Step by step

Probably one of the better step by step instructional articles I have found. Aside from the use of Campden, I figure this is definately worth a read.

Cheers,

Heinz


by Alison Crowe

Nothing feels as satisfying and authentic as making your first batch of wine from fresh grapes. And there's no better time to try it than in early autumn, when grapes all over the country are ripening in vineyards and backyard gardens.

There are many kinds of grapes to choose from, depending on where you live. Vitis vinifera is the classic choice for flavor, varietal character and historic authenticity. This famous European wine-grape family includes such renowned varieties as Chardonnay, Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. In the United States, to make a sweeping generalization, v. vinifera grapes thrive in California and the Pacific Northwest. They also grow well in microclimates scattered from New York to the Great Lakes, the Mid-Atlantic states and beyond.

Those who live in colder, wetter climates may not be able to find v. vinifera grapes grown locally. Don't be discouraged. Fine hybrids and Vitis labrusca grapes, which are less susceptible to cold and disease, may be growing near your home. Other options include ordering grapes through your favorite local winemaking shop or from a produce wholesaler.


Whatever kind of grapes you use, the general techniques, equipment and ingredients are the same. Here's an overview of some key steps along the way.

Basic Winemaking Equipment
Here's everything you need to make your first one-gallon batch of wine from fresh grapes. You should be able to find this equipment at any homebrewing or home winemaking supply shop.

- Large nylon straining bag
- Food-grade pail with lid (2 to 4 gallons)
- Cheesecloth
- Hydrometer
- Thermometer
- Acid titration kit
- Clear, flexible half-inch diameter plastic tubing
- Two one-gallon glass jugs
- Fermentation lock and bung
- Five 750-ml wine bottles
- Corks
- Hand corker

Inspecting the Fruit
Winemaking starts with inspecting the grapes. Make sure they are ripe by squishing up a good double handful, straining the juice and measuring the sugar level with a hydrometer, a handy device you can buy at a winemaking supply shop. The sugar density should be around 22° Brix - this equals 1.0982 specific gravity or 11 percent potential alcohol - and the fruit should taste sweet, ripe and slightly tart.

The grapes also must be clean, sound and relatively free of insects and other vineyard debris. Discard any grapes that look rotten or otherwise suspicious. Also, it's very important that all the stems are removed, since they will make your wine bitter.

Keeping it Clean

Winemaking demands a sanitary environment. Wash all of your equipment thoroughly with hot water, boiling what you can. It's also wise to arm yourself with a strong sulfite solution to rinse any equipment that comes in contact with your wine. To make it, add 3 tablespoons of sulfite powder (potassium metabisulfite) to a gallon of water and mix well.

Adjusting the Juice

Adjusting the juice or "must" of your wine is critical. Luckily, it's also easy. Acid content is measured with a simple titration kit; you can buy one at a supply shop. The ideal acid level is 6 to 7 grams per liter for dry reds and 6.5 to 7.5 grams per liter for dry whites.

Here's an example: If your must measures 5.5 grams per liter, then you need to add 1 gram per liter of tartaric acid to bring it up to 6.5 g/L. Since 0.2642 gallons equals 1 liter, 1 g/L is equivalent to adding 3.8 grams of tartaric acid to your one-gallon batch. Add this powder in one-eighth teaspoon intervals, checking acidity carefully after each addition, until the desired level is reached. You can buy tartaric acid at your supply shop.

You also need to monitor the sugar level with your hydrometer. The must should be about 22° Brix for both reds and whites. To bring the sugar concentration up, make a sugar syrup by dissolving one cup sugar into one-third cup of water. Bring it to a boil in a saucepan and immediately remove from heat. Cool before adding in small amounts, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired degrees Brix and specific gravity is reached. To lower the sugar level, simply dilute your must or juice with water.

The temperature of your must can also be adjusted to provide the perfect environment for yeast cells. Warming up the juice gently (don't cook or boil it!) is an easy way to bring it to pitching temperature without damaging the quality of the wine. Fermentation can sometimes reach into the 80° to 90° F range, though the 70° F range is standard for reds (whites often are fermented at cooler temperatures).



If your grapes have been refrigerated or are too cold, use this unorthodox but quick trick: Heat up a small portion of the juice in the microwave, mix it back into the fermentation pail and re-test the temperature. An electric blanket wrapped around the fermentation pail also works, but takes longer. For cooling, add a re-usable ice pack and stir for a few minutes. Pitch the yeast when the temperature reaches 70° to 75° F for reds and 55° to 65° for whites.

Racking the Wine

"Racking" means transferring the fermenting wine away from sediment. You insert a clear, half-inch diameter plastic hose into the fermenter and siphon the clear wine into another sanitized jug. Then top it off and fit it with a sanitized bung and fermentation lock. This can be a delicate operation and it's important to go slowly. You don't want to stir up the sediment, but you don't want to lose your siphon suction.



Bottling the Batch

Bottling may sound complicated, but it's really not. To bottle your wine, you simply siphon your finished product into the bottles (leaving about 2 inches of headspace below the rim), insert a cork into the hand corker, position the bottle under the corker and pull the lever. It's always wise to buy some extra corks and practice with an empty bottle before you do it for real.








