>> Rich wrote "okay so what do I do after I squeeze the grapes or get
> > 100%grape juice?"

> > Bill Frazier wrote:
> > Go to http://home.att.net/~lumeisenman/ or
> > http://winemaker.jackkeller.net/index.asp and read up on winemaking.
> >
> >"quakeholio" > wrote:
> I think my advice would be to start out where i'm at right now. I got a
> wine kit from a local dealer, then picked up a black rasberry wine kit.
> Some of the big advantages is that all of the measuring (except filling
> liquid and sanatizer) and has instructions. This is the road that i
> would recomend for a fist batch, but sence it is my fist batch as well i
> might not have the best experience. However, i'm feeling much less
> aprehensive about the entire process. Mark "Q" Tanner

Bill has given good advice, and I agree with Mark. A kit is the simplest way
to go. But it is not so difficult, and it is a lot more fun and rewarding,
to start with fresh grapes, or grape juice. In all three cases, you will
need some basic equipment, and a few chemicals --- or you will probably end
up with disappointing results. Also, you should probably start with a one or
two gallon batch, which is easier to handle.

Here is a general-purpose "recipe" for making red wine from fresh grapes. It
will also make a decent wine from the red or black table grapes sold at
grocery stores:

18 pounds of grapes should yield about 1.25 - 1.5 gallons of wine. You will
need a 2-gallon bucket with a lid (use the white plastic buckets sold at
paint stores), a clean 2x4 or 4x4 wooden post, a hydrometer and sugar. An
acid test kit and acid blend would be helpful. You will also need a few one
gallon jugs and perhaps some smaller glass bottles. And some Saran (cling)
wrap, and a few rubber (elastic) bands

1) Thoroughly wash the bucket, lid, and post. Wash them in bleach or
ammonia, and then rinse thoroughly.

2) Rinse the grapes (or not, as you prefer --- there are arguments pro and
con), remove the stems, and place the destemmed grapes in the clean bucket.

3) Take the wooden post and (using a butter-churn-like stroke) pound the
grapes. The goal is to break most of the grapes open. This will be a little
difficult as you progress, because the (unbroken) grapes will try to float.
If you have another bucket, you can pour off the juice as it accumulates,
which will make the task easier. If the grapes are seedless, you can run
them through a food processor instead.

4) Once the grapes are crushed, measure the sugar-level with a hydrometer.
Then estimate the LIQUID volume of the must by dividing the height of the
liquid and crushed grapes in the bucket by the height of the bucket. Then
subtract 15% from this figure to allow for the solids.

Using the estimated liquid volume of the must, and the measured sugar-level,
determine the amount of sugar to be added by looking it up in a table such
as this: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/hydrom.asp. You want to shoot for
an initial specific gravity of 1.095-1.100, which will give you a 12-14%
alcohol level, depending on other factors.

5) After adjusting the sugar, it's a good idea to test the acid with an
inexpensive ($5-10) acid test kit, and adjust the acid to about 0.65-0.80%.
You can also go by taste, but this takes experience.

If the acid is too low (and it usually is), add tartaric acid or acid blend
at the rate of 1 tsp/gallon for each .15% increase. You can also use lemon
juice (4 Tablespoons = 1 tsp of citric acid).

If the acid is too high, add water at the rate of 1:50 for each 1%
reduction. The water should be mixed with sugar to a measured SG of
1.095-1.100 before being added.

6) It's a good idea, but not essential, to add 1 tsp/gallon of DAP
(diammonium phosphate) or "yeast energizer".

7) After crushing, and before performing the additional steps listed above,
you should prepare a yeast starter, so it will be ready at this stage.
First, fill a glass jar with 1/4 cup 95ºF water, add a package of yeast, and
swish the water around. Cover the jar with a tissue or cloth held in place
with a rubber band. After 5 minutes, add 1/4 cup of the grape juice, a dash
of DAP, swish it around, and cover it again. By the time you've finished
sugar and acid adjustments, the starter should be bubbling and foaming. You
should use a good wine yeast (not bread yeast).

8) Pour the yeast starter atop the must, cover loosely, and relax. Within
3-12 hours it will begin fermenting, and within 12-18 hour it will start
foaming. It might foam over, so make sure that there is something under your
bucket to catch the foam, and check it periodically so you can clean up any
spills immediately.

9) As soon as fermentation begins, the "cap" (grape skins and such) will
rise. It is important to "punch down" the cap several times a day, so it
doesn't dry out and attract bacterial growth. Since stirring the must will
accomplish this, and aid in extraction of colour and flavour, stirring with
a large spoon, stick, or piece of pvc pipe is a good way of accomplishing
both task.

10) Within 3-5 days fermentation will slow down, the cap will become soft,
and won't reform as quickly or float as high. Now it must be watched very
carefully. When the cap "sinks", it is time to press!

11) If you don't have a wine press, take another (clean) bucket, insert one
of the nylon straining bags which are sold at paint stores, and pour (or
ladle) the fermented juice and solids (must) into the straining bag. Then
pick up the bag (by the ends) slowly, allowing the juice to drain out. Twist
the ends of the bag around a stick, and twist the stick to tighten the bag
and squeeze out as much juice as possible. This squeezing should be done
slowly and gently.

12) Now, estimate your final volume by measuring its height in the second
bucket. Determine how many gallon jugs and smaller bottles you will need,
and thoroughly clean them.

13) Add one crushed campden tablet (or 1 tsp. 10% potassium metabisulfite
solution) to each gallon jug, and proportional amounts to smaller (or
larger) containers). This is a good time to add oak chips as well, if you so
desire.

12) Using a funnel, pour (or ladel) the juice from the bucket, into each of
the gallon jugs and smaller bottles. Fill them to within about 2" of the
top. If you don't have a large funnel, cut the top off a 2-liter soda
bottle, or get them at the local $ store.

13) Affix a rubber stopper with an airlock to each container. If you don't
have stoppers and airlocks, use a piece of saran wrap and TWO rubber bands.
Check the rubber bands frequently, and replace them if they appear ready to
break, or if they have broken (which is why we use two).

15) The wine will continue to ferment visibly for a week or more. It will
also begin to clear, and you will see the sediment slowly settling.

16) After about 2-months, all fermentation will have ceased, and there will
be an inch or more of sediment at the bottom of each container. It's time to
rack!

17) Syphon the contents of each container into another container. Be careful
not to disturb the sediment. If you do, wait sufficient time for it to
settle again. It's best to use a racking cane specifically designed to avoid
picking up sediment from the bottom. Don't try to get the last inch or so of
juice, because you will pick up sediment with it. Instead, pour the contents
through a coffee filter and funnel into another container. Top up your
larger containers (to about 1" from the top) with the contents of the
smaller containers. You will lose about 10-15% volume with this first
racking. Discard the sediment, or throw it in your compost pile.

18) A second racking will probably be necessary in 2-3 months, and possibly
a third in another 2-3 months. You should add the aforementioned sulfite
amounts each time you rack (unless you have equipment to test the sulfite
levels, in which case you add the amounts indicated).

19) Once the wine is clear, no more rackings are needed. You can bottle and
drink it immediately, or let it age for 6 months or more. It will generally
improve with age for at least two years, perhaps more. And, it will age
better "in bulk" than in small bottles.

To make a wine from red grape juice, follow essentially the same procedure
except (obviously) you won't be washing and crushing the grapes, and rather
than pressing them, you will just pour the juice into the secondary after
the ferment slows down.

Good luck and good vintning.