Tag Archives: Making

Wine Making Recipe

Below you will find the basic steps to making a delicious wine. This method can used both for whites and reds. It’s great for beginning winemakers who are looking for a simple recipe, with simple ingredients.

Ingredients:

11 ½ kg of Grapes
5 ½ kg of sugar
10-11 liters of Water (plus more for topping)
2 ½ tsp. dried Pectic Enzyme
5 Campden Tablets
4 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
1 package of Wine Making Yeast
6 ½ tsp. Sparkalloid

Winemaking Method:

1. Put 5 Campden tablets in a jug of water and spray the solution onto your work area. Let act for 10 minutes. Rinse and let air-dry.

2. Use a crushing grate to process our grapes. Extract as much juice as possible, and remember to remove any stems.

3. Dissolve 4 kg of the sugar into 8 liters of warm water. Pour into primary fermentor, along with the must.

4. Add water to the fermentor until you reach the 5-½ gallon marker.

5. Use a hydrometer to test the prepared must. You must look for a SG of 1.113-1.1123, and a PA of 15.

6. If the hydrometer reads the proper numbers, allow the must to rest for one day.

7. Combine the yeast nutrient with yeast, some sugar and lukewarm water. This will activate the yeast. Let sit for 20-30 minutes. It should become bubbly and cloudy.

8. Incorporate the yeast mixture into the fermentor and cover, without mixing.

9. For best results, temperatures must be between 18°C-24°C. Once two days elapse, mix the fermenting must once or twice a day to ensure even fermentation, for 5-7 days.

10. Test the mixture in a hydrometer for a SG of 1.03.

11. Eliminate any pulp from the top using a strain. Make sure to remove any liquid that has been left behind in the pulp.

12. Use a hose to siphon the wine into a secondary fermentor. Once again, top with water to 5-½ gallon marker and equip the carboy with a wet airlock. Allow to ferment for another 4-6 weeks.

13. Siphon the wine once more.

14. Use a fining agent, such as 6 ½ teaspoons of Sparkalloid to clarify the wine.

15. At this stage, maintain wine at temperatures between 5-10 degrees Celsius.

16. Before you bottle, you should taste the wine for sweetness. If you decide to add more sugar, make it into syrup so that it thoroughly dissolves in the wine. To stop any yeast being awakened by the sugar, add a dose of crushed Campden tablets or sodium bisulfite. If adding sugar, allow to rest for at least one week before you bottle.

Kentucky Wine Making

Most people would never think of Kentucky as being a good source of wine.  However, a winemaker named Jean Jacques Dufour in 1798 planted the first commercial vineyard in the small town of Nicholasville Kentucky and in 1860 Kentucky was known as the third largest producers of wine.  Of course this all came to a grinding stop when prohibition hit.

Today with special agriculture business grants and other government incentives the winemaking industry in Kentucky has been revitalized.  There are new vineyards popping up all over the place and now Kentucky has almost a thousand acres of grape planted ground with 50 registered wineries.

It is central Kentucky that boosts the most used soil for grape growing.  Some say that the soil in the bluegrass is likened to that to the soils in France. Kentucky was once covered with sea water and thus it is rich in limestone from the deposits of the fossils of shell fish.  Though the soil is good the climate is not.

Kentucky’s climate is considered to be in a moderate zone, the summers are warm and the winters are cool.  The weather in Kentucky is highly influenced by the Gulf of Mexico and thus it gets an average of 50 inches of rain per year.

Alas, the weather is a changing!  For the past ten years Kentucky has been in a moderate to severe drought and vineyards have to be hand watered to keep the vines from dying.

The weather in Kentucky changes quickly and they have had problems with spring frosts, ice storms and days of cold, all taking a toll on the grape crop.  So why do people want to grow grapes in Kentucky?  Well because when they do grow and the weather is good then the harvest is of great grapes and better wine.

One of the problems that Kentucky has faced is that the State does not have any guidance on what to grow, how to grow it or anything.  People were simply guessing or going by what their gut told them.  This was finally addressed in 2005 when the state hired a viticulturist and enologist.

There is a debate on varieties to plant in Kentucky and with the whole industry being quite new, there is lack of good history and data.  Some want a certain variety others want a different one. The ones that follow along with the recommendations of the state will get grants and cost help.  The ones that go there own way will have to do so on their own.

So what grapes are being grown in Kentucky?

Vidal Blanc
Chambourcin
Norton
Marechal Foch
Cayuga

No matter what grape is grown it is suggested that the vines be on grafted rootstock. Because of the abundance of disease and bugs in Kentucky it is practically unheard of to try and grow organically here.  The hot muggy summers give rise to black rot, powdery and downy mildews, phomopsis leaf and cane spot disease. The insects they deal with are Japanese beetles, grape cane gall maker, grape berry moths and grape flea beetles. Then of course there are the animals such as, raccoon, possums and deer. 

Grape growing in Kentucky is alive and well and anyone who takes on this task shows real commitment and passion for persevering through tough times and countless challenges. It is because of this character and the land that two can come together and bring to wine drinkers everywhere a great wine.  So give Kentucky wine a chance, they just might surprise you!

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Making Homemade Wine

Making homemade wine is a tradition that many people still continue today.  Many people assume that making wine is a difficult process and I am here to tell you that it is not.  Making home brew is simple but it can be time consuming and once you start it is hard to stop and what was once a small hobby becomes more like an obsession.

