If you enjoy wine, imagine how much more satisfying it will be to sip your very own homemade wine! Homemade doesn't have to mean low-quality as there are many high quality wine making kits that provide wineries' finest juice to make excellent wine. If you want to make homemade wine from any kind of juice, the process is the same. Wine making does take six weeks using the standard wine making kit. The directions that follow are geared to making approximately 11.5 L of a dessert wine.

Before you start, you will need to get the wine-making equipment. This equipment can usually be found in a kit. The absolute minimum requirements are: primary fermenter (bucket with lid), 11.5 L (3 gallon) carboy (glass jug) OR three 4L jugs, siphon hose and racking tube and a hydrometer. A long handled spoon is helpful. You will be needing to sanitize the equipment; special sanitizing powder specifically for wine and beer making can be found at any wine store. When the wine is done, you will need bottles, corks and a cork inserter.

Your wine kit should include the following: juice, bentonite, wine yeast, sorbate/sulphite, Kieselsol and Chitosan.

Unless you know exactly where on your fermenting bucket 9 L is, you'll need to measure out 9 L of water and fill the bucket with it. Mark the line on the outside of the bucket. Pour out the water and sanitize the fermenting bucket and lid, stirring spoon and measuring cup. You'll need to rinse out with water 3 times after discarding the sanitizing solution.

Using filtered or distilled water for best taste, pour enough hot water into the primary fermenter to measure approximately one inch of water from the bottom. Add the contents of the bentonite packet to this water and stir for three minutes.

Now add one package of juice to the bentonite/water mixture. Put 1 L of hot water into the empty juice bag and swish, then pour into the bucket. Top up to the 9L level mark with cool water, and stir well.

Stir in the package of yeast and then cover the fermenter with a loose-fitting lid, plastic wrap or a lid with a fermentation lock. Leave in a warm (20-24C/68-75F) place for two weeks.

Use your hydrometer to check the wine.  It should have a specific gravity of .995 signifying that the fermentation is done.

Sanitize a 11.5 L carboy, siphon hose and racking tube and spoon.  Remember to rinse well.

Using the siphon tube, siphon the wine from the primary fermenting bucket into the glass carboy.  Add the contents of the Kieselsol and sorbate/sulphite packets to the wine.  Stir vigorously for at least five minutes - you're trying to remove all the excess gas.  Let rest for one hour.

Add the contents of the second bag of juice, using a little wine or water to rinse out the bag.  Stir very well.  Add the Chitosan and stir gently with the spoon handle to mix.

Top up the carboy to the neck with water.  Attach the fermentation lock and allow to sit for another two weeks.

The wine should be totally clear now, with some sediment at the bottom. You have two choices: filter the wine with a filter or switch it into the primary fermenter and then back again. Some fermenting buckets come with a spigot to make this easier.  If you have a filter, use that according to its directions.  Otherwise:

Sanitize the siphon if it isn't already sterile.  Siphon the wine from the carboy into the (sanitized) fermenting bucket.

Sanitize the carboy again after rinsing out the sediment. Make sure to rinse well. You don't want to spoil your wine now! Siphon the wine into the carboy, top up to the neck with water again, and attach the fermentation lock. Allow to sit.

After two weeks the wine should be ready to bottle. Clean and sanitize all bottles, rinsing well. Siphon the wine into the bottles, leaving a little space at the top. Using your corker, push the dry cork into the bottle's opening. Let the bottles stand upright for several days before laying down to store as this allows the cork to seal properly.

Now...one fine evening get your homemade wine out and enjoy! It might have taken a long time, but the results are probably well worth it - and next time you're ready to make wine, you can try experimenting with another kind of juice!

One note. If something went wrong with your wine and you bought it in a kit, you might be able to bring it back to the store for a refund. Check at the store when you buy it.