Wine Making Philippines

I wish you luck with your endeavours Bob and hope you get a good drop. I remember your tomatoes and the problems you had, the tomatoes we buy here are crap, We were growing veggies and especially tomatoes here for a couple of years but I gave up especially when the extensions started a year ago, my biggest accomplishment is the Hass avocado tree we have that I started from seed, 2 ft tall now and in 10 years I may taste the fruits,  as well as the better half telling me how great the produce was and the flavour of the tomatoes like Australia/even better but he would never pull a weed nor water. Will start again as we have lots of land but realize now that will be my baby/hobby.

Let us know the outcome Bob.

Cheers, Steve.

Leaving the lid on loosely is a big risk. I did that on a 1.75 liter wine bottle I was using to make miracle fruit wine. I apparently did not have the lid on loose enough or the fermentation foam created a seal and it caused a terrific explosion and a huge mess to clean up. I've since ordered siphon stoppers to be safe but the wife is not in favor of making wine again after the incident. There are still a few chips in the cement wall as a reminder. Luckily I placed it on a table in the upstairs hallway which was the best place for an explosion inside the house. I used to make home brew and I used a small clear plastic hose in a jar of water which is safe and full proof.

Moon Dog said . . . .Leaving the lid on loosely is a big risk. I did that on a 1.75 liter wine bottle I was using to make miracle fruit wine. I apparently did not have the lid on loose enough or the fermentation foam created a seal and it caused a terrific explosion and a huge mess to clean up. I've since ordered siphon stoppers to be safe but the wife is not in favor of making wine again after the incident. There are still a few chips in the cement wall as a reminder. Luckily I placed it on a table in the upstairs hallway which was the best place for an explosion inside the house. I used to make home brew and I used a small clear plastic hose in a jar of water which is safe and full proof.

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What I've learned from all the videos is to remove enough of the liquid to prevent the fermentation foam from reaching the cap on my bottles. What foam I had dissipated to a small ring around the bottle as the fermentation has slowed down to a crawl.

As per loose, my caps are loose enough to rattle to the touch.

If you try it again use a plastic bottle, (for me, the bottle the juice came in) then by doing a gentle squeeze you can determine is the cap is loose enough.

You've learned from your experience, don't give up.

I will probably try again but I will have to wait for the miracle fruit tree to produce. My wife had it trimmed back to the point that it is not producing at the moment. I will use the device in the photo to vent the bottle. I ordered a few of those dirt cheap after the explosion. You just have to keep an eye on the water level. I also had the lid on loose enough to rattle.

I will probably try again but I will have to wait for the miracle fruit tree to produce. My wife had it trimmed back to the point that it is not producing at the moment. I will use the device in the photo to vent the bottle. I ordered a few of those dirt cheap after the explosion. You just have to keep an eye on the water level. I also had the lid on loose enough to rattle.

-@Moon Dog

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I thought about purchasing those vents, they are cheap enough but they are bundled in six's. The reason I didn't order is all my fermenting bottles have different size openings and I didn't want to fool around making them fit.

You might consider using plastic juice bottles, less chance of exploding glass and you can check to see if the vents are clear by squeezing the bottle. When the wine process is finished you can transfer the wine into your glass bottle.

I saw a nice video where the woman had hand picked wild berries and she vented using balloons,  using a needle to poke a fine hole in the balloons for venting. All her preparation was outdoors on a picnic table. She mashed the fruit to get the juice and then strained it through a cheese cloth or something similar.

I made wine in Canada for 20+ years... eventually the quality of the kits and me growing tired of cleaning, I started buying all my wine.  The Philippines has fantastic wines fro Chile at great prices so I encourage you to do the wine only if you love making it.... and love cleaning everything.  The trick to good wine making is Clean Sanitize, clean rinse before and after every time through every stage or racking.

Good luck,

Donald

I made wine in Canada for 20+ years... eventually the quality of the kits and me growing tired of cleaning, I started buying all my wine. The Philippines has fantastic wines fro Chile at great prices so I encourage you to do the wine only if you love making it.... and love cleaning everything. The trick to good wine making is Clean Sanitize, clean rinse before and after every time through every stage or racking.
Good luck,

Donald
-@AlbertaDonuts

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Thanks Don,

It is something that I wanted to try after watching Youtube videos. I can't remember the last time I had a drink of wine, I'm not a drinker. It was something to try without an investment. Just the juice & yeast was P2648. I'm either going to stop or purchase additional equipment after I check the results.

