Black seedless Noir grapes, green grapes and Mandarin Oranges.Homemade Wine

I never thought I’d be making my own wine. Originally, I wasn’t interested until I started learning more about fermentation. Then one thing lead to another and, before I knew it, I was purchasing everything I needed to make my first batch. But, I didn’t just make one, I made two and they both turned out beautifully. Thanks to the information on the web, wine making websites, blogs other people uploading video tutorials, I felt confident enough to try. And, now, I’m teaching you.
The first 24 hours of making a wine Must in the Primary stage.Making a Wine Must
The first thing you need to understand about making wine is that everything you use must be sanitized with a food grade sanitizer; buckets, bottles, spoons etc.. The biggest rookie mistake is skipping this step only to put months of work into a wine that turns into vinegar because something wasn’t cleaned and sanitized. You don’t have to wear a doctors mask or anything. Just be sure to rinse, wash and spray anything and everything that the wine comes into contact with a sanitizer.

The wine Must is easy to make. Just determine how much wine you want to make, what kind of fruit you want to use, add 3 to 5 lbs of that fruit, per gallon, to a food grade bucket, add the proper amount of water, sugar, yeast, a few other ingredients to ensure a successful fermentation and you’ll be well on your way to making your first batch of homemade wine.
The wine Must after it’s full Primary Fermentation is Complete.Wine in the Primary stage
The first week of making wine is called the Primary Stage. Approximately 80% of the fermentation of the wine is done during this time and it takes 5 to 6 days to complete.

The first day is just a good long soak of the smashed fruit mixed with water and a crushed Campden tablet, which is a metabisulflite. Sulfites are used to sterilize and preserve the wine. It also pulls the color from the peals of the grapes and colors the wine. You should also take a gravity reading with a hydrometer so that you you’ll be able to accurately calculate the ABV(Alvohol By Volume) percentage. Homemade wine should be at least 12% to prevent spoilage. My wine usually hits 13%.

The second day is when you pitch the yeast but not before first adding the Acid Blend, Pectic Enzyme and a Yeast Nutrient. Then you can add the yeast.

This whole process should be done in either a food grade bucket with a rubber gasket sealing lid or a glass carboy with a plug and an air lock. An unsealed container will allow oxygen in and that can ruin the fermentation process. Fermentation creates Co2 gas and it’s important that it’s released. So, understand the Primary stage of making wine, is in fact one of the most important stages during the months it takes to make Wine. The airlock will keep the oxygen out of your container and allow the Co2 that is being creating in the wine, to escape.

Each day after, for the next 3 to 4 days, the container needs to be opened and stirred. The fruit is usually at the top so, just a quick stir of the fruit or pomace will quickly release the Co2 build up in the Must and promote a healthy, even fermentation in the wine. Then, you simply seal the container back up and wait another 24 hours.

By the 5th or 6th day, the majority of the fermenting should be complete and should be ready to move into a secondary container. This is important because this separates the wine from the bulk of the fruit. I mentioned that 80% of the fermentation process is done in the Primary Stage, the other 20% is done in the secondary. I’ll show you how to rack and transfer the wine into a secondary in the next video and post. It is in this stage that you’ll only need to check the wine weekly. It’s important to note that during both the primary and secondary stages, the wine should be kept in a cool dark place with temperatures no lower or higher than 68° to 72° Fahrenheit. Each time you “rack”(transfer) the wine into another carboy or container, the wine will become more and more clear.

You’ll want to keep notes about each batch you make with dates, times and ingredients. I’m going to post my notes about this Primary Stage, down below, so you get a clear idea about what I’m talking about.
How to make Wine part 1- Primary StageNoir Wine for 3 Gallons:
Day 1 Sep 26, 2019
7 lbs Black Seedless Noir Grapes
5 lbs Green Grapes
4 Mandarin Oranges
2 gal Water
1 Campden pill, crushed
Stirred, covered with lid
Resting 24 hrs

Day 2
Gravity: 1.030
Added Sugar, raised Gravity to 1.90
1 1/2 tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tbsp 1 tsp Acid Blend
3 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 pkg Yeast, 1/4 cup Hot Water, 1 tsp sugar
Stirred, covered with lid and air lock
Resting 24 hrs

Day 3
Stirred

Day 4
Stirred

Day 5
Stirred

Day 6 October 1st
Racked to Secondaries.
1 gallon of wine in a glass carboy
8 liters of wine in fermenter

The post How to make Wine part 1- The Primary Stage appeared first on Poor Man's Gourmet Kitchen.
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