1 Wine Dude

A Serious Wine Blog For the Not-So-Serious Drinker

Menu
  • Home
  • About
    • New? Start Here!
    • PR & Samples
    • Press & What-Have-You
  • Wine
    • by badge
      • crowd pleaser
      • elegant
      • kick-ass
      • overachiever
      • sexy
    • Full Reviews
    • Mini-Reviews
  • Stalk
    • facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • News Break
    • pinterest
    • twitter
    • YouTube
  • Sign Up
  • Books
  • Services
  • Contact
Menu
1 Wine Dude
instant pot

Thoughts On Instant Pot “Wine”2 min read

Posted on March 1, 2018 by 1WineDude

in commentary

instant pot
Instant BAD idea in terms of fermentation vessels

A few of you intrepid 1WD readers have brought to my attention, in whoa-check-this-out-dude! fashion, the intrepid endeavors of foodie David Murphy, who recently blogged about using his popular-with-the-cool-kids Instant Pot to make wine from Welch’s Grape Juice.

I have some thoughts on this:

1. I admire the gumption, ingenuity, and persistence that Murphy displayed in making this Instant Pot wine thing actually happen. I mean, in a geeky, passionate, too-much-time-on-your-hands kind of way, this is brilliant and his tenacity and desire to learn and then put that learning into practice should be lauded.

2. No. Just… NO.

This is a bad idea for most wine lovers for many reasons, but for brevity’s sake I’m only going to focus on a couple of those reasons…

The process isn’t actually that simple.

Murphy’s instructions include what appear to be six-to-eight simple steps, but the steps are neither simple nor do they in reality number less than fifteen (that’s when I stopped counting). There are potentially serious safety implications involved in fermenting anything in a vessel (such as the Instant Pot) that isn’t built specifically for fermentation purposes (not to mention what this kind of activity would do to your device’s warranty). I mean, things can and do explode during fermentation (as someone who has previously home-brewed beer, I can attest to the potential dangers – and messes – associated with such activities).

The QPR on this activity is ridiculously, pathetically poor.

The ingredients you’ll need to make your own Instant Pot wine (not counting the Instant Pot itself, which will run you around $150) will cost you at least $25, without factoring in the cost in your personal effort (not an insane amount in this case) and time (quite a bit – check out how much waiting is involved as detailed in the instructions). Once effort and time come into the calculation, Instant Pot wine quickly loses its luster from a cost effectiveness standpoint. All of that work will net you about seven bottles of wine. Let’s be generous and say that your total cost in all of the above is something like $250. That comes out to just over $35 per bottle. You can buy a f*cking magical bottle of wine for that price point (that isn’t made from Welch’s).

Look, I’ve got nothing against the Instant Pot, and I admire the ingenuity and fun involved in this, but making wine in that thing should not be considered a viable alternative to buying quality wine.

I defy anyone reading this to produce Instant Pot wine that is better than a bottle of sub-$10 vino from Chile, Argentina, or Bulgaria. You go shopping for that stuff, and for your $200-$250, you’ll probably come home with at least two cases of decent juice for way less effort.

Cheers!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

6 thoughts on “Thoughts On Instant Pot “Wine”2 min read”

  1. el jefe says:
    March 1, 2018 at 11:09 am

    Dude, I read that wrong. Let me know when you find more about instant “pot wine” :D – jefe

    1. 1WineDude says:
      March 1, 2018 at 11:13 am

      Welcome to Click Bait, bro! ;-)

  2. Anne Louise Bannon says:
    March 1, 2018 at 12:35 pm

    If I cough up for an Instant Pot, I’m not going to want to tie it up making wine. That being said, using Welch’s grape juice? Forget the pot. That was the first mistake.

    1. 1WineDude says:
      March 1, 2018 at 12:53 pm

      Agreed, and agreed.

  3. Tim Vandergrift says:
    March 5, 2018 at 4:25 pm

    Joe,

    If you’d like to chat about techniques in modern consumer winemaking, I’m your guy.

    Welch’s and kitchen sink fermentations are best left in the 1920’s and in prison settings. Today’s home winemaker can take advantage of some pretty advanced products (prepared, balanced juices, yeast, stainless fermenters, etc) and make wine that tastes like actual wine, not grape juice and yeast.

    If you’re interested, I’ll even hook you up.

    Cheers!

    1. 1WineDude says:
      March 5, 2018 at 4:29 pm

      Thanks, Tim. In the service of brevity, I didn’t get into the cost effectiveness / quality ratio of the Instant Pot as compared with home winemaking; but yeah, it’s a perfectly valid followup as yet another reason why making wine in the Instant Pot isn’t the smartest idea…

Comments are closed.

Dude’s New Books

Wine Taster's Guide Now Available!

“Bravo! Wine Taster's Guide is a perfect primer for both wine novices and learning enthusiasts." ―Evan Goldstein, Master Sommelier

Wine Taster's Journal Now Available!

"Wine Taster's Journal belongs in everyone's cellar… preferably wine-stained, dog-eared, and well-used.” ―Brian Freedman, wine/spirits/travel columnist

Get Some Wine


Vivino 15% Off Code: 2021NEW15 (1st Time Buyer)

Popular Stuff

  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up for February 22, 2021
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up for February 22, 2021
  • Wine In the Time of Coronavirus, Part 34: Make Wine Like a Girl (Women Run the Show at Benzinger & Imagery)
    Wine In the Time of Coronavirus, Part 34: Make Wine Like a Girl (Women Run the Show at Benzinger & Imagery)
  • Wine Product Review Round-up: Special Edition
    Wine Product Review Round-up: Special Edition
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up for April 5, 2021
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up for April 5, 2021
  • Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up for April 12, 2021
    Wine Reviews: Weekly Mini Round-Up for April 12, 2021

About + Contact

Joe Roberts

Joe Roberts

Certified Specialist of Wine & WSET Advanced
Author, speaker, consultant, wine judge, & critic.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed

Find Stuff

Sign up, lushes!

Join 36,559 other subscribers

Fine Print

This site is licensed under Creative Commons.

Code of Ethics and Privacy Policies.

Play nice!

Get The Guide

Wine Tasters Guide Footer
#1 New Release in Amazon's Wine Tasting category
This site uses cookies. Duh. Cookie Policy
©2021 1 Wine Dude
Yo yo YO!

Wine Tasters Guide InstagramWell, hello there!

If you like what you’re reading (and want to like more of what you’re drinking), consider subscribing.

If you’re up for a more immersive wine learning experience, check out my books and other services.

Cheers!

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.