Every video stressed clean sanitation, since I'm using the original bottles I did not sanitize. I just added the sugar and yeast. I have grape juice going on 4 weeks of fermentation this Sunday and apple juice two weeks this Sunday.

@Enzyte Bob

I always used commercial kits... often there is too much preservatives and chemicals in store fruit juice and that impedes fermentation and other natural processes.  I wish you luck, clean clean clean.  That is the secret.

I always used commercial kits... often there is too much preservatives and chemicals in store fruit juice and that impedes fermentation and other natural processes. I wish you luck, clean clean clean. That is the secret.
-@AlbertaDonuts*

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Thanks Donald,

In the Philippines many things are more difficult to find, I've searched on Shopee & AliExpress for kits. Everything is piecemeal if it is even available. Specific cleaning agents for wine making are not available. I had used dish cleaning liquid to clean my funnel, the label says: kills 99% of bacteria.

Like many things, in the Philippines simple tasks are big tasks,

My only interest in wine making (before the explosion mentioned above) was miracle fruit wine. According to Philippine legend miracle fruit juice cures everything from high blood to diabetes to prostate cancer. We have our own miracle fruit tree and I've extracted the juice. I would drink a glass per day but kept reading about miracle fruit wine and decided to try it, maybe it would taste better. When the tree bears fruit again I may give it another shot.

The largest retail stores we have on the island are Prince Hypermart and Prince Supermarket. They have a liquor counter and when the wife is checking out I sometimes look at what's available and the prices. They have Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniels etc. along with wine brands I'm familiar with. When I convert the price to dollars it is cheaper than US prices. Recently I was at the counter wondering how they can sell these brands so cheaply and beside me was my wife's friend from Manila. I asked her to inquire about the authenticity of the liquors. She was born in Ormoc so she is fluent in Visayan and she quizzed the sales lady on the liquor prices. The lady said the US brands where something like "class A". I'm not sure if the "class" part is right but it was something "A". The Manila girl knew exactly what it meant which was a fancy term for counterfeit. I won't be buying any wine or liquor in the Philippines.

Moon Dog mentioned . . . .My only interest in wine making (before the explosion mentioned above) was miracle fruit wine. According to Philippine legend miracle fruit juice cures everything from high blood to diabetes to prostate cancer.

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Yes send me a bottle next time you brew. I need a cure for high blood pressure, diabetes and enlarged prostrate. (Probably many me toos on this forum)

Yes liquor prices are cheaper No Sin Taxes. Same as cigarettes (I don't smoke) Cost of one pack of Marlboro's in Manila P150, cost in NYC $15.

In my five years in the Philippines I have purchased Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, Smirnoff & Absolute Vodka, all the real deal.

The best cleaning agent is bleach... the stuff i used to use is a type of bleach and that is what you buy at the wine making stores.

I am not surprised to hear about counterfeit products but i can say the Chilean wines are fantastic, and a great deal compared to canada.... i am partial to malbec and the wines of this aera.  They seem authentic to me.

Cheers,

Donald

I like Chilean wine. The guys at the refinery in Concón, Chili gave me a very nice going away party and there was plenty of good wine. The Pisco I don't really like, tastes like cleaning fluid. There is a city not far from Concón named Viña del Mar which tells you something about the importance of wine in Chili.

Where the party was held was once the residence of the refinery manager. There were tennis courts, several large swimming pools, horse stables and of course a huge mansion house. Now days the refinery manager lives in his own house and this amazing property is for the use of the refinery employees. It is one of my most memorable jobs. On my last day the crew was called to the shop and each gave me a hug which is different, but cool I suppose. It is an Amazing country.

A couple photos I took of the liquor but the beef they barbequed was the best I've eaten.

The best cleaning agent is bleach... the stuff i used to use is a type of bleach and that is what you buy at the wine making stores.
I am not surprised to hear about counterfeit products but i can say the Chilean wines are fantastic, and a great deal compared to canada.... i am partial to malbec and the wines of this aera. They seem authentic to me.

Cheers,
Donald
-@AlbertaDonuts

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Don

Unfortunately there are no wine making stores in the Philippines that I know of, so I'll have to use a popular dish washing liquid that kills 99.9% of the bacteria.

I'm just a newbie trying out a new hobby, I couldn't tell you the difference between a bottle of Thunderbird and Chateau Lafite Rothschild.

Sorta like a guy who never saw a car before, if he was given a choice between a 1990 Yugo or 2023 Lambo he might choose the Yugo.