Wine bottles can be purchased at home winemaking stores, or you can simply wash and recycle your own bottles. These supply stores also rent hand-corkers and sell corks. You should only buy corks that are tightly sealed in plastic bags because exposure to dust and microbes can spoil your wine. Corks can be sterilized just before bottling, with hot water and a teaspoon of sulfite crystals.

A one-gallon batch will yield about five standard-size (750 ml) bottles of wine. If the fifth bottle isn't quite full, then either drink that bottle or use smaller bottles to keep the wine. The key is to have full, sealed containers that are capable of aging.

Now you're ready to make your first batch of fresh-grape wine. Below you'll find step-by-step recipes for a dry red and a dry white table wine. The recipes have similar steps and techniques, with one important difference. Red wines always are fermented with the skins and pulp in the plastic pail; the solids are pressed after fermentation is complete. White wines are always pressed before fermentation, so only the grape juice winds up in the fermenting pail.





Dry Red Table Wine
Ingredients

18 lbs. ripe red grapes
1 campden tablet (or 0.33g of potassium metabisulfite powder)
Tartaric acid, if necessary
Table sugar, if necessary
1 packet wine yeast (like Prise de Mousse or Montrachet)
- Harvest grapes once they have reached 22 to 24 percent sugar (22° to 24° Brix).
- Sanitize all equipment. Place the grape clusters into the nylon straining bag and deposit the bag into the bottom of the food-grade pail. Using very clean hands or a sanitized tool like a potato masher, firmly crush the grapes inside the bag. Crush the campden tablet (or measure out 1 teaspoon of sulfite crystals) and sprinkle over the must in the nylon bag. Cover pail with cheesecloth and let sit for one hour.
- Measure the temperature of the must. It should be between 70° and 75° F. Take a sample of the juice in the pail and measure the acid with your titration kit. If it's not between 6 to 7 grams per liter then adjust with tartaric acid.
- Check the degrees Brix or specific gravity of the must. If it isn't around 22° Brix (1.0982 SG), add a little bit of sugar dissolved in water.
- Dissolve the yeast in 1 pint warm (80° to 90° F) water and let stand until bubbly (it should take no more than 10 minutes). When it's bubbling, pour yeast solution directly on must inside the nylon bag. Agitate bag up and down a few times to mix yeast. Cover pail with cheesecloth, set in a warm (65° to 75° F) area and check that fermentation has begun in at least 24 hours. Monitor fermentation progression and temperature regularly. Keep the skins under the juice at all times and mix twice daily.


- Once the must has reached "dryness" (at least 0.5° Brix or 0.998 SG), lift the nylon straining bag out of the pail and squeeze any remaining liquid into the pail.
- Cover the pail loosely and let the wine settle for 24 hours. Rack off the sediment into a sanitized one-gallon jug, topping up with a little boiled, cooled water to entirely fill the container. Fit with a sanitized bung and fermentation lock. Keep the container topped with grape juice or any dry red wine of a similar style. After 10 days, rack the wine into another sanitized one-gallon jug. Top up with dry red wine of a similar style.
- After six months, siphon the clarified, settled wine off the sediment and into clean, sanitized bottles. Cork with the hand-corker.
- Store bottles in cool, dark place and wait at least six months before drinking.


Red wine is fermented with the pulp and skins. This "cap" will rise to the top, so you need to "punch it down" frequently with a sanitized utensil.






Dry White Table Wine
Ingredients

18 lbs. ripe white grapes
1 campden tablet (or 0.33g of potassium metabisulfite powder)
Tartaric acid, if necessary
Table sugar, if necessary
1 packet wine yeast (like Champagne or Montrachet)

- Harvest grapes once they have reached 19 to 22 percent sugar (19° to 22° Brix). Pick over grapes, removing any moldy clusters, insects, leaves or stems.
- Place the grape clusters into the nylon straining bag and put into the bottom of the food-grade plastic pail. Using very clean hands or a sanitized tool like a potato masher, firmly crush up the grapes inside the nylon bag.
- Crush the campden tablet (or measure out one teaspoon of sulfite crystals) and sprinkle over the crushed fruit in the bag. Cover pail and bag with cheesecloth and let sit for one hour.
- Lift the nylon straining bag out of the pail. Wring the bag to extract as much juice as possible. You should have about one gallon of juice in the pail.
- Measure the temperature of the juice. It should be between 55° to 65° F. Adjust temperature as necessary. Take a sample of the juice in the pail and use your titration kit to measure the acid level. If it is not between 6.5 and 7.5 grams per liter, then adjust with tartaric acid as described above.
- Check the degrees Brix or specific gravity of the juice. If it isn't around 22° Brix (1.0982 SG) adjust accordingly.
- Dissolve the packet of yeast in 1 pint warm (80° to 90° F) water and let stand until bubbly (no more than 10 minutes). When it's bubbling, pour yeast solution directly into the juice. Cover pail with cheesecloth, set in a cool (55° to 65° F) area and check that fermentation has begun in at least 24 hours. Monitor fermentation progression and temperature at least once daily.
- Once the must has reached dryness (at least 0.5 degrees Brix or 0.998 SG), rack the wine off the sediment into a sanitized one-gallon jug, topping up with dry white wine of a similar style. Fit with a sanitized bung and fermentation lock. Keep the container topped with white wine. Be sure the fermentation lock always has sulfite solution in it. After 10 days, rack the wine into another sanitized one-gallon jug. Top up with wine again.
- After three months, siphon the clarified wine off the sediment and into clean, sanitized bottles and cork them.
- Store bottles in cool, dark place and wait at least three months before drinking.
Alison Crowe is an enologist at the Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California and a graduate of the enology and viticulture department at University of California at Davis.

