How to Make Your Own Wine

By Susan Dickson

How to Make Your Own Wine thegearhunt.com

Who doesn’t love to come home from a long day at work, change into your jogging pants, toss on a tee-shirt, pull on a pair of fluffy socks and curl up on the couch with a good book and a glass of red or white wine? I know very few people who don’t enjoy a good glass of wine after a long, hard day. However, have you seen the prices on a good quality bottle of wine lately? That’s what I thought. Luckily, there is hope out there for those of us who don’t want to spend a fortune but still want that glass of wine.

More and more wine drinkers are turning to making their own wine than ever before (similar to the homebrewing trend). They are dabbling in the craft of homemade wine and many of them are having pretty outstanding results. As with anything else though, you can’t just wake up one morning and say, “I’m going to make my own wine today.” You need to do a little research, find some equipment, and makes sure you’re doing it the right way unless you want your first attempt at winemaking to be bitter and something no one would drink.

There are quite a few reasons that you might want to make your own wine and we will go into a few of them in this blog. We’ll also talk about the equipment needed, some things to consider, and tips to follow, so you don’t have to pay those exorbitant prices for your bottle of wine ever again.

So, if you’re ready to learn, then pull up a chair, grab your pen and pad, fill your wineglass and let’s learn all about homemade wine making together.

Equipment You’ll Need to Make Your Own Wine

There are a few things that you’ll need to make your own wine, and most of them aren’t going to be laying around your house. Even if they were, the process of sanitizing them is very strict and they might not make the cut, so it’s better to buy everything for making your own wine brand new and use the equipment only for that purpose.

Sanitizer
Fermenter
Secondary fermenter/Carboy

Corks
Corker
Wine bottles

A large spoon
A hose that is used to siphon beer
A racking cane or an auto siphon

A hydrometer (might need)
An acid testing kit (might need)
A destemmer/Crusher (might need)

A wine press (might need)

If you are going to make grape wine, then there are a few other things that you might need. You can research to find out just what you need to make this if it is the wine you want. You may also want to invest in a wine cooler for your home.

Now, that we have the equipment needed to make our very own wine, it’s time to move into some tips that you should follow to ensure your wine turns out fragrant and tasting like it is a high-quality wine. We will go into the tips in this next section of our blog.

Tips for Making Your Own Wine

The tips below will help you to make your own wine with ease, and soon you’ll be sipping on a glass of wine that came from your own hard work, instead of paying high prices for others.

Get the Right Equipment

The winemaking equipment you need is made of food-grade plastic and will give you the best results possible. You can’t just grab things from around the house, as they won’t be sanitized properly and could taint your wine, making your first bath not worth drinking and you sad and wanting to give up.

Always Purchase the Right Size Equipment

It’s extremely important to choose the right size equipment when trying to make homemade wine. From the fermenting process to the fining stage, the size equipment you choose can make or break your batch.

Keep it Clean and Sanitary

Whether it’s the carboy, the fermenter, hoses, thermometers, or spoons, you need to clean and sanitize everything that comes in contact with your wine. It’s easy to clean everything and it is extremely worth the time and trouble it may take you. It is said that 90-percent of failures at making homemade wine come from people not cleaning their stuff properly and letting it contaminate the batch. Don’t let that be you.

Sprinkle in Your Yeast, Don’t Stir It In

It is recommended that you sprinkle your yeast across the top of your juice, instead of stirring it in. The reason for this is if the temperature is off, then the yeast is going to be unhappy. Stirring it in will only suffocate the yeast, and you don’t want that.

Extend Your Shelf Life by Using Sulphite

A lot of nasty things can happen to your wine as it sits on a shelf. From vinegar bacteria building up to oxidizing, any of that will cause the wine to have a short shelf life, maybe a month at the most. You can extend that shelf life by using sulfite in your wine to help protect it and extend the shelf life as well. So, don’t forget this important step in the process.

Stir, Stir, Stir

At some point in the process, you’re going to have to clear your wine. This means putting in natural substances that will come with the wine kit you buy. These have to be completely mixed into the wine, meaning that you have to stir, stir, and stir some more to make it happen. It may seem like a time consuming and arduous task, but trust us, it will pay off in the long run!

