How to make your own wine at home correctly?02:31

Homemade Wine

Homemade wine drinking can not only avoid drinking fake wine, health care of the heart, but also promote appetite, antioxidant, anticancer and bactericidal, is the best choice for homemade drinks. [1]Home-brewed wine is divided into seven steps: selection, cleaning and drying, de-stemming and crushing, adding sugar, canning and brewing, secondary brewing, and bottling and storage.

Chinese Name

Homemade Wine

Main Ingredients

Grapes

Whether Containing Preservatives

No

Main Consumption Efficacy

Nurturing the Body

Suitable for the Crowd

Adult Healthy People

Quick

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Making Time Operation Making Mistakes Safety Hazards Precautions

Making Process

It is important to note that the brewing process should be clean and should not come into contact with any iron objects or grease.

Selection

As the saying goes, seven parts grape, three parts winemaking. The quality of the grapes plays an important role in wine making. Fresh grapes should be used in winemaking, otherwise they are prone to harboring bacteria, which is harmful to the human body. Usually, the grapes used by homebrewers to make wine are ordinary grapes, and some use winemaking grapes. Here are some of the main grape varieties:

Jumbo: Jumbo grapes have the advantages of lower prices, large grains, and a high rate of wine production (about 1 to 0.8), but Jumbo winemaking is a bit more turbid than other grapes, with some peanut-colored and slightly astringent wine, which needs to be left for some time before it becomes good.

Rose: Rose: Rose grapes have the advantages of black color with pink, wine has a special aroma, excellent taste, but the particles are small, the wine yield is low (about 1 to 0.7).

The above characteristics are all based on ordinary quality grapes.

Cleaning and drying

After the raw materials are bought, the first thing to do is to remove any diseased, shriveled or moldy kernels, as well as any green or rotten fruit. As to whether it needs to be washed, it varies from person to person. Grapes wash, or not wash are each pros and cons. Washing grapes can remove or reduce dust, mold, insects, pesticides, etc. on the surface of the grapes, but it can also bring about a decrease in the sugar content of the water absorbed by the grapes, and cause the juice to enter part of the water due to the inability to completely dry the grapes. Without washing grapes, the above risks are avoided. The author believes that better quality grapes can be completely without washing, local grapes contaminated with mold, etc. or more soil, the need for local cleaning. Available tap water can be drenched rinse, do not need to use any disinfectant, so as not to destroy the natural yeast on the skin of the grapes (white frost on the skin). But after cleaning must be dried, you can use scissors to break down into small bunches, spread out on a clean object, placed in a cool ventilated place to dry naturally, in order to speed up the drying speed, can be used fan. Avoid sun exposure.

De-stemming and crushing

De-stemming and crushing: squeeze the grapes with your hands to remove the fruit stalks, the containers are plastic pots or stainless steel, you can't use iron containers.

After cleaning and drying, the de-stemming and crushing work can be carried out. All contact with the grapes or grape juice containers and hands need to be clean, the container requires no water and no oil, hands should be washed. If you are not sure, you can use medical sterilized disposable gloves or rubber gloves. Containers can be washed with water and then scalded with boiling water. If the container is glass or other containers that are afraid of high temperatures, you can use cool water to wash, or use a high degree of white wine to sterilize. After everything is ready, first pick the grain to remove the stem, and then use both hands to start crushing, so that the flesh and skin can be separated, if very broken will make the wine more cloudy.

Sugar addition

Sugar can be added in one go after crushing the grapes, or in 1-2 installments after fermentation has started. The amount of sugar added is mainly determined by the grape variety, as we are home brewing without professional tools can be added according to a certain ratio, if it is a giant peak and other lower sugar content of some varieties of grapes can be 10:1.2 --- 10:2 between. If it is some of the higher sugar content of the winemaking grapes recommended to add sugar in 10:1 -----10:1.5 between. You can add sugar, rock sugar, etc., but it needs to be melted with grape juice in order to be broken down by the yeast. Don't put too much sugar, or it will affect the fermentation time and the clarity of the wine. If you want to drink sweet wine, it is recommended to add sugar when drinking.