Goji Mead # 2 - Let's try this again

Well, the last experiment was rather interesting. I particularly liked the subtle rasberry like taste partway through the fermentation. The one major thing I learned from the last batch of Goji Mead was to check the specific gravity of the juice prior to adding Honey. The result in the previous batch of Goji Mead was a very high starting Specific gravity and a high alcohol content end product. Consequently, my wife was not too fond of the burn.

Today I am doing things quite abit differently. First of all, I checked the specific gravity of the Goji Berry juice and found it to be around 1.050. Once I added the blackberry juice and water it dropped substantially but it was still at 1.021. Here is the recipe:

2 - Litres re-consitited Goji berries Blended in a blender
6 - Cups steamed unsweetened blackberry juice
3 - Litres water
3 - Cups Clover Honey
1 - Pack of 1118 yeast

Innoculated at 8PM on Friday Decemeber 7th
Specific gravity = 1.071

I will ferment this batch of Goji Berry Mead to dry. Once complete, it will be mixed with the previous batch of Goji Berry Mead which will hopefully result in a more palitable Mead. By fermenting it to dry with a lower specific gravity, I will also gain a better understanding on the effect of complete fermentation. I will still pasteurize the Mead upon completion.

I did an experiment and found 1 cup of honey to equal an increase of about 0.015 on the specific gravity scale.

Goji Berry Mead - Now for something completely different

OK, so I think I may now have officially lost it. Well at least I'm not making wine out of onions or something crazy like that.

Goji berries, also known as wolf berries have quite the long history and as with just about anything medicinal from the orient there are claims it will make your penis bigger (Maybe not quite but something to do with sperm production). Hey Boner wine, why not :P

I started out with about 4 or 500 grams of dried berries. I added just enough water to re-hydrate them then I crushed them up in the blender. The result was about 2 litres of juice, pulp and seeds. (I think I'm going to save the seeds to see if I can grow the fruit here.

I added 1 litre of blackberry juice, 2 litres of honey and 3 1/2 litres of water. The end result was a specific gravity of 1.130. Pretty bloody high as the Goji berries are naturally full of sugar. unless you want fire water or deathly sweet Mead, you may want to try a little less honey.

As if using Goji berries to make Mead wasn't strange enough, I decided to try something different as far as yeast went. You see, I saved up some active yeast from the bottom of one of my blackberry batches and kept it in the fridge. Ya nuts I know.




So here is the recipe


Start time: 4:30 PM November 14th 2007
Specific Gravity: 1.130

2 - litres honey
2 - litres re-constituted Goji berry pulp (AKA Wolf berries)
1 - litre steamed blackberry juice (Unsweetened)
3 1/2 - litres spring water
3/4 - cup Recycled yeast pulp




POST PRODUCTION NOTE:

Although this mead has a very interesting taste, both my wife and I found it to be far to strong. To remedy this situation, I started out another batch with similar juice and water proportions but with quite abit less honey and a lower potential alcohol level. Here is the link GOJI BERRY MEAD #2

Cranberry Mead... well sort of

OK, so I picked up just over 11 pounds of fresh "organic" cranberries. According to the Polish farm guy some old guy in the area "with nothing better to do" grows a small crop of them organically.... Personally I think it was just a sales pitch but who am I to argue.

So I got home and dumped them into my handy steam juice extractor and began the process of pulling out the juice. I guess it shouldn't really be that much of a surprise, but that 11 some odd pounds of Cranberries resulted in only about 2 litres of juice (Including pulp). Typically the steam juicer is great at leaving the pulp behind, but after about 2 hours of waiting for only a small amount of juice I got impatient and started to crush the berries. Must be the results driven Kraut in me.

You might be wondering why the long background story, well that is to explain why this is sort of a cranberry Mead. You see, with only 2 litres of juice and 2 litres of honey already in the pot I needed to make up the space with something other than 4 litres of water.... Ah blackberry juice. So here is the recipe



2 Litres Honey
2 Litres Cranberry juice & pulp
1/2 Litre Apple Juice (Pure reconstituted no sugar added stuff)
1 Litre steam extracted Blackberry juice
2 1/4 Litres Spring Water
1 Cup Mushed up cranberries
2 Packs of 1118 Yeast
2 Teaspoons Nutrient

Measurements:
Specific Gravity: 1.112
Pot Alcohol : 15% Approx
Innoculated at 8PM on November 5th @ 80 F


This should be interesting as the juice is nice and sweet with a bit more tart than the Blackberry on its own.

As a side note, although the 11 lbs of Cranberries only yeilded about 2 litres of juice and pulp all was not a waste. I divided up the remaining pulp and berries and froze them for future cranberry chutney. At some point I need to get the recipe from my brother and post it on here.

The Steps in Winemaking Process

This goes through the basics


The Steps in Winemaking Process
By Milos Pesic

Wines, one of the most popular beverages in the world, is made through a special process called winemaking or vinification. Winemaking includes the choice of the grapes to bottling of the finished product.

