-
Step 1
Ingredients: 46 oz of grape juice concentrate
6-1/2 lbs sugar
3 oz acid blend
5 level tsp. Yeast nutrient
Wine yeast
Equipment: Primary fermenter
Secondary fermenter
Fermentation lock
Siphon hose
Plastic sheet
The ingredients and equipment are available at wine supply stores and over the Internet. Alexander’s Sun Country juice concentrate works very well. -
Step 2
The primary fermenter is any vessel that will hold five gallons of liquid. Mix all the ingredients, adding enough water to make five gallons. Tie a clean plastic sheet over the top of the fermenter and let it set for five days.
After five days, use a siphon hose to transfer the liquid to a secondary ferment. The secondary fermenter is a five-gallon plastic or glass jug. Put a fermentation lock in the top of the jug. -
Step 3
The way the process works is that the yeast eats the sugar and turns it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The fermentation lock allows the carbon dioxide to escape while keeping anything floating around in the air from entering the wine. When the alcohol reaches about ten percent, it will kill the yeast. The yeast then falls to the bottom of jug, and the wine begins to clear. This takes two or three months.
-
Step 4
When the wine is perfectly clear, it is ready to bottle it. Use the siphon hose to move the wine from the jug to bottles. You don’t want to bring the sediment from the bottom of the jug to your bottles.
After the wine is bottled, you need to let it age for three or four months. Then it will be ready to enjoy.