Canning

After the grapes have been crushed, they are ready for canning, but of course you can do the crushing in the main fermenter if you can, and the tanks should be placed in a cool, dry place. It is important to note here that the crushed grape solution should not fill the container to the brim, it is best to fill it to 2/3 of the container, as the later fermentation process produces a lot of gas, which will raise the level of the liquid, and if it is filled to the brim it will overflow.

Main Fermentation Stage

The fermentation stage usually starts 24~48 hours after the tank is filled, after fermentation, there will be a lot of bubbles floating, and the grape pomace also floats up, forming a hard pomace cap. Because the fermentation process also needs a small amount of oxygen and produces more carbon dioxide gas, so do not seal, to leave ventilation holes, in order not to fall into the dust and small insects as the standard can be.

Temperature - during the main fermentation barrel temperature control between 15-30 degrees, barrel temperature to the bottom of the pomace cap temperature shall prevail; low temperature fermentation time is extended, out of the color of the wine is lighter, but the taste and quality of better. Higher temperatures shorten the time, the color of the wine is better, but the taste and quality is not as good as low-temperature fermentation.

Frequency of cap pressing - cap pressing, i.e., a thick layer of hard cap formed by the floating pomace is pressed into the wine, which can prevent the pomace from breeding bacteria, and enhance the infiltration of the fruit skin, generally 2-4 times a day;

Fermentation time - the main fermentation generally lasts 7-4 times a day. -The main fermentation generally lasts 7-10 days, the specific time is determined by the grape variety, the amount of sugar added and fermentation temperature. To determine the separation time. Separation and filtration criteria are: after a fermentation period (a large number of bubbles produced) after the amount of bubbles greatly reduced or disappeared, can smell a very strong wine flavor and taste the sweetness disappeared when it can be filtered. It is best not to leave the wine unfiltered for a long period of time, because too much time will increase the tannins and other substances in the skins that affect the taste and make the wine more astringent.

Separation of the wine - after the main fermentation, it is necessary to separate the wine by filtration. It is best to stop stirring or pressing the cap for 12 hours before separation, so that the wine is not so cloudy, and it is best to separate the wine by siphoning with a siphon tube, which prevents the wine from becoming cloudy and coming into contact with the air, resulting in oxidation or acetic acid bacterial infections. This prevents the wine from becoming cloudy and from being exposed to too much air, which may cause oxidation or acetic acid bacterial infection. After the separation of the liquor, the dregs can be filtered through 3-5 layers of gauze or nylon socks, and gently squeezed by hand, and the pressed wine can also be poured into the siphoned liquor for secondary fermentation.

Secondary fermentation

Secondary fermentation lasts for 1-3 days and takes place at the same temperature as the primary fermentation, except that the secondary fermentation involves filling the container to the brim, wrapping the bottle with plastic wrap, and puncturing the wrap with a needle. The secondary fermentation is a step that improves the quality of the wine and further settles the pomace, and can be omitted if conditions are not favorable.

This step is not suitable for temperatures above 25°C.

Partitioning for aging

After clarification, the wine is close to being finished and tastes fine. However, if you want it to be better and more flavorful, then you need to age it. Smaller containers are recommended for aging because it is best to drink the wine in a short period of time after it has been opened. You can use cola bottles or old red wine bottles. The best time to age wine is after winter. This is because the low temperature in winter can crystallize the tartaric acid in the wine and reduce the acidity of the wine. In addition, after aging for such a long time, the heterohydric alcohols are basically decomposed, and the fruity flavor will increase. Therefore, the quality of aged wine is definitely better and more flavorful. When aging wine, you should pay attention to full bottles, sealed; low temperature (8-10 degrees Celsius is the best); avoiding light storage. Black plastic bags can be used to cover the bottles to avoid light. It is also worth mentioning that before aging and bottling, it is important to make sure that all fermentation is completely terminated. General home-brewed wine because there is no added preservatives, so if you follow the procedures of strict operation, and a slightly higher alcohol can only be stored for about 1-2 years, so it is best to drink during this period to avoid deterioration.

Grape wine is good to drink, but do not be greedy Oh 50ML per day to drink the best . In the future, we will write a more demanding winemaking method, which will introduce the use of some additives, and the use of precision measuring instruments. Only scientific, professional, can brew better quality wine out.

Production time

Cleaned grapes, drying 1-2 hours, no moisture on the surface can be;

After tanking, fermentation 20-30 days, the flavor will be almost finalized.

