Water into wine, wine in brandy!

[YankeeShiner]

It's been fun catching up in here today. It's been a while.

Anyway...I did it again! Brandy, that is.

See, every year I get bottles of wine as gifts. People come over for parties and get togethers and they bring wine. It's nice and all, but I don't drink wine!

I've done this a few times over the past two years or so. I took all the wine I have and poured it into my pot still and ran it. White, red, Merlot, Cabernet, cheap stuff, good stuff...I don't care I just throw it all in.

I've always had good results. Yes, I polish the brandy... This time I ended up with three quarts of really sweet brandy. The run started at 130 proof. I was surprised at first but then realized four bottles of my friend's high octane home made wine was in the still. I shut the still off at 70 proof and called it a night.

I did notice that the still got hot fast! Real fast... Controlling the temperature was the hardest part of the run.

Has anyone else ever tried taking a bunch of wine and making brandy?

[still_stirrin]

....I did notice that the still got hot fast!...Controlling the temperature was the hardest part of the run...

Your underwear is showing....

Sounds like your low wines were too high. And....it’s the alcohol in the wash that controls the temperature, not your burner setting.
ss

[Pikey]

............. but then realized four bottles of my friend's high octane home made wine was in the still. ...........

Are you going to give him a half bottle of your brsndy - See if he recogises his wine's Ashes ?

[StillerBoy]

I did notice that the still got hot fast! Real fast... Controlling the temperature was the hardest part of the run.

What this your first run, or this occurred on the second run.. cause in your previous thread, you mention that you only do one run for your spirit.. sounds like you were doing a second run, and if so your low wine was not diluted to at least a 40% abv, then that would explain the "got hot fast"

Mars

[YankeeShiner]

I did notice that the still got hot fast! Real fast... Controlling the temperature was the hardest part of the run.

What this your first run, or this occurred on the second run.. cause in your previous thread, you mention that you only do one run for your spirit.. sounds like you were doing a second run, and if so your low wine was not diluted to at least a 40% abv, then that would explain the "got hot fast"

Mars

First run. I didn't do a second run. I just dumped all the wine into a pot still and ran it.

[YankeeShiner]

....I did notice that the still got hot fast!...Controlling the temperature was the hardest part of the run...

Your underwear is showing....

Sounds like your low wines were too high. And....it’s the alcohol in the wash that controls the temperature, not your burner setting.
ss

I had to keep lowering the temp. Then raising the temp. Then lower the temp. I did this a few times.

[hd833]

I make 21 day wine with juice concentrates. Then distill it. Makes great brandy when aged properly..Beginning in Feb. I'm gonna make 15 gal of white grape wine from juice. It'll be my first run of the year. I age it in my mini barrels, then bottle it as I need it and add raisins to the bottle. Eau di Vie!

[Fruit Squeezer]

As an experienced wine maker getting into distilling, let me clarify some process differences...

Wine:
A rule of thumb for HOME MADE wines, is to produce a wine that is at least 18% ABV (36 proof).
This sterilizes the wine with enough alcohol to preserve it from infection through multiple rackings/ botteling/ storing over many months or years, WITHOUT PRESERVATIVES.

Distilling:
Since shelf life of the mash is limited to days or weeks, no need for high ABV%, in fact the ideal mas is 10% or so, and allows natural flavors to carry over without a "terpentine" flavor from excess sulfides, etc.

My first mashes were ~20% ABV.
A perfect storm of what i THOUGHT I knew, and a lack of research, led me to cook a few batches of 140 proof single run that tasted like rubber cement.

Distilling teaches you patience, practice, and that some times less is more.

[krausen89]

I know this is an old thread but i mixed a bunch for my sac run. Just got some chianti and merlot to mix in with maybe some hard cider to make a brandy. Maybe even do a 50/50 merlot/chianti run

[rubberduck71]

I know this is an old thread but i mixed a bunch for my sac run. Just got some chianti and merlot to mix in with maybe some hard cider to make a brandy. Maybe even do a 50/50 merlot/chianti run

Great idea for old and/or crappy wine! I might be doing the same in about a week...