I don’t need to talk too much about the benefits of wine, or the damage of buying it. Since I’m greedy and care about my life, I’d better make my own. There are many online tutorials. I’ve also shared my success in making wine for the past three years and joined the fun!
The grapes ripen in early July every year. Yes, it is July. The ripe grapes are the early grapes for winemaking. Many wineries will buy them during this season. The ripe grapes at this time of the year are very productive, tart and not suitable for immediate consumption, but they are very dark in color and perfect for making wine. It also has many advantages. On the other hand, the riper the grapes are, the better the wine juice will taste.
Don’t leave the grapes too long. Generally, I pick them the day before and start making them the next day. After picking the grapes, you have to wash them well. You have to wash them well. The reason is that you will know the reason once you wash them. There are a lot of bugs, ants, rotting grass and leaves, and so on.
After all, the main thing you’re doing is eating and drinking for yourself. Many of my winemaking friends say that wine goes bad when washed. It is impossible to dry washed grapes. How can you dry hundreds of kilos of grapes? Just say it on paper! I washed it and pressed it directly into the cylinder. It never went bad.
The broken grapes go straight into a barrel (preferably a glass one) and the good ones are crushed. Do you want to screw things up? People who like grapes will die of heartache!
Don’t overfill the barrels or they will overflow during fermentation. The grape juice on the floor is unpleasant! My experience is to leave a box of glass buckets. Fill the bucket and let it sit for 1-2 days while the juice with high sugar content ferments naturally. Remember to seal it up so that the fruit doesn’t fly in.
After it has rested, you can add sugar to the bucket. Cotton sugar, granulated sugar and icing sugar are all fine and the price is the same. I always use rock sugar, I always think it’s better. In fact, it’s a psychological effect, but eventually it will break down. Don’t add too much sugar at once. Sugar is good for fermentation, but too much can interfere with fermentation. Many winemakers don’t ferment after adding sugar and end up with mold. This is why. This is the equivalent of preserving grapes with sugar. Sugar has the same preservative effect as salt.
The sugar ratio is about 10:2, which is not very strict. After all, the sugar content of the juice is different, the sugar content and alcohol content will be higher.
Wait for the miracle to happen, you can’t wait. Stir once a day to mix the juice and peel well, otherwise the exposed peel and pulp will be oxidized and damaged. Remember to keep it sealed up. At this stage, it does not matter if air gets in and insects cannot get in.
The best temperature for fermenting grape juice is 20-30 degrees. In any case, July temperatures are fine. Some of my winemaking friends say that if you leave it in the sunlight, the color will be darker. I haven’t tried it yet, so I’ll wait indoors in the shade. In less than 2 days, the juice will be layered with the peel and pulp and bubbles will appear, which is the beginning of fermentation. At these high temperatures, if there is no stratification within two days, there may be problems.
After about 3 days, the skins rise, the seeds and rotten pulp sink, and the color of the skins melts into juice. The juice is no longer cloudy and becomes darker in color. A large number of bubbles will appear. Do not close the wine too tightly. The gas produced must be vented, but you still can’t let the fruit fly into the barrel. As soon as you spill a little juice, there will be a lot of fruit flies born. If the barrel is too full, we will know the consequences of this stage. If it overflows, we will separate some into the bucket. Stir once a day, then press the floating peel into the juice.
If you put too much sugar, the fermentation time may be longer. After about a week, the fermentation basically stops and there are no air bubbles. You can let it sit for 1-2 days without stirring and then strain it. This is another tough job, with a bucket of water weighing more than 40 kg pouring down. The glass buckets had to be handled carefully, thanks to my filtering product, a manual press. The room smelled like grapes! Look at how vibrant the color is. If you didn’t make it yourself, you wouldn’t dare drink it!
I must warn you, don’t add anything but sugar during the fermentation process. There are many additives such as de-bacterizing, aiding fermentation, reducing alcohol and improving taste …… In short, I don’t add them! The slogan of Warrior Private Kitchen is: natural and delicious, home cooking! Such a beautiful color, enjoy more!
Put the filtered juice in a bucket, fill it up a bit, leave less air, and add a little sugar. How much does it cost? I add two tablespoons per bucket, about 1-2 pounds, and seal it. After 1 day of resting, small, dense bubbles will appear and the juice will become clearer and brighter. A large amount of sediment will accumulate at the bottom of the barrel. The barrel should be sealed and ventilated for 1-2 days, but do not stir.
After about 7-10 days, the small bubbles will disappear. After 10-20 days of resting, the second fermentation is basically completed, no need to exhaust and stir.
Strain the sediment from the fermented juice, pour it into a new barrel (emptying barrels is tiring), fill it up, seal it, and tighten it. Put them in a cool, constant temperature place (preferably with a cellar) where they can have a quiet beauty. Don’t disturb them. What should you do? See you in three months! (Private kitchen basement, huh?)
After three months, when the wine is ripe, open a barrel and the wine’s aroma will overflow. Pour half a glass, shake it gently, and wow – beautiful! You’ll be drunk if you don’t drink it! At this point, all the hard work and exhaustion has been rewarded to the fullest. brew’s friends should be here to enjoy and talk about it too!
