Wine Recipe

1. Prepare and Sanitize

Sanitize all equipment (fermentation bucket or carboy, spoon, airlock, siphon, bottles) with a no-rinse sanitizer to avoid contamination.

2. If using whole grapes, crush them to release juice and place crushed grapes (including skins and seeds) in a sanitized primary fermenter. If using bought juice, pour the juice into the sanitized fermenter.

3. Measure the specific gravity with a hydrometer if available. Aim for an original gravity around 1.080–1.090 for a medium-bodied table wine. Adjust sugar: dissolve the granulated sugar in a small amount of warm (not hot) water and add to the must until you reach the target gravity; the recipe amount (200 g) is a guideline for 4 L of juice.

4. If desired, add pectic enzyme (1 tsp) now to help break down pectin and improve clarity. Add acid blend (0.5 tsp) if the must tastes flat or if a pH/TA test indicates low acidity. Add tannin powder (0.25 tsp) if you want more structure (common with very ripe or juice-only musts).

5. If you wish to sanitize naturally occurring wild yeast, add 1/2 tsp crushed Campden tablet per 4 L and wait 24 hours before pitching yeast. If not using Campden, proceed immediately.

6. Rehydrate the dry wine yeast according to the manufacturer's instructions (usually sprinkle into 30–50 ml of warm water with a pinch of sugar and let sit 10–15 minutes). Add yeast nutrient (1 tsp) to the must and then pitch the rehydrated yeast into the must. Stir vigorously to aerate the must (oxygen is needed at the beginning of fermentation).

7. Cover the fermenter with a lid and airlock (or loosely with a clean cloth if fermenting on skins) and allow primary fermentation to proceed at 18–25°C (65–77°F). For red-style fermentation on skins, punch down the cap (skins) 1–2 times daily. Fermentation should be active within 24–72 hours and will typically last 5–10 days until vigorous bubbling subsides and specific gravity has dropped to about 1.020–1.030.

8. When primary fermentation slows (gravity ~1.020–1.030), siphon (rack) the wine off the gross lees (sediment) into a sanitized secondary fermenter (glass carboy) leaving the lees behind. This reduces off-flavors from decomposing solids.

9. Attach an airlock and allow secondary fermentation and clarification to continue at cooler temperatures (12–18°C / 54–65°F). Fermentation may continue slowly for 2–6 weeks until specific gravity stabilizes (typically 0.990–1.000 for dry wines or higher if residual sugar is desired).

10. If needed, perform additional rackings every 4–8 weeks to leave more sediment behind and improve clarity. Taste periodically. If wine tastes harshly acidic or unbalanced, adjustments to acid or sugar should have been made earlier; avoid adding large corrections late in fermentation.

11. Once fermentation is complete and the wine is clear (no active fermentation for at least 2 weeks and stable gravity readings), you can stabilize and prepare for bottling. If you plan to sweeten before bottling, add potassium sorbate (0.5 tsp) and potassium metabisulfite (0.25 tsp) after stabilizing to prevent re-fermentation.

12. If you used Campden earlier, the wine will already have some sulfite protection. Recommended free SO2 for finished wine varies; follow package directions and be conservative. If you did not add sulfites earlier, add the small Campden dose now if you want shelf stability.

13. If desired, cold-stabilize the wine (chill to near freezing for several days) to precipitate tartrates. Rack away any crystals before bottling.

14. Sanitize bottles, corks or screw caps, and siphon the clear wine into bottles, leaving ~2–3 cm headspace. Cork or cap the bottles securely.

15. Label bottles with varietal and date. Age bottled wine for at least 1–3 months for lighter styles or 6–12 months (or longer) for fuller, more complex wines. Store bottles on their sides in a cool, dark place if using corks.