How to Make Homemade Organic Wine with No Additives
Choose the right time., Chose which type of wine you would like to make and which corresponding grape you must use.,Purchase your grapes from a store/market that sells wine grapes., Wash the grapes., Wash barrels and wine crusher., Place wine...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose the right time.
The best time to make wine is in early fall season.
Outside temperature should be between 18 and 24 Celsius (64-75 Fahrenheit). , Each type of grape has a different sugar content level which will affect the alcohol content.
Examples of grapes and type of wine:
Red:
Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon White:
Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc If you are still unsure about which grape or wine you would like to make, try visiting a store/market that sells wine grapes.
They will help advise you with the right grapes to use.
The better the grapes, the better the wine, so this part is crucial! ,, Wash grapes thrall and remove any leaves.
Throw away any grapes that look discoloured or rotten or dry grapes.
The choice is yours whether to remove the stem from the grapes.
Leaving the stem in gives the wine a light bolder taste.
Try leaving the stems for the whole process up until you filter the wine.
Taking out the stems mid fermentation could lead to a contaminated wine, which you don't want.
This is because the stem has a lot of tannins, which gives the wine a bitter taste if you leave the stem in the wine for too long.
This is wine white wine is not as bitter as red, red wine is aged longer with the stems.
Tannins give the wine natural antioxidants, which is why some people like to leave the stems in the wine a little longer.
The more tannins in the wine the stronger the headache, so this wine shouldn’t be drank to get too silly or else you will be regretting it next morning. , It is very important to have all of your utensils clean.
This is so that your wine doesn’t get infected and spoiled.
Wash the barrel and the wine crusher with 10-12 L of hot water with one half cup of baking soda.
Scrub then rinse the barrel and crusher until both are cleaned. , Depending on the size of your wine crusher, it is recommended that two people place the wine crusher on the barrel.
The wine crusher could be heavy.
Also the wine crusher has an awkward size and shape, which could lead one person having troubles placing the wine crusher on the barrel.,, The crusher crank should be turned carefully and constant.
This is so the grapes can be sliced evenly and not just squished.
If you turn the crank to fast, the grapes will not be opened correctly, causing not all the juices to pour out of them., Make sure that the grapes and juices is actually going into the barrel, Sometimes the barrel can shift and the juices could be dripping down the sides of the barrel.
Also keep in mind how much you are filling your barrel., This process is very crucial.
It can determine whether the wine turns out good or bad.
Since we are not adding any sugars or yeast it is crucial to monitor your grape juice frequently.
This is a high risk process, which will lead to a more flavorful and “healthier” wine.
This method is called spontaneous fermentation.
You must leave the grapes and grape juice together longer than if we added yeast.
The risk is that your grapes and juice is more likely to be open for infection from other spoilage organisms and from oxidation.
This is why you must constantly be monitoring your wine. , Best location is in a garage in the fall time or possibly a basement cellar.
A hot warm day humid day could ruin the wine! It should take the wine about 5-7 days for the juice to start fermenting and turning into wine, the wine will start making a bubbling cracking noise.
That should let you know that the juice and grapes are starting to ferment., Roughly 5-7 days after the crushing the grapes, the wine should start to ferment.
Roughly 2-3 times a week you should taste the juice to confirm the wine is making its transition to wine.
You will only need about 1-2 ounces to taste.
If your wine starts to taste sour, that is not good.
This means the wine is too acidic or the wine is turning into vinegar.
This is because your wine has too much tannin inside.
Remove the stems carefully, washing all of the instruments being used. , The total fermentation process should take about 7-8 weeks, depending on the temperature of where the wine is being stored.
To check, the wine will turn a nice purple colour, depending on which grapes you choose.
You can see the colour if you pour a little inside a clear glass.
Another indication that the wine is finished is you will stop hearing the formation sound.
Another indication is taste it! Does it taste like wine? It should by now! , Once the wine is finished, you can start to empty all the wine from the barrel.
You now must strain all the sediment from the wine.
Usually straining the wine twice is good enough; however you may strain your wine as many times as you want.
Using a very clean stainless bowl or a very clean bucket, collect the wine from the barrel.
Once the stainless steel bowl or bucket is about ¾ full.
Place the strainer on top of the large glass jug and pour the wine inside.
This is to capture the sediment and crushed grapes that came through.
Do this until all the wine is finished.
Before completely emptying the barrel, you could bottle some of that wine inside a bottle so that you could start drinking it. , You should filter again.
Why not? It doesn’t hurt.
You can use old wine bottles or any old glass container.
Make sure that these are cleaned very well.
Funnel the wine inside the glass bottle.
Close the cap.
You have bottled wine! You don't need to bottle all my wine at once.
You can, for example, bottle about 4-5 bottles a week.
This allows you to have some of the wine aged a little longer.
It is not necessarily true that the longer the aged wine, the better.
Avoid aging this wine longer than a year; the wine could turn out sour. , Now that you have finished your wine, you may store it away in a cool temperature cellar or begin drinking right away! Cheers! -
Step 2: Chose which type of wine you would like to make and which corresponding grape you must use.
-
Step 3: Purchase your grapes from a store/market that sells wine grapes.
-
Step 4: Wash the grapes.
-
Step 5: Wash barrels and wine crusher.
-
Step 6: Place wine crusher on top of barrel.
