| The Home Wine Brew - Wine Making Tips for | | | | - Add yeast to Must. Although regular baker's |
| Starting Your First Batch | | | | yeast can be used in the home wine brew |
| I use the word "brew" because right off the bat I | | | | process, a special wine making yeast is preferable |
| want to make clear that making a truly enjoyable, | | | | - Stir Must, and seal in a fermentation container (a |
| flavorful and lovely looking wine is, in fact, possible | | | | 5 gallon bucket is common) with a pressure |
| at home, without any particular specialized | | | | release cap, also known as an airlock stopper. This |
| equipment (or special vocabulary, for that matter.) | | | | stopper prevents air from invading the Must, but |
| The word "brew" is defined as, fermentation | | | | it allows the bubbling carbon dioxide to escape. |
| techniques used in creating alcoholic beverages, | | | | This prevents pressure build up. |
| wine and mead. | | | | - In regular intervals during fermentation, the Must |
| So, if fermentation is what we're after, what is | | | | is stirred to blend the solids throughout the |
| fermentation? How do we control it? | | | | mixture to ensure a full bodied flavor. |
| Fermentation is a natural chemical reaction where | | | | - Ultimately, the Must is poured into a second |
| either naturally occurring yeasts found on fruits, | | | | container through a filter to finally remove the |
| or specific yeasts added by a wine maker, feeds | | | | fruit solids and skins. A porous material like |
| on the sugars in the raw fruit and juice. | | | | cheesecloth can be used to filter the wine. |
| Bi-products of the yeast's little sugar feeding | | | | A First Home Wine Brew is Easy. But... |
| frenzy, are alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon | | | | Although these are the basic ingredients and steps |
| dioxide in this reaction is what causes the bubbling | | | | to make wine, good home wine making books, |
| that wine makers are very familiar with, and | | | | which are available online, provide the added steps |
| cautious of. Cautious? Wine that is bottled and | | | | necessary to achieve an actual good wine that is |
| sealed before this brewing or fermentation is | | | | pleasing to the taste buds as well the eyes. These |
| finished can blow the corks off the bottles and | | | | added tips, unfortunately all too often unknown |
| make quite a colorful mess. | | | | by home wine makers, include clarifying |
| The steps when making a home wine brew with | | | | techniques (making the wine clear, not foggy) as |
| grapes or with other types of fruit are very | | | | well as strategic additions of natural sulphites to |
| similar. | | | | remove wild yeasts that are present on all fruits. |
| - With the skins left on, press the fruit into a pulp | | | | In my next article I will be talking in more detail |
| or mash. (The skins provide added flavor) | | | | about an easy homemade wine recipe to make |
| - Add fresh, hot water and sugar to the fruit. | | | | your wine crystal clear (clarifying) as well as some |
| (The amount of water and sugar varies | | | | special tips for fermentation and giving your |
| depending not only on specific homemade wine | | | | homemade wine a flavor boost. |
| making recipes, but also on the type of fruit or | | | | This will allow you to transform "good" homemade |
| juice being used) | | | | wine recipes into "Great" homemade wine recipes. |
| - This fruit mixture is called the "Must" | | | | |