European Vinifera Grape Juice (Pure Juices)
Before we begin our presentation let us remind
you that our product is NOT A CONCENTRATE. You don't add water. Imagine
pressing or squeezing vinifera grapes and collecting the run off. That
is our product. The juice is not chemically or physically manufactured
like concentrates. Therefore our winemaking method may seem different.
It is easier than making wine from concentrate and you don't need different
packages of dubious nature. It reflects the traditional winemaking method
of professional wineries.
Equipment
Most winemakers already have the necessary equipment
needed. -20 L (5 U.S. gallon) glass carboy and gallon jug -siphoning equipment
including a plastic hose, rigid J tubes and a sediment excluder. -airlocks
and rubber bungs -hydrometer (measures sugar content or specific gravity
~ S.G.) -57 g or 2 oz. of potassium metabisulphite K2S205 (a sterilant).
Wine Cave sells all of the equipment seen in these instructions,
as well as a full range of filter machines and filter supplies. If you
cannot find the specific sterilizers or sweeteners mentioned, email us
and ask for details on pricing and shipping to your area. Please include
your full address in the email to speed the shipping quote.
Sterilization
"Cleanliness is next to godliness." This phrase also holds true
for winemaking. Dissolve 2 oz. of potassium metabisulphite into a one
(1) gallon jug of hot water. This makes a reuseable disinfecting solution
that will last up to 6 months if kept tightly capped. Sterilize all equipment
that will touch the wine or juice by rinsing it with this metabisulphite
solution. After sterilizing your equipment, always rinse your equipment
twice with cold water.
Getting Started
Our pure fresh grape juices come packed in 11L (2.87 US gal) food
grade sterile plastic containers. Each and every canister is labelled.
The label contains the winery and country of origin, the varietal information
and an independent chemical analysis. The analysis is complete with pH,
Total Acid and Brix parameters. The grapes harvested for our juices are
picked at the peak of their ripeness which is determined by that year's
harvest conditions. This means our pure fresh juices are balanced by mother
nature. There is absolutely NO NEED to add water or acid blend, like you
do with concentrates.
Pouring the Juice
After all your equipment has been sterilized and rinsed with water, open
the canister and pour the juice into your carboy (a). The "seedlike"
sediments (bitartrates b), need not be added to the vessel and can be
excluded by using a strainer when pouring the juice into your carboy.
Leave 7-8 inches of space at the top of the carboy or demijohn, and place
the balance of juice into either gallons jugs or leave in one of the plastic
canisters. When full of juice, the gallon jugs must also have 3-4 inches
of space below the neck.
Take a specific gravity reading using the hydrometer (c). It should usually
be anywhere from 1070 - 1092. Taking the specific gravity gives us information
about the sugar content of the juice. It is read by pouring juice into
the hydrometer's plastic cylinder and allowing the hydrometer to float
freely. In figure (c) you can see the level of the liquid meets the scale
at approximately 1086. The 1080 is visible and the 1090 line is submerged
in the juice.
Making a Yeast Starter
Make a yeast starter by pouring appoximately 100 ml (3 oz.) of juice and
100 ml (3 oz.) of luke warm water into a large glass mug.
Sprinkle the yeast into this solution and allow the yeast to proliferate
for about 30 minutes at room temperature. After the 30 minutes have elapsed,
pour 3/4 of the yeast "slurry" volume into the carboy and 1/4
into the over flow vessels. The overflow containers could be a couple
of gallon jugs or the 11 L plastic canister.Sacchromyces bayanus
is the yeast strain that we prefer using. With them we never experience
stuck ferments or fermentation of prolonged duration.
The red juices require the addition of pectic enzyme to aid in later clarification.
Add the pectic enzyme in the powder form to the red juice before adding
the yeast for best results. Pectins (polysaccharide moieties), are naturally
found in fresh juice and derived from the skins. It constitutes much of
the haze in young wine. The pecitic enzyme breaks down the pectin and
ensures that the haze will settle to the bottom during subsequent cold
storage aiding in natural clarification.
The Fermenation
Allowing the yeast access to oxygen at the beginning of fermentation during
the growth phase helps the yeast produce its own lipids. Lipids are an
essential component of the yeast cell membrane, necessary for the budding
and growth of the yeast cells in the early stage of fermentation and for
the protection of the yeast cell from alcohol toxicity in the latter stage
of fermentation. To provide the yeast with oxygen it needs to multiply
(please see the manufacturer's explanation Lalvin), place only a paper
towel in the neck of the bottles for the first 24 - 48 hrs, (a) until
the must is seen actively "bubbling." Then place airlocks filled
with fresh clean water, on the carboy and gallon jugs for the rest of
the fermentation (b). The picture on the left illustrates the carboy with
juice 12 hours after the addition of the yeast. The picture on the right
shows the juice in the carboy 48 hrs after the addition of the yeast.
An airlock filled halfway with water is placed on top of the carboy.
