There are lots of articles out there that tell you how much fun it is, how rewarding, and how cost-effective it is to make wine at home. And it can be. If you don't lose your head and make the same silly mistakes I did my first time. Here's what NOT to do when making wine at home.
You've found a source for grapevines designed to grow in your region. You've tested the soil and added acid or lime as indicated. You've lovingly planted them in straight rows, using fertilizer in the perfectly dug planting hole. You've staked the vines and wrapped tiny tendrils around the wires strung from post to post. You've watched them grow for 3 long years, the minimum time it takes to get good quality grapes from newly planted vines, fertilizing and trimming when necessary. The day finally comes when it's time to pick your grapes and go to winemaking class. But you only have time to pick about a third of your grapes. You think to yourself, "oh, well, I'll pick the rest later and freeze them for later," which is a good tact for having winemaking grapes all year long. I did all of that. So what went wrong? While I was away at winemaking class, crushing my grapes, measuring my standard gravity, and adding my sugar, my horses got into the vineyard. Now, they had been there before, but never with sweet, juicy grapes hanging on the vines. They ate every single remaining grape. So much for a supply for winemaking throughout the rest of the year. Two-thirds of my crop down the drain-or down the horse should I say. Lesson: don't let your horses into your vineyard when your grapes are ripe or else pick fast.
Nevertheless, I have a 6-gallon pail of crushed, sugared, grapes. I add acid and pectin, per the winemaker's instructions. I let the pail sit overnite, waiting the requisite 24 hours before adding yeast. Now, the winemaking instructor said to add the yeast mixed with hot water. He said to heat the water in a cup with warm water in the microwave. I then brought my pail of grapes back to his place to use the wine press. When making white wine, I learned, it's best to use a wine press to press all of the juice out of the skins. White wine does not improve if you leave the skins in the way red wine can. I did all that. So what went wrong? When I heated the water in the microwave I had already dumped the yeast into the cup first and I only had about a quarter cup, not a full cup. Apparently, I killed the yeast by microwaving it to death. Now I still have a 6-gallon pail of crushed, sugared, and pressed grapes with no fermentation going on. Lesson: don't kill the yeast in the microwave. Heat the water a little bit first, then add the yeast so it's still alive to do its job, eat the sugar and ferment the wine.
Now what? It's back to the winemaker for lessons on how to rescue my pail of grapes. Hopefully, I won't write again to tell you of another mistake, but rather to tell you that this batch of wine turned out to be delicious, despite my mistakes. I hope you don't make the same silly mistakes I did and are able to make wine and find it fun, rewarding, and cost-effective.
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