How to make Wine
85
Why bother?
Now that wine is a supermarket commodity, what's the point in making your own? You will have your own reasons, but here are a few of mine:
- It's good fun, feels creative and fills the kitchen with summery smells.
- It's very cheap, wholesome, and surprisingly good.
- I live in an Islamic country where wine is not a supermarket commodity!
Will it be any good?
I'll be honest - it will taste like a decent vin ordinaire, and be none the worse for that. It will be on a par with the staple drink of millions of everyday folk throughout Europe. Because that's what we're making - everyday wine.
It is, of course, possible to make truly fine wine, but to do this you will need to follow a slightly more involved procedure:
- Buy a hillside with ideal aspect, soil and climate
- Terrace it and plant your vines
- Protect them from frosts, hailstorms, insects, neighbours
- Oh, and start about thirty years ago . . .
So, being realistic, our goal is a steady supply of wholesome and pleasant red, white and (if you really must) rose table wine.
Wholesome?
Guaranteed! This wine will contain no chemical additives or artficial preservatives. That is a promise you will not find many commercial winemakers making. Your wine is made from pure fruit juice and, drunk in moderation, will do you nothing but good.
What do I need to get started?
The good news is, you hardly need any equipment at all. You will need:
- One 5 litre (or 1 gallon) plastic drinking water container. (Not 5 separate bottles)
- One plastic pouring funnel
- Four 1 litre (2 pint) cartons of red or white grape juice with no preservatives
- 750 grams (a pound and a half) of ordinary granulated white sugar
- One sachet of general purpose wine yeast
Wine Yeast?
This is important. Please do not try using baking yeast. It will ferment, but it will stop too soon, leaving you with an oversweet, understrength concoction, often with a bready smell. Much the same is true of brewer's yeast, except it will smell beery. What a surprise!
If you are lucky enough to have a winemaker's supplier nearby, that's where to get your wine yeast. Don't be intimidated by the expert salesman - one sachet of general purpose wine yeast is all you need. If he offers you Campden tablets, vitamin B6, a hydrometer, a thermometer, a fermentation trap and a snake of plastic tubing, just smile sweetly and say no.
If you have no local supplier, there are plenty of on-line sources available, listed under "winemaking supplies".
Paraglider's Promise
If you do try making wine by this method and run into any problem, describe it in a comment and I'll do my best to help, or at least explain what's gone wrong.
If you have a go and it works out well (which is most likely) share your success to encourage others to join the winemaking community.
I'm also happy to answer queries about home winemaking. Although my starter method is simple, it is based on sound principles. Advanced winemaking involves more equipment and processes. If the interest is there, I'll base a few more hubs around the finer points.
Why not ask!
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Home Winemaking Step-by-Step
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Techniques in Home Winemaking: The Comprehensive Guide to Making Chateau-Style Wines
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The Joy of Home Wine Making
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Let's get started
Your grape juice should be kept at room temperature, not in the fridge. If it's in the fridge, take it out now and do something else till tomorrow.
Drink the 5 litres of water. Most people prefer to do this over a few days. When the bottle is empty, don't rinse it out. It's clean. It was full of drinking water, remember?
Day One:
Pour about half of one of your cartons of juice into the big bottle.
Add one teaspoonful of wine yeast, put the top on the bottle and shake it to buggery. (This is the correct technical term for this process as used by winemakers the world over, though a small handful still refer to aeration).
Leave it in a warmish place and take the rest of the day off. (Yeast is a living organism. Its comfort zone is much like ours. Think shirt-sleeves temperatures. You don't need to keep it in the dark, but direct sunlight will spoil it.
Day Two:
You'll notice it will have started bubbling. Add the other half carton of juice and one full carton, so the bottle is now a little under half full. Tighten the bottle cap then back it off half a turn. This is very important. Fermentation produces a lot of carbon dioxide gas which must be allowed to escape.
Take a 2 litre coke bottle and do whatever you want with the contents. I'm told it goes well with a Big Mac, whatever that is. We need it empty, that's all.
Pour 750 grams (about a pound and a half) of sugar into the coke bottle. A plastic funnel makes this a lot easier. Pour boiled tap water or drinking water onto the sugar until the bottle is about half full (1 litre or 2 pints). Shake it until all the sugar is dissolved. Don't add it to the wine yet.