Top it Up So You Can Top It Off

Since you don’t want your wine to oxidize, which would ruin your final product, you need to top it up to top it off. This will minimize the air space above the wine, ensuring you have a bottle of quality wine at the end of the day.

All of this can be found out when you go to your local retailer to get the equipment you need. They will be happy to help you and answer any questions about the winemaking process as well. Just make sure to do your research carefully, get the right equipment, and when you’re in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask for help!

A Few Good Reasons for You to Start Making Your Own Wine Revealed

There are quite a few reasons that people have given as to why they stopped buying wine from the stores and wine shops and started making their own wine at home. We will share a few of those reasons with you in this next section of our blog.

Because It’s Easy

Now, that you see the process above, you probably already know that it’s much easier than you ever thought it would be. There are also instructions in your wine making kit and once you do it one time, you won’t even need the instructions any longer.

To Save You Money

We’ve already talked about how expensive a good, high-quality bottle of wine can be. Wouldn’t you rather be spending that money on making your own? Once you’ve invested in the equipment and got the batches right, you’ll never have to buy a bottle of wine again, because it will be sitting in your house ripe for the taking.

Homemade Wine Actually Has Health Benefits

The homemade wine can be healthier than store-bought wine because you can control the amount of sugar and alcohol that actually goes into it. It’s better to wait and adjust your ingredients until you have the winemaking down pat, however.

You Get to Choose Your Own Flavors

While you can certainly go to the liquor store and choose the flavor of wine you want to drink, wouldn’t it be nice to find some wine recipes and decide on your own flavors or even makeup recipes of your own? You have the ability to give your wine any taste you want and that is something pretty amazing.

A Hobby that Reduces Stress

Winemaking is a hobby that reduces stress and is super relaxing. Taking the time out of your busy schedule to do something relaxing that you enjoy is the perfect way to ensure you get your relaxation time in on the weekends, or even during the week should you wish to.

You Always have a Gift to Bring

Have you ever had to show up at an event or even a housewarming party without a gift for the host or hostess? You couldn’t find anything that you thought they would like, or you just didn’t have time to go by the store and pick up a gift before the event began. That can be embarrassing and make you feel bad at the same time. When you make your own bottles of wine, you are never without a gift to bring, because you can take a bottle of wine from your own store and give it as a gift for any event or occasion and be proud and happy to do so.

Can Help You Make New Friends

There are winemakers spread all around the globe. They gather on forums, in chat rooms, and even meet in person at conferences and conventions. Making your own wine opens up a whole new world of possibilities in the winemaking business and gives you the ability to make new friends, friends that love the same things that you do, and like to make their own wine as well. It will be fun to get together and compare notes and sample each other’s wines, don’t you think?

A Hobby that Can Be Shared with Your Closest Friends

You already get together with your friends to have dinner and a nice glass of wine, so why not share your passion for winemaking with them. You can get together and event wines together. It will be fun for all of you if you do.

It Can Benefit Your Health

Studies have shown that a glass or two of red wine every day is good for your health, from helping to prevent heart disease to protecting against certain cancers and reducing your cholesterol, wine can be good for you and making your own wine is even better.

You Might Even Win Awards

If you have the right equipment and awesome skills at winemaking, it is possible that you could actually win awards for your wine. There are plenty of contests out there for home winemakers, and some of them you can actually win money for.

Always Play It Safe

Though making your own wine is a fun pastime and can save you a whole lot of money, you still need to be careful with the process and how much you drink. Though wine does have health benefits, it’s also bad for you if you drink too much, especially on a regular basis. Make sure that you only drink it in moderation, and never, ever get behind the wheel of a car or truck and go somewhere after you have been drinking. A glass of wine or two might not seem like that much to you, but it does slow your reaction times and impair your judgment. So, make your wine at home and stay at home to drink it, if not, then stay where you are or get someone else to take you home instead. Just saying! Drink responsibly and stay off the roads!

Now, that you know how to make your own wine, you will be the most popular person in your neighborhood and in great demand. Enjoy yourself with your new hobby, and be sure to invest in some lovely wine glasses.

This concludes our blog on how to make your own wine and a few other things you need to know about the process. Until next time, happy winemaking, everyone!