Grape wine recipe

If you’re new to winemaking, this article is for you. We’ll cover the basic steps to making home wine and provide two simple recipes.

Preparing the equipment

It's best to prepare your equipment in advance. You need:

• Fermentation container

• Mixing spoons

• Siphon for pouring

• Two-chamber fermentation tube

• Wine bottles

• Optional: Juice presses (for large quantities)

The equipment should be disinfected with alcohol (e.g. vodka, spirit), then rinsed with water and dried.

Selection of grapes

It is best to use fresh grapes straight from the vine. They should not be washed, as the skin contains natural yeasts necessary for fermentation. If you do not have access to fresh fruit, store-bought grapes will also work.

The best varieties are: Chardonnay, Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Saperavi, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Isabella and others.

Simple recipe for grape wine (5L)

Ingredients:

• 7 kg of grapes

• 50-100 g of sugar per 1L of juice

Stages:

1. Crushing the grapes – removing the branches, crushing the fruit by hand or using a press. Place the resulting pulp in a fermentation container, filling it no more than ¾ of its volume. Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place for 3-4 days, stirring twice a day.

2. First fermentation – after 3-4 days, remove the foam and strain the must. Then pour the juice into a clean container, put on a fermentation tube and leave to ferment:

   • 18-22°C for light grapes

   • 20-28°C for dark grapes

3. Adding sugar – after 3 days we taste the wine. If it is sour, we add 50 g of sugar per 1L of juice. We mix the sugar with a small amount of juice, heat it up and add it to the whole. We repeat every 3-4 days until we get the desired taste (max 4 times).

4. Decanting – after 3 weeks, pour the wine into clean bottles, close them and leave to mature for 40-60 days.

5. Maturation – after the fermentation is finished (it stops bubbling in the pipe), we pour the wine again, avoiding sediment. We can sweeten up to 250 g of sugar per 1L, if necessary.

6. Aging – minimum 40 days at a temperature of 5-16°C.

Recipe for wine with added water

Ingredients:

• Grapes

• Spring or bottled water – 1.2 L per 1 L of pulp

• Sugar – 400 g per 1L of pulp

Process:

1. Crush the grapes and mix with water and sugar.

2. Pour into a fermentation container and close with a fermentation tube.

3. Fermentation lasts 2 weeks. Every 3-4 days we taste and if necessary add sugar (70 g per 1L).

4. After 2 weeks, pour from the sediment into bottles.

5. Ripening at 12-14°C for 40-60 days.

Summary

These simple recipes will help you create homemade wine and start your winemaking adventure. Once you've mastered the basics, you can try more advanced methods!