Day Four or Five:
By now, the wine should be fermenting well. Add one more carton of grape juice and all of the sugar syrup. The level should still be below the shoulder of the bottle. Swirl the bottle to mix in the sugar syrup. Tighten the bottle cap then back it off half a turn, as before. That's it for today. You should still have one unopened carton of grape juice.
Day Ten or so:
The liveliest fermentation should have eased off by now, so it's safe to add the last carton of juice. The bottle should be filled to the bottom of the neck. Usual drill with the bottle cap. Now you just have to wait. Check the bottle cap every day, and watch for the bubbling showing signs of stopping, typically after two or three weeks.
Finally:
When the bubbling has stopped, or at least slowed right down to the occasional bubble, place the bottle in the fridge (not the freezer!) and leave it for about three days. The cold will halt the fermentation and will also help the yeast to settle to the bottom of the bottle.
Line up enough empty coke or water bottles to hold the wine. Very, very carefully, so as not to disturb the sediment, pour the wine into the bottles using the funnel. Get a friend to help by holding the bottles and moving the funnel from bottle to bottle. Fill all the bottles in a single pass, without un-tipping the fermenting bottle. This way, you won't disturb the sediment.
The wine can be drunk straight away, but it will improve in the bottle for several months. But don't even consider 'laying it down' or any such nonsense. It's not that sort of wine.
Cheers! You're now a winemaker.
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Comments
Sure! I'll go to my local supermarket and ask for wine yeast! I'll never be caught :P
Hi Scott - I would steer clear of pineapple juice, because it's not really a juice! Technically, it's a colloid - tiny particles of pineapple solids suspended in an almost clear watery 'liquor'. If you like pineapple flavour, use 3 cartons of white grape juice to 1 carton pineapple. Taht way, you'll still get a wine, but with a pineapple scent & flavour. In the method above, make the pineapple the final carton. And let us know how it goes, ok? (oh, and butter - no!!!)
Sounds pretty good!!!! But i'm thinking about using pineapple juice and butter as for the fruit content, do you think that's a good idea?
Hi q.new - If you want to use the method on this page (good if you want the wine to be ready for early drinking) then do this - Follow the procedure using supermarket grape juice until the start of the section called "DAY 10 or so". Then switch to mulberry juice. For a table wine, 1 litre mulberry to 3 litre grape is good. You'll still get the mulberry falvour without it tasting like a cordial.
The mulberries should be completely fresh and very ripe but not over-ripe. Depending on how juicy they are, you'll need 3 - 4 pounds. Put them in a big plastic bag and squeeze by hand till the juice is running. Pour it through a nylon seive (not metal) Don't try to get every last drop of muddy juice, and don't filter it or it will lose its freshness. Cover it and let it settle for half an hour, then add it to the fermenting must. Then carry on with the method as described.
Now, if you really have huge mulberry crop, you might like to try a dessert-style wine, but first you'll need to learn about pulp fermentation and how to use sulfites. I'd advise leaving that till you've had a few successes with juice.
I was looking for a way to make mulberry wine and found your site. Just what my husband and I are looking for. Simple,thrifty,healthy and down to earth good. My question is can I use mulberry juice instead? If so how many pounds of berries do I need and how should I extract the juice from them for making wine? Plus I have also been told I need to add some grape juice as mulberry wine isn't good on its own. Is that true and if so what ratio of mulberry juice to grape juice should I use?
Hi Florida - it will probably work, but it is taking a few unnecessary risks. Let us know how it goes.
hey Paraglider, that was extremely interesting. thanks for spreading your knowledge around. I actually, just started a batch using the method of dumping everything in at once.(and the Balloon on the top) your recipe says that stages are better, and by the way, this is the first batch i've ever tried. i wish i had seen you first, your recipe sounds more logical, but i can't stop now. i will let you know how the other guy's recipe works out. if it doesn't, i will certainly try yours next.
My pleasure. I started making it when I was too poor (as a student) to buy it, and now make it mainly for fun. Cheers!
I am a wine lover but I think I'll stick to the drinking versus making it but thanks for educating me in the process.
Any wine yeast can deliver 12 - 13 % alcohol without sticking (if the must is properly balanced). Bread yeast is not guaranteed to go all the way. It might, but it might not. It's not what it's bred for, after all. Also, wine yeast tends to be more sedimentary - i.e. it clears better.
Yeah I tried a couple tips on the internet to try and salvage the stuff but its pretty much garbage. Oh well, I'll just have to try again! How much of a difference does it honestly make using wine yeast? If I can get away with bread yeast it would make the process a lot simpler...