Winemaking starts during the time of harvest. Grapes are selected and placed in containers. After harvesting, the grapes are crushed to squeeze out the juice. The juice is then given time to ferment. If red wine is desired, the skins are left to soak in the juice for a while so that the wine would take the skin’s color. If white wine is desired, the juice is extracted with minimal contact from the grape skin.

The primary fermentation stage in winemaking usually takes around one to two weeks. During this time, yeast will transform majority of the sugars in the grape juice to ethanol, which is alcohol.

The resulting liquid is then transferred to several vessels for secondary fermentation in the winemaking process. During this time, the remaining sugar is slowly converted to alcohol. As a result, the wine gets clearer in color.

Some amount of the wine is then placed in oak barrels to age before bottling. Aging adds aromas to the wine. Most, however, are placed inside bottles and shipped right away.

The length of time from harvest to opening a bottle can vary greatly. This might range from a few months for Beaujolias nouveau wines to twenty years for top wines. It is important to note though that only a small percentage of wines will be tastier after five years, compared to after one year.

This is the basic process of winemaking. However, the quality of grapes and the target wine style can force winemakers to combine or omit a step or two. Also, some wines of similar quality are made using other approaches to their production. Sometimes, the quality of wine depends on the starting raw products , or the quality of grapes, rather than the techniques applied the winemaking process.

There are variations of the normal winemaking process. For example, for Champagnes, there is an added fermentation phase that goes on inside the bottle. This traps the carbon dioxide and creates the fizz.

On the other hand, sweet wines are created by allowing some residual sugar to remain before or after fermentation. A variation is to add another alcoholic beverage to kill the yeast before fermentation is completed.

Whatever the case, the winemaking process have wastewater, pomace and lees as by products which can either be treated for some beneficial use or simply disposed.

Milos Pesic is and internationally recognized expert on wine, wine making and wine tasting. He runs a highly popular and comprehensive Red Wine and White Wine web site. For more articles and resources on wine making and tasting, wine recipes, wine reviews, vintage wine and much more visit his site at:

=>http://wine.need-to-know.net/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Milos_Pesic

Fruit Wines Secrets

I found this post on making fruit wine on Winemaking.net. As everyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows, I prefer not to use sulphites. I guess My method of juice extraction would be similar in results to method 1 except with pasturizing it after fermentation clarification is a non-issue.

Cheers,

Heinz



Fruit Wines Secrets

There is no need for me to mention the enormous popularity this branch of home wine-making enjoys, or that countless thousands of people all over the world embark with tremendous enthusiasm each summer upon turning wild fruits and surplus garden fruits into fruit wines fit to grace the tables of a banqueting hall. Just let me say that, no matter how advanced methods become and how easily obtainable special ingredients for wine making are, there will always be in the hearts of everyone a place for the true country fruit wines, for they have that indefinable 'something' which sets them apart from all others, a uniqueness that cannot be found in any other wine either commercial or home produced.

The fruit wines making methods I use myself are described here, and although they are the simplest and the surest ever evolved, it is necessary to point out the complications that arise if these methods are not used.

Years ago and, I am very sorry to say, even today many thousands of unfortunate home makers of fruit wines are following methods which advocate: 'crush the fruits, add the water and leave to ferment'. Other methods advise boiling the fruits. In both cases disappointment is almost a certainty, and the reason for this is easy enough to understand.

The grey-white bloom that forms on grapes and other fruits is yeast put there by nature and it may be said that the first wine known to early man was the result of this yeast fermenting fruits crushed for a purpose other than wine-making. In the ordinary way, this yeast might well make good wine if allowed to ferment alone. Unfortunately, with this yeast comes what we term 'undesirable' yeast (wild yeast), and several kinds of bacteria each of which can ruin our wines. They bring about what we call 'undesirable' ferments that usually take place at the same time as the ferment we want to take place so that instead of a wine of quality the result is one tasting of flat beer or cloudy evil-smelling liquid fit only for disposal. Another bacterium, known as the vinegar bacterium, will turn fruit wines into vinegar.

Since there is nothing we can do when any of these calamities has occurred, they must be prevented from happening.

Clearly, we must destroy all these enemies before beginning. The simplest method is of course at first thought, anyway is to boil the fruits. But here arises another problem. All fruits contain pectin, a glutinous substance which causes jams to 'set'. Boiling fruit releases pectin. This pectin holds itself and minute solids in suspension, giving the fruit wines a cloudiness that is impossible to clarify or even filter out. We may put the crushed fruit through a jelly-bag to remove every particle of pectin-bearing fruit and then boil the juice only, but this is a messy, tedious job that takes hours and eliminates all the pleasure from wine-making.

Obviously, what we need is a method which will destroy the wild yeast and bacteria on the fruits (as boiling does) without actually boiling, and, indeed, without heating our fruits at all because it needs very little heat to bring out the pectin.

