Wine Making from vineyard grapes?
I went to a vineyard & brought back enough grapes (Merlot & Cabernet) to make a bottle. I have them all juiced & started the fermenting process. Can someone tell me how long I should do this? I have a plastic bag rubberbanned over the bottle & it's always filling up w/ air so I know it's working but I don't want to ruin the wine.
Tagged with: cabernet • grapes • wine
Filed under: All Things Wine
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You have to test the density of it to really know for sure. Wine is hard to tell when it is fermented clear out but when the density hasn't changed for a while, it is done. You are dealing with living yeast here and it is somewhat up to them. It takes a few months usually and then a while after you bottle it. Wine is not made quickly.
It also won't clear up if you don't rack it a few times. That means you pour the top part off of the gunk that is built up in the bottom of the bottle and let it work some more. The wine should really look pretty clean when its bottled.
It is really a lot easier to make a batch in a bigger container with a regular fermentation lock, monitor the specific gravity, rack it a few times, and then when it is clear and fermented completely bottle it. I wouldn't guess it would come out to good just letting it in the bottle and not doing anything to clear it up.
Well, depending on what kind of yeasts you are using this may be toxic. Fermentation is the result of yeast consuming sugar to produce co2 and alcohol and you need appropriate yeast cultures.
Then, the yeasts need a controlled temp to work, red 24c to max 32c. To continue you must use nutrients for you yeast to stay alive otherwise the fermentation will stop and begin to develop toxicity or spoilage of your wine.
The air is just co2 from the fermentation but a more airtight container than a saran wrap is needed.
What about malolactic fermentation? If you don't inocculate your wine it will be extremely acidic and quite undrinkable.
Fining, filtering, ageing and rebottling???
These are only but the beginning. You should'nt drink the final product of your attempt as its not for nothing that people have to go to university to do that.
Sorry!