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Robert Peterson's Homepage

Wine Making and Tasting

Amatuer wine making is fun and easy to do. Making good amateur wine isn't that easy... Just like having success with fishing, attention to detail will make all of the difference.

 

Grandpa used to make wine out of everything that grew sweet fruit. Most was bad but occasionally something downright good would result. This page will be built around amatuer wine making and wine tasting in general.

Vineyard Landscape

How to Make Homemade Wine

Equipment needed for basic home wine making

This should get one started:

  • 1. Siphon Assembly

  • 2. Hydrometer and test jar.

  • 3. Acid testing kit and sulfite test kit.

  • 4. Crusher or crusher/stemmer.

  • 5. Press

  • 6. Corker

  • 7. Funnel

  • 8. Bottle filler

For every 75 pounds of grapes you will need:

  • 1. Ten gallons worth of food grade plastic bucket or a similar capacity stainless pot. These must have a lid or else some plastic sheeting to tie over the top.

  • 2. A five gallon glass carboy (water bottle) with a fermentation lock and a #6 1/2 or #7 drilled rubber stopper.

  • 3. A pair of three or four liter glass juggs, each with a fermentation lock and #6 drilled stopper.

  • 4. Twenty-five good quality wine corks.

  • 5. Two cases wine bottles.

Red Wine Procedures (Amatuer) 

  • 1. Crush (break the skins) and de-stem the grapes. For most grapes varities, about 90 percent of the stems should be removed. I prefer to get them all if I can. Don't confuse crushing with pressing. Crushing just breaks the skins so yeast can get to the sugar gel below. The famous act of crushing grapes with one's feet in a half barrel will accomplish this goal. Pressing comes later.

  • 2. Test for total acidity following the instructions in your acid test kit. If the acidity is less that .7%, add enough tartaric acid to bring it to that level.

  • 3. Test the sugar with your hydrometer. Correct any deficiencies by adding enough sugar to bring the reading up to 22% (22 degrees brix.) This can be a surprise! You may end up using more sugar than you expect. Use superfine sugar as it will dissolve faster. Stir it in well, let it sit, stir it some more. Do not try to read the hydrometer until you are satisfied that the sugar is fully dissolved. Commercial wineries are required to use grape sugar for this purpose but for home purposes who cares? It all breaks down to alcohol regardless of it origin, i.e. grapes, cane, beet.

  • 4. When these tests and corrections have been completed, the must should be sulfited. Some commercial wineries don't sulfite until after malo-lactic fermentation but I do as it helps to control the oxidation that occurs as the fermentation slows down. The main purpose to control the growth of wild yeasts on the grapes and any other bad stuff that may have been included with the grapes. Estimating that you will get roughly one gallon of juice yield for every 16 lbs of grapes, calculate the anticipated amount of juice. Using this estimate, add enough sulfur dioxide (SO2) level between 50 and 130 parts per million (ppm). The amount needed will depend on the condition of the grapes, with moldy grapes getting the most amount. Avoid moldy grapes and minimize the use of sulfide. Use the potassium metabisulfite as it avoids the sodium many people don't want to ingest.

  • 5. Unless you have found it necessary to add more than 65 ppm SO2 in step #4, yeast should be added immediately. If you are using more than 65 ppm SO2 you must wait four or five hours before adding yeast. Add also one ounce of yeast nutrient for every 100lbs. of grapes. Your yeast culture (or dry wine yeast) should be spread somewhat evenly across the surface of the crushed grapes (now called "must".) Stir it in thoroughly after eight to twelve hours. I like to take the calculated amount of yeast and place it in a solution of grape juice and warm water for about a half hour or so before I add it to the must. This really kick starts the little yeast critters and gets the fermentation going fairly quickly.

  • 6. The must should be stirred at least twice a day until fermentation begins. The beginning of fermentation will be obvious, as the grape skins will be forced to the surface forming a solid layer (called a "cap".) Once the cap has formed, it should be pushed or "punched" back down into the fermenting juice at least twice a day until it is ready to be pressed. I suggest a clean two by four as a paddle.

  • 7. At some point, while fermenting on the skins, the "must" temperature should be allowed to reach as high as 90 degrees F., at least briefly. This will help extract color from the skins. The rest of skin fermentation should take place at 60-75 degrees F.

  • 8. When the desired level of color has been achieved (after at least four days of active fermentation) your wine should be pressed to separate the wine from the skins. Funnel the wine into secondary fermenters, filing them no more than 3/4 full. Attach a fermentation lock, and allow the containers to set until all visible signs of fermentation have ceased (at least three or four more days.)

  • 9. When the wine is about half to two-thirds fermented, most red wines should be inoculated with malolatic starter (either before or after pressing.)