Thanks, - Kiefman.
That's a shame because it seemed to be going well. It's quite important to get the fermenting bottle into the fridge as soon as the fermentation has stopped, to clear the wine and pour it off the sediment as soon as possible. The sediment is not stable, and will break down (start to rot) if yu leave it in there. The other thing is, after getting rid of the sediment, the wine should not be open to the air, i.e. the bottles should be capped.
Hi Paraglider, I hope I'm not bothering you with all the questions, but I've got another. I'm not sure what's gone wrong but my three bottles of wine seem to have all gone bad. I've tried to figure out what I did wrong but with my limited knowledge its hard to find out. They have a sortof rotting smell, and I almost was sick from having a sip from one. I did not transfer the wine from its original container until this week, so it was sitting with the slime in the bottom for quite a while after fermentation was done. Would that have caused this? I'm quite disappointed, but not giving up yet! Thanks again, KiefMan.
Yes, it goes faster when warm, but only up to about 80. Much above that, you risk killing the yeast. Remember that the fermentation releases heat, so the fermenting wine can easily rise a few degrees higher than the ambient temperature. I'm pretty sure the 20 means 20 Celsius = 68 Farenheit, which is fine.
Oh BTW its only been brewing since Sat. Im not trying to rush it or anything...
Does it ferment quicker when heated...I was reading most reds are keeped between the mid 70s to lower 80s during fermentation. Anyhow, mine hase been at 78 degrees roughly...Cracked open the jug today to get alittle smell, and it smelled like it had a high alcohol content already. (sweet but strong!) I have a little heater blowing in my closet, or else it seems like it would be too cold. My packet of yeast said to keep it between 64-86. The other guy said his temp was at 20...I think the yeast would die, no? Hooray for trial and error and supply stores! Keep ya updated.
KiefMan - That's great, Thanks for reporting back - Cheers!
Hi Paraglider, I got back home from vacation today and checked the wine using a straw like you suggested, and its done! It's sitting in my fridge now, alongside 2 other batches I made using different yeasts and juices. It tastes quite nice right now and I imagine it'll get even better when it can age a little longer. Thanks so much for all the help and being so patient, you're awesome! I've been telling my friends about my wine making all along, and thanks to you I'll be proud when they get to try some. Thanks again.
KiefMan.
You are unlikely to get bacterial spoilage in a wine made from pre-packed juice, especially if you use new drinking water containers as suggested. If you are using fresh fruityou have to be far more careful with sterilisation, because most spoilage comes from infection of the original fruit, or from fruit flies attracted to the pulp. If you think about it, what self respecting fruit fly is going to land on a dry measuring cup? Once the yeast takes hold, you are usually pretty safe. Let me know how it turns out, ok?
U are right about the frothing...I filled one of the jugs almost to the top, and found alittle mess this morning. The other jug Im making is doing just fine. (Its not all the way filled like the other) I was thinkiing about dumping some out or just leaving it and just dealing with it until the fermentation calms down. All and all, the fermentation seems to be doing very well! Another concern I have is about bacteria. I forgot to sanitize one of my airlocks and a measuring cup on accident. The measuring cup was rinsed with very hot water then boiling hot sugar water was poured in it. (I was using the measuring cup instead of a funnel because it had a spout) How will I know if bacteria infested my wine?
Hi Joe - no, it would actually be less efficient, for many reasons. If you add yeast to a full gallon it will take longer to get started. It's much better to start the yeast in about a pint of well aerated juice. Also, by your method, because your jar is full, when the fermentation does get going, it is very likely to froth right through the fermentation trap, making a horrible mess. In my method, though the jar is not full until quite late in the proceedings, there is not exposure to the air, because, from day one, the wine is protected by a blanket of Carbon Dioxide. (By the way, you should never just forget about airlocks, because they dry out if you don't attend to them regularly. I prefer the loose cap method for juice wines). Thanks for the question :)
Couldnt I technically add everything at once instead of exposing the mix to the air so much? I was thinking about getting the juice room temp., then adding the sugar, stir the mix, and finally add yeast, shake, put my top fitted with an airlock and forget about it. Wouldnt this work just as efficiently???
Mortimer - There are indeed, though you still need a good place to transplant them into. My grape juice method is just a good honest standby while you research the possibilities of going for true quality. Cheers!
Good stuff. Here is a way to kick start that thirty year lead time you mentioned. There are vinyards that sell saplings of their expertly cultivated, multi-generational vines. Can't beat that.
