Wine Making

If you enjoy drinking wine, do you think you would enjoy making it? Wine making began in root cellars, basements, garages and sheds. The process of making wine is not like fast food. It doesn’t happen instantly. You need several components in order to be successful, as well as wine making equipment and tools.

You need the fruit of course, and the right container to store the wine in as it ages. You need additives such as; yeast, yeast nutrients, campden tablets and tannins (depending on what kind of wine you wish to make).

There are wine making kits available you can purchase. You can buy a complete wine making kit that will take you step-by-step through the entire process, allowing you to familiarize yourself with the procedure so that later you can branch out and start experimenting with your own blends. You can join establishments such as Brewhaven in London , Ontario Canada where you can go in and they will make up a special blend just for you. And you can store it there until it is ready to drink and add a personal label to each bottle besides.

In all wine making fruit you will find three main acids; tartaric, malic and citric. These acids appear naturally. Tartaric acid is an antioxidant and produces a sour taste. Malic is also known as a fruit acid occurring mainly in apples. Citric acid is a natural preservative and also imparts a sour taste to the wine mixture.

The yeast is what ferments the liquid and turns it into wine. The yeast will eat away at the natural sugars in the fruit breaking them down into alcohol and carbonated gas.

When wine connoisseurs talk about “invigorating” wine, it is the yeast nutrients that make it so; helping to bring out the full flavor of the fruit and delivering clarity and brilliance as an end result.

Campden tablets are added to finish the wine. It sterilizes the juices, and it brings color and flavor into the mix.

To clarify the wine, tannins are added. This helps give the wine that full-bodied flavor. Tannins also assist in the aging process. Tannins are added to red wines. Red wines are made from black grapes and the skins are not separated in the process of making the wine. The tannins are found in the grape skins, stems and seeds. Tannins are what brings the pucker factor to the table; bringing home the reality of the term dry red wine. The wine is so dry that your lips will pucker up at the first sip.

Some wines also contain the stems and seeds, other wines need to have the skin stripped off and the seeds and stems removed.

Now that you know what ingredients to add to the grapes or fruit, what type of equipment do you need to make your own wines?

Wine Making Equipment

You need a wine fermeter, what that is in layman’s terms is a container that the wine can sit in as it ferments. A fermenter can be a large glass container, or a strong food-grade plastic container. You need to allow for expansion of the liquid so you would purchase a larger size container than normal. For example; if you desire to produce four gallons of wine, your container should be able to hold five or more gallons. You also want the top of the container to be wide and not narrow.

A second container is advisable. This container should hold an air lock so that bacteria and other airborne particles don’t collect into the mix. You want to make an exit hole for the fermenting gasses to escape without permitting any airborne bacteria back into the brew.

Tubing- Surgical tubing works best. The tubing is to help pass the wine from one container to another.

Hydrometer- this is considered an important tool in serious wine making. The hydrometer measures three things: specific gravity, potential alcohol and sugars. This tool allows you to gauge the potency of the wine in percentages. It will also tell you when all the sugar has been converted to alcohol.

Other tools you will need: Bottles to store the wine in, bottle brushes to clean the bottles. Corks, a good wine making guide and/or recipe book ( Check your local bookstore for guides on how to make wine as well as recipe books for homemade wines because just like the grapes at harvest time, books and pamphlets are abundant) .

Screened funnels, hose clamps, stirring spoons (stainless steel, not wooden spoons, as wood harbors bacteria) wine making thermometers (used during the fermentation stage). These thermometers do not contain mercury, but they do contain toluene or other harmful chemicals. If one breaks into your mixture, throw the mixture away immediately.

If you are planning on making red wine, you need an oaken barrel to store the wine in while it ages. If you are making white wine, stainless steel containers work best.

You can also buy ready-made kits for wine making that include everything you need (except the fruit) to make your first batch of wine, or if you feel unprepared to begin wine making, check the local colleges and universities in your area. Many of them now carry classes about wine in their curriculum.