  • 10. At the end of fermentation, when no more bubbles are coming up through the lock, rack the wine off the lees and fine the wine (follow the instructions supplied with your fining agent) Place the wine in storage containers (glass, stainless steel or oak.) Top up the containers and let stand for a month. Racking is basically siphoning or pumping the wine from one container to another clean container and leaving the sentiment behind. Fining is the process of adding certain materials to the wine which stimulates the wine to drop-out the remaining suspended particles and thereby clearing the wine. All different types of materials are used depending on a variety of reasons but they range from ox blood, isinglass, egg white, milk to clay-like materials.

  • 11. Rack the wine away from the lees again (including the remains of the fining agent) and sulfite it to about 20 PPM. S02, and place it back in topped up containers.

  • 12. In June of the following year, filter the wine if you plan to do so. Sulfite to no more than 20 PPM S02. Allow the wine to sit through most of the warm summer weather with relatively low sulfite level. This will encourage malolactic fermentation to finish up.

  • 13. In early September, (just before you need your storage containers for the next year's crush), carefully rack the wine from the lees, siphon into bottles, cork them and lay them down for bottle aging. There are passable oak extracts which can be added at bottling time. Follow the advise of the manufacturer or your supplier. If you have enough storage capacity, you may wish to wait up to another year before bottling. If so, keep the containers free from air intrusion and maintain the 20 PPM SO2. At bottling time, test your wine for free sulfur dioxide, using a test kit for SO2, determining how much sulfite to add to bring the level to 30-35ppm. There is a direct relationship between the level of SO2 and the level of acid in the wine. The higher the acid content, the lower the amount of SO2 needed. There are charts available that show this inverse relationship. If possible store your filled bottles on their sides. Otherwise, store them with the corks down. Most red wines will benefit from at least one year's additional aging and frequently more.

White Wine Procedures 

  • 1. Crush (break the skins) the grapes. It is not necessary to de-stem them.

  • 2. Test for total acidity. If the acidity is less than .7%, add enough tartaric acid to bring it up to that level.

  • 3. Test for sugar with your hydrometer. Correct any deficiencies by adding enough sugar to bring the reading up to 22% (22 degrees brix) for most varieties. Very important for Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay to have at least 22% but less than 24%. Commercial wineries are able to work around high or low sugar by accurately balancing sugar and acid levels. At home, it is difficult.

  • 4. When these tests and corrections have been completed, the must should be sulfited. Estimating that you will get roughly a gallon of juice from every 16 pounds of grapes (varies with variety), add enough sulfite to give you a sulfur dioxide (SO2) between 50 and 120 ppm. For moldy or rough looking grapes add the higher amount.

  • 5. Stir in pectic enzyme at the rate of one ounce to every 200 lbs of grapes. Place the crushed grapes in a covered container to stand 2 to 18 hours (longer for the "big, less fruity" varieties. If left to stand longer than 2 hours at this stage, the crushed grapes should be refrigerated.

  • 6. The grapes are then pressed to separate the juice from the skins. Funnel the juice into topped up containers, cover, and let stand for approximately 24 hours to allow particulates to settle.

  • 7. Siphon the clear juice away from the layer of settlings into a glass, stainless steel or oak fermenter which is filled no more than 3/4 full. Yeast should be added, a fermentation lock attached to the fermenter, and fermentation allowed to proceed. Add one ounce of yeast nutrient for every 100 lbs. of grapes. Most experts suggest that fermentation of white wines should be in a cooler environment, 60-70 degrees. This slows down the fermentation but reduces the aldahydes produced. I have tried it both ways and can attest to the improvement in the wine when the temperature was kept stable and cooler. This is no easy trick for most home wine makers as some of the nicest/warmest weather occurs during the time the grapes are picked and during fermentation. Evaporative cooling is the easiest to set-up. A fan blowing on wet towels that are covering the fermenter help alot and is a cheap way to go.

  • 8. When visible signs of fermentation end, the wine must be racked off the lees, fined according to the directions supplied with your fining agent, and placed in topped up storage containers. Seal airtight but include a fermentation lock to allow for the escape of CO2. Let stand for a month. After the end of fermentation, add 20 ppm SO2 whenever the wine is racked.

  • 9. In February or March, rack and sulfite the wine again, placing it back in topped up containers. This is a good to filter the wine if you are going to. Use a filter that is less than one micron. Try and keep the wine temperature as stable as possible and on the cool side, 55-60 degrees. This can make a huge difference in the quality of the wine.

