I wrote this for people in our area who start with juice of some sort.
It's basically what we do and is not the only way to make wine.

Joe


Wine juice is actually called must. All pre-packed must makes good
wine. Wines should be made in a cool dry place out of direct sun.
Best pre-packer in our opinion is Regina, then Lodi Gold; Delta Packing
and Home Wines are about the same. Buy 6-gallon pails; they make 5
gallons of finished wine.


Procedu
Keep your equipment clean: hot soap and water are probably all that is
necessary. As a precaution, we mix up a =C2=BD teaspoon potassium
metabisulfite with 1-quart water in a spray bottle and rinse everything
that comes in contact with the wine, from utensils to bottles. (You
don=E2=80=99t need to rinse it off, but you can if you chose to.) After wi=
ne
begins fermenting, it becomes more sensitive to oxidization, always
siphon when transferring wines, and don=E2=80=99t pour unless you have a go=
od
reason to.

=E2=80=A2 Bring home, rinse outside of pails; the sweet sticky juice attrac=
ts
fruit flies.
=E2=80=A2 Open pail. A lid lifter helps, but you can get the lid off if you
really yank. If necessary, slit the slots on the edges with a sharp
razor knife.
=E2=80=A2 Pre-packers balance the juice and sulfite it in order to ship it
cross- country; you really do not need to do the testing that follows
if you aren=E2=80=99t that picky. That said=E2=80=A6

Optional tests:
o Sugar content: Use the hydrometer, it should read 1.080 to 1. 090.
If the must is fermenting, the value will be lower. The initial value
is the important thing; so don=E2=80=99t worry about it if it=E2=80=99s bub=
bling at
all, you really can=E2=80=99t use the value if it has begun to ferment.

o Acid: Measure titrateable acid and pH, pH is more important. If the
must is fermenting, take an ounce and microwave it until it just boils.
Cool it off and measure, pH must be under 3.7 for reds, 3.6 for white.
TA should be 5.5 to 6.5 g/l on reds 6.5 to 7.5 on whites. (Use the
higher values if you are making a sweet wine, lower ones for a dry
wine.)

o Free Sulfite: at least 50 PPM for both reds and whites. Whites can
be lower while fermenting; but it=E2=80=99s really important to bump them up
to 50 PPM at the end of fermentation.

=E2=80=A2 Balance the acid if necessary.

=E2=80=A2 Let juice stand and get to room temperature. It=E2=80=99s warm e=
nough
when the pail stops sweating.

=E2=80=A2 Add wine yeast. We prefer Lalvin brand; Red Star is ok too.
Follow the instructions on the packet. Add wine yeast even if the must
is fermenting.

=E2=80=A2 Add Pectic Enzyme; following the instructions.


Fermentation
=E2=80=A2 Fermentation in the pail is fine; just put the lid back on. You
can transfer it to carboys now if you want. If you transfer, stir it
first and put everything in the carboy. Stop at the shoulder. Leave
airlock off the first few days and just cover neck with paper towel or
clean cloth and rubber band.

=E2=80=A2 Juice will begin fermenting. The temperature should be between 55
and 80F.

o Stir slowly or shake at least once per day. Take it easy, there is a
lot of energy at first, it can overflow pretty easily (like beer or
champagne that was poured too fast.)

o Monitor the must for hydrogen sulfide smell, (stinks like rotten
eggs); this is a sign of lack of nutrient. Just add DAP or yeast
nutrient if that happens and rack or pour with lots of splashing.
(Very rarely occurs.)

o Monitor fermentation progress with hydrometer; it=E2=80=99s complete when
it reads 0.995 or lower. If it quits bubbling before 0.995, stir
vigorously and rack it all into a carboy, it should restart.

=E2=80=A2 Transfer to carboys, top up to =C2=BD=E2=80=9D from bottom of sto=
pper, never
let it get below 3/4=E2=80=9D until you bottle. Remainder should go into
smaller jugs or bottles, same rule applies. This is one of the most
important steps.

=E2=80=A2 Most wine will clear on it=E2=80=99s own, just rack (siphon) seve=
ral
times as the sediment settles. Typically the wine is ready to rack one
month after fermentation ceases, two months later and a few months
after. Monitor settling with a flashlight. Shine it though the wine
starting at the top and working your way down. If you see
stratification, wait a little longer.

o Monitor airlocks, keep half full of water

o Monitor sulfite level: It=E2=80=99s actually dependent on pH, higher pH
needs higher sulfite. If you don=E2=80=99t want to deal with that, keep it
at 50 PPM; check at each rack or just add 1/8 level teaspoon potassium
metabisulfite at each rack.

o Optional: Add oak, heavier wines like Syrah, Cabernet, Sangiovese
tolerate more oak, lighter wines less so. We prefer chips or beans to
=E2=80=98sawdust=E2=80=99.

=EF=82=A7 2 to 6 ounces per 5 gallons for reds;

=EF=82=A7 1 to 2 ounces per 5 gallons for whites

o Optional: Fine to clear hazes. Follow the instructions

=EF=82=A7 Hot mix Sparkolloid for reds or whites

=EF=82=A7 Bentonite for whites

=E2=80=A2 Bottling & corking: Bottle when the wine is clean enough for you
and tastes good to you. This could be 3 months to 1 year.

o Check free SO2 This is actually dependant on pH; but 50 PPM is a
common rule of thumb.

o Siphon into bottles, keep level about1/2=E2=80=9D from bottom of cork or
cap.

o Screw caps are fine if you don=E2=80=99t want to deal with corks.

o If corking, a corker that compresses the cork with an iris is best;
the funnel corkers are worthless. A good iris type hand corker is
$20, floor corkers $40 to $80.

o Synthetic corks work well but require a good floor corker and
possibly need 10 PPM higher SO2.


js


Richard Knouse wrote:
Please bear with me if this subject is already addressed....I haven't
seen
yet in the last week or so of scouring this newsgroup, but could
somebody
tell me even more basically what is involved with starting to make
wine. I
mean as simple as what the first steps are, what the terms mean, etc.
Most
of what I'm reading here I don't understand...racking, airlock, 2nd
rack,
3rd rack, etc. I have visited Jack Keller's site and found it very
helpful
but am having trouble matching up his information with actual steps
in the
process especially the steps I'm seeing discussed here. Could
someone
provide me with an overview or outline.
=20
Thanks in advance,
WhyKnow