Our method, known as the 'sulphiting' method, does just this and produces full-bodied, crystal-clear fruit wines easily and quickly without fuss or bother. All that is necessary to achieve this are tablets costing a halpenny each. Campden fruit-preserving tablets are available at most chemists in bottles of twenty costing tenpence. In the ordinary way and provided the fruit is not too heavily affected with wild yeast and bacteria one tablet will destroy the undesirable element contained in one gallon of crushed fruit pulp, but we cannot be sure of this. Now, two tablets will surely do this, but being a comparatively heavy dose this might also destroy the yeast we shall be adding so that the ferment we desire does not take place. My method takes care of both these risks, not only destroying the wild yeast and bacteria on the fruits, but also allowing the yeast we add to ferment alone and unhindered to produce fruit wines of clarity and quality the like of which cannot be produced by any other method. By adding one Campden tablet to a good deal less than one gallon of fruit pulp ('must') this will represent a rough equivalent to two tablets per gallon. But before we add our yeasts we shall have increased the amount of liquid or pulp to nearly twice the amount, consequently reducing the amount of sterilizing solution to half or the equivalent of one Campden tablet per gallon. In this way we achieve our overall aim.

Each Campden fruit-preserving tablet contains four grains of sodium metabisulphite; therefore, any makers of fruit wines finding Campden tablets in short supply may ask their chemist for four grains of sodium metabisulphite (or potassium metabisulphite there being two forms), and use this. But because a chemist would find a single order for four grains rather trivial, it would be best to ask for say, six or ten packets each containing four grains. If you are making two-gallon lots of wine the amount to use would be eight grains. Do not be tempted to buy by the ounce and measure out a grain as this is impossible unless you have the appropriate scales.

Just in case you happen to be one of those makers of fruit wines who, even in these enlightened days, abhors the use of chemicals, let me assure you that sulphur dioxide (the solution which results when Campden tablets are dissolved) is quite harmless to humans when used in the proportions recommended. Indeed, as many as eight tablets (thirty-two grains) may be used with safety, but such heavy dosing would prevent a 'must' fermenting.

The sulphiting method is used by the trade, so we shall be following a method well tired and proved.

Heaven knows how many hundreds of gallons of fruit wines I have made by this method and all with the same unfailing success.

Method 1 makes wines of the heavier type; their flavours are more pronounced and their colour more full than those produced by method 2. Those wishing for lighter fruit wines more suitable for serving with meals should use method 2. The main difference in the two methods is that we ferment the fruit pulp itself in method 1, and the juice only in method 2. It will be appreciated that when fermenting the pulp we must as a matter of course get far more from our fruits. But we do not want too much in a light wine otherwise the subtle difference between a heavier wine and the popular lighter wines is lost.

The short pulp ferment of method 1 ensures that we get all the flavour and desirable chemical matter from our fruits in the right proportion.

The best method to use for each type of fruit is given with each recipe. It should be taken into account that varied amounts of fruit and sugar with the use of the proper method produce distinctly different types of fruit wines.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Method 1
Crush the fruit by hand in a polythene pail and pour on one quart of boiled water that has cooled. Mix well. Crush one Campden tablet and dissolve the powder in about half an egg cupful of warm water and mix this with the fruit pulp. Leave the mixture for one or two hours. A little bleaching will take place but this is nothing to worry about.

After this, take one-third of the sugar to be used (or approximately one-third) and boil this for one minute in three pints of water. Allow this syrup to cool and then stir into the pulp. Then add the yeast (or nucleus) and ferment for seven days.

After seven days, strain the pulp through fine muslin or other similar material and wring out as dry as you can. Put the strained wine into a gallon jar and throw the pulp away. Then boil another one-third of the sugar in one pint of water for one minute and when this has cooled add it to the rest.

Plug the neck of the jar with cotton wool or fit a fermentation lock and continue to ferment in a warm place for a further ten days.

At this stage, if you have not a spare jar, pour the wine into the polythene pail leaving as much of the deposit in the jar as you can. Clean out the jar, sterilize it and return the wine to this.

The remaining one-third of the sugar may now be boiled for one minute in the remaining pint of water. When this has cooled, add it to the rest. Refit the lock or plug the neck of the jar with fresh cotton wool. After this, the wine should be left in a warm place until all fermentation has ceased.

Note. If there is not quite enough space for all of this last lot of syrup, put the remainder in a sterilized screw-top bottle and store for a few days in a cool place. This may be added when fermentation has reduced the level of the liquid in the jar. If you have to do this, don't forget to refit the lock.

Method 2
Crush the fruit in a polythene pail and add one quart of boiled water that has cooled. Mix well.

Crush one Campden tablet and dissolve the powder in about half an eggcupful of warm water and mix this with the fruit pulp. Leave the mixture in a cool place for twenty-four hours, stirring twice during that time. Strain through fine muslin or other similar material and squeeze gently but not too hard. Discard the fruit pulp.

Then boil one-third of the sugar in half a gallon of water for one minute and allow to cool. Mix this with the juice and return the lot to the polythene pail. Then add the yeast (or nucleus), and ferment for ten days.

After this, pour the top wine into a gallon jar leaving as much of the deposit behind as you can. Boil another one-third of the sugar in half a pint of water for one minute and when this is cool add it to the rest. Plug the neck of the jar with cotton wool or fit a fermentation lock and ferment in a warm place for fourteen days.

After this, boil the remaining sugar in the remaining half-pint of water for one minute and when this is cool add it to the rest. Refit the lock or plug the neck of the jar with fresh cotton wool and leave in a warm place until all fermentation has ceased.

The recipes are designed to make one gallon of wine, if two gallons are being made at once twice the amount of each ingredient must be used (including Campden tablets) and the sugar and water added in double quantities. This principle applies where three or four gallons are being made and it is easy enough to work out. Just to be sure that mistakes do not occur when adding the syrup sugar and water stick a label on the jar and note on this the amounts added.

