| Harvesting Your Red Wine Grapes - The first | | | | If you do it too hard, or too many times, you get |
| step in making red wine is to have the grapes | | | | low quality wine. You can save the pressings |
| perfectly ready to be picked. They need to be | | | | separately from the free-run or it can be |
| harvested not only at the proper time in their life | | | | combined. This pressed wine will take longer to |
| cycle, but also at the right time of day to ensure | | | | become clear and ready for bottling.Secondary |
| the acids and sugars are all at the right balance | | | | Fermentation - The juice, now wine, needs to |
| for the wine.Red wine grapes should contain | | | | settle after this ordeal and continue to ferment |
| enough sugar to be considered ripe and be able to | | | | out all the residual sugars. During this time, the |
| attain the alcohol content you are aiming for. | | | | wine should be stored in glass carboys fitted with |
| They must also have the right balance of acids. | | | | fermentation locks.Fermentation locks keep |
| This means "hang-time" on the vine until the | | | | oxygen out of the wine while allowing the carbon |
| grapes have met the proper quality factors. A | | | | dioxide from fermentation to escape. Without |
| sugar content of 24 Brix at harvest will give you | | | | them, oxidation will occur and the wine will spoil |
| about 12% alcohol.De-stemming and Crushing - | | | | into vinegar or something worse. In the lack of |
| This step in making red wine removes the stems | | | | oxygen, the wine undergoes subtle changes that |
| from the grape bunches, and crushes the grapes | | | | affect the flavors of the resulting wine.Malo-Lactic |
| (but does not press them) so that the juices are | | | | Fermentation - Many red wines need a |
| exposed to the yeast for fermenting. This will also | | | | non-alcoholic fermentation to remove excess |
| expose the skins so they can impart color to the | | | | acidity. This secondary fermentation will turn the |
| wine while in the primary fermentation.This step in | | | | tart malic acid (of green apples) into the softer |
| making red wine can be done manually by | | | | lactic acid (of milk). A special malo-lactic bacteria is |
| squeezing the grape bunches over a grate with | | | | added which allows malolactic fermentation to |
| holes to allow the grapes and juice to go through | | | | occur. This is done during the secondary |
| while leaving the stems behind. I've used old Coke | | | | fermentation. Wines are held at about 72F during, |
| crates, perforated plates, and other means to | | | | or at least at the end, of the secondary |
| accomplish this. (Depending on the type of wine, | | | | fermentation to favor this activity. The yeast |
| the stems could be left in for a more tannic | | | | that has settled to the bottom during the |
| flavor or removed). This mix of wine is called | | | | secondary fermentation also favors this |
| must and is put into a fermentation vat.You can | | | | process.Racking and Clarification - Moving the wine |
| always "stomp" the grapes and remove the | | | | from one container to a new container by |
| stems afterwards - the old fashioned way. There | | | | siphoning allows you to leave solids and anything |
| are crusher/destemmer machines that can be | | | | that might cloud the wine, behind. This clears the |
| purchased if you have a lot of grapes to crush. If | | | | wine and prepares it for bottling. Fermentation |
| you are going to adjust the acidity, this is the | | | | locks must be employed with each racking to |
| time to do this.Primary Fermentation - The must | | | | keep the wine from spoiling. Wine is racked at |
| is held in a vat that can be made of food grade | | | | least once but more may be needed to assist |
| plastic, glass, or stainless steel for fermentation. In | | | | clarification.Cold Stabilization - During one of the |
| whichever container, the sugars inside the grapes | | | | aging stages between rackings and bottling, the |
| are turned into alcohol by yeasts. The yeast used | | | | wine can be placed in the cold of refridgeration to |
| should be specific for red wine. This fermentation | | | | be stabilized. This cold period will make the cream |
| process typically takes from 3-4 weeks.How long | | | | of tarter settle out of the wine and reduce the |
| the must (juice and grape solids) is allowed to sit, | | | | acidity further. The wine is then racked off the |
| picking up flavor, color and tannin is up to the | | | | cream of tartar during the next racking. I suggest |
| wine maker. Too long and the wine is bitter, to | | | | you do this early in the racking and aging process |
| short and it is thin. Temperature is very important | | | | of making red wine.Aging - The wine is stored for |
| during this stage - it also affects flavour and | | | | anywhere from 9 months to 2 1/2 years to give |
| color.Punching Down the Skins - Skin and other | | | | it the correct amount of flavor. Oak barrels can |
| solids float to the top as fermentation proceeds. | | | | be used for aging but they are very expensive. |
| The carbon dioxide gas given off by the | | | | Nowdays, when making red wine at home, oak |
| fermentation process pushes them to the surface | | | | chips are used. The amount of time you age your |
| of the developing wine. The rising skins are called | | | | wine with oak depends on the flavors that you |
| the "cap" and need to be pushed back down to | | | | wish. At the end of the aging period, you will be |
| stay in contact with the must. This should be | | | | ready to bottle.Fining or filtering - At the end of |
| done a couple of times a day. As you punch | | | | the aging period it helps to remove anything that |
| down the cap, you will notice that the wine is | | | | may be making the wine cloudy. This can be |
| taking on more color from the contact with the | | | | accomplished with various fining agents (like |
| skins.End of Primary Fermentation(?) - The | | | | sparkalloid), with filtering, or both. This makes the |
| winemaker must decide if the must has | | | | wine crystal clear for bottling and will prevent any |
| fermented long enough. This will take a few days | | | | sediments from forming during bottle aging.Bottling |
| to a week. Much of this decision depends on how | | | | - This is done carefully so that the wine does not |
| much color you want in your red wine. Generally, | | | | come in contact with air. Finer wines may be |
| the wine has not completely fermented at this | | | | stored for several years in bottles before they |
| time. There still should be some residual sugar that | | | | are drunk. But I suggest that a minimum of 6 |
| will need to go through further | | | | months to a year lapse before drinking.So there |
| fermentation.Remove Free Run and Press - At | | | | are the steps in making red wine. Properly done, |
| the end of the primary fermentation, the must is | | | | you will have a wine that will not only give you |
| put into the wine press. The best quality wine is | | | | drinking pleasure, but will make you the envy of |
| made just from the juice portion of the must. | | | | your family and friends.Jim Bruce has been making |
| Many wine makers allow this to run off and save | | | | growing grapes and making wine since 1974. You |
| it for the best red wines. The rest of the drier | | | | too can grow your own wine grapes. Interested in |
| must (now called pomace) is pressed.Pressing | | | | growing your own grapes for making wine? |
| squeezes the remaining juice out of the pomace. | | | | |