upset if your fermentation doesn't begin straight away, or if it is slow although you might want to consider moving it to somewhere warm if fermentation doesn't pick up after a day or two.
Eventually the fermentation will stop, you will know when this happens when there are no more bubbles passing through the air lock. All you do now is wait till the wine clears and sediment sinks to the bottom of the demijohn. Once the wine appears fully clear, siphon it into sterilised bottles. You can also use empty, unwashed spirit bottles which are naturally sterile inside provided no other liquids have been placed in them. Clearing might take a week or two, or maybe a few months, depending on the fruit used. Once bottled your wine can be drunk straight away, or left for up to a year.
USING FRUIT/VEGETABLES TO MAKE WINE
There are plenty of wine recipes available online. Buy when the fruit is in season to ensure good quality wine that is also cheap to make.

I dont realy drink wine, unless there isnt anything else in the house (hide the Brasso!!)
The best homebrew wine ive ever had was rhubbarb, gorgeous and potent!!!!
Got homebrew kit for Xmas 2 yrs ago but never used it, maybe for our Wiki summer party (like the play on words??)

home brew addicts/ next stop liver transplant. hit the tea bags they are a lot safer

prison hooch is the one to have lmfao!! when i was locked up 11 years ago a few of us made are own to sell on lmao!! warm water, frut, as much suger as you can get and moldy bread in a sock. all placed in a nice strong netto bag. tie the top of the bag letting a tube stick out. so it won't explode while it gives off carbon dioxide. leave for 7 days and hey presto you have prison hooch. dont get caught or your getting another 30 days on ye sentences.


oh and the sh!ts lol!!

Hmmmm tempting for 'skint days'. Lol!

The basics of home wine making are so simple that anyone can do it. I challenge everyone to go to Wilkies and buy a wine kit, demijohn and airlock and then see what you end up with. You can all get together and do a Gillie Goulden, lol.

I don't drink wine but I wod really like to try and make some.

Doesn't have to be wine wheels-homemade beer is as cheap as chips. OK you have to buy the kit first but it lasts a lifetime.

There is a home brew shop just up the road from me. I'd rather make wine than beer tho. I think home brew beer will be horrid.

I was looking at the kits in wilkos today thinking should i have a go. never done me own before. anyone used them from wilksons are they any good???