Wine Home Wine Essentials Wine Types Wine Fermentation Food and Wine Wine Making Wine Tasting Wine Racks Glossary of Wines Regional Wine Australia Wine French Wine California Wine German Wine Shopping Buying Wine Online	WineWine.com.au / Wine Making Wine Making If you enjoy drinking wine, do you think you would enjoy making it? Wine making began in root cellars, basements, garages and sheds. The process of making wine is not like fast food. It doesn’t happen instantly. You need several components in order to be successful, as well as wine making equipment and tools. You need the fruit of course, and the right container to store the wine in as it ages. You need additives such as; yeast, yeast nutrients, campden tablets and tannins (depending on what kind of wine you wish to make). There are wine making kits available you can purchase. You can buy a complete wine making kit that will take you step-by-step through the entire process, allowing you to familiarize yourself with the procedure so that later you can branch out and start experimenting with your own blends. You can join establishments such as Brewhaven in London , Ontario Canada where you can go in and they will make up a special blend just for you. And you can store it there until it is ready to drink and add a personal label to each bottle besides. In all wine making fruit you will find three main acids; tartaric, malic and citric. These acids appear naturally. Tartaric acid is an antioxidant and produces a sour taste. Malic is also known as a fruit acid occurring mainly in apples. Citric acid is a natural preservative and also imparts a sour taste to the wine mixture. The yeast is what ferments the liquid and turns it into wine. The yeast will eat away at the natural sugars in the fruit breaking them down into alcohol and carbonated gas. When wine connoisseurs talk about “invigorating” wine, it is the yeast nutrients that make it so; helping to bring out the full flavor of the fruit and delivering clarity and brilliance as an end result. Campden tablets are added to finish the wine. It sterilizes the juices, and it brings color and flavor into the mix. To clarify the wine, tannins are added. This helps give the wine that full-bodied flavor. Tannins also assist in the aging process. Tannins are added to red wines. Red wines are made from black grapes and the skins are not separated in the process of making the wine. The tannins are found in the grape skins, stems and seeds. Tannins are what brings the pucker factor to the table; bringing home the reality of the term dry red wine. The wine is so dry that your lips will pucker up at the first sip. Some wines also contain the stems and seeds, other wines need to have the skin stripped off and the seeds and stems removed. Now that you know what ingredients to add to the grapes or fruit, what type of equipment do you need to make your own wines? Wine Making Equipment You need a wine fermeter, what that is in layman’s terms is a container that the wine can sit in as it ferments. A fermenter can be a large glass container, or a strong food-grade plastic container. You need to allow for expansion of the liquid so you would purchase a larger size container than normal. For example; if you desire to produce four gallons of wine, your container should be able to hold five or more gallons. You also want the top of the container to be wide and not narrow. A second container is advisable. This container should hold an air lock so that bacteria and other airborne particles don’t collect into the mix. You want to make an exit hole for the fermenting gasses to escape without permitting any airborne bacteria back into the brew. Tubing- Surgical tubing works best. The tubing is to help pass the wine from one container to another. Hydrometer- this is considered an important tool in serious wine making. The hydrometer measures three things: specific gravity, potential alcohol and sugars. This tool allows you to gauge the potency of the wine in percentages. It will also tell you when all the sugar has been converted to alcohol. Other tools you will need: Bottles to store the wine in, bottle brushes to clean the bottles. Corks, a good wine making guide and/or recipe book ( Check your local bookstore for guides on how to make wine as well as recipe books for homemade wines because just like the grapes at harvest time, books and pamphlets are abundant) . Screened funnels, hose clamps, stirring spoons (stainless steel, not wooden spoons, as wood harbors bacteria) wine making thermometers (used during the fermentation stage). These thermometers do not contain mercury, but they do contain toluene or other harmful chemicals. If one breaks into your mixture, throw the mixture away immediately. If you are planning on making red wine, you need an oaken barrel to store the wine in while it ages. If you are making white wine, stainless steel containers work best. You can also buy ready-made kits for wine making that include everything you need (except the fruit) to make your first batch of wine, or if you feel unprepared to begin wine making, check the local colleges and universities in your area. Many of them now carry classes about wine in their curriculum.

	copyright © 2005 VirtualWine.com.au.