Wine Making Instructions

Winemaking
1

My wife wants to start her first batch of wine. She has a recipe but is wanting to know if there are more specific instructions of how to make the wine. She has no idea what gravity is, how to test, etc.

The beer kits come with pretty dummy proof instructions to follow and that is what she is looking for. Specific instructions, step 1 boil water, step 2 add fruit, etc.

Any suggestions or help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Knucklesandwich

2

Is she making from a kit, from fresh grape, from juice or something else? Wine can be much simpler to make than beer, or it could be much more complicated. It depends to a large extend on what your starting ingredients are.

3

Rebuiltcellars,

My wife has the Fresh Fruit Vintner and is going to start with strawberry wine. Some of her more specific questions are : when do she test for gravity? if the gravity is not correct, does she continue to rack and test? Does she need a nylon bag for the fruit or does she just strain the pulp before bottling? What is easier? Where can she find a nylon bag at a local store?

Thank you,
Knucklesandwich

4

[quote=“knucklesandwich”]Rebuiltcellars,

My wife has the Fresh Fruit Vintner and is going to start with strawberry wine. Some of her more specific questions are : when do she test for gravity? if the gravity is not correct, does she continue to rack and test? Does she need a nylon bag for the fruit or does she just strain the pulp before bottling? What is easier? Where can she find a nylon bag at a local store?

Thank you,
Knucklesandwich[/quote]
OK, that makes it easier to answer. She should test for gravity several times: before adding the yeast (she might have to adjust by adding more sugar or more water to get the OG right), before racking (like beer, you move wine out of the primary when the yeast says it is ready, not by the calendar), and to determine when fermentation is done.

The nylon bag will make it easier, especially with some fruits that might disintegrate during the process. Most home brew shops sell nylon bags specifically for this purpose, and you can get them in different sizes to match your needs. For example:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/larg ... -x-19.html

Wash it well and you can reuse it for many batches. But don’t think it will be enough to make the wine clear. Most wines need an extended aging time after fermentation is complete to clarify properly - even if you use finings.