I got mine hand-carried in by an Aussie mate coming back from holiday. I've never tried mail-ordering it into the Gulf. Good question! The baker's yeast will work, though it might not fall clear quite so well. If your first batch turns out too sweet, cut back a little on the sugar next time. Baker's yeast doesn't always go all the way, but mostly it's ok.
If you're in Bur Dubai, remember to visit The Paranormal Hotel, the place I named myself after!
Thank you Paraglider. This brand is avalible in Dubai and i am going to follow your instruction today.But there is a one more quastion.How can i provide winemakers yeast here? If i order on line, will it shipped in islamic country??Anyway i will do it with bakery yeast.
Hi Shaheen - mostly I use Safa grape juice from Megamart, in Qatar. But they are all much the same. Just be sure it says No Preservatives on the carton.
Hi KiefMan - Glad to hear it's going well. Even at 20 degrees, I'd expect it to finish within another week, and just waiting for it is going to be better than heating it. You can try lagging the bottle (outside!) with a jumper or something. It doesn't heat it of course, but it traps the heat released by the fermentation and can speed things along. When it tastes dry (use a drinking straw - don't tip it) a couple of days in the fridge will stop it. Or a couple of days outside, in Canada! Once spent a winter in Montreal - that was cold!!
Hi Paraglider, I live in the Middle East too. could you please recomment a brand for the juice. thanks!
Hi Paraglider, I've got a question. I started my batch 3 weeks ago, and it's still bubbling along without slowing down much in the last couple weeks. Shortly after I started this batch I tried making some another way using canned juice. I'd tried it before and it only took a couple weeks to finish, but this time everything seems to be taking way longer. I'm guessing the cold weather is causing this. I live in Canada, so its about 1 degree celcius out, and is about 20 in my room. My radiator is barely warm, I'm not even sure why its not freezing in here. How can I heat the wine slightly so that it will finish in a reasonable amount of time? Thanks!
Both work, but the red usually tastes and looks more authentic. The white made by this method is usually a slightly darker colour than most commercial white table wine. That's just because the white grape juice you can buy in supermarkets often has a lot of muscat grape in it, because it's sweet and good to drink fresh. But it is rather dark, and the pasteurising for packaging also darkens it.
Its a red this time, but I've got enough yeast left in the packet that I'm considering making a batch of white too. I usually prefer drinking red, have you found that one works out better than the other?
PS sorry for the double post, not sure why that happened and I have no way to delete one.
That's great - good luck! Are you going for a red or a white?
Hi Paraglider, I'm taking the plunge! I just got back from a local wine & beer-making store where the people were extremely nice. They naturally asked me what I was planning to do, so I summarized your website, expecting them to be horrified. Instead they seemed curious and amused, and then gave me a free packet of yeast on the condition I would bring them a sample when I'm finished! They definitely just earned a future customer, as I'd like to try making beer someday too.
I just completed the requirements for day 1 and can't wait to see how it turns out. Thanks for everything, I'll keep you posted.KiefMan.
Hi Paraglider, I'm taking the plunge! I just got back from a local wine & beer-making store where the people were extremely nice. They naturally asked me what I was planning to do, so I summarized your website, expecting them to be horrified. Instead they seemed curious and amused, and then gave me a free packet of yeast on the condition I would bring them a sample when I'm finished! They definitely just earned a future customer, as I'd like to try making beer someday too.
I just completed the requirements for day 1 and can't wait to see how it turns out. Thanks for everything, I'll keep you posted.KiefMan.
Paraglider, thanks for the tips on sugar for my apple wine that im trying to produce. Many thanks for also mentioning your page here for me to find. Im finding that your recipee does sound better and more thought out then the one on the other sight. Im now on day 6 of my wine looking good hopefully it has a good taste in the end. Im finding that after this Im going to try and do it in a little more proffesional way for a deeper taste. I will let you know how this first batch turns out.
I was asked elsewhere about the "technique" of stretching a balloon over the neck of a fermenting vessel as a way of managing the fermentation gases. NEVER DO THIS. Here's why:
We're not talking about dry clean Carbon Dioxide gas here. The balloon will inflate with carbon dioxide, water vapour, spray from bursting bubbles, and various trace gases that are better out than in, e.g. hydrogen sulphide. This cocktail will coat the inside of the balloon. It is acidic (carbonic acid) and will attack the rubber of the balloon. Then it will drip down the inside of the balloon and end up back in your wine, giving all sorts of off flavours.