Operation

2. Adjustment[2] Grape Juice: Unripe grapes are like any other fruit, with high acidity and low sugar content. As the fruit ripens, the acidity lessens and the sugar content increases. Red grapes ripened with high sugar levels generally have an alcohol content of about 8 to 12 degrees when no sugar is added. If you want to make a slightly higher alcohol wine, you can add 1 degree of alcohol in 1 liter of grape juice. The specific operation is: first dissolve the rock sugar in a small amount of juice, and then pour all the juice. If a high degree of wine is made, more sugar should be added, but since the yeast is intolerant of highly concentrated sugar solutions, the sugar should be added in two batches. The alcoholic strength of wine is generally determined by the sugar content of the grapes. Theoretically, 16.8 g/L of sugar can be converted into one volume of wine. Taking into account the loss of sugar, it is generally calculated as 17g/L. Thus, to get more than 12% of wine, it is necessary to ensure that the sugar level is above 200. A high sugar content leads to high alcohol content, and if a homebrewer fails to meet the alcohol content requirement, it is common to add sugar after fermentation to supplement the fermentation. However, supplemental sugar is not conducive to the flavor of the finished wine at a later stage, so many wine producers delay harvesting to obtain a higher sugar content.

3. Adding high active dry yeast to wine: Generally, before brewing, we will wash the grapes to remove the surface dirt and soil, which can also effectively remove the pesticide ingredients on the surface of the grape skins, and at the same time remove the wild yeast on the surface, but of course, the number of wild yeast and the population will affect the results of the winemaking, so many wine DIYers choose to wash the grapes and then add the high active wine-specific dry yeast for the fermentation.

Making Mistakes

Mistake #1: Let the grapes sit for a long time before making wine. Grapes are not easy to keep at room temperature and are susceptible to mold, which can make it easier for mold to grow in the wine if they are not fresh.

Myth 2: Inappropriate winemaking containers. It's best to use non-metallic vessels, such as glass bottles and jars, for homebrewed wine.

Myth 3: Throwing away grape skins quickly. When fermentation first begins, let the grape skins, pulp, and kernels stay together and continue fermenting for a few days to three weeks before separating out the aforementioned to finish bottling and sealing.

Myth #4: Adding sugar to wine. Adding too much sugar to wine can be harmful to the human body.

Myth 5: Add white wine.

Myth 6: Fermentation time is too short.

Safety Hazards

The process of homebrewing will inevitably produce a lot of bacteria, and if it is brewed by a large enterprise, it will be fully enclosed and sterilized, but homebrewing will not be able to solve this problem. Home-brewed wine, in general, can not meet the standard in terms of hygiene, there are often E. coli exceeded the standard and so on. But it is possible to make your own wine that is both safe and delicious if you choose the right method.

The first thing to do when making wine at home is to choose raw grapes that are free of disease, clean them carefully one by one, and then bottle them up after crushing them. The alcohol in the wine is produced by the sugar in the wine under the action of yeasts, and then put them in a warm place to wait for the grapes to ferment naturally for the first time, and then change the tanks or bottles every six to eighteen days to carry out the "secondary fermentation", preferably using glass. "It is best to use glass wide-mouth bottles for the second fermentation, which takes about a week. After the wine has been clarified, it is best to put it into small bottles for storage and drinking. But home brewing wine, should be carried out in the original juice of the home brewing, adding water or wine are the wrong approach, at the same time, because the whole process is not complete industrial sterilization, can not control microbial growth, it is easy to mold, harmful to health.

A Hunan citizen who drank home-brewed wine suddenly had a rapid heartbeat and blurred vision. After a doctor's consultation, the poisoning was caused by the excessive methanol in the wine he drank. [3]

Precautions

1. The brewing process must pay attention to the container and hands should be clean, to ensure that "no water, no oil", otherwise it will fail.

2. After cleaning the grapes, be sure to completely air-dry the grapes, not with water.

3. A fermentation should be stirred regularly, so that the grape skins are in full contact with the wine to promote fermentation.

4. After filtration and clarification, the wine enters the secondary fermentation stage, and the container must be filled to the brim, otherwise it will be easily oxidized and spoiled.

5. If you want the secondary fermentation to taste good, you can add some oak chips in it, which can enhance the aroma.