How to Make Your Own Wine

Wine is delicious, can cure diseases, and beautify the skin. It tastes good. We can make delicious wine at home. Why don’t you try it?

How to make your own wine:

When buying grapes, choose those that are ripe, plump, and disease-free. The darker the color of the grape skin, the better. Wine made from green grapes is called white raisin wine; wine made from red or purple grapes is called red raisin wine.

Wine ingredients:

Grapes, sugar, sealed jar, gauze

Wine method:

Put grapes and white rock sugar in a jar at a ratio of 5:1, and crush them with your hands until they are mostly watery except for the skin and seeds. Seal the jar and place it in a cool and dry place for about 20 days. Finally, filter out the skin and seeds with gauze and you can drink it. (You don't have to filter it, though.)

Note: Keep the jars and food away from oil at all times, or they will go bad. Do not open the jars to check during the 20 days of fermentation.

How to make red wine:

1. Prepare tools: wide-mouth bottles, old wine bottles, large Coke bottles, etc., a plastic funnel, and a new nylon sock for filtering the residue.

2. Select raw materials: When purchasing grapes, choose those that are ripe, plump and disease-free. The darker the color of the grape skin, the better.

3. Wash the grapes: Soak the grapes in water for two hours and drain them.

4. Crushing and bottling, first fermentation: Pick the grapes from the stems, put them into a wide-mouth bottle, and use a small spoon to break the grape skin. Note that the bottle cannot be filled to the brim, and it should be stopped when it is two-thirds full. The alcohol in the wine is produced by the sugar in it under the action of yeast. If you like a higher alcohol content, you can sprinkle white rock sugar or honey in several times in the middle. Add sugar according to the ratio of 10 kg of grapes to 1 kg of white sugar. The resulting wine is about 10 degrees, similar to the dry red wine sold in the market. After the grapes are bottled, cover the bottle (don't cover it too tightly, as long as it doesn't get dusty), and place it in a warm place to wait for the grapes to ferment naturally. There are natural yeasts on the grape skins, so we don't have to worry about the fermentation bacteria.

Generally speaking, bubbles can be observed in the bottle 24 hours after bottling, and then the juice in the grapes will be separated out, the grape skins will float up, and the foam will gradually increase. At this time, stir it twice a day with a spoon, press the exposed grape skins in, and let the grape skins be fully soaked in the grape juice.

5. Separation of slag and liquid, secondary fermentation: After 5-7 days, the fermentation gradually becomes gentle, the grape skin floats on the surface, the color changes from dark to light, and the grape seeds and most of the grape pulp residue sink to the bottom of the bottle. At this time, the residue and the wine should be separated. The specific method is to pour out the wine in the bottle, then put the residue into nylon socks, squeeze it from light to heavy with your hands, and then twist it like twisting clothes, so that the wine in the residue is basically drained out. Finally, mix all the wine together and put it into a wide-mouth bottle for further fermentation. At this time, the wine is very turbid, you don't have to mind it.

6. Filtration and clarification: The second fermentation takes about a week, at which time the wine has become clear and no longer produces bubbles. At this time, the wine in the bottle can be filtered once: the part containing residue and sludge is filtered and bottled to stand.

7. Storage and drinking: After the wine has been clarified by standing, it is best to store it in a small bottle. An old 1.5-liter wine bottle is ideal, and a 2.25-liter plastic bottle for "Coke" is also good. The bottle should be filled to a certain extent (90%), and the cap should be tightly closed. Then put it in a relatively low temperature place at home (it is said that the ideal storage temperature is 13°C). Whenever you want to drink it, take out a bottle. It is recommended that you drink two spoons of it regularly.

The wine brewed according to the above method tastes similar to the dry red wine on the market. If you are entertaining female guests, you can add some white sugar or honey to it, which is enough to make the ladies intoxicated in the sweetness.

How to make white wine

1. Raw materials: Choose grapes with high sugar content (above 16 g/100 ml), moderate acidity, strong aroma and good color. The best time to harvest is when the fruit is fully ripe and the sugar content is close to the highest.

2. Sorting: Separate the rotten fruit clusters from the intact fruit clusters and cut off the rotten and green fruit clusters.

