Alcoholism is hard to detect yourself. It’s like a monster silently creeping into your habits. You think you’re just enjoying a couple of drinks every day, when actually, you’re already addicted to the substance. And while you’re not aware of it, the addiction grows more and more until you cannot function anymore without alcohol. At this point, your only chance of recovery would be staying in a rehabilitation center. That’s why you’ve got to detect alcoholism early, so that it’ll be easier to cure.

When you don’t even need friends, and you don’t need an environment with many people drinking, but still choose to drink, and alone at that - you may be an alcoholic. Drinking alone is no laughing matter. It shows how much you want to drink so badly.

If you’re young and you’re not allowed to drink yet you still drink, that may be a sign of alcoholism. For example, you always skip going to school and you go to some place to drink with anybody or alone. This means that rules don’t matter to you anymore, just having your fix of alcohol.

Alcoholics will do anything to justify their bad drinking habits. If you make up illogical reasons why you believe you function better with alcohol in your system, then you’re definitely an alcoholic. You might even believe than beer is like a vitamin supplement for you. You such beliefs are ridiculous, yet you still hold on to them because they justify your addiction.

Alcoholics will do anything to get their alcohol fix. If during work hours, you sneak up somewhere to secretly drink, you surely have an alcohol problem. This means you can’t do your work or anything else without alcohol.

When you start to develop alcoholism, it’s hard for people not to notice the changes in you. Pretty soon, people who care about you will confront you about it. If you get furious or hate them because of it, then that’s another sign you’re already an alcoholic. It means you’re ready to put your alcohol dependence over people who deeply care for you.

If your alcoholism is not countered early, pretty soon, you’ll start losing your appetite for food. You’ll notice that your favorite foods don’t taste as good as before. And you absolutely won’t eat foods that you didn’t find special before. In fact, you’d rather have alcohol three or more times a day.

Alcoholism will not only alter your behavior, it will also modify your physical self. First, you will start skipping bath times and then you don’t take them at all. Your hygiene becomes very poor, and people start getting disgusted of you because of it.

When in the morning you tremble, shiver and shake because you feel too weak without alcohol intake - you may be an alcoholic.

If you notice these signs in