Learning how to make homemade wine is not difficult, but there are some fundamental rules you must follow to avoid disaster. Be sure to keep your wine making equipment clean and sanitized at all times. The very process of fermenting juice into wine provides an ideal environment for bacterial growth, which will result in a spoiled wine batch, so always make double sure. If you drop a spoon on the floor, re-sanitize it before using. Never take the chance.
Probably the easiest way to get started is by purchasing wine kits, or more precisely wine ingredients kits. These are produced by various companies including Wine Expert, Cellar Craft and R J Spagnols.
I have tried all three and had consistently good results. You can, of course “go it alone” and produce wine from many fruits or indeed from grapes readily available online. Don’t be tempted to buy dessert grapes from your local store as they are always picked under-ripe and will be lower in natural sugars. Although sugar can be added during the wine making process and often is, to manipulate the finished product it’s important to use grapes grown specifically for wine making.
You will need to buy some wine making equipment, either locally or from one of the many online retailers. You can get started without spending a fortune, but if you are serious about making homemade wine, and can afford it, get the best equipment as it will pay you back many time over.
Here is a typical wine equipment list:
o Primary fermenter (I suggest a minimum 30 litres/8 US gallon) capacity, with lid
o Long stirring spoon (plastic or stainless steel, never wooden)
o Measuring cup
o Hydrometer and test jar
o Thermometer
o Wine thief (for taking samples)
o Racking tube and hose
o Carboy (glass or plastic) 23 liter (6 US gallon) capacity
o Bung and airlock
o Siphon Bottle Filler
o Unscented wine making detergent for cleaning
o Metabisulphite powder for sanitizing
o Thirty wine bottles, thirty corks and a corking machine.
This is a basic wine making equipment list and would be fine for getting started.
So what are the benefits of homemade wine?
Well, cost is the first and most obvious one. It is perfectly possible to make wine for less than a dollar a bottle, so if you are a $5 – $10 wine buyer you stand to make a significant saving, but that’s not the most important reason. What if you could produce fine wines as good as those retailing at $40 – $80 a bottle at a cheap wine price and educate your palate to the finer things in life?
The answer is – you can.
There are two routes you can take:
Route 1. Buy a wine kit from one of the suppliers I mentioned above and follow their instructions to the letter.
Route 2. Learn from an expert. There are some great books and courses available online that will show you exactly what wine making equipment to buy; the correct way to get started and pretty much everything you will need to know to make, not just drinkable wine, but exceptional fine wine, at a fraction of the cost.
Once you get started you will wonder why you waited so long.