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How To Make Homemade Wine
Author: Lou
Wine is the product of the fermentation of grape juice and the creativity of the winemaker.
Grapes pass through a lot of steps before you can taste its sweetness ... (or whatever characteristic is present in it.) Winemaking or vinification, as it is known, is not only a science but an art as well.
It is a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Yet when humans do intervene, embellishing, improving, or even deviating from one or more parts of the process, the result is wine at its best.
Wine begins its life through the fermentation process. It commences when yeast is added to grape juice. As the yeast consumes the sugar present in the grape, it converts the sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide.
The grapes you have produced in your vineyard will have its own identifiable characteristics, as it is with all the other grape varieties. However, the style and personality of the wines are created by you, the winemaker. You will direct the winemaking process, imparting your mark on the finished product.
There are five basic steps to winemaking, namely:
1. Harvesting - You have to get the grapes off of the vine and thare are ways to do that which will crate the least damage to the grapes
2. Crushing and pressing - everyone has seen movies of the "stomping" technique ... that's a great deal of fun and your kids will just love it!
3. Fermentation - The process that actually turns grapes into wine. The technique is as much art as science
4. Clarification - is the process of filtering and cold stabilising the wine. This ensures that the wine is bright and will minimize any "deposits" from the pressing & fermentation process remain in the wine.
5. Aging and bottling - Wine needs to "age" to develop its flavor and this is best done in first in wooden barrels and then bottles,
Countless variations exist within each step. This makes winemaking the more interesting .... and also makes it an "art."
Each deviation actually makes each wine unique.
Winemaking involves the management and optimal control of the process of fermentation, as well as aging and storage. The following are the processes within the fermentation stage that the winemaker should be aware:
• Type of juice (or grapes) and yeast
• Sugar content
• Acid level
• Fermentation containers (i.e. oak barrels)
• Exposure to air
• Process for clearing wine
• Temperature / humidity
• Ageing
By optimal selection of key ingredients and processes, excellent wine can be made from juice!
You can sign-up to receive a free mini-course on this page that covers these steps or get yourself the BEST "How To Make Homemade Wine Guide" available today: Growing Grapes and Making Wine - The Ultimate Beginner's Guide
