| Whether you're a real wine enthusiast or just | | | | |
| someone looking for a great part-time hobby, | | | | A special piece of equipment called a |
| home wine making can be fun and enjoyable, | | | | hydrometer is used to track the alcohol |
| and of course there are very few other | | | | content and fermentation process of your |
| pursuits with such a tasty payoff! It may | | | | wine. If you want to try getting a higher |
| seem somewhat intimidating to the novice, but | | | | alcohol content you can track this through |
| in reality, home wine making can be very easy | | | | the fermentation process. However, if you're |
| with just a little bit of guidance. | | | | new to home wine making, be careful. You can |
| | | | ruin an entire batch of wine by trying to |
| Most homemade wine is made from a grape juice | | | | force the alcohol content, so you may want to |
| concentrate, so don't worry about growing and | | | | follow your recipes exactly at least while |
| harvesting your own grapes - or needing to | | | | you're just starting out. |
| stomp on them once you do! You can also use | | | | |
| different fruit juices as well, for a | | | | Personalizing Your Home Wine Making |
| different type of flavor. | | | | |
| | | | One of the beautiful things about making your |
| Simplicity in Home Wine Making | | | | own wine is that you can adjust the |
| | | | ingredients to suit your own taste. Some add |
| Typically you simply add your fruit juice, | | | | additional sugar to make sweeter wines while |
| Campden tablets (which release sulfur dioxide | | | | others prefer a more dry taste. With home |
| when dissolved), and water to what's called a | | | | wine making, you can also experiment with |
| primary fermenter. This is usually a large | | | | different fruits other than grapes. Many |
| vessel with an airlock top. After the | | | | enjoy apple wine, raspberry wine, elderberry |
| mixture has sat for 24 hours you add yeast | | | | wine, plum wine, gooseberry wine, and many |
| and allow it to ferment for up to a week. | | | | other varieties. You can also add different |
| You can then add water and allow it to | | | | fruits to any type of wine for a new and |
| continue to ferment. | | | | unique flavor, or mix up the types of grapes |
| | | | or grape juices you use for a new and |
| Obviously these are just the most basic of | | | | exciting flavor. You can also experiment |
| the steps involved in wine making. There are | | | | with your techniques in wine making, such as |
| actual recipes and step-by-step instructions | | | | keeping the water at a few degrees higher |
| you should follow, and additional | | | | while trying for a higher alcohol content. |
| ingredients. For instance, tannin is used to | | | | The more you experiment with your own wine |
| add flavor, clarify color, and assist in the | | | | recipes and fruit combinations, the better |
| aging process. | | | | your wine will taste, and the better you'll |
| | | | be at making it. |
| Tracking the Fermentation | | | | |