If you are considering making your own batches of wine at home then you can start by getting the right equipment and ingredients. This allows you to have an easy time in how to make wine. It is important to know that there is a slight difference when making red and white wine.
Red wine is fermented with the skin and pulp together.
The ingredients required in preparing dry white homemade wine include;
- ripe red grapes
- a teaspoon of potassium metabisulfite powder)
- Tartaric acid
- Table sugar
- Wine yeast ( Champagne or Montrachet)
If you own a vineyard then make sure you only use grapes that are most suitable for making wine. Pick grapes once they have reached 22 to 24 percent sugar. You can pick a few and test out the sugar level. This allows you to use grapes that are most suitable for wine making.
After getting grapes to use in how to make wine, it is important to make sure that they are thoroughly cleaned. Follow this step whether the fruit was harvested from your own vineyard or bought from a supply shop. Sort them ought by picking only ripe and healthy grape. Clean them by washing off any debris or dirt on them.
You can use a large nylon straining bag to squish the juice from the fruit. Simply place the grapes in the bag and place them in a sanitized food container or gallon. Clean your hand and use a sanitized equipment to pound the grapes. Using firm and gentle force, crush the grapes until you are contented with the result.
The next step in preparing homemade wine is to use a teaspoon of the metabisulfite powder on the crushed fruit. Sprinkle it on top of the crushed pulp while still in the nylon bag. Cover the food gallon containing the mixture and let it sit for about one hour. You can use a sterilized piece of cloth for this purpose.
Follow this by getting the temperature of the must. Use a thermometer to get the reading. The value should give you measurement between 70o to 75o F. If the temperature is lower than this then heat the must very gently to bring it to this level.
The next process in preparing homemade wine is fermentation. Start by measuring the acid level of the must. Do this by taking a small sample of the mixture. Using a titration kit you should get measurement between 6 to 7 g per liter. If the reading is too high or low then use small quantities of tartaric acid to adjust it to the correct value.
Follow this by getting the specific gravity of the juice by using a hydrometer. You should get an approximate value of 1.0982. You can adjust it to the correct value by adding suitable amount of sugar and water.
Prepare the yeast by adding one packet to one pint of warm water. Let it stand for about ten minutes and pour it over the must. Ensure the yeast solution penetrates the bag by moving it around the food gallon. This starts the fermenting process in how to make wine. Use a sanitized piece of cloth to cover the mixture.
Place it in a warm dry place and leave it for about ten days. It is important to check on the must during wine making process at least once in a day to ensure that fermentation is going on smoothly. Always make sure that the skin settles beneath the juice at all times. You can mix it at least two times each day.
Use a hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the must. After a period of ten days you should get an approximate value of 0.998 SG. Take the nylon bag and squeeze out grape juice into a sanitized food gallon or container. Do this if there is must in the container. Cover the grape juice loosely and let it stand for ten days.
Afterwards you can separate the sediments from the grape juice. Transfer it to a sanitized gallon and add boiled cooled water to fill up the gallon. Leave it to stand in a cool dry place for six months.
Using the same procedure, carefully separate the wine from the sediments and fill it up in small bottles. Seal them tightly and place in a cool dry place. Leave them for six months for the wine to mature. You can leave the homemade wine to stay for longer period if you want.
Always make sure that you use sanitized equipment when preparing wine at home. You can use sulfite solution for this purpose.
