Homemade Wine Making Process

This is  tried, tested and efficient way to make six or so gallons of awesome wine. My favorites with this recipe are green apple, pomegranate, blueberry and iced tea. Grape is good, too. Have fun with this!

You will need:

• 7 gallon fermentation bucket with lid, airlock mechanism (picture at bottom of page) and hole for airlock mechanism
• 2 x 6.5 gallon carboy (or use fermentation bucket as racking alternative)
  
• Paint strainer bag – for 5 gallon bucket (purchase at home depot)
• Enough sliced/crushed fruit in order to 2/3 –> 3/4 fill paint strainer bag
  
• 12.5 – 13lbs of white table sugar (2 pounds per gallon of wine)
• Wine making ingredients (entire list below)
• 6 or so gallons purified water  (purified is preferred, but optional if instructions are followed for off-gassing below)
  

Order of Operations to make wine “Must”

1. Fill large pot with purified water and bring to boil
2. Pour boiling water in bucket
3. Slowly stir in all of the Sugar
4. Fill bucket halfway with purified water. Enough so temperature is lowered to luke-warm
5. Add the following list of ingredients to luke-warm water only:

• 5 tsp. Acid Blend
• 3 tsp. Pectic Enzyme
• 1 tsp. Wine Tannin
• 1 tsp. Fermax Yeast Nutrient – for better fermentation

6. Mix entire solution thoroughly with large spoon or spatula very well
7.  5 gram Yeast Packet  and 1 tablespoon of sugar (Mixture)

Directions:

• Fill coffee cup of luke-warm water to 1 inche from top.
• Stir in yeast and sugar.
• Mix thoroughly until opaque.
• Cover with wet paper towel and let sit at room temperature (do not add at this point – wait 24 hours)

 

***NOTE TO SELF: TEST USING THE JUICER INSTEAD OF FRUIT BAG**

8. Slice fruit – enough to fill 2/3 paint strainer bag. Use non corrosive tie to tie off paint bag
9. Add paint straining bag of fruit
10. Cover with a damp cloth for 24 hours and let sit overnight to off-gas

• Temperature should be between 70- 80′ F

Optional: 

• Molactic Acid – 1 cap-full creates a buttery finish
• Oak Cask Flavor – 1 cap-full gives an oak-y flavor

24 hours later

• Mix yeast Mixture of 5 gram Yeast Packet on top of “Must” (unfinished wine).
• Mix entire solution thoroughly with large spoon or spatula
• Attach fermentation lock.

10 days Later

• One week later or when  gravity reads 1.040, remove bag of fruit.
• Press and strain juice from pulp and discard pulp.
• Transfer must to carboy, leaving behind as much of the settled sediment as possible

3-4 Weeks later

• Rack wine into second carboy at 3-4 weeks (or back into fermentation bucket, and clean out carboy – rack back into carboy)

2-3 Months later

• After wine is clear (2 or 3 months) stabilize with potassium Sorbate to prevent renewed fermentation,
  • OR Add 1 crushed Campden tablet per gallon of must or…
    • Solution of Potassium Metabisulphite –
    • Directions for making a solution:
    • 3 tsp. Potassium Sorbate – to stabilize
      • Dissolve 5 tsp. of Sodium or Potassium Bisulphite in 1 cup (8oz) water. – You may substitute 1 tsp. of this liquid solution whenever the recipe calls for 1 crushed Campden tablet.
• Sweeten to taste if too dry.
• Bottle.

Wine can be consumed at this point but will benefit with aging of 6 months to one year.

 

Airlock Mechanism