Wine Making at Home with Ant

Every year in October since I was a kid I can remember my family made wine. I am continuing this tradition with my children. The process of making white and red wine from grapes to table takes at least two years. Now days the chemistry of making wine has become very involved and complicated and can easily ruin a good batch of wine, but I tend use a more traditional approach the way my Dad makes wine and with a little bit of chemistry and a lot of patience.

  This year we are making chardonnay, malbec and cabernet  franc.Testing the sugar levels with a hydrometer.

The hydrometer is floating in the grape juice to measure the sugar level. It should be about 13% alcohol when the sugar is converted to alcohol.

  The picture shows sterilization of the carboys with potassium metabisulfite, citric acid and water mixture before filling the carboy with maturing wine. The wine goes through a secondary fermentation know as malalactic fermentation. After the first month, the fets (our italian family dialect) settles to the bottom. The wine will be racked meaning the clear wine will be gently syphoned off the top of the batch into a sterilized carboy to set again leaving the fets or sediment pulp behind. Every 6 or more months the wine will be racked again. This process creates a pure clear wine, but in the wine industry the wine would be forced through filters as much as 26 pads deep to create the clear wine. 

  Our wine cellar maintains a temperature of 55 degrees with very little temperature variation through the seasons which is optimal for the maturing wine. Each 5 to 6 gallon carboy has an air lock closure to let co2 escape without oxygen getting in to spoil the wine.

Here is the 2011 wine (Pinot Noir and Merlot). We will begin enjoying this wine during the holidays. 

If you are interested making wine and would like to join us now or next October let us know.