Home wine makers?
Discussion
You'll need some kit:
A couple of 3 gallon buckets
Demijohns
A big saucepan or two
A funnel
Some muslin cloth
A long plastic ladle
Then some fermenting stuff:
Yeast (preferably some Burgundy yeast for grape)
Sugar
Yeast nutrient
Citric acid
Pectolase
We've never produced a pure grape wine, but we've used the following to make cherry, plum, sloe, and damson wines. For one gallon ( sterilise everything before starting - dj's / spoons / ladles / funnels / buckets / pans ):
Get a three gallon fermenting bucket, and half fill with your grapes. Now, pour over some boiling water until there's about two inches of water above the fruit and leave to cool until the water is lukewarm. Wash your hands, then get in and start crushing them grapes! Once crushed, leave the liquor to stand for a day in the bucket.
Next, get your big saucepan and pour in one bag of sugar. You'll now need to get a dj, place a funnel in the neck, and cut some muslin cloth to a size so it can be placed in the funnel with about four inches draping over the sides. Now get your bucket of liquor, and carefully start pouring it into the dj. I suspect the juice will be very "pulpy" like damson liquor, so fill the funnel to about 3/4 full then grab the edges of the muslin, and close to form a ball. Then squeeze the juice through the cloth. Repeat until the dj is 3/4 full. Pour the liquid from the dj over the sugar in the saucepan, and put on a high heat. Keep stirring with a sterilised plastic ladle, and - if needed - skim any foam from the surface of the pan.
As you stir, you'll "feel" the sugar in the solution dissolving until there's no grainy sensation through the ladle. Remove from the stove, and leave to cool to lukewarm. Then pour the solution into the dj, and top up with cold water to the neck of the jar.
Add 1 teaspoon of the yeast, 1 of yeast nutrient, 1 of citric acid, and 1 of pectolase. Insert a rubber bung with an airlock, agitate, then leave to ferment in a warm and shady spot for about 3 weeks or so.
Hopefully that'll get you started!
A couple of 3 gallon buckets
Demijohns
A big saucepan or two
A funnel
Some muslin cloth
A long plastic ladle
Then some fermenting stuff:
Yeast (preferably some Burgundy yeast for grape)
Sugar
Yeast nutrient
Citric acid
Pectolase
We've never produced a pure grape wine, but we've used the following to make cherry, plum, sloe, and damson wines. For one gallon ( sterilise everything before starting - dj's / spoons / ladles / funnels / buckets / pans ):
Get a three gallon fermenting bucket, and half fill with your grapes. Now, pour over some boiling water until there's about two inches of water above the fruit and leave to cool until the water is lukewarm. Wash your hands, then get in and start crushing them grapes! Once crushed, leave the liquor to stand for a day in the bucket.
Next, get your big saucepan and pour in one bag of sugar. You'll now need to get a dj, place a funnel in the neck, and cut some muslin cloth to a size so it can be placed in the funnel with about four inches draping over the sides. Now get your bucket of liquor, and carefully start pouring it into the dj. I suspect the juice will be very "pulpy" like damson liquor, so fill the funnel to about 3/4 full then grab the edges of the muslin, and close to form a ball. Then squeeze the juice through the cloth. Repeat until the dj is 3/4 full. Pour the liquid from the dj over the sugar in the saucepan, and put on a high heat. Keep stirring with a sterilised plastic ladle, and - if needed - skim any foam from the surface of the pan.
As you stir, you'll "feel" the sugar in the solution dissolving until there's no grainy sensation through the ladle. Remove from the stove, and leave to cool to lukewarm. Then pour the solution into the dj, and top up with cold water to the neck of the jar.
Add 1 teaspoon of the yeast, 1 of yeast nutrient, 1 of citric acid, and 1 of pectolase. Insert a rubber bung with an airlock, agitate, then leave to ferment in a warm and shady spot for about 3 weeks or so.
Hopefully that'll get you started!
For replacement equipment, we pop over to Shrewsbury to this place. They do on-line orders as well, though.
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