Hi. If You are new. This handbook may help You (internet)
Making good wine that requires certain knowledge which may be found in less or more comprehensive handbook. You may also try and follow the advice provided here.
Wine may be made all year round in the summer you can make wine from cherries, currants and gooseberries, in autumn – from grapes, apples, pears, blackberries, plums, chokeberries and wild rose, in the winter, we use frozen or dried fruit, raisins, pasteurized juice, stewed fruit or honey.
Wine is always made from healthy and ripe fruit. Remember to wash it carefully. Cherries and plums must be de-stoned.
First stage involves obtain juice (must) from the fruit. Crumble the fruit into a pulp and add enzymatic preparation, pectic enzyme. The PECTO ENZYM ( fruit enzyme) is an entirely natural product which accelerates the release of the juice from fruit tissue. The juice squeezed out be means of net, NYLON BAGS or (and) small, handy FRUIT PRESS.
Once the juice (must) has been obtained, you need to prepare the mash. This is an important stage in the wine making process, which involves adding appropriate amounts of water and sugar to the juice. We live in a climatic zone where fruit (including grapes ) contain a lot of acid and therefore the must obtained from them must be diluted with water.
Juice made from currants, raspberries, quinces, gooseberries and plums require the largest amount of water. Ehen deciding on the proportions in which the juice, water and sugar are to be mixed, it is advisable to use the information provided in table. However, do not forget that the juice must not be diluted more than 1L water per 1L of juice. It is a good idea to mix very sour fruit juice with a low acidity juice (e.g. cherries + strawberries, raspberries + apples, white currant + apples). When making wine from cereals or low acidity fruit ( haw, wild rose, strawberry), the mash may be acidified slightly by means of an acidity regulator ( a mixture of fruit acids: wine, apple or lemon).
Acidity of the wine mash may be measures by means of a simple measuring device called acidimeter.
The amount of sugar to be added depends, among other things, on the intended strength of wine.
Appropriate amounts of sugar for wine with alcohol content of 12%, 14% and 16%. However , remember that sugar concentration in the mash before fermentation should not exceed 22%. ( approx. 22 Blg)
It is possible to buy a Multimeter which allows to measure sugar concentration in the mash and shows the alcohol content to be obtained from a given amount of sugar.
A similar device, a Vinometer, allows for actual calculation of alcohol content in obtained wine.
Don’t forget to add wine yeast to the mash before the fermentation begins. We offer pure yeast cultures, specially selected for wine making purposes. They ensure that fermentation begins quickly, runs correctly and the wine has the appropriate strength, taste and aroma.
It is possible to buy liquid cultures of noble wine yeast: Tokay, Burgundy, Sauternes, Bordeaux, Malaga, Madera, Portwein, Sherry , which help to obtain alcohol content of up to 14% and Universal Yeast, which guarantee alcohol content of 16% ( with gradual addition of sugar ). The yeast graft is prepared two days before making the mash. Pour 150ml of juice or add 200g of crumbled fruit to a one litre bottle, add 300ml of water, 2 spoonfuls of sugar and a pinch of culture medium. Cover the bottle with a cotton wool plug and pasteurise for 30 minutes. Once the mixture has cooled, pour the contents of a previously shaken bag of yeasts to the bottle. Leave the mixture for 48 h in temperature of 24-26 C . After this time, a sediment will appear on top, the liquid will become opaque and start releasing gas.
Pour the yeasts obtained in this manner to a balloon ( fermenter, carboy, demijohn) with freshly made mash.
Dried Wine Yeast, which guarantee fast fermentation and high quality of wine.
Dried Yeast does not require preliminary proliferation. The content of the pack is added to 100ml of water cooled down to 35 C and cheerfully mixed. After 20minutes, the suspension is pouredto a carboy or fermenter with wine mash.
You should also add a Yeast Nutrients ( culture medium) to the wine mash.
Fermentation is performed in a glass balloon ( carboy, demijohn ) or in plastic fermenter. The container is covered with a plug with attached airlock. After 6-8 weeks of fermentation in 20-24°C, drainoff the wine over the sediment, add sugar if necessary and ferment again for subsequent several weeks. After the second fermentation, pour the wine using a handy wine draining house to clean, disinfected ( using potassium meta ), dried bottles and store tightly sealed in a cool cellar, in the temperature of 8-12°C.
If the wine is opaque before being poured to bottles, filter it using Bentonite ( wine klar ) or Turbo Klar. Those substances are used to remove opaqueness caused by protein, polyphenols and tans. The filtering lasts from 1 to 7 days. The filtering process is best performed in lower temperatures, without moving the balloon, carboy or demijohn. The procedures of using the aforesaid agents been provided on packagings.
Bottles with filtered wine should be sealed by means of natural, agglomerated or synthetic Corks . Corking is easier when performed by means of two or three arms Corkers. If You wish to additionally secure your wine against oxygen and infections, we recommend Lak ( sealing wax ) and aesthetic Thermo Retractable Caps ( Shrink Caps ). We suggest that you stick decorative, adhesive labels on the bottles and write information about the main ingredients used, type of wine and its year of production.
It is also worth knowing that ready wine may be used a basis to make stronger spirits, e.g. brandies. Distillates are best made from grape, apple, pear and plum wine.
Distillation equipment and distillation yeast ( Turbo Yeast, Alcotec Yeast, Coobra Yeast, Spirit Ferm Yeast) necessary to ferment mashes. The taste and aroma of distillates or purchased spirits may be enriched by means of taste essences ( vodka aroma, vodka essence ): cherry, pear, old oak, whiskey, rum, tequila etc…
Basic wine making equipment necessary for beginner home wine makers include: glass balloon ( glass carboy, glass demijohn ) or plastic fermenter , pectic enzyme ( fruit enzyme ), juice-quizzing bag, saccharometer, carboy plug ( bored rubber bung or bored cork bung ), airlock ( bubbler ), wine yeast, nutrients and wine siphon.
Advanced wine makers may also need: fruit press, acidimeter, vinometer, wine filtering and flavouring agents, corkers, filtering equipment, oak barrels for wine storage.