| Making wine at home is not difficult, and it is a | | | | If you have only a few apricots but a lot of |
| very rewarding hobby. In this article, we will go | | | | apples, mix the juice to make up your gallon. |
| through the equipment needed and all the steps | | | | Add the sugar |
| you take to make wine from fruit - grapes, | | | | Some fruit juice, like very sweet grape juice, will |
| apples, plums, pears, peaches, or whatever fruit | | | | not need the addition of any sugar. Most other |
| you have. | | | | fruit wines will need sugar to be added. I normally |
| You can also make wine at home from a kit, | | | | add 2 pound of sugar to make up one gallon of |
| usually using grape concentrate, but the results | | | | fruit juice. If you prefer a drier wine, you can |
| are very variable, and it is much more satisfying | | | | reduce this amount. This is the reason it is better |
| to make wine from fresh fruit. | | | | to use several smaller glass vessels when starting |
| You probably thought of home wine making | | | | with home fruit wine making - you can vary the |
| because you have your own fruit, or have been | | | | amount of sugar in each (record this by writing on |
| given some, or because fruit is in season in your | | | | the carboy with a felt pen); when you eventually |
| area and you can get it very cheaply. Making wine | | | | come to drink the wines, you will know which |
| is a great way of using fruit when you cannot | | | | style between dry, medium and sweet that you |
| possibly eat it all, or make all of it into jam, or | | | | prefer. More sugar also means more food for the |
| freeze it all. | | | | yeast, and so more alcoholic wine at the end of |
| I have made wine successfully from many kinds | | | | the process. |
| of fruit, including grapes, apples, apricots, plums | | | | Add the sugar by warming the fruit juice slightly in |
| (many varieties), quinces, pears and peaches. | | | | a stainless steel pan, and stirring in the sugar to |
| Make sure you discard all rotten or suspect fruit | | | | dissolve it. |
| right at the start. | | | | Add the yeast |
| Assuming you have your fruit ready, here are the | | | | Sterilize your carboy or demijohn with sterilizing |
| equipment and supplies you need. | | | | solution, or boiling water. Put the sugared fruit |
| A large food grade plastic tub or stainless steel | | | | juice into your vessel. Dissolve the powdered |
| pot to squeeze or press juice into. Needs to have | | | | yeast in a little warm water and sugar in a cup, |
| a lid. | | | | and leave it for a few minutes to activate. Then |
| An electric juicer (not essential if you can squeeze | | | | add the yeast to the fruit juice. Put your air lock |
| or press the fruit by hand). | | | | on the vessel. |
| A glass fermentation vessel like a jug, carboy or | | | | Fermentation of the fruit juice should begin soon, |
| demijohn (also called a 'jimmyjohn') with an airlock. | | | | and you will see bubbles in the air lock. This |
| These are available at brewing shops. It is usually | | | | means the yeast is converting the sugar to |
| better to use several smaller vessels (of one | | | | alcohol. |
| gallon capacity) than one large one. | | | | Watch and wait |
| A plastic tube for siphoning. | | | | Put your fermentation vessel in a warm place if |
| Yeast (available in packets at brewing shops and | | | | possible. Ideally you should leave the wine |
| some supermarkets). | | | | fermenting for nine months to a year. If you |
| Sugar. | | | | drink it after only a month or two it will taste |
| Sterilizing solution or tablets. (Not essential - you | | | | rough and poor; leaving it for about a year will let |
| can clean equipment with boiling water.) | | | | it mellow out - this really makes a difference. As |
| With this all collected, follow these steps to make | | | | fermentation goes on, you will notice a white |
| your wine. | | | | layer appear at the bottom of the fermentation |
| Get your juice | | | | vessel. This is formed by dead yeast cells. You |
| People starting out with home fruit wine making | | | | can 'rack', or siphon the wine into a new vessel, |
| often wonder how much fruit they actually need. | | | | which stops the wine becoming tainted with a |
| Here is a tip I have found works - you need | | | | yeasty aftertaste. You should do this once a |
| enough juice to fill the glass fermentation vessel | | | | month. |
| you are using - your carboy or demijohn. Some | | | | Bottle your wine |
| recipes advocate watering your fruit juice to | | | | If the wine has not clarified, and you want it to |
| make up the quantity you need, but never do | | | | be fully clear before bottling, leave the vessel in a |
| this. Use pure juice and your wine will be | | | | very cold place for a week or so, and the clarity |
| full-flavored and satisfying to drink. | | | | should improve. |
| You will either press the fruit, squeeze it by hand | | | | When the fermentation has stopped (no bubbles |
| or use an electric juicer. If squeezing by hand | | | | coming through the air lock) you can bottle the |
| (soft plums for example) you will need a large | | | | wine and cork the bottle. Remember to sterilize |
| stainless steel or plastic container. If you have | | | | the bottles and corks before you use them. If |
| hard fruit like apples or hard plums, and electric | | | | you will be making a lot of wine, remember to |
| juicer is a good investment if you don't own one | | | | label all the bottles with details of the fruit, the |
| already. You can also cut up the fruit and boil it in | | | | yeast variety used and date of bottling. If you |
| a little water to extract the juice, but this | | | | make a superb batch, you can then try to |
| degrades the flavor of the final wine. If you have | | | | replicate it in following years. |
| grapes, you can try trampling them with your | | | | Drink up! |
| feet in the traditional manner. Some fruits can be | | | | Few people can resist drinking a bottle at this |
| cut up and left to soak for a few days in a little | | | | stage. But most fruit wines are at their best up |
| water to extract the flavor and color from the | | | | to two years after bottling, so you can put a few |
| skin. | | | | bottles aside until you have some friends round, |
| Some fruit, like apples, throw a tremendous froth | | | | or have something to celebrate. There's nothing |
| after juicing and you will have to siphon the juice | | | | quite like drinking your own wine, made the way |
| out after the froth has risen to the top. | | | | you like it! |
| Note that mixed fruit wines are very successful. | | | | |