Getting Started II

Once you've acquired all of the equipment you need, you're ready to begin the process of vinification. I will describe all of the steps in order.

The first part of all the steps is to sterilize all of the equipment you will be using in that step. If you do not do this properly, you could wind up with a foul tasting wine. This could either result from your wine being infected by bacteria other than yeast, or from some of the sanitizing agent being introduced to the wine. I use the purple chlorinated sanitizer (which you will find at any wine supply store). I begin by making the solution in the primary with 5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water. Next, I place all of the equipment (except for the carboy) into the primary. Use the racking tube to syphon a gallon or so of the solution into the carboy. Swish the fluid all around the inside for a minute or so. When using this type of sanitizer, one should triple-rinse the equipment with hot water.

Preparing the must. The must is the mixture to which yeast is added to make wine. This is the step where we extract the flavour from the fruit, vegetable, herb or whatever you have decided to ferment. What needs to be done in this step depends on what you have chosen to make. It usually invloves peeling, chopping, slicing or crushing. Next hot or cold water may be added. Sugar may be required to achieve the correct initial sweetness. Your recipe may call for the use of additives such as acid blend, pectic enzyme, grape tanin or bentonite. You should also add sulphite unless the fruit you are using already contains it. Crush 1 campden tablet for every gallon of wine you are making and dissolve in a cup of water and stir into the must. This protects it from any other bacteria that might try to infect your wine.

Starting the yeast. This can also vary based on the recipe. For many recipes there is no problem with simply sprinkling the yeast on top of the must and covering it up with the lid. This may not work all of the time though. My rhubarb-strawberry wine for example is extremely acidic, so I created a yeast starter. I sanitized a large jar, and placed in it the contents of the yeast packet, 3 tbsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp of yeast energizer, and 1/2 cup of water. After a couple hours, it was foaming noticeably. I swished it around to knock down the foam and added 1/2 cup of the must to the jar. I repeated this until I had a full jar working vigourously, and then added it to the must. Do not add yeast to a must that is significantly warmer or cooler than room temperature. This is worth repeating, as you may kill your yeast if you do so. So, do not add yeast to a must that is significantly warmer or cooler than room temperature.

Primary fermentation. The yeast work vigourously in this stage and rapidly expand in number. You may notice some serious foaming depending on the variety of yeast you are using. This lasts about a week. You should sanitize your long spoon and stir the must daily during this period. This normally lasts about a week, but can be faster or slower depending on the conditions. Generally speaking, move to secondary fermentation as the vigour of the ferment subsides.

Secondary fermentation. This is done under an airlock, as the amount of carbon dioxide being produced by the yeast is no longer enough to protect the must from other bacteria. You'll need to siphon the liquid from the primary fermentor into a carboy. You may have to press or drip drain some juice out of solid pieces of the must. You should have a sip of your wine at this time. Top up to within a couple inches of the bottom of the airlock. You can use water, a sugar solution, or wine of a similar variety to do this.

Racking. You will notice after a couple of days that some solids start to accumulate at the bottom of your carboy. This is called the lees. After a set period of time you will want to transfer the wine to a new carboy so it's not sitting on that lees. This needs to be done regularly until the wine is clear and has not produced a new lees. No more often than 6 weeks should be necessary, and it can be left for up to 12 weeks. Taste the wine every time you rack it. If it tastes flat or uninteresting you may need to add acid. Top up every time you rack, and sulphite your wine every other time you rack to protect it from oxidization.

Bottling. Once your wine is clear, and has gone through a period of time equal to when you've normally been racking it and not shed a lees, you can prepare for bottling. Sanitize your bottles and corks with a sulphite solution (do not use the chlorinated sanitizer for this). Sulphite your wine again, and stir vigourously for 4 minutes to degass your wine. Wait 10 minutes and stir again. Syphon the wine into the bottles, and fill them to just below the base of the neck. Leave the bottles upright for 3 or 4 days before turning them on their sides.

Once you have completed all of these steps your wine can be consumed. Very likely it will improve for as long as you are able to keep it. This is difficult to do unless you make a lot. Therefore it is recommended to make as much as you possibly can.

Have fun, and enjoy!