Winemaking
Beginner's Guide
Copyright 2016 The Winery at Wilcox
1867 Mefferts Run Road
Wilcox, PA 15870
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Getting Started
1. Choose if you want to make wine from juice that you would buy, or if you
are going to use your own grapes or fruit.
2. It will be easier to make wine form juice that you would purchase from a
winery or other reputable juice producers.
3. DO NOT make wine from the Welch's Grape concentrate that you buy
in stores.
4. Making wine form grapes or other fruit will be much harder and take
longer, you will also need more equipment to do so.
5. Once you decide which you will do, and the recipe you wish to follow,
you are ready to buy the materials that you will need.
Making Wine from Juice
1. Put the juice into a clean carboy, add .5 grams per gallon of Potassium
Metabisulfite.
2. Check your sugar level with the hydrometer. You should be somewhere
around 21 Brix or Balling. If not, add sugar to the wine until your
hydrometer reads 21 Brix.
3. If you are going to change the acid of a wine, now is the time to do this.
Adding either Potassium Bicarbonate or Calcium Carbonate is used to
drop acid in wine. Where as Acid Blend or Citric Acid is added to raise
acid in your wine. (If you buy juice, most of this should already be adjusted
for you so this stem may be unnecessary)
4. Add Pectic Enzyme to juice according to package for amounts.
5. Add Yeast Nutrient to juice in recommended amount.
6. Take the Yeast and get water (about 1/2 a cup per 5 gallon carboy) at
about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, mix the Yeast into the water along with 1/2
the package of Yeast Starter. Let stand for about 30 minutes to an hour
then add to your juice. Put the airlock on carboy and fill the airlock 1/2 way
with water.
7. If the airlock does not bubble in 2 days or so, mix the juice up, this will
help the fermentation process start.
8. Once the airlock starts to bubble, this means that fermentation has
started, monitor it very carefully with your hydrometer to show progress.
9. If any odd smells occur, like rotten eggs, agitate the wine in order to
give some oxygen to the Yeast, and add a little more DAP (Yeast
Nutrient).
10. When wine reaches between 8 and 13 Brix (Balling) add
recommended dose of Fermaid or Yeast Energizer. It will foam so be
careful!
11. If your wine becomes very slow at fermentation and your Brix levels
are above 0, then agitate it to help the fermentation along.
12. Once your wine reaches -1 to 0 Brix, fermentation is about over. So
go ahead and add some Potassium Metabisulfite, about 1/4 teaspoon
per 5 gallons.
13. Your wine should start to settle out at this time. When a good sediment
layer has formed, rack the wine off.
14. Now is the time to clarify your wine. In red wines you can use gelatin,
sparkalloid, or small amounts of Bentonite. In whites, use both Bentonite
and PVPP. In blushes, use the same amounts as reds. After adding
recommended doses, add to wine and let stand for a few days, it should
clear up even more. Rack the wine as necessary.
15. Cold Stabilization - let your wine get to about 30 degrees Fahrenheit
for about 30 days, crystals will drop out. Filter after this is done.
16. Finish your wine...if you are making a dry wine, then all you have to do
is make sure that your wine is not fermenting, your sulfite levels are up,
and it is as clear as you want it.
17. If you are making a sweeter wine...
-You must add Potassium Sorbate, this is a preservative that will keep
your wine from refermenting in the bottle. Add at 1 gram per gallon.
-Make sure that your sulfite levels are up.
-Add sugar to your taste.
-You are now ready to bottle.
Making Wine From Grapes
1. Harvest your grapes.
2. If you are making white wine...Press them off. Crush them up and let the
juice drain off. Use cheese cloth or other semi-fine strainer to separate
the juice form the grape skins and seeds. After this go back and follow the
Making Wine From Juice starting with step 1.
3. If you are making red wine...Crush up your grapes. Get a good sample
of the juice without much pulp and skins and check your sugar, add sugar
to reach about 21 Brix (Balling). Add .5 grams per gallon Potassium
Metabisulfite. Add Yeast, Nutrients, Pectic Enzyme and other processes
that you might be doing at this time. Let the wine ferment for up to two
weeks on skins in a bucket or other open top container, mixing every day
at least once. Strain off the skins and seeds to get just the fermenting
juice. Remember this should take no longer than two weeks. Continue to
step 3 in the Making Wine from Juice section. You can exclude steps
4,5,6,7 and 8.
4. If you are making wine from grapes, odds are that you might have to
play with the acid, this is an advanced step...The following is a brief
overview.
-Acid Blend will raise the total acid by .1% by adding 3.5 grams per
gallon.
-Potassium Bicarbonate will lower total acid by .1% by adding 3.4 grams
per gallon.
-Calcium Carbonate will lower total acid by .1% by adding 2.5 grams per
gallon.
You CAN NOT change the acid by more than .3%!!!
Bottling
1. Clean bottles with Potassium Metabisulfite mixed in water, 2
tablespoons per gallon of water.
2. Clean corks with Meta water (same as above)
3. Clean anything else that is going to be touching the wine with the Meta
water, funnels, etc...
4. Put wine into bottles, and put a cork in.