Either use the loose screw top method described in my hub (above) or, if you are using a glass demijohn, use a proper fermentation trap. Balloons are for parties, ok?
Hi KiefMan -
I'd say that's more of an alcopop than a wine. The biggest problem with it is that the yeast has no nutrients. Yes, there's sugar, but yeast doesn't live on sugar alone. It needs a source of fermentable nitrogen and also needs an acid environment, both of which are provided in a properly deigned fruit juice method. The trouble with fermenting without acid is that the enzyme reaction can produce undesirable by-products. I would say that you're unlikely to poison yourself, especially if you work under clean conditions, but for only a little extra effort and a little extra money you can produce something far more pleasant and wholesome.
When you take the plunge, let me know, OK?
Hi, thanks for the reply! I'm planning to start this as soon as I find time to get to a wine-making store for the yeast.
I mentioned I'd used another method earlier. I was essentially mixing sugar water with some bread yeast, and then adding flavour using Cool-Aid (drink powder) when it was done fermenting. It was finishing around 8% alcohol according to my hydrometer, and we got used to the taste very quickly. A gallon of "wine" cost around $3 Canadian ($1Cad = $1.10USD) and 2 weeks to make. I taught a couple of friends how to do it too.
I could never think of any reason this would be any riskier than making wine using juice or fruit, but I was telling a friend about it yesterday and he wasn't convinced. I've made it for about 8 months without any apparent ill effects but now I'm worried that he might be right. I was under the impression that if it contains alcohol, there can't be bacteria in it, but what about other contaminants?
You seem to be fairly experienced, so what is your oppinion on this wine? Obviously it's not for connoisseurs, but its great when we're university students with hardly any extra cash. At the same time though, the last thing we want is to get sick! Especially if it's serious.
Thanks a lot, and sorry that my posts keep ending up so long-winded!KiefMan.
Hi KiefMan - Thanks for the read.
I can't recommend brands because I live in the Middle East and I'm sure the same brands are not available where you are. But any supermarket grape juice should be OK. What to look for is: No Preservatives. This is important because preservatives can stop the yeast from working. It doesn't have to be in the fridge, because it will have been sterilised already by pasteurisation (heat treatment). Until you open the carton, it is fine. If the supermarket has two or three different varieties, use a mixture, as all will contain different trace elements which will also help the yeast.
If you open a carton and use half (e.g. to start the yasst off) if the carton is re-sealable (most are) don't bother with the fridge. You'll be using the second half next day, so it's best to keep it at room temperature. Adding cold (or hot) liquids to fermenting yeast is never good.
General Purpose or All Purpose wine yeast is available from most suppliers under different brand names but all essentially the same. It's cheaper than the single variety yeasts (e.g. Champagne yeast, etc) and perfectly good for our 'vin ordinailre'.
Finally - this method works because of the selection of ingredients, utensils, etc. If you want to vary it, e.g. by using non-grape juices or fresh fruit, you may need to apply a little more technique. I'd suggest reading my partner hub, Winemaking Explained first. (There's a link at the foot of this page). Good luck, and let me know how you get on.
Hi, I like the sound of these directions. I made wine as described at http://www.warpbreach.com/6/6.html before, and while it was quite alcoholic it tasted awful. Your method looks way better. I'm planning to start a batch sometime in the next few days but I've got a couple questions. It'd be awsome if you or anyone could help me by answering them.
Can you recommend a source for the juice? I'm guessing health food stores or a larger supermarket. It should be in the fridge, not just the shelf right?
When you've added some juice but will be adding more later, should the extra portions be in the fridge or kept out?
Which kind of wine yeast should I use. You say "general purpose" but there seem to be a few different kinds when I look online. Is there some fancy term for "general purpose" or am I just being dumb?
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it. I really enjoyed making the wine before, but it was gross so if I could actually make decent stuff without Too much effort, it would be amazing. Thanks again.
Mgwhite - thanks for the read :) Mulberry is one of the best non-grape ingredients. Properly handled, it can produce a port style dessert wine. Cheers!
I have never tried making wine, but I had a great uncle who made Mulberry wine. It was great!
Thanks Compu-smart. It's simple and safe because the ingredients are already sterilised by pasteurisation. It's when you start using fresh fruits that you have to apply a little more technique.
Sounds very tasty and simple to make..
working
Paraglider says:
5 days ago
Kuwaiti - you have a point! Next time you're going abroad, maybe?