It is Grape Season! One of my very favorite times of year. Why? Because we make wine at home!
My parents have made wine at home for many many years...As long as I can remember, actually.
Every grape season, we choose what kind of grapes we want to use, and order them early from a local grower. We usually make our wine with concord, Agawam, and Niagara grape varieties, but you may choose to use any type of grape you so desire. We pick up about 4 bushels of grapes, and use the grapes we grow in our garden...And it is a family affair.
We all get together to wash and "process" the grapes. Meaning we pick each and every grape off of the stems.
Then, the boys take it away - well, into the garage - to juice the grapes through a grape/wine press into a huge Rubbermaid-type pail/trash bin with a spout at the bottom.
The boys then drain the juice from the bin into boiling water sterilized demijohns.
A simple syrup made from 1/2 water, 1/2 sugar (~1 bag) boiled until the sugar is dissolved, is added to the juice, since we love sweet wine that tastes something like Port or Sherry.
We use a simple syrup because if you add pure sugar, it may not completely dissolve in the juice, and will sit at the bottom. Your wine will get sweeter and sweeter as you get to the bottom, probably to the point where it is no longer even enjoyable. So, please use a simple syrup.
If you like dry wine, don't add any extra sugar at all. The juice will have enough natural sugar in it to help it ferment, but it will take longer.
Some people add yeast, but we never do, and find this step unnecessary, as the juice will naturally ferment and does not really need any help. We also feel that it gives the wine a flavor that we do not particularly enjoy!
The demijohns are capped with a fermentation lock. This is filled with a little bit of water, and you can see the gases from fermentation bubbling.
Then, we wait only a few months, since we can never wait, and love the flavor of that this rough wine has. The extra sugar we added helps the fermentation process happen quicker. This wine tastes like luscious grape juice with a kick...sometimes a wallop, but it always tastes wonderful and fresh and fruity. My mother calls it "New Wine".
You never want to leave the wine in the demijohns for too long and let it ferment too far, as it will start to taste like vinegar. However, if you want to make red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, then you are going in the right direction.
As you are waiting, I know you'll be tasting along the way. If the wine is not sweet enough for you, no problem, add some more simple syrup. If there is not enough room in the demijohn, get another one, or siphon off the juice, and enjoy that by itself, to leave room for adding the simple syrup.
From there, we either bottle it, by racking off the wine using a plastic siphoning hose, or we have even been known to leave it in the demijohns, since it gets used up quickly. Do your best not to siphon off the sediment from the bottom of the demijohn, where it has settled and collected.
The Sense Enhancing Wine Glass.I have friends from all over the globe, who talk about traveling to visit Canada, just to have the wine they so fondly remember and enjoyed, since we always have some around to serve to guests and to cook with. I prefer this wine over any wine I could buy at the liquor store.
You may use any kind of fruit to make wine. So, experiment and most of all, have fun doing it!
My parents have made wine at home for many many years...As long as I can remember, actually.
Every grape season, we choose what kind of grapes we want to use, and order them early from a local grower. We usually make our wine with concord, Agawam, and Niagara grape varieties, but you may choose to use any type of grape you so desire. We pick up about 4 bushels of grapes, and use the grapes we grow in our garden...And it is a family affair.
We all get together to wash and "process" the grapes. Meaning we pick each and every grape off of the stems.
Then, the boys take it away - well, into the garage - to juice the grapes through a grape/wine press into a huge Rubbermaid-type pail/trash bin with a spout at the bottom.
The boys then drain the juice from the bin into boiling water sterilized demijohns.
A simple syrup made from 1/2 water, 1/2 sugar (~1 bag) boiled until the sugar is dissolved, is added to the juice, since we love sweet wine that tastes something like Port or Sherry.
We use a simple syrup because if you add pure sugar, it may not completely dissolve in the juice, and will sit at the bottom. Your wine will get sweeter and sweeter as you get to the bottom, probably to the point where it is no longer even enjoyable. So, please use a simple syrup.
If you like dry wine, don't add any extra sugar at all. The juice will have enough natural sugar in it to help it ferment, but it will take longer.
Some people add yeast, but we never do, and find this step unnecessary, as the juice will naturally ferment and does not really need any help. We also feel that it gives the wine a flavor that we do not particularly enjoy!
The demijohns are capped with a fermentation lock. This is filled with a little bit of water, and you can see the gases from fermentation bubbling.
Then, we wait only a few months, since we can never wait, and love the flavor of that this rough wine has. The extra sugar we added helps the fermentation process happen quicker. This wine tastes like luscious grape juice with a kick...sometimes a wallop, but it always tastes wonderful and fresh and fruity. My mother calls it "New Wine".
You never want to leave the wine in the demijohns for too long and let it ferment too far, as it will start to taste like vinegar. However, if you want to make red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, then you are going in the right direction.
As you are waiting, I know you'll be tasting along the way. If the wine is not sweet enough for you, no problem, add some more simple syrup. If there is not enough room in the demijohn, get another one, or siphon off the juice, and enjoy that by itself, to leave room for adding the simple syrup.
From there, we either bottle it, by racking off the wine using a plastic siphoning hose, or we have even been known to leave it in the demijohns, since it gets used up quickly. Do your best not to siphon off the sediment from the bottom of the demijohn, where it has settled and collected.
The Sense Enhancing Wine Glass.I have friends from all over the globe, who talk about traveling to visit Canada, just to have the wine they so fondly remember and enjoyed, since we always have some around to serve to guests and to cook with. I prefer this wine over any wine I could buy at the liquor store.
You may use any kind of fruit to make wine. So, experiment and most of all, have fun doing it!
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