Readers will be quick to appreciate that certain fruits are more suitable than others for making certain types of wine. Clearly, it would be as hopeless to try to make port from rhubarb as it would be to try to grow potatoes on a pear tree, and I think it is in this respect that many people go astray; they make wines from the cheapest and most readily available fruits (naturally enough) but they do not give the slightest thought to what the result will be or whether they will like it or not. Before you begin decide on the type of wine you are most likely to prefer and then use the fruit and the method which will make this type of wine.

Elderberries make an excellent port-style wine and many variations, each with the basic port style underlying them, so that from this lowly wild fruit we may obtain not only a full-bodied port-style wine, but also a Burgundy style, a claret and others according to the whim of the operator. Blackberries make similar wines, as do certain varieties of plums, damsons and blackcurrants. The juice from lighter-colored fruit such as raspberries, loganberries, red and white currants and others make excellent table wines. But there is no need to cover this aspect fully here because every recipe is preceded by the name of the type or style of wine that can be expected from each recipe. I say 'expected', because to guarantee that the wine will be identical to the one expected would be unwise, but only because the amounts of sugar and acid present in the fruits vary from season to season indeed, they vary with the type of tree, soil, situation and with the sort of summer we have had while the fruits have been growing. A hot dry summer produces fruits containing more sugar and less acid than a wet sunless summer, when the effect is the reverse.

In each recipe appears the name of the best yeast to use and this is best added as a nucleus as already described. If you must use bakers' yeast or a dried yeast, merely sprinkle it over the surface of the 'must' at the time given in the method you are using.

A final word. Make sure all fruits are ripe. This is far more important than most people imagine. Half-ripe fruits or those with green patches on them should be discarded as it needs only one or two of these in enough for a gallon of wine to give an acid bite to that wine. Fully ripe fruit is essential if we hope to make the best wine.

When you have decided that your garden fruits are ripe enough or those you have your eye on in the hedgerows, leave them for another three or four days before gathering.


BLACKBERRY WINE
Port Style
4 lb. Blackberries, 4 lb. Sugar (or 5 lb. Invert), 7 pts water, port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment pulp.

BLACKBERRY AND ELDERBERRY WINE
Port Style

2 ½ lb. Elderberries, 2 ½ lb. Blackberries, 7 pts water, 3 ½ lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp after crushing and mixing together.

BLACKBERRY WINE
Burgundy Style

4-5 lb. Blackberries, 3 3/8 lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

BLACKBERRY WINE
Beaujolais Style
Wine made from this recipe won for me 1st prize among 600 entries on the occasion of the 2nd National Conference and Show of Amateur Wine-Makers at Bournemouth last year.

4½ lb. blackberries, 2½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. 2 oz. Invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.
Method 1 was used. The wine was, of course, dry.

BLACKBERRY WINE


Light Table Wine
3 lb. blackberries, 3 lb. sugar (3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, burgundy

yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the diluted juice.

BLACKCURRANT WINE
Port Style

4 lb. black currants, 1 lb. raisins, 3 lb. sugar (or 3 ¾ lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp with the raisins.

BLACKCURRANT WINE
Port Style

4 lb. blackcurrants, 7 pts water, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

BLACKCURRANT CLARET
3 lb. Blackcurrants, 2 ½ lb. Sugar (or 3 lb. Invert), 7 pts water, all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the diluted juice.

BLACKCURRANT WINE
A Light, Sweet Wine

3 ¾ lb. Blackcurrants, 3 ½ lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), 7 pts water, all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the diluted juice.

CHERRY WINE


A Delightful Sweet Wine
8 lb. Black cherries, 7 pts water, 3 ½ lb. Sugar (or 4 lb. Invert), all-purpose wine yeast or Bordeaux yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weigh with the stones and ferment the pulp.

CHERRY WINE
A Light Dry Wine
8 lb. black cherries, 7 pts water, 2 ½ lb. sugar (or 3 ¼ lb. invert), sherry yeast is best, otherwise all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

RED CURRANT WINE
Light Table Wine

3 lb. redcurrants 7 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3 ¾ lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

REDCURRANT WINE
A Light Medium-Sweet Wine
4 lb. redcurrants, 7 pts water, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

DAMSON WINE
Port Style

8 lb. damsons, 7 pts water, 4 lb. sugar (or 5 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weigh with the stones and ferment the pulp.

DAMSON WINE
Suitable for making into Damson Gin—see ‘Recent Experiments’, page 85.

5 lb. damsons, 7 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weight with the stones. Ferment the pulp.

DAMSON AND ELDERBERRY WINE
Port Style

3 lb. damsons, 1½ lb. elderberries, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

DAMSON AND DRIED PRUNE WINE
Burgundy Style

Prunes should be soaked overnight, the water discarded and the prunes added in the crushed state to the crushed damson.

4 lb. damsons, 2 lb. dried prunes, 7 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

RASPBERRY WINE
Light, Dry

4 lb. raspberries, 2½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. 2 oz. Invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

RASPBERRY WINE
Sweet Dessert

4 lb. raspberries, 1 lb. raisins, 7 pts water, 3 ½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), all-purpose wine yeast and nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice but with the chopped raisins for the first seven days.


