If you enjoy drinking wine, you might be
interested in the process of making your own wine. While it may seem
like a mystery to some, others cannot wait to get started in making
their own wine. Keep in mind that anyone has the ability to make
wine. The only requirement is that you will be willing to buy all of
the right supplies and to take your time to learn what you are doing.
You will soon be able to start making wine that will make others
jealous.
Get Your Supplies
The first thing that you will need to do is
that you will need to buy all of your supplies. While buying the
grapes to make the juice might seem obvious, other things like a
hydrometer might not be as obvious. You will also need to get about
five carboys which hold five gallons. Some of the carboys will need
to have air locks on them for the fermentation process. Making the
juice will require a de-stemmer and a press. You will also need a way
to filter the wine and something to hold the wine whenever you are
finished.
Buying the Grapes
Make sure that you are actually buying grapes
rather than buying juice. There are two reasons for this. First,
there is natural yeast which is present on the grapes which will
produce a better tasting wine. Additionally, the juice which comes
from other sources might have been pasteurized or otherwise
compromised so that it will not produce wine. You are much better off
buying the whole grapes and pressing the juice from them yourself.
The kinds of grapes that you will buy will
determine what kind of wine you will be able to produce. Among the
most popular for Americans to buy are the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
out of California. Make sure that no matter which of the grapes you
choose that you purchase them while in season as well as buying them
as local as possible so that they will have had the chance to ripen
on the vine rather than in shipping. This will allow for higher sugar
content.
Pressing Your Juice
Wine cannot be made while the juice is still
inside of the grape. You can choose to do this by hand if you want
to, but the best way to get all of the juice from your fruit is to
use a press. These are affordable when using hand-cranked models. The
hydraulic press models work very well and will result in more tannins
being removed from the grapes as the seeds and the skins are pressed
to their maximum.
As soon as your juice is pressed, it is a good
idea to test the sugar content. Look for sugar content between 9% and
13% before getting started with the fermentation process. If
necessary, you might have to add sugar to the juice. The best sugar
to use is fructose sugar because it is closest to what is naturally
in the grape juice to begin with.
First Fermentation
Now that you have your juice prepared, it is
time to get started. Before adding any yeast, you will need to add a
special mixture to the juice. This will include yeast nutrient to
feed the yeast whenever it is added, pectic enzyme to clarify the
wine as it is going through the process of fermentation and potassium
bisulfite to kill off any bacteria which might be present in the
juice. Allow 24 hours for the bacteria to be killed before moving on
to the next step.
After the bacteria are dead, you are ready to
get started with the actual fermentation. Add in one package of yeast
to five gallons of juice. Stir in the yeast well and stand back as it
will begin to bubble right away. By making sure that every container
is only half filled, it will give room for the bubbling to take
place. Cover the mixture – called "must" at this point –
with cheese cloth and stir daily as the first fermentation rolls on.
Second Fermentation
After 5 – 6 days of fermenting, you will need
to start the second fermentation. This is started by filtering the
wine into a second sterile container. Leave behind any sediment which
has fallen to the bottom of the first container as all of the yeast
you will need is contained within the juice you can transfer from one
bucket to the next.
The second fermentation is the longer portion
of this process. Make sure that you are using the hydrometer to let
you know when the fermentation process is over. Different climates,
locales and environment conditions can make this time vary wildly.
So, keep monitoring it to be sure you catch it at the right moment.
Clearing the Wine
After the fermentation process is the clearing
process. This will include removing even more of the sediment from
the must. The best way to remove the sediment will include a
continual transference from one container to the next. As the wine is
moved, it will become clearer. Make sure that you are being patient
as this process might take as long as a few months to complete.
Bottling the Wine
At the end of the clearing process, the wine
can be consumed, but not enjoyed. It should sit in a bottle for a
period of time while it matures. Strain the wine thoroughly to remove
any and all sediment from the wine. Carefully siphon the wine into
completely sanitized bottles. Make sure that these are corked using
new corks or at the very least using a sealing system which can
include a screw cap enclosure. Corking the bottle is generally
cheaper.
You do not need an ornate label if you do not
want one, but you should at the very least include the date that the
wine was bottled as well as the type of wine that it is. This will
offer some clues as to how long you should allow it to mature and how
you should store it.
Enjoy,
