Wine Making Step By Step
When it comes down to making wine, common knowledge plays a big part in the process. If you combine the basic elements of wine making with your innate instinct and taste, the result should, surely, be a positive one.
Crushing & Pressing Generally speaking, 50 pounds of grapes yields five gallons of wine. Once you harvest your grapes, you must place them in a plastic vat (found at any wine-making shop) for crushing. Always make sure to fill your vat only 2/3 so as not to waste any of the smashed grape mixture. Foot grape crushing methods have proved to be effective and easy to employ. For smaller amounts of grapes, you can crush them with a potato smasher, or simply your hands. Once the must (name given to grapes after they are smashed) is done, you must add potassium metabisulfite in order to prevent the growth of unwanted yeasts that can affect the taste of your wine. This chemical can be purchased in Campden tablets, and the recommended dose is to be added to the must. The mixture is then covered with a cloth and left to sit for a day.
Fermentation After the mixture has rested for a day, its time to add 1 packet of wine yeast (not to be confused with bread yeast). The most common types of wine fermenting yeasts are Montrachet and Prix de Mousse. To stir in the yeast, use your hands so as to elevate the temperature of the must and activate the yeast. Using your fingers, comb through the mixture and remove the stems, crushing any fruits that were left attached to them. Cover with a cloth, and let it sit again. Within 48 hours, the must should begin to fizz and it will look like its boiling by the third day of fermentation. When a week passes, the fizzing will stop and the wine will be ready to be filtered of seeds, pulp and any leftover grape skin.
Within a week the fizzing will subside and it is time to separate the wine from the leftover seeds, grape skins, and pulp. The mixture can be poured into mesh bags or cheese clothes. It then needs to be squeezed, strained and poured into a glass carboy, also available at winemaking shops, or poured into an empty wine barrel. From this moment on the wine should no longer come into contact with the air. An airlock can be used with a carboy or a barrel. An airlock prevents air from getting into the container but allows gas to escape.
Racking At this stage, it will only take 2-3 weeks for the fizzing to stop. Once the fizzing stops, its time to rack the wine. Racking will remove what is called the lees from the wine. Lees is the used up yeast and grape pieces that remain, unconsumed, at the bottom of the barrel of carboy. A common way of doing this, is siphoning the wine out of the container to clean the bottom. Once the bottom of the lees has been removed, the wine is to be poured back into the container. A second racking will be required 2-3 months after the first, with a third and final racking 3-4 months after that.
The wine can then be aged in a pitch-black dark, cool place until its ready to be drank. Even though the wine can be tasted at this point, the longer you leave it to age, the fuller the flavor will be.
Pierre Duponte is a grape growing expert. He spends his time teaching others how to make fine wines. For more great tips on easy wine making or you can get his free 10 part mini course on grape growing and how to make wine visit http://www.grapegrowingwinemakingtips.com/.
Tags: alcohol, crafts hobbies, Easy wine making, food and beverages, food and drink, grape growing, hobbies, home and family, luxury wine, pruning grapes, Wine, wine accessories, wine and spirits, wine making