ELDERBERRY WINE
Port Style

4 lb. elderberries, 7 pts water, 4 lb. sugar (or 5 lb. invert) port yeast, nutrient.

Use method, 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

ELDERBERRY WINE
Medium Dry

3½ lb. elderberries, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

ELDERBERRY CLARET
Dry, of course

3 lb. elderberries, 2½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.

PLUM WINE
Burgundy Style

8 lb. plums, any fully ripe red variety is suitable, 7 pts water 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Weigh with the stones and ferment the crushed pulp.

PLUM WINE
Port Style

Dark red, fully ripe fruits must be used. 10 lb. plums, 7 pts water, 3½ lb. sugar (or 4 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Weigh with the stones.

Use method 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

RHUBARB WINE
This wine is best made on the dry side and used as an appetizer. If you try to make it sweet, it would have to be rather too sweet. Four pounds of sugar will make it a medium sweet wine, but even this will not reduce the acidity which gives this wine its character and which, unfortunately, is causing it to lose its popularity. It is possible to remove the acid by using precipitated chalk, but this is hardly for beginners and a practice which, in any case, alters the whole flavor of the resulting wine.

5 lb. rhubarb, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Crush the rhubarb with a rolling pin, starting in the middle of each stick. Soak for five days in three pints of water (boiled), and in which one Campden tablet has been dissolved.

Then strain, wring out dry and warm just enough to dissolve half the sugar.

Having done this, ferment for ten days and then proceed as you would with any other recipe here, adding the rest of the sugar and water in stages.

LOGANBERRY WINE
3 to 4 lb. loganberries, 3 lb. sugar (or 3 ¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient, 7 pts water.

Use method 1. Ferment the crushed pulp.

GOOSEBERRY WINE
Table Wine
6 lb. gooseberries, 3½ Ib. sugar (or 4¼ lb. invert), 7 pts water, tokay yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. But ferment pulp for three days.

GOOSEBERRY WINE
Sherry Style
The best gooseberries for this wine are those that have been left on the bushes to turn red or yellow, according to variety. They should be firm but soft and at the same time not damaged. Any damaged ones and any with a suggestion of mould or mildew on them must be discarded.

For a dry sherry style use 2½ lb. sugar, for a medium dry use 3 lb., and for a medium sweet use 3½ lb., or the corresponding amounts of invert sugar.

5lb. gooseberries, 7 pts water, sugar (as above), sherry yeast or all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. But ferment the pulp for five days only.

WHORTLEBERRY WINE
Burgundy Style
Whortleberries are a small wild fruit which many people come to the country to pick; they make excellent jams and jellies and very good wines, otherwise known as 'herts'.

6pts whortleberries, 1 pts water, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), burgundy yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

WHORTLEBERRY WINE
Port Style
8 pts whortleberries, 7 pts water, 4 lb. sugar (or 5 lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. Ferment the pulp.

WHORTLEBERRY WINE
Table Wine

5 pts whortleberries, 7 pts water, 2 ½ lb. sugar (or 3 lb. 2 oz. Invert), all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 2. Ferment the strained diluted juice.


SLOE WINE
Sloes make a delightful wine which is very popular with those living in the country, and is particularly suitable for turning into sloe gin. Not more than 4 lb. should be used owing to their astringency.

4 lb. sloes, 3 lb. sugar (or 3¾ lb. invert), 7 pts water, all-purpose wine yeast, nutrient.

Use method 1. But ferment pulp for three days only.

Put a cork in it

Here is another mooched article on the different types of corks








Wine Corks are made from cork material from the cork oat tree. Corks elasticity makes it suitable for bottle stoppers on wine bottles, which represent about sixty percent of all cork products.

There are several different types of wine corks.

Synthetic Wine Corks

Many cheaper bottles of wine are now stopped with synthetic corks, however although they are becoming popular, they tend to destroy expensive corkscrews, and a main concern is their ability to be able to preserve a bottle of wine if left un opened for a long time period; it has been claimed that synthetic corks can lose their elasticity and this oxygen can get into the bottle. They do not dry out or rot, however.


Plastic Champagne Wine Corks These corks are designed to be used with champagne bottles. The cork along with the champagne bottle is designed to make a very strong seal to withhold the pressures produced by champagne.
What Size Cork to use
The standard wine bottle has an opening of 18.5 mm and the standard cork has been designed to fit the standard wine bottle. Cork sizes are designated by a number and length and the number corresponds to the diameter of the cork. The #9 cork, is the standard diameter cork for wine bottles with a typical lengths of 1.5 inches, and 1.75 inches. Shorter corks of 1.5 inches are recommended for less than one year old and longer corks of 1.75 inches are recommended for wines that are older than one year. The #8 cork is the standard size cork for champagne bottles and the #7 cork is the standard size cork for beer bottles.
Clearly there are several different types of wine cork available, as well as varying sizes and all of these should be taken into account when choosing how to stop a bottle when preserving a bottle of wine.

Juice Extraction methods

Gunk left by pressing fruit Vs Steam extraction method




There are many opinion on the best way to extract fruit juices for making wine.

Steam juice extractor I have one of these extractors and would not go back to the old way. The best part is seeds are kept out and the resulting juice is pure. An added benefit is the killing of many wine damaging bacteria.

Electric Juice extractor which physically remove the juice from the fruit. Since these units do not use heat as the method of extraction, the juice could be considered more pure. However, I have not noticed a difference in the end result.