  • 10. In late April or early May, before the onset of very hot weather, carefully rack the wine from the lees. There may be only very minimal lees as the wine has been fined, maybe filtered and probably chilled quite cold during winter storage. But, rack it anyway. Test the wine for free sulfite content with a sulfur dioxide test kit to determine how much SO2 is needed to bring the level to 30-35 ppm. Siphon into bottles, cork them and set them aside for whatever bottle aging is needed. If you wish to sweeten the wine, do so with simple syrup (two parts sugar to one part water, boiled), and add 1/2 tsp. "stabilizer" per gallon to kill any remaining yeast. Less than 1/2 percent of residual sugar is not perceptible to most people but adds viscosity to the wine as well as softens some of the acid flavor in some wines. Light, fruity, white wine may be enjoyed within two months of bottling. Make sure that you use good quality corks, boil them to sterilize, wash the bottles and rinse well. I do a final rinse with a SO solution which kills off remaining bugs and leaves a small amount in the bottle. AIR: great to breath but will kill a great wine. Keep air out of your wine from the completion of fermentation up to and including bottling. Sulfite helps to overcome some of the effects of the oxidation caused by contact with air.

Use of Sulfite to Preserve Wine

"It must be the sulfite, why else would a bottle of wine give me a headache?" The judicious use of sulfite to inhibit unwanted organisms in wine or must is one of the most important aspects of wine making. It's unfortunate that there should be so much confusion in this area among home winemakers. Some of this is created by wine making literature itself. First, as far as terms are concerned, 'sodium bisulfite" and "sodium meta bisulfite" are the same thing. Industrial size bags frequently use both names with one parentheses below the other. Potassium metabisulfite" is a very similar material derived from potassium instead of sodium. Because potassium is less stable in powder form, and more difficult to package, most home wine making suppliers recommend the sodium form. I have read that the potassium is better if one is on a low sodium diet. The sodium costs less. Whichever material or form is used, the purpose is to release a measures amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas. It is this gas that actually inhibits the growth of unwanted organisms. The best way of measuring out sulfite is as follows:

  • 1. Make up a "stock solution" by dissolving four ounces of sulfite powder in a gallon of water (one ounce per quart.) At this concentration, the solution is quite strong [DO NOT SNIFF THE CONTAINER OF STOCK SOLUTION TO SEE IF IT IS REALLY SULFUR, it is.], so it should be clearly labeled and kept out of the reach of children. The stock solution will remain a relatively full strength for up to six months if the jug is kept well sealed.

  • 2. For preserving wine or must, one tablespoon of stock solution is a gallon of wine or juice gives you 65 parts per million of sulfur dioxide. (Note that British books say 50ppm because they are referring to Imperial gallons, rather than U.S.) This is exactly the same level one camden tablet would give you and is a good amount to use when your grapes are in good shape. Grapes with lots of mold, or which were in bad condition, might require twice that amount.

  • 3. With white wines always, and at least occasionally with red wines, one tablespoon of stock solution per gallon should be added whenever the wine is racked (after the end of fermentation).

  • 4. At bottling time, you should test your SO2 level and bottle with 30-35 parts per million in the wine. Wines that appear sound, and which will be consumed within three months of bottling will not normally need this sulfite addition at bottling time as long as they are stored in a cool place until served.

Fining Your Wine

Sparkolloid tm and Bentonite are the two most common all-purpose fining (clarifying) agents used by home wine makers. Either may be used with success in most situations, and in the somewhat unusual circumstance that the wine doesn't clear with the first agent, the other will generally work. How they are used: Sparkolloid is used at the rate of 1-1.5 grams per gallon, so to fine five gallons of wine, begin by measuring out 5-7 grams of dry Sparkolloid. It's like fine clay. Then take about 1-2 cups of water and stir in the Sparklloid, and heat it on the stove. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, and thoroughly stir the hot mixture into the wine. Let stand three weeks and carefully rack away from the lees. Bentonite requires that a slurry be made up a day in advance. Measure out 750ml of water (wine bottle equals 750ml), and heat it to boiling. Slowing stir in one ounce of Bentonite. Mix it thoroughly for about one minute in a blender, funnel it into a 750ml bottle, stopper it up and let stand for a day. Shake-up the slurry and thoroughly stir roughly 1/4 cup into each five gallons of wine. Rack away from the lees in about 10-14 days. It is an odd feeling to dump what looks like mud into your almost clear wine but, all the mud falls to the bottom dragging suspended particulates with it. This is all accomplished by introducing particles (mud like substance) into the wine, that have the opposite electrical charge to those suspended in the wine. Opposites attract, the fining material is heavier and falls to the bottom, and, viola! clear wine (usually.) Red wines can be very different... Ox blood, isinglass, milk and a host of other materials have been used with some success. I prefer to let it settle in an oak barrel for two years and then very gently pump it out through a fine filter. Keep the air out, keep the barrel topped up and keep the sulfite level within the limits.

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