1 of 4

Write now Article Tools

Page 7 of 7

dry corks adequately and presoaked corks must be used.
Presoak corks in cold water for an hour or so to soften them.
A pinch of sulfite added to the water may help sterilize the corks.
Drive corks flush or slightly below the lip of the bottle.
Remove spilled wine from the bottles, or the wine residue will become moldy.

Labeling
All bottles should have some kind of label to identify the contents.

Attractive wine labels can be made with a home computer.
Common white glue is often used for attaching wine labels.
A few labels can be applied quickly with a "glue stick."
Capsules and labels can be applied when the bottles are clean and dry.

Bottle Aging
Bottles should stand upright for a week or two after corking.
After the pressure has equalized, the bottles can be stored on their sides (or upside down) in a cool, quiet place.
Red wines are usually aged in the bottle for one or more years to allow the wine to develop a "bottle bouquet."
Heavier style white wines also benefit from bottle aging.
SUMMARY
High quality wine can only be made when high quality fruit is picked in optimum condition.
Sulfur dioxide should be added to the grapes as they are crushed.
Juice acidity should be adjusted to 0.65 to 0.85 percent before fermentation is started.
Attempts to make light, fruity white table wines will usually fail unless the fermentation temperature can be kept below 60 degrees.
White juice should be settled over night.
In the morning, the liquid is racked off the solids and the clarified juice is fermented.
Red wine is made by fermenting the juice, pulp, seeds and skins together.
Caps on red fermentations should be punched down at least twice a day.
Four to seven days of fermentation time will be adequate for most red grape varieties.
About 50 milligrams per liter of SO2 should be added when fermentation is complete.
Wine is made stable by fining, racking and chilling.
White and blush wines require both hot and cold stabilization treatments.
All wine must be brilliantly clear and stable before bottling.
The free SO2 level should be raised to about 30 milligrams per liter a day or two before the wine is bottled.
A bottle filler should be used, and the bottles should be filled from the bottom to reduce wine oxidation.

Learn more about this author, Shane Riley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• ...
• 5
• 6
• 7

Add your voice

Know something about How to make homemade wine?
We want to hear your view. Write now!