There are definite tools of the trade and instructions you should follow in order to make your wine taste great and that is safe from bacteria or other harmful things that could stand in your way of great wine making.  Also, you should realize that you are not stuck just making grape wine, you can use any fruit juice you wish and make any blend that sounds good to you!  Creating the perfect blend of fruit and flavor can open up a whole new world for you in regards to wine.

To start making your own homemade wine you will need some basic tools.  It is EXTREMELY important that you follow all sanitation guidelines for your tools during the wine making process.  Harmful bacteria can quickly ruin a perfect batch of wine, not to mention make you sick, so be sure to be careful when handling and sanitizing all tools used during the process.  Here is a list of tools you will need:

Turkey Baster
Old wine bottles (for final product, sterilized)
Siphon (vinyl tubing)
Sanitizer (bleach or other recommended alternatives)
A plastic water bottle or glass jug (unscratched on the inside)
Rubber stopper (#8 or #9)
Airlock (balloon, PVC pipe, or commercial airlock)
Stirrer small enough to fit through opening of bottle
Funnel

This is a basic list to make simple wine, but you can also make very complex wine with just these simple tools.  There are many companies today that provide you with kits and that is perfectly fine, but you can also make your wine with the things you have laying around your house already.  Either way, once you have your equipment you are ready to begin the fun part!

By this time you probably already know the flavor of wine you want to make and no matter what the flavor you will be needing the juice from the fruit or fruits you choose to use.  You can get this juice from one of two ways.  You can either buy the juice from the store making sure that it does not contain additives other than Vitamin C, or you can make your own juice from the raw fruit.  You will need a few other ingredients such as sugar, yeast and possibly the following chemicals:

Potassium Sorbate
Sodium/Potassium Metabisulfite
Yeast Nutrient

Be careful of allergies when using any substances for your wine making endeavors.  There are some substitutions that can be made so do your research!

Now find a recipe to follow and do that to the letter and you will soon be drinking your own special homemade wine.  Many recipes can be found by doing a simple search on-line.  Soon you will understand the basics and be able to make your own recipes!

Make Wine At Home Wine Making Kits

Wine making has become steadily a fun hobby for many, in particular wine lovers. Due to ease of wine production wine making kits offer, not only an experienced wine lover but a beginner also can prepare his wine by following few simple steps. Many stores specialized in brewing wines sell kits which usually contain required wine making accessories and equipments, making the comprehensive procedure of wine making easier. Although it is considered widely that best wines can be made in big wineries only but this has become the believe of past as now if one practices the wine making procedure at home then he can gain mastery over it in a short span of time and this all can be done with home wine making equipments contained in home wine kits.

A wine kit usually comes with instructions that are to be followed in order to craft a tasty wine. But it gets imperative to make sure before get into the procedure of wine production that you have all the equipments in your kit and also the wine supplies. Here is a list of items which you need to have beforehand while going to make wine

Fresh fruits or grapes
Sugar
Fermenters or gallon bucket with lid
Winemaking recipe handbook
One glass or gallon jug
Airlocks
Hydrometer
Cleanser
Wine yeasts
Carboy
Corker

After getting assured that you have all the required items, you can start the procedure by following these simple steps mentioned below

Pressing

First step is getting juice from fruits or grapes and it can be done with the help of presser.

Adding the sugar

It is not an essential step as it can be avoided if fruits are already very sweet. Generally, the main purpose of adding the sugar is the fermentation of alcohol but naturally sweet fruits like grapes dont need the addition of sugar. It is believed that the more will be the use of the sugar, the more will be the content of alcohol once the process is finished.

Add the yeasts

Further, yeasts should be added as they convert the sugar into alcohol like fermentation.

The last but not the least steps are the fermentation and bottling or aging of wine. These are the procedures during which wine gets ready to use after leaving it for around one month at the temperature of 40 to 50 degree F.

Thus, go ahead and get started for enjoying the journey of wine making by following aforementioned steps with the help of home wine kits. For more information visit: http://www.artfulwinemaker.com

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Wine Making Kit – Make Your Own Wine

If you are the creative type and have always wanted to invent new and exciting flavors of wine, then you may want to consider using a wine making kit to bottle your own wine. If you are a beginner, you want to make sure the wine making kit you purchase has all the ingredients or materials needed to create a successful wine. Here are some suggestions or tips on items to look for when deciding on which wine making kit to purchase.

Essential Wine Kit Items

Since you are a beginner, you want to ensure your wine making kit has a fermenting bottle or container-usually 6 gallons-air hoses, stoppers and locks. You will also need an instructional manual that is detailed and easy to understand the recipes. Your ingredients will vary depending on the type of wine you want to make, so be sure you understand what the ingredients are and what they do before you begin.

Where to Buy Your Wine Kit

Purchase your wine making kit from a reputable dealer either online or wine specialty shop. The merchant you select should be available to you in case you have any problems or need assistance during the process. Many wine dealers who sell beginner kits will be just enthusiastic about the process as you, so don’t feel like you’re putting them out by asking for assistance.

Wine Ingredient Kits Can Save Time

If you’re looking to cut the processing time down while you’re still a beginner, you may want to consider purchasing some grape concentrate when you purchase your kit. The grape concentrate frees you from researching grapes and the flavors they achieve, and it will cut the processing time down significantly. Once you are used to the process itself, it may be easier for you to choose different grapes for your wine and start from the very beginning.

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