Homemade wine

Homemade white or red wine, simply made without sophisticated equipment

When autumn arrives and the grapes ripen, we all gather to harvest, especially when the weather has been good for the vineyards. We use what we have around the house, avoiding industrial methods, and prefer to know exactly what we are drinking throughout the year. Most of the work is done by family members, and everyone knows what they need to do.

Quick info

Total time: 2-3 weeks for fermentation + 45 days for clarification
Actual working time: 5-7 hours, in several stages
Yield: approximately 50 liters of wine for a full carboy
Difficulty: medium (requires attention to detail and some physical effort)
Recipe type: preservation, autumn season

Ingredients

Well-ripened grapes, preferably from several varieties (white or black, depending on what you have)
Sugar: maximum 3 kg per 50 liters of must (up to 4 kg if the grapes are very sour)
Potassium metabisulfite: 15 g per 50 liters of wine (or according to the instructions on the package)
Equipment: grape crusher, barrels, glass carboys, buckets, large sieve/strainer, approximately 1-meter hose, 5-10 liter plastic containers, cloth strips for tying, mixing paddle, stick for siphoning the wine

Preparation method

1. Harvesting and sorting the grapes

Grapes should be harvested when they are well-ripened, meaning the berries easily burst under pressure. The bunches are detached and cleaned of stems. Damaged or moldy berries are discarded. It is important to use only healthy grapes.

2. Crushing

Place the grapes in the crusher, crush them, and let the must flow into barrels along with the pulp. If you don’t have a crusher, other methods can work, but it will be harder to obtain the must.

3. Separating the must

Do not let the must sit on the pomace (the leftover pulp and skins). Strain the must immediately using a large sieve or strainer directly into buckets. Press the berries well against the edge of the barrel to extract as much liquid as possible.

4. Sweetening

As you gather the must into buckets, add the sugar. It’s best to dissolve it directly in the must, mixing well with a paddle or a large spoon. Do not add more than 3 kg of sugar per 50 liters of must unless the grapes are very sour (then you can go up to 4 kg).

5. Transferring to carboys

Pour the must into the glass carboys, leaving some space at the top (do not fill to the brim) so that the must has room to ferment without overflowing.

6. Preparing for fermentation

Take clean plastic containers (5-10 liters) and fill them halfway with cold water. Cut pieces of hose (about 1 meter) for each carboy. One end of the hose should be submerged in the water container (it should be well submerged), and the other end should be placed at the mouth of the carboy without touching the liquid. Secure the hose to the neck of the carboy with cloth strips to prevent air from entering.

7. Fermentation

Leave the carboys at room temperature. Fermentation will begin in 1-2 days; you will see CO2 bubbles escaping through the hose and bursting in the water container. Be cautious about the storage location: do not enter closed rooms where wine is fermenting without proper ventilation (accumulated carbon dioxide can be dangerous).

Fermentation lasts 2-3 weeks, depending on how warm it is in the room. It ends when you no longer see gas bubbles at the end of the hose in the container.

8. Sealing

Once fermentation is complete, remove the hose and cloths from the carboy. Seal the mouth of the carboy tightly, either with a cork or securely tied with cloth tape. From this point on, do not disturb the wine for 45 days.

9. Siphoning the wine (clarification)

After the 45 days, carefully siphon the wine into other clean carboys using a hose attached to a stick. The end of the stick should be inserted into the carboy deeper than the hose (about 3 cm), so only the stick touches the sediment at the bottom, while the hose draws only the clear wine. Be careful not to disturb the sediment.

10. Treatment for preservation

To prevent oxidation and for clarification, add 15 g of potassium metabisulfite to 50 liters of wine, according to the instructions on the package. Mix well.

11. Storing the wine

The wine should be kept in carboys filled nearly to the top (no more than two fingers of space at the mouth). If you have less wine, transfer it to smaller containers so that no carboy remains half-empty.

Why I often make this recipe

Wine made this way remains clear, without unpleasant taste or odor. The process is easy to control, and you don’t rely on commercial additives or other substances. It does not oxidize if you follow the steps in order and remains good for consumption for many months.

Tips and variations

Tips

Do not mix moldy or damaged grapes into the must.
Clean the utensils very well before each stage.
Fermentation works best at stable, not too cold temperatures.
Avoid exposing the wine to air.
Do not open the carboys before the time is up, as you risk oxidation.

Substitutions

There are not many alternatives – sugar can be reduced if the grapes are sweet, but do not eliminate it completely. Metabisulfite can be found in specialty stores; do not use substitutes.

Variations

Grapes can be mixed – white with black, according to preference. You can use just one variety, but the taste will be simpler.

Serving ideas

The wine is consumed as is, plain or with meals, according to preference. I do not recommend transforming it into other preparations, as it is meant to be enjoyed fresh or aged at home.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can I make wine without potassium metabisulfite?
You can, but there is a risk that the wine will oxidize or ferment uncontrollably. Metabisulfite helps maintain stability and clarity.

