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how to make wine

How to Make Wine at Home

VWB Blog 2 years ago 3

Are you someone who loves wine? Then, you’ll be happy to know that you could make wine from the comfort of your own home.

Homemade wine can be just as good if not better than store-bought wine and with practice, you can make all different types of delicious wine recipes.

Knowing how to make wine at home is a long-term, cost-efficient way to enjoy wine tailored to your taste buds.

This article will teach you how to make wine and the best wine-making tips. Keep reading to learn more.

What You’ll Need

Before you start making homemade wine, there are several things you will need. Here is a list of the equipment that you will need:

  • 4-gallon bucket/pail for fermentation
  • Fermentation bag
  • Airlock
  • Funnel
  • Sanitized corks
  • Wine bottles
  • Racking tube
  • Glass jugs
  • Plastic tubing (about 6 inches)
  • Hydrometer
  • Carboy
  • Straining bag

Furthermore, here are the ingredients that you will need:

  • Wine grapes (red for red wine, white for white wine)
  • Juice bag
  • Granulated sugar
  • Wine yeast
  • Filtered water
  • Bentonite
  • Metabisulfite
  • Potassium sorbate
  • Other fruits (optional)

Keep in mind that you can always purchase a wine kit that will come with all of these essential pieces of equipment and ingredients.

If you’re not sure what type of wine you want to make, La Crema Pinot Noir is one example of a popular red wine, and Pinot Grigio is a popular white wine.

Crushing Your Grapes

After obtaining all of your wine-making equipment and ingredients you can now start making your wine. The first thing that you will do after removing your grape stems is to crush your grapes.

This is done by simply placing your grapes in a giant container and stomping on them with bare feet or your hands. Be sure to do this with other people for quicker results.

Fermenting Your Wine

Next, it’s time to ferment your wine. Now, this process varies depending on the type of wine you are making.

If you are making red wine, you will ferment everything including the juice, stems, skins, and seeds. If you are making white wine, you will ferment only the juice.

You will start by pouring the juice into the carboy and then adding wine yeast to the mixture. Periodically use the hydrometer to ensure that the wine is less than 1.010.

If it does go below this, you will need to add your granulated sugar.

Waiting for the Wine to Ferment

After fermenting your wine, you will then need to wait for it to finish fermenting. Red wine will usually ferment after a week. White wine will take much longer, often around two weeks.

In the meantime, it’s advisable to add your sulfates at this point to keep your wine from oxidizing.

When the wine is done fermenting you will see a white frothy substance on top. You will then wait for the wine to mature until it’s tasty enough for bottling.

Bottle and Age Your Wine

Finally, it’s time to bottle your wine. You will let the wine flow through your plastic tubing and into the bottle.

After, you will insert your cork and store your wine for a few weeks to a year.

Learn How to Make Wine

This guide taught you how to make wine at home. If you’re tired of buying commercial wine, why not start making wine at home today?

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