After about six years of wine making and learning about acid testing, pH, balance etc., you wonder if you can condense the process down to just a few simple steps. These simple steps are assuming the following:
1. You are going to use store bought juice’s. ie. Welch’s frozen or any other that does not have preservatives added;
2. You plan to consume your wine as early as possible, usually about 2 – 3 months after primary fermentation;
3. Your not out to win any awards but what something you can kick back with and enjoy.
I know many winemakers would cringe with the 3 assumptions above, but I feel there numerous people looking to get into winemaking and would like to take a simple approach. Or, maybe your are an experienced winemaker looking to make a batch for quick consumption. Either way, here are the simple steps to making wine.
This procedure is designed to make 1 ½ gallons which will probably end up being about 1 gallon bottled.
Procedure
1. Use two 11 ounce frozen juice to 1 gallon of must for a medium bodied wine. For a heavy bodied wine use 4 to a gallon. That means you will need 3 to 6 to make this batch.
2. Dump juice into your primary fermenter and add enough water to make 1 ½ gallons. Check the sugar content by using your hydrometer. If needed add enough sugar to bring the hydrometer reading to between 1.080 – 1.095. Retest after adding sugar and if higher that 1.095 dilute with a little water.
3. If you wish to, you can add two crushed campden tablets to your must. I really don’t think you need to since your must is pretty much sterilized. If you do add campden tablets, you will have to let the must sit for a day prior to adding the yeast.
4. Add your yeast nutrient
5. Add your yeast. Personally, I prefer to use half a packet of dry yeast.
6. Allow to ferment for 7 – 10 days then rack over to secondary fermenter.
7. If you plan to add oak chips, now is the time for that. Keep in the secondary for about 6 to 8 weeks. Rack again.
8. About 2 weeks after the last racking, you can begin to consume your masterpiece. I use either a 1 gallon or 2 gallon plastic water jug with a spout, if I plan on drinking my wine immediately. Otherwise, I just bottle it for later.
There you go. Eight simple steps to making wine. Nothing real hard about it and the best thing is that you can begin drinking it in about 2 to 3 months. Give it a whirl and let me know how your masterpiece turned out.
Read more...
Follow Me On Twitter
