Nothing could be more tempting than a glass of red wine. The feeling becomes more satisfying and authentic if the wine has been prepared at home. For the newbies, this idea of making red wine at home may be a little surprising but let me tell you one thing, the entire process of making red wine is very fascinating indeed. If you really want to appreciate the real flavor of red wine, then try making it at your home. The entire wine making process will let you come closer to your favorite drink. This will provide you with an opportunity to go through the details which you would have never known. But if you are of the opinion that you’ll be able to produce top quality red wine in your very first attempt then you may be mistaken. People spend lifetime in perfecting this art of making wine. However, don’t get discouraged, with little help and precision even you can almost reach there. The steps and instructions given below will definitely help you in making red wine.
Complexity level: Moderate
Time required: 8-10 weeks
Resources required:
- Grapes
- Fermentor
- Sulfite crystals
- Yeast pellets
Instructions:
1. Crush the grapes and add sulfite crystals:
- Crush the grapes into the fermentor and fill it with the juice. But make sure that the fermentor is only 2/3rd filled with the juice. Also, remove around 80 percent of the stems, otherwise the wine will become bitter.
- Add sulfite crystals into the juice inside the fermentor. Precision in quantity of sulfite crystals is very important, the standard ratio is 1 gram of sulfite powder per liter of the juice. Dissolve the sufite crystals into a cup of hot water and then add this to the fermentor.
- Let the “must” settle for at least 2 hours after dissolving the sulfite crystals.
2. Adjust the degrees of brix, acid level and temperature:
- Check the level of brix (sugar content) in the wine. It must be around 22 to 24 degrees. If the level is low then add extra sugar to raise the level.
- Measure the acid content in the wine with the help of an acid testing kit, it must be around 5.5 to 6.5 g/liter
- Next, the temperature of the must is measured which should be in between 70 to 75 degrees F. If the temperature is not in the required range then make necessary arrangements to bring it into that range.
3. Add yeast pellets:
- Once you are satisfied with the level of brix, acid and temperature, add yeast pellets. The standard quantity is 1 gram of yeast pellet per 3.8 liter of must. Dissolve the yeast pellets in a cup of hot water and then let it settle for 10 minutes.
- Add the solution of yeast pellets in the fermentor.
4. Fermentation of the wine:
- After 24 hours, bubble and gurgling noises will start coming from the fermentor which is an indication that the fermentation is taking place. You have to stir the must at least two times per day to keep the cap wet.
- Normally, the brix level must drop by two degrees per day. When the brix level reaches 0 degrees, wine is pressed into the gallon jugs and the fermentation lock is put on.
- Now wait until the sediment drops out, after which the wine is racked and sulfite crystals are added
- Finally, the wine should be aged as per the variety of it.
Frequently asked questions:
How to store red wine?
Take a bottle and suck out air with the help of vacuum, and then fit a cork on the mouth of the bottle. One thing that must be kept in mind while storing the wine bottle is that they are always placed horizontally so that the cork is always wet with the wine. Otherwise, the cork will dry and may break while opening.
Quick tips:
Care must be taken while adding sulfite crystals into the wine as too much of it can damage the wine. You can take help from a wine making shop in this regard.
Things to watch out for:
Avoid the fumes of carbon dioxide during fermentation of the red wine.
