Ah! Wine! The sweet smell of wine has itself caused more than its share of hearts to flutter. From red wines, made of black grapes fermented whole, to white wines, made from either black grapes or white ones, wines have dominated as the choice alcohol for parties to grand events to romantic dinners for years. So, how is this magical drink prepared? Well it’s quite simple and can be easily made at home.
- Let’s take a look at how to make red wine. Adjust the quantity of ingredients according to our requirements.
- Things you’ll need:
- Wines yeast
- Fining materials
- Fermentation locks
- Acid-testing kits
- Vinifera red grapes
- Grape crushers
- Grape press
- Fermentation Locks
- Fining Materials
- Campdem
- Siphon Hoses
- Vinifera Red Grapes
- Wines Yeast
- Gallon jugs / Fermenting barrels
- Acid-testing Kits
Before Fermentation
- Crush and add grapes in the fermentor to approximately 2/3 of its capacity and then remove all the stems.
- Add campdem tablets in a cup of warm water. You will need 1 tablet for every 10 liters. Pour it into the fermentor and mix it with a wooden or plastic spoon. Now leave the mixture alone for about 2-3 hours.
- Check the sugar content of yours, to be, red wine (or Brix: The percentage of sugar in water). It should be around 20-25°C Brix but depends upon your choice of grapes. If Brix is lower than 20°C then add some sugar to the unfinished wine as it might not taste good otherwise.
- Check the acid content of your wine. Acid content should be around 5.5-7 g/liter. You can use a kit made for testing acid in wines which should be available at our nearest winemaking shop. If you ask him nicely he might just help you out for free.
- Always keep an eye on the temperature. It should be not more than 75 degrees or less than 70 degrees. If you need to raise the temperature you can do this by placing a heating pad around it. To lower the temperature take a water proof bag, put in some crushed ice and a heavy stone (to keep it down), and lower it into the fermentor. Make sure the temperature always stays within the given range.
- Dissolve 1 gram of yeast in a cup of warm water for every 3.8 liters of wine. Let the solution stand for about 15-20 minutes. Add it to the fermentor when satisfactory Brix and acid level and temperature are achieved. Then cover the fermentor with a cheese cloth
Fermentation
- After about 24 hours the solution will start bubbling, making gurgling sounds. This means that the fermentation is going well. Expect the temperature to rise. Make sure you stir at least thrice a day to keep the seeds and grape skins, which rise to the top, wet.
- Keep an eye on the Brix everyday. It should steadily decline. Once it reaches around 0 degrees, transfer the wine into a jug and place a fermentation lock or an airlock. Save the pulp for later.
- After about one month transfer the contents to another container and top it up with the left over sediments and the pulp. Repeat till there are no sediments left over. This procedure is called racking.
- If you want crystal clear wine add some fining material. You should also now bottle up this wine (with a nicely fitted cork) and let it stand for about a week. Store the wine on its side for about a year at 13oC.
Now you are all done and set for your first batch of homemade wine! Sample the wine and if it’s not up to expectations let it age a little more. Congratulations, so now you know how to make red wine.