3. Disinfection: Soak in 0.02% potassium permanganate solution for 20 minutes.

4. Rinse: Use running water to rinse away the disinfectant until there is no red in the water.

5. Crushing: Use a crusher to crush. The fruit stems should not be removed during crushing. The fruit stems can be used as a filter layer to increase the filtration speed. Each grape needs to be broken during crushing, but the seeds cannot be crushed. It should not come into contact with copper or iron during the crushing process.

6. Pressing: After crushing, send the fruit to the press immediately to squeeze out the juice. When squeezing, gradually increase the pressure to adapt to the pressure, and try to squeeze out the juice in the pulp, but do not squeeze out the juice from the stalks and seeds.

7. Sulfur treatment: Microorganisms attached to the peel and bacteria in the air often seep into the juice during the crushing and squeezing process. Sulfur dioxide is generally used to kill or inhibit the activity of bacteria. 110 grams of 6% sulfurous acid can be added to every 100 kilograms of grape juice to kill bacteria.

8. Adjustment: Generally, the sugar content of grape juice is about 14-20 grams per 100 ml, so it can only produce wine with an alcohol content of about 8-11.7 degrees. The alcohol concentration of the finished wine is required to be 12-13 degrees or 16-18 degrees. Therefore, the required amount of sugar can be calculated based on the fact that 1.7 grams of sugar is needed to produce 1 degree of alcohol, and then added to the juice.

9. Main fermentation: Put the adjusted grape juice into the wooden barrel, about three-quarters of the barrel capacity. Keep the temperature at 20-30℃, and fermentation will start in 1-2 days. The intensity of fermentation depends on the number and size of bubbles in the fermentation barrel. The main fermentation usually takes 8-15 days. It can be completed in 3 days when the weather is hot, and can be extended to 20 days when the weather is cold. Remove the skin residue when the residual sugar content is less than 0.1%.

10. Post-fermentation: After the primary fermentation, the wine is transferred into large wooden barrels and slowly fermented at a temperature of 15-18°C for one month to allow the residual sugar to further ferment into alcohol.

11. Maturation: Use a siphon to suck the wine into an oak barrel and store it at a temperature of 8-12°C to mature it. During this period, the barrels must be changed several times to remove the sediment in the wine. Do not move or vibrate the barrels before changing the barrels. The siphon method should be used to prevent the wine from contacting with air to avoid excessive oxidation. The maturation time takes about one year.

12. Clarification and filtration: Use enzyme preparation extracted from Aspergillus niger to clarify the wine, remove the fine residue in the wine after filtration, and obtain clear wine.

13. Bottling and sterilization: Bottling the wine into sterilized glass, sterilizing it in 70-72℃ water for 20 minutes, then cooling it to about 35℃ and affixing the label.

The brewing process of white wine is: sorting and removing the stems of the grapes → pressing → separating the juice from the skin and clarifying it → low-temperature fermentation, storage, aging and post-processing, and finally making dry white wine.

Benefits of white wine: Drinking white wine can enhance lung power and is also rich in antioxidants. The bactericidal ability of white wine far exceeds that of red wine. Even if the white wine is diluted by half, the bactericidal ability will not be affected.

It should be noted that: it is best to choose larger grapes with more water, so that the alcohol content of fermentation will be lower; when bottling grapes, the bottle cannot be filled to the brim, and it should be stopped at two-thirds. When the grapes are fermenting, never cover the lid too tightly, otherwise the bottle will explode. If the wine is not finished after 1 month, filter it once and pour out the dregs, otherwise the alcohol content will become higher and higher; and the wine is best drunk within 3 months, it is easy to spoil in hot weather, and it is fine to keep it for 5 or 6 months in cold weather, but the opening time should be relatively extended (about 1 month), because the fermentation time is related to temperature.

The role of wine:

1. Increase appetite

The bright color and clear and transparent appearance of wine make people feel relaxed and happy; when poured into the glass, the fruity aroma of wine is fragrant; when tasting, the tannins in the wine are slightly astringent, which stimulates appetite. All these make the human body in a comfortable and euphoric state, which is beneficial to physical and mental health.

2. Nourishing effect

Wine contains sugar, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. These are essential nutrients for the human body. It can be directly absorbed by the human body without pre-digestion. Especially for the weak, drinking a moderate amount of wine regularly is beneficial to restore health. The phenolic substances and oligoelement in wine have the function of anti-oxidants, which can prevent the reactive oxygen (ROS) generated during the human body's metabolism from harming the human body (such as damage to DNA and RNA in cells). These damages are one of the factors leading to some degenerative diseases, such as cataracts, cardiovascular diseases, arteriosclerosis, and aging. Therefore, drinking a moderate amount of wine regularly has the effect of preventing aging and prolonging life.