2. How quickly should the must be transferred from the barrel?
Immediately after crushing. Do not leave the must on the pomace, or it may develop an unpleasant taste or ferment chaotically.

3. Can I add more sugar for a sweeter wine?
I do not recommend exceeding 3-4 kg per 50 liters, otherwise fermentation may stop or you may end up with a wine that is hard to drink.

4. What do I do with the leftover grape material?
The leftover material (pomace) after pressing can be used for making brandy or compost.

5. Is it safe to make wine in an apartment?
Fermentation produces a lot of CO2. If you do not have a well-ventilated space, do not leave the carboys indoors.

Nutritional values (estimated)

Per 100 ml of homemade wine: approximately 80-90 kcal, carbohydrates 1-2 g, alcohol 10-13%, zero significant fats or proteins. Values may vary depending on the added sugar and the final strength of the wine.

Storage and reheating

Wine should be stored in full, sealed containers in a cool place. If there is empty space, transfer it immediately to smaller containers. Once opened, consume within a few days to prevent oxidation. Wine is not reheated; it is enjoyed at room temperature.

The recipe works well for large quantities and does not require special equipment, just attention to hygiene and the fermentation steps.

We have 3-4 varieties of white grapes and 2 varieties of black grapes in our yard. Obviously, the white varieties predominate. Everything starts with the grape harvest... When the grapes are ripe and begin to burst under the weight of their juice content, the bunches are harvested and must be destemmed. All damaged or moldy grapes are removed (as much as possible), as they will not be used for wine preparation. The grapes are pressed in a crusher, which we fix above the barrels where the must flows together with the crushed grapes. We do not let the must boil with the crushed grapes; we immediately transfer it to demijohns. Using a large strainer, we press the grapes against the walls of the barrel until the must collects in the sieve, which we can then scoop with a cup. We lift the drained grapes against one of the barrel's walls, creating a bridge, until we reach the bottom of the barrel and collect all the must. Although the operation seems difficult, we will realize along the way how to proceed to gather as much must as possible. As we fill the buckets with must, we will add sugar, which we will dissolve by stirring the must with a paddle. The amount of sugar added to a 50-liter demijohn of wine should not exceed 3 kg (maximum 4 kg if the grapes are too sour). When the demijohns are almost full (we do not fill them to leave room for the wine to ferment), we prepare them for boiling the must. We need to have containers of at least 5-10 liters at hand, in which we will put water halfway. We will also prepare pieces of hose about 1 meter long, whose ends we will place one in the water container, ensuring it is well surrounded by water, and the other at the mouth of the demijohn, without touching the wine. We secure the end of the hose by wrapping the neck of the demijohn with strips of fabric so that no air enters the demijohn. In 1-2 days, the must will start to boil, and the gases emitted will be directed into the water container. Be very careful if the demijohns are stored in a closed space (cellar, storage): do not enter the room until you have ventilated the space well for at least 30 minutes. The carbon dioxide released by the boiling must can be deadly! The boiling will end in about 2-3 weeks, depending on the ambient temperature. We will know if the wine has stopped boiling when no more CO2 bubbles come out of the end of the hose submerged in water. When the wine has stopped boiling, we remove the cloths and hose, seal and secure the mouths of the demijohns, and from this moment on, we will not touch the wine for 45 days. Only after 45 days will we transfer the wine into other clean demijohns carefully, without reaching the sediment deposited at the bottom and walls of the demijohns. To avoid reaching the sediment, we tie the hose to a stick, leaving the stick about 3 cm longer than the hose at the end we will insert into the demijohn. Thus, only the stick will touch the bottom of the demijohn and the sediment layer, while the hose will only draw the clear wine. For clarifying the wine and preventing oxidation, we added 15 g of potassium metabisulfite to 50 liters of wine (or according to the information on the label, depending on the product you use). A very important condition for the wine to retain its qualities is that the demijohn in which it is stored must be kept full at all times. We do not leave more than 2 fingers of space at the top. If we need to handle the wine, we will transfer all the wine to smaller demijohns, ensuring that we never keep wine in a partially empty demijohn. We will keep the wine prepared this way for a long time without worrying about oxidation. Cheers! [bs:10] Or as my father used to say, may God rest his soul!: Accept him, Lord, and take care of the next one! :))) P.S. You should know that I also worked on it, but there was no one to take my picture =)))) To avoid early oxidation, do not store wine in partially empty demijohns, but transfer it immediately to smaller glass containers, avoiding prolonged contact of the wine with air. The pictures will help you better understand the working process. What remains in the barrels after we take the must will be used for making țuică :D

 Ingredients: We need: well-ripened grapes, preferably of various varieties, a crusher, potassium metabisulfite, and fermentation barrels.

 Tags:  wine wine recipe