So our first try at making wine is a modified version of a recipe we found for Cranberry wine. I'll list everything we used and then how we did it in as much of a step-by-step process as I can.
Equipment:
Stove
Med Saucepan
Large Stock Pot (large enough to hold 2 gallons)
2 gal. spring or filtered water
2 gal. plastic food grade container with removable spout (i.e. the spring water jug that has the water in it!) This will serve as your primary fermenter. It helps to get the kind that are designed to fit in your fridge because you can stand them up so that the spout is at the top. This comes in very handy. I'll post pictures to show what I mean. Without naming any names, we used a very popular brand from ME. Even has the word springs in it. But I digress...
Elastic band
1 balloon or latex glove (cheap but effective air lock)
Measuring cups
1 food grade plastic funnel
1 wooden or plastic spoon for stirring
4 containers cranberry/white grape juice concentrate (100% juice, no high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners! you can find them in your grocery's freezer section)
1 package fresh cranberries (frozen ok in a pinch)
5 cups granulated sugar
1 package wine yeast (dry active yeast ok in a pinch ((its what we used, hence experiment)) do not use quick rise yeast)
Make sure you line your work area with old towels or newspaper to protect against staining and spills. The sink is a good place to do a lot of your pouring and such.
Now you are ready to start-
FIRST: It is very important to sterilize all of your equipment including your hands before you start preparing your wine. You don't want any harmful bacteria sneaking in the mixture.
Sterilizing:
1) Sterilize your stock pot by filling with warm tap water and adding a small amount of bleach. Let it sit for a few minutes and then dump and rinse thoroughly
2) Carefully pop the spout off of the spring water container and dump the water into your stock pot
3) Sterilize the inside of your container the same way you did with the stock pot. Don't dump down the drain! you will use this bleach solution to sterilize the other equipment
4) Pour some solution through and all over the funnel, spoon, container spout, measuring cups, and anything else you will be using. Rinse thoroughly and set on a clean paper towel to dry.
5) Pour bleach solution into small saucepan and swish around. Rinse throughly.
6) Empty the rest of the bleach out of your container and again, Rinse throughly.
Makin' da wine:
1) Add cranberries to med. saucepan. To that, add about 1 cup of spring water. Heat on med. low until all cranberries have burst and softened
2) let cool for a few minutes and then add to your primary fermenter (heres where your funnel comes in handy!)
3) Create a simple syrup using 5 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water by heating on low until all sugar is dissolved; add to fermenter. BE CAREFUL, YOU DON'T WANT SUGAR BURNS!
4) Agitate gently to mix
5) Add all 4 containers of juice concentrate to the mixture, agitate again to mix.
6) Now heres where the sink and a helper come in handy. Slowly start adding the water to your fermenter until it reaches just below the spout opening. We used a liquid measuring cup and just did one at a time...it didn't take that long.
7) Give it all a shimmy shake to mix.
8) Activate your yeast by mixing 1 package with warm (not hot) water and let sit until it gets all foamy
9) Add to mixture
10) TADA! You're ready to create your airlock and soon you'll be fermenting. We'll...your wine will be.
AIRLOCK-AGE and FERMENTATION, ETC:
The airlock is very important as it allows the fermentation gases to escape and no bad stuff to get in.
1) Rinse the inside of your balloon or glove as good as possible, just to remove any powder.
2) Using a pin, poke a hole in the top of the balloon or one of the fingers of the glove
3) Using the elastic, tightly fasten your balloon or glove over the spout opening of your fermenter and viola! you are now making wine!
4) Place your fermenter somewhere in your house that stays between 65 and 70 degrees and stir every-day with a sterile utensil until fermentation ceases. You'll know. It will no longer be bubbling like seltzer.
5) Now it is time to Rack your wine...
RACKING/SECONDARY FERMENTATION:
The purpose of this step is to get your wine off of the dead yeast and must (thats all the skins and foamy stuff). It also provides for further clarification and development of color. So at this point you will need another 2 gallon container, preferably a glass carboy.
1) Remove the airlock and re-attach the spout that you removed all that time ago. Its never a bad idea to re-sterilize that spout. if your model of fermenter doesn't have a spout then you will need a siphoning tube. you can get that from any aquarium supply shop.
2) Transfer your wine into the secondary fermenter.
3) Re-seal with your airlock.
4) Repeat the above steps as many times as you need to to make sure there is no more sediment or bubbles in your wine.
We haven't gotten to that part yet as we're only on day 2 of the primary fermentation but I will keep you updated as the wine progresses! Check back for pictures!
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