The Old school method is to use Cheese Cloth, this method of juice extraction involves putting the fruit in the Cheese Cloth and letting it ferment in sugar water. The juice ends up coming out leaving the pulp behind. It is always a good idea to keep a fair quantity of Cheese cloth on hand because it can be used to filter out the must after secondary fermentation.

Personally, I prefer the Steam extractor, although I have noticed a slightly sweeter taste with the Electric extractor the cleaning is just abit more arduous and the juice is not as "clean" (potentially wine damaging bacteria are not killed.)

If you use the old school method, many recipe's recommend freezing the fruit prior to wine making as the cold breaks up the juice molecules releasing more flavour.

Sulfite Free Organic Wine

Sulfite free organic wine does not exist in nature. It’s physically impossible. But, organic wines low in sulfites or no-sulfites-added organic wines are becoming more popular in some circles. There is a movement in the organic wine making industry that wants to rid wine of added sulfites. Why? It’s a chemical preservative. But let’s look at what it actually does.
What are Sulfites?
Sulfites are typically added during winemaking to prevent bacterial growth and oxidation. In sulfite-free wine, no sulfites can be added to the wine during the winemaking process, although they are naturally produced in the fermentation process. So, there is technically no such thing as a sulfite-free organic wine.These days non-organic winemakers have often overused them to mask odors from the wine or a poor quality crop of grapes. Sulfites have been linked to headaches, respiratory problems, rashes, and other allergic reactions. The sulfites that are added cause these allergic reactions, whereas the naturally occurring sulfites usually cause no side effects. The biggest complaint about sulfites is the side effect of headaches. While added sulfites can cause headaches, naturally occurring tannins released from the skins of the grapes are more likely the cause of headaches. But people are unsure and no conclusive testing has been done to demonstrate the harmful side effects of sulfites. So for now, organic proponents will say that if it isn’t naturally occurring, it shouldn’t be added.
What about Organic Wine and Sulfites?
Organic wine has no added sulfites, but sulfites are a naturally occurring result of fermentation, coming from the skin of the grapes. So, organic wines must maintain a level of sulfites less than 100 parts per million (ppm), as opposed to the 350 ppm limit for non-organic wine makers.
If you are concerned with added sulfites, you should be aware that European wines have significantly more sulfites than American wines. Also, white wines need twice the sulfites red wines do.
Taste of Sulfite-Free Wines
Many people have complained over the years about the taste of wines with no added sulfites. This is what has prevented organic wines from flying off the shelves. But organic vineyards are doing better with this.
Although sulfite-free wines have a brown tint to them, organic wine lovers are touting the rich, true flavor of the wine when no sulfites are added. But, still others will swear that sulfite-free wine tastes like battery acid.
Since wine tasting is such a personal thing, only you can decide if you like the flavor of truly organic wine with no added sulfites. Many times the good organics never get to the wine shop shelves, but can be found at local restaurants and wineries. Since the nature of sulfite free wine is that it cannot sit for long periods of time without some spoilage, these untainted bouquets may never be for mass consumption.


The concept of organic wine refers to grapes grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, and no other chemical additives to the wine. But, when you wander through the wine shop for organic wines you may be confused by the different levels of “organic” found on the labels.
When the label says “100% Organic” this means that the wines are made from certified organic grapes and no sulfites have been added in its creation. This is the most pure form of wine possible.
If you see “Organic Wine” on the label then 95% of the wine’s ingredients are certified organic. The other 5% is usually yeast.
American organic winelabels that have the words “made from organically grown grapes” or “organically grown” means the vineyards have complied with the organic certifying agency of the state in which the wine was made. These wines may have sulfites added though.
French organic winesmay be labeled as such without certification. If you are looking for a certification from the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) you may find a stamp from Eco-Cert, Terre et Vie, or Nature et Progrés on the label.
The whole organic movement is spreading around the world in an effort to get back to the natural properties of foods and to avoid the chemicals that cause health issues. In fact, organic wines have become more popular in Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, and the U.S. over the last few years. And, while many vineyards are following organic standards and using sustainable agriculture, using environmentally friendly techniques, some large vineyards have decided not to get certified.\
Why not get the wines certified organic? Because it’s a lot of hassle for vineyards. And, which organization should they get certified with? Since there is no centralized international organic wine certification, the rules are different with each certification. Organically certified wine is such a new issue, the regulations for determining a truly organic wine is changing all the time. This can be expensive for vineyards to comply with an ever moving target.
Sulfites in Wine
Sulfur dioxide is added to wine in small amounts to maintain freshness and prevent oxidation. When the sulfur dioxide dissolves in the wine, it destroys impurities and creates sulfites. Some people have allergies to sulfites and experience headaches.
Organic wine has no added sulfites, but sulfites are a naturally occurring result of fermentation, coming from the skin of the grapes. So organic wines must maintain a level of sulfites less than 100 parts per million (ppm).
If you are concerned with added sulfites, you should be aware that European wines have significantly more sulfites than American wines. Also, white wines need twice the sulfites red wines do.
Benefits of Organic Wine
Organic wines are made with no added chemicals or preservatives. This makes for a healthier wine. But for wine lovers it also means a richer tasting wine, in which the full flavor of the fruit can be enjoyed.