Wine has been made at home for thousands of years. Wine can be made from any type of fruit, although grapes are the most popular choice. After mixing the ingredients, let the wine ferment, then let it sit for a few years before being bottled. This simple, ancient process produces a delicious wine that you can be proud of yourself.
Ingredients
- 16 cups of fruit
- 2 cups honey
- 1 packet of yeast
- Distilled water
Step
Method 1 of 3: Preparing Equipment and Materials
Step 1. Gather equipment
In addition to the wine ingredients, you will need basic equipment to ensure that your wine can ferment without being affected by germs or bacteria. Home brewing doesn't have to be expensive, so you don't have to splurge on special equipment. You will need the following equipment:
- One crock or 2-gallon glass bottle (You can often find these at antique or secondhand stores, however, be aware that many crocks may have been used for sauerkraut or pickles and could contaminate your wine.)
- One 1 gallon carboy (glass container with small neck)
- An airlock
- A thin plastic tube that will be used for suction
- Clean wine bottles with corks or screw caps
- Campden tablets (optional)
Step 2. Choose the fruit
Wine can be made with any type of fruit, although grapes and berries are the most popular choices. Choose fruit that is at its peak. It's best to choose pure fruit that hasn't been treated with chemicals, as you don't want this to end up in your wine. If possible, use fruit that you have selected yourself or buy from a traditional market. Some retailers also specialize in providing wine grapes to home winemakers (for example, Wine Grapes Direct), which is great if you don't live near vineyards.
Step 3. Clean the fruit
Remove the stems and leaves, and make sure the fruit has no dirt or grit particles. Rinse the fruit thoroughly and place it in your crock. You can peel the fruit before crushing it, but most of the flavor of the wine will come from the skin. Peeling will result in a lighter-tasting wine.
Some winemakers prefer not to wash the fruit before crushing it. Since fruit has natural yeast in its skin, making wine using only yeast from the skin and air is possible. However, washing the fruit and controlling the yeast you add allows you to ensure that the taste of the wine will be to your liking; allowing wild yeast to grow can produce a foul taste. If you're willing to give it a try, you can make two amounts of wine, one with controlled yeast and one with wild one, to see which one you prefer
Step 4. Crush the fruit
With a clean potato mash or your hands, crush and squeeze the fruit to release the juice. Continue to do this until the juice is 1 1/2 inches from the top of the crock. If you don't have enough fruit and juice to fill the crock almost to the top, add some distilled water. Add Campden tablets, which release sulfur dioxide into the mixture, to kill wild yeast and bacteria. If you are making wild grape yeast, do not take steps to kill the yeast.
- As an alternative to using tablets, you can pour 2 cups of boiling water over the fruit.
- Using tap water can affect the taste of your wine, as it contains additives. Be sure to use distilled or spring water.
Step 5. Stir in honey
Honey provides food for yeast and sweetens your wine. The amount of honey you use will directly affect the sweetness of your wine. If you prefer sweet wine, add honey. If you don't like it sweet, limit your honey to 2 cups. Also consider the type of fruit you use. Since grapes are high in sugar, you don't need to add a lot of honey to grape wine. Berries and other fruits with lower sugar content will require a little more honey.
- You can add sugar or brown sugar instead of honey if you wish.
- You can always add more honey later if your wine doesn't come out as sweet as you'd like.
Step 6. Add yeast
If you use your own yeast, now is the time to add it. Pour into the crock and stir in the mixture with a long-handled spoon. This mixture is called a must.
If you are making wild yeast wine, you can skip this step
Method 2 of 3: Fermenting the Wine
Step 1. Cover the crock and keep it overnight
It's important to use a lid that will block germs but allow air to flow in and out of the crock. You can use a crock lid designed for this purpose or stretch a cloth or shirt over the opening and secure it with a large rubber band. Place the covered crock in a warm area with a temperature of around 70 degrees overnight.
Placing the skillet in a cool place will not facilitate yeast growth. Storing it in a place that is too warm will kill the yeast. Find a good medium spot in your kitchen
Step 2. Stir the mustard several times per day
The day after you make the mixture, open the lid and stir thoroughly, and cover again. Do this every 4 hours or so on the first day, then continue to stir several times per day for the next 3 days. The mixture should start to bubble as the yeast acts. It is the fermentation process that will produce delicious wine.
Step 3. Strain and suck out the liquid
When the bubbling slows down, about 3 days after it starts, it's time to sift through the solids and suck the liquids into your carboy for long-term storage. Once you've sucked it into the carboy, install an airlock on the opening to allow the release of gases while preventing oxygen from entering and damaging your wine.
If you don't have an airlock, you can use a small balloon placed over the opening. Every few days, remove the balloon to remove the accumulated gas and replace it immediately
Step 4. Let the grapes age for at least a month
It's best if you can let it aged for up to nine months, during which time the wine will age and soften, resulting in a much better taste. If you use additional honey in your wine, it is better to age it longer, so it doesn't taste too sweet when you drink it.
Step 5. Bottle the wine
To prevent wine from catching bacteria that can cause it to turn into vinegar, add Campden tablets to the mixture as soon as you remove the airlock. Sip the wine into your clean bottle, fill it almost to the top, and immediately cork it. Let the wine aged further in the bottle or enjoy it immediately.
Use a dark bottle to preserve the color of the red wine
Method 3 of 3: Making Wine Like a Pro
Step 1. Learn the tricks that lead to successful winemaking
People have been making wine for thousands of years, and they have learned a few tricks along the way. Keep the following in mind when you make your own wine for the first time:
- Use very clean utensils to prevent bacteria from spoiling your wine.
- Keep your first ferment covered but allow ventilation.
- Keep secondary fermentation airtight.
- Keep all bottles full, to minimize oxygen in bottles.
- Store red wine in a dark bottle so it doesn't lose its appearance.
- Make the wine too dry instead of too sweet: you can add sugar later.
- Taste the wine at regular intervals to make sure this process goes well.
Step 2. Know what to avoid in home winemaking
Avoiding these common mistakes can help ensure your success. Do not:
- Sell your wine, as this is illegal.
- Let vinegar flies come into contact with your wine.
- Use a metal container.
- Use utensils or containers made of resin wood, as they can spoil the taste of the wine.
- Try speeding up the fermentation by increasing the temperature.
- Filter for no reason or too fast.
- Store your wine in non-sterile jars or bottles.
- Bottle your wine before it finishes fermenting.
Tips
- Keep all tools clean and sterile. The bacteria turn the wine into vinegar. However, if your wine is already vinegar, don't throw it away. It makes a great marinade for meat and poultry. For example, use this to marinate chicken in fresh herbs and spices.
- Siphoning good liquids out of solids is a must. This is called 'racking' and should be done two or three times before bottling.
- Give your wine a touch of woody age. In the second fermentation, add a four-inch piece of oak in a glass jar; inch blades are best. (To keep the wine high against the neck of the fermentation vessel, add sterile marbles to occupy the remaining space.) Let the wood work in the glass bottle. Strain the bright, finished wine into a sterilized bottle and cork it.
- Keep the corked bottle on its back at neck level so that the wine is touching the cork.
- If your fresh fruit is too sour and fermenting seems sluggish, you may have a "must" that is too sour. Add a stick of lime to the mustnya. It can do wonders.