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Step 7: Place the washed grapes inside the crusher.
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Step 8: Slowly crush the grapes into the barrel.
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Step 9: Observe the barrel after every load of grapes placed in the crusher.
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Step 10: Understand the risks at this stage.
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Step 11: Pay attention to the temperature of where the barrel is being stored at.
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Step 12: Check in and taste your wine every few days.
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Step 13: Be patient until fermentation is finished.
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Step 14: Strain the wine.
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Step 15: Filter the wine as you bottle it.
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Step 16: Enjoy!
Detailed Guide
The best time to make wine is in early fall season.
Outside temperature should be between 18 and 24 Celsius (64-75 Fahrenheit). , Each type of grape has a different sugar content level which will affect the alcohol content.
Examples of grapes and type of wine:
Red:
Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon White:
Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc If you are still unsure about which grape or wine you would like to make, try visiting a store/market that sells wine grapes.
They will help advise you with the right grapes to use.
The better the grapes, the better the wine, so this part is crucial! ,, Wash grapes thrall and remove any leaves.
Throw away any grapes that look discoloured or rotten or dry grapes.
The choice is yours whether to remove the stem from the grapes.
Leaving the stem in gives the wine a light bolder taste.
Try leaving the stems for the whole process up until you filter the wine.
Taking out the stems mid fermentation could lead to a contaminated wine, which you don't want.
This is because the stem has a lot of tannins, which gives the wine a bitter taste if you leave the stem in the wine for too long.
This is wine white wine is not as bitter as red, red wine is aged longer with the stems.
Tannins give the wine natural antioxidants, which is why some people like to leave the stems in the wine a little longer.
The more tannins in the wine the stronger the headache, so this wine shouldn’t be drank to get too silly or else you will be regretting it next morning. , It is very important to have all of your utensils clean.
This is so that your wine doesn’t get infected and spoiled.
Wash the barrel and the wine crusher with 10-12 L of hot water with one half cup of baking soda.
Scrub then rinse the barrel and crusher until both are cleaned. , Depending on the size of your wine crusher, it is recommended that two people place the wine crusher on the barrel.
The wine crusher could be heavy.
Also the wine crusher has an awkward size and shape, which could lead one person having troubles placing the wine crusher on the barrel.,, The crusher crank should be turned carefully and constant.
This is so the grapes can be sliced evenly and not just squished.
If you turn the crank to fast, the grapes will not be opened correctly, causing not all the juices to pour out of them., Make sure that the grapes and juices is actually going into the barrel, Sometimes the barrel can shift and the juices could be dripping down the sides of the barrel.
Also keep in mind how much you are filling your barrel., This process is very crucial.
It can determine whether the wine turns out good or bad.
Since we are not adding any sugars or yeast it is crucial to monitor your grape juice frequently.
This is a high risk process, which will lead to a more flavorful and “healthier” wine.
This method is called spontaneous fermentation.
You must leave the grapes and grape juice together longer than if we added yeast.
The risk is that your grapes and juice is more likely to be open for infection from other spoilage organisms and from oxidation.
This is why you must constantly be monitoring your wine. , Best location is in a garage in the fall time or possibly a basement cellar.
A hot warm day humid day could ruin the wine! It should take the wine about 5-7 days for the juice to start fermenting and turning into wine, the wine will start making a bubbling cracking noise.
That should let you know that the juice and grapes are starting to ferment., Roughly 5-7 days after the crushing the grapes, the wine should start to ferment.
Roughly 2-3 times a week you should taste the juice to confirm the wine is making its transition to wine.
You will only need about 1-2 ounces to taste.
If your wine starts to taste sour, that is not good.
This means the wine is too acidic or the wine is turning into vinegar.
This is because your wine has too much tannin inside.
Remove the stems carefully, washing all of the instruments being used. , The total fermentation process should take about 7-8 weeks, depending on the temperature of where the wine is being stored.
To check, the wine will turn a nice purple colour, depending on which grapes you choose.
You can see the colour if you pour a little inside a clear glass.
Another indication that the wine is finished is you will stop hearing the formation sound.
Another indication is taste it! Does it taste like wine? It should by now! , Once the wine is finished, you can start to empty all the wine from the barrel.
You now must strain all the sediment from the wine.
Usually straining the wine twice is good enough; however you may strain your wine as many times as you want.
Using a very clean stainless bowl or a very clean bucket, collect the wine from the barrel.
Once the stainless steel bowl or bucket is about ¾ full.
Place the strainer on top of the large glass jug and pour the wine inside.
This is to capture the sediment and crushed grapes that came through.
Do this until all the wine is finished.
Before completely emptying the barrel, you could bottle some of that wine inside a bottle so that you could start drinking it. , You should filter again.
Why not? It doesn’t hurt.
You can use old wine bottles or any old glass container.
Make sure that these are cleaned very well.
Funnel the wine inside the glass bottle.
Close the cap.
You have bottled wine! You don't need to bottle all my wine at once.
You can, for example, bottle about 4-5 bottles a week.
This allows you to have some of the wine aged a little longer.
It is not necessarily true that the longer the aged wine, the better.
Avoid aging this wine longer than a year; the wine could turn out sour. , Now that you have finished your wine, you may store it away in a cool temperature cellar or begin drinking right away! Cheers!
About the Author
Justin Wallace
Writer and educator with a focus on practical pet care knowledge.
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