Being that little bit different Brewing Your Own Homemade Wine

Homemade wine is a growing popular hobby and makes for a great experience in terms of the planning, making and tasting and can be shared with family or friends alike. Most homemade wine bottles cost under $2 to make which is one of the reasons why its popularity is growing. Today there are many wine enthusiasts who make their own wine, sometime comparable or better than wine sold in the shops. Standards of homemade wine are rising and many winemakers are happy to share their good produce.

Homemade wines are known for being very high in alcohol levels and can be made into white, rose or red wines, light or full bodied wines and dry or sweets wines. All are equally popular and if done in the correct manner, can make really tasty new wine.

Starting out when making homemade wine

Most people start by growing and using their own fresh fruit or ones gathered from a local orchard. It is also common to use wine kits from wine making stockists that make wine using grape concentrate. Grape concentrates make wine that originates in many parts of the world, allowing the user to make a wine that is very international in its tastes.

Ingredients of Homemade Wine

There are several ingredients needed to make homemade wine.

Sugar – This works with the yeast to create alcohol, and quantity varies depending how the desired strength of the wine.

Flavour – These vary, from grapes to various berries.
Yeast – Adding yeast nutrition helps the yeast to work faster and efficiently.
Water – This dilutes the other ingredients and makes up the volume of the liquid.

Stages of Wine Making

There are several states involved in making homemade wine.

Preparation – all equipment is cleansed and sterilized before it is used.

Fermentation – This is when the sugar in the mixture of the basic ingredients is turned to alcohol by the yeast. 21°C is the optimum temperature for fermentation. This stage can vary in time from two to five weeks.

Preservation – This is optional, but the addition of preserving agents ensures the wine keeps in good condition.

Clearing – This is when the wine is left in a cold temperature – about 16°C – so it becomes less cloudy, and takes another few weeks.

Bottling – This is when the wine is put into bottles and stored in a cool place at about 13°C on their sides so the corks are kept most. Decoration such as a label can be added.