Red Grapes to Wine

                                   May your wines Fall Bright!

When making red wine from whole grapes, about
twelve to thirteen pounds of grapes yield one gallon.

The grapes need to be de-stemmed and crushed.  You may use our machine for this task for a modest fee or free if your buy our grapes.  Add potassium metabisulfite at the rate of 1/8 teaspoon per 30 pounds of fresh grapes.  After the grapes are crushed take a hydrometer reading of the fresh juice to determine the sugar percentage or brix (^o).  Adjust the sugar to 21⁰ or 22⁰ brix.  We use corn sugar as it is a simple sugar ready for yeast consumption. Compute the increase in brix desired (i.e. 16 to 21=5).  Estimate  your gallonage after fermentation based on 12-13 pounds of fruit per gallon.  Multiply the increase of brix desired (5) by the number of gallons to be adjusted (5x5 gal=25).  As .125 pounds of sugar raises 1 gallon 1⁰ brix, multiply this (25) by .125 which will equal the pounds of sugar to add to the entire batch of must  (or crushed grapes).    (3 cups of corn sugar is approximately 1 pound and 2 1/4 cups of cane sugar is about 1 pound.)  Add the required sugar.  If you use cane sugar it is recommended to heat it in some of the juice.  The heat and acid will convert it to a simple sugar. 

Re-hydrate the yeast  and add to room temperature grapes (must).  Ferment 1-2 weeks.  Every day during fermentation you have to push the skins down as they float and form a cap.  This blends the skins with the resulting alcohol which extracts the color and flavors from the skins into the wine.  

On the last day, leave the cap in place, siphon the juice underneath via racking rod and siphon hose  into a clean carboy, press the skins, adjust sulfite levels and continue the fermentation (secondary and much slower) in glass.   Top up the carboy with wine as much as whatever fermenting activity will allow (within 1 inch of the bung).  Never top up with water. 

The primary fermentation has finished, so there probably will not be much activity.  Wines fermented with Cotes des Blanc and the Lalvin yeast can be topped up more and earlier due to the low foaming nature of these yeast.  Ferment 1 to 2 months more. 

Rack when bubbling has ceased or has become very slow and a definite line of sediment (lees) shows.  Sulfite and fine as necessary.  Top up the new vessel with a compatible wine to within 1 inch of the stopper.  We do not recommend topping up with water.  Water will throw off the acid structure and change the brix or residual sugar.  

Mitchell's short cut yeast starter: Sprinkle the yeast onto warm (40-45^oC or 104-115^oF) distilled or sterile non-chlorinated water.  Leave for 5-15 minutes (NOT LONGER) and add an equal volume of sterile grape juice.  Shake to aerate.  It will take up to two days to become active.  Make up however much you want.  (A 5-gram pack of yeast is rated for 5-7 gallons).  Making a starter of a total volume of 1/2 of a gallon will inoculate a lot more than 5-7 gallons.  

Starter recipe in Frishman Enjoy Home Winemaking:  (2 cups water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon nutrient, 1/4 teaspoon citric acid, yeast)   NOTE: In any recipe recommending ¼ or ½ teaspoon of yeast nutrient in a small volume of water (4 oz to 2 cups) REDUCE the nutrient to a pinch – else it will be too hot. The dose for nutrient is 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of juice.  Put it in the juice--and yet a starter will require some nutrient so use a pinch or the other starter method.  RE-HYDRATE the yeast first for 5-15 minutes in the water before adding to the other ingredients.