3. Aids digestion

Protein is the best drink to go with meals. Wine can stimulate gastric acid to secrete gastric juice. Every 60-100 grams of wine can increase gastric juice secretion by 120 ml. The tannin in wine can increase the contraction of smooth muscle fibers in the intestinal muscle system and adjust the function of the colon. It has a certain effect on colitis. Sweet white wine contains sorbitol, which helps digestion and prevents constipation.

4. Weight loss effect

Wine can help you lose weight. Each liter of dry wine contains 525 calories, which is only 1/15 of the average daily calorie requirement of the human body. After drinking, the wine can be directly absorbed and digested by the human body and consumed within 4 hours without causing weight gain. Therefore, people who drink dry wine regularly can not only replenish the water and various nutrients needed by the human body, but also help lose weight.

Wine is suitable for:

1. Elderly people, 2. Women, 3. Ordinary people.

In fact, both red wine and white wine can promote blood circulation and warm the body.

Specific production method:

5 jin of grapes to 1 jin of rock sugar (5:1), you need top-quality white rock sugar, cover with a glass lid and seal it well. (Buy a glass bottle with a frosted lid, which is more durable and has a good seal).

1. Crushing. Rinse the ripe red grapes with clean water, remove the stems and green, moldy, and broken grapes, put them into a sterilized container (small jar), and crush or mash them by hand. However, before the operation, you must wash your hands, wooden sticks, and containers with potassium permanganate water, and then rinse them with clean water to prevent contamination by miscellaneous bacteria. At the same time, be careful not to use metal tools and containers such as iron and copper (or use a clean aluminum spoon in a cup after disinfection) to crush the grapes.

2. Fermentation. Fermentation is the process of converting the sugar in the grape skin juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide through the action of yeast. In the pre-fermentation process of red wine, the skin and juice are mixed together. The yeast is already added to the juice when the grapes are crushed. Because the white frost on the grape skin contains yeast, homemade wine does not need to add yeast during fermentation. The fermentation temperature is preferably between 15 and 25°C and should not exceed 35°C. However, it is easier to dissipate heat when fermenting in a small container, and it can generally reach no more than 32°C. After the skin juice is put into the container, fermentation generally begins after one day. The liquid surface is calm at first, and weak carbon dioxide bubbles are generated, indicating that the yeast has begun to multiply. After 2 to 3 days, a large amount of carbon dioxide is released, and the skin residue floats up to form a cap. When you taste the juice, the sweetness gradually decreases and the wine taste gradually increases. During fermentation, the floating grape skins should be pressed into the juice twice a day with sterilized chopsticks. This will prevent the grape skins from getting moldy and sour, and at the same time, the pigments on the skins can be immersed in the juice, and CO2 can be discharged, so that the yeast can get oxygen and ferment more vigorously. After the climax, the fermentation momentum begins to weaken, and sugar can be added at this time. Sugar should be dissolved with grape wine instead of adding it after being dissolved in water. After the white sugar is completely dissolved, continue to ferment in the container. Finally, the carbon dioxide is released until it is weak and almost calm, the alcohol taste is very strong, the sugar content is reduced to less than 1%, and the juice begins to become clear, which means the fermentation is over, and then it is squeezed to separate the skin and juice.

3. Pressing: The pressing method is to use a clean cloth bag or gauze to squeeze or twist, and the red wine liquid will flow out, which is called Yuan wine.

4. Add egg white to clarify. Add one egg white to 30 ml of grape wine. The method is to beat the egg white into foam, stir it with a small amount of wine, then add it to the wine, stir it thoroughly and let it stand until the wine is clear, and discard the sediment.

5. Adding sugar to wine. Most people think that wine should be sweet, so it is necessary to add sugar to the wine, with the amount of sugar added being about 12-14%. When dissolving the sugar, stir with the original wine to dissolve it. In this way, a red wine with a strong "rose" aroma and a sweet and sour taste is made. However, if it is stored in a sealed container for 2 months, the flavor of the wine will be more mellow.

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How to Make Your Own Wine