How to Make Shiraz Wine
Shiraz wine was first made in Iran around 7,000 years ago, and the deep purple grape-based wine is still popular. If you like your wine served at room temperature, note that the wine industry recommends shiraz for one of the highest serving temperatures (65 degrees F). Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Wine-making yeast
- Shiraz grapes
- Fruit press/crusher
- Fermenter
- Container (known as a carboy)
- Air locks
- Stoppers
- Corkers/corks
- Wine bottles
- Commercial sanitizing products/bleach
- Bottling wand (optional)
- Labels (optional)
- Wine filter paper (optional)
Instructions
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Understand the legalities of winemaking. First, you must be at least 21. Next, you're only allowed to make a limited number of bottles for your own consumption to be considered a hobbyist. Cross the line and the law can declare your enterprise a winery subject to the permits, licenses and other documentation required by state and local authorities. Err on the side of caution. Contact your state liquor license board to find out the maximum amount of shiraz wine you can make for personal use and stick to the quota.
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Purchase equipment and supplies from a reputable local or mail-order wine supply distributor so that if anything should go wrong with your purchases you have recourse to return or exchange items. Find a resource at the end of this article. At the very least, you'll need yeast, a fruit press, fermenter, containers, air lock, bottles, corkers and corks to make your shiraz.
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Obtain shiraz grapes from a reliable source. If you can't find a local supplier or purveyor, have grapes shipped to you directly from a grower. You'll need a fruit press to pulverize the shiraz grapes when they arrive, but don't discard the skins unless you want to wind up with white zinfandel. The skin of the shiraz grape gives this red wine its signature color.
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Thoroughly sanitize all of your equipment. Even minimal dust will ruin the taste of your shiraz, and since you're investing quite a bit of cash in your wine-making, don't ignore this step. Choose from commercial products on the market (e.g., iodophor or B-brite) or use bleach to sanitize all your equipment before rinsing them.
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Set up a fermentation area. Commercial shiraz makers keep their thermostats set at 70 degrees F, so follow their lead. Pour the pulverized grapes and skins into a sterile fermenting container. Add other ingredients called for by your shiraz recipe--like sugar, starter, oak, other fruits or additives--using a sterile funnel to avoid contaminating the mixture. Fill the tank with cold water. Sprinkle yeast through the funnel and the shiraz is ready to begin the fermentation process.
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Attach an airlock to the vat and secure it. The shiraz mixture will begin to ferment in a couple of days; look for bubbling or foaming inside the vessel. If a few days have passed and there's no bubbling, the room temperature may be too cool to start the process, so warm up the room. Once the fermentation process starts, you can lower the temperature to 60 degrees F, then allow the wine to settle for a week.
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Use sterile equipment to siphon off the fermented Shiraz. Discard sediment left behind. Place the wine into a clean fermenting container or sanitize the old one and return the shiraz wine minus the sediment to the carboy. If you prefer your wine with additives like sulfites or sorbates, add them at this stage. Stir the mix frequently on the next day to remove carbon dioxide from the wine. Subject the shiraz to a second fermentation period of 10 days before you consider bottling.
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Strain the wine using filter paper or leave your shiraz in its natural state. Taste it using a sterilized turkey baster to be certain it's ready for consumption. If it still needs seasoning, let it sit for another day or so. Taste using the sterile baster until you're satisfied.
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Bottle the wine using a clean funnel or a "bottling wand," a piece of equipment with a spring-load device at the bottom to control the amount of wine flowing into individual bottles. Go wild with your choice of corks--there are many types--then slap on your signature label before serving shiraz.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit © Sanctuary Hill Vinyard, Australia