The Specific Gravity
The fermentation should occur at a constant temperature of 21 C (72
F) and will take anywhere from 7 - 12 days in total. Start to monitor
the progress of the fermentation by taking readings with the hydrometer
at day 5. When the specific gravity is below 1000, (i.e. 995), then proceed
with the racking (siphoning). If not, allow the wine to ferment longer
until it reaches a specific gravity (S.G.) below 1000. If the wine takes
longer it is a good idea to gently "swirl" the carboy to move
the viable yeast around the must inside. Remember that the closer the
specific gravity is to 992 the drier the wine will be, because less residual
sugar remains. For example, a wine with an S.G. of 997 will taste "sweeter"
than a wine with an S.G. of 994. Always read the S.G. below the meniscus
level on the hydrometer.
Once the specific gravity (S.G.), is
below 1000, siphon the wine off of its sediments into sterilized pails
or another carboy (this is called racking).
Racking the wine
Stabilize the wine using the stabilizer (80% potassium metabisulphite
and 20% ascorbic acid (a.k.a Vit C)). A dosage of one level teaspoon of
stabilizer (dissolved in 90ml (3 oz.) of hot water) per 5 gallons of wine
is used. This helps to prevent oxidation and bacterial infection of the
wine. The optional addition of oak chips can be done now at the end of
the racking, to add a new dimension to the taste of the wine. Or the oak
chips can be added with the yeast prior to the start of fermentation.
The fermenting vessels should be cleaned and the wine siphoned back into
them. Now the carboy is filled right to the top. Never top up your carboy
with water. This dilutes the wine and makes it thin. We provide you with
a volume of juice that is more than a 20 L (5 gallon) carboy can hold.
It allows you to top up the carboy with the extra volume of wine in your
gallon jug. After the carboy is topped up a smaller container such as
a wine bottle is necessary for the left over wine you have. This smaller
bottle must also be filled to the top. The airlocks must have fresh water
added. The wine should be placed in a very cold spot, like the garage
(in the winter) or a fruit cellar, but not lower than 0oC (32o F). It
sits at this low temperature until the next racking which occurs 3 - 4
weeks later.
Cold stabilization and fining
After three weeks in the cold, the wine is siphoned again. This is known
as the second racking. On the left you can see the accumulation of sediment
on the bottom of the carboy. It is also quite normal to see crystal deposition
on the sides of the carboy. This is the percipitation of potassium bitartrate
which is a naturally occuring substance in grape juice. The longer a wine
is aged in the cold, the more crystals will fall out. This means fewer
crystals will percipitate in your wine bottles. To achieve clarity in
a shorter period of time you can use gelatine (1/2 level tsp dissolved
in 2 oz. of boiling water per 5 gallons) and kieselsol finings (1 oz.
per 5 gallons added 10 minutes after gelatine) in the white wines. They
are added to the freshly siphoned wine at the second racking. After one
additional racking (3 - 4 weeks later), the white wine will be visibly
clearer. If you do not wish to add finings, the white wine can take as
long as 6 to 7 months (with rackings every 4 weeks) to clear, when stored
at 5oC (40o F). Racking every 3 - 4 weeks, red wine will clarify without
the addition of finings in about 6 months at a storage temperature of
5oC (40o F) .The picture above illustrates the state of the wine before
(with only the finings added) and after filtration. Both wines are three
months old.
Bottling the wine
When your wine is clear, it is ready to bottle. Taste the wine, and
sweeten it (optional) to your taste using a sweetener / conditioner that
can be found at any winemaking store. Never add table sugar or nutrasweet.
Your wine will referment and become fizzy. If you need to sweeten; start
by adding 1 oz. of sweetener per 5 gallons of wine and do not exceed a
maximum dosage of 5 oz. for the whole 5 gallon batch. The wine must be
stabilized a second time (1 level teaspoon per 5 gallons of wine) just
prior to bottling. Age the wine to the desired varietal characteristics.
Optional Equipment
Optional equipment such as floor corkers, shrink tops and labels
allow you to finish off your winemaking experience with a professional
look. Why not, you already have a professional quality wine in your bottles.
The possibilities of winemaking don't end there. It is possible to purchase
filtering machines that cut the total winemaking time in half and speed
production of clear wine. Eye catching blank label styles are available
for those who are creative with a laser or inkjet printer. A good wine
rack for your finished bottles provides stable storage and decent protection
for your investment.
Review of our winemaking method
In total our home winemaking method takes as little as 3 - 4 months to
make wine. It involves:
1) - pouring the juice into your carboy and adding yeast
2) - fermenting until a desired specific gravity (i.e. 995)
3) - siphoning the wine and stabilizing at the end of the fermentation
4) - cold stabilizing by subsequently storing the wine in the cold;
5oC (40o F).
5) - racking every 3 - 4 weeks until the wine is clear.
6) - bottling the wine.
It is a very simple procedure that doesn't require water,
sugar, package A,B,C .... F etc. What's more, it is pure and natural,
just the way mother nature intended all wines to be. We believe in using
the least amount of stabilizer possible and keeping the finished, bottled
wine in cold storage (i.e. 40oF). When serving the wines, like red for
instance, you can bring them to room temperature just before serving.
If you don't store your wines in cold temperatures they may get fizzy.
In this case you may want to add more stabilizer to prevent this from
happening. You are the judge, you are the winemaker.
In any case....CHEERS AND ENJOY YOUR WINE!
We hope that these instructions are thorough enough for
most winemakers. If you have any questions about the preceeding steps,
or something seems odd or out of place please email us at instruction
info@winecave.ca with your
concerns and he will be happy to explain.
