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The Best Homemade Wine
by Nancy Fann-Im
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Overview
It happens to all wine lovers---they learn to enjoy the beverage so much that they begin to dream about crafting their own bottles. Making wine at home can be an exciting endeavor, but it provides its challenges as well. There is no exact recipe, as it all depends on the type and quality of the grapes you're using. You'll also have to adjust your approach as you go along. Even though winemaking is truly an art, there are a few tips you can follow.
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Choosing Which Grapes to Use
Depending on your level of wine knowledge, you may already know which grapes you prefer and would like to use for your homemade wine. Otherwise, you can use any type of grape and can always adjust the acid and sugar levels to your tastes as needed.
There are wild grapes (i.e., Muscadine, Fox, Frost) and wine grapes (i.e., Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot). In general, 20 to 40 lbs. of wild grapes will produce about 5 gallons of wine, while it might take 60 to 80 lbs. of wine grapes to do the same. No matter what type of grape you choose, select fruit that is perfectly ripe and damage-free.
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Processing the Grapes
After you've selected your grapes, it's time to destem, crush, ferment and press them---but not necessarily in that order. Grapes for making red wine are destemmed, crushed and fermented with their skins left on, then pressed. White grapes are crushed with their stems left on and pressed before fermentation. Destemming and crushing can be done by hand, but you'll need a tabletop press to press the grapes properly.
Check the acid and sugar levels of your juice. Purchase an acid-testing kit and a hydrometer to do so; both will come with instructions and are fairly simple to use. You must add water if your juice is too acidic, and sugar if there's not enough of it.
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Fermentation
At this point, your juice is considered "must," and it's time to ferment it. Place it in a clean, open vessel, and add 1 tsp. of yeast nutrient per gallon of must (to feed the yeast that will be added later), 1/8 tsp. of pectic enzyme per gallon (to aid in clarification) and 1/16 tsp. of potassium bisulfite per gallon (for sterilization). Cover the vessel with a light towel, and let it sit for 24 hours. The next day, add a package of yeast for every 5 gallons to the surface of the must.
Within 24 hours, foam will start to form. Stir the must once a day, every day, for five days. Keep the vessel covered with a light towel. On the fifth day, transfer only the liquid to a new vessel with an air-lock lid (which allows gases to escape), leaving all the debris behind; this process is called "racking." If you're making red wine, you would press at this point.
During this secondary fermentation, the yeast will continue to do its job. Use the hydrometer to figure out when it's finished, then add more potassium bisulfite (in the same quantity) to help preserve the color and flavor of the wine while it clears. Clarification could take up to several months.
During this time, you should continue to periodically rack your wine in order to get rid of the sediment.
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Bottling
After the wine is done fermenting and is completely clear, pour the wine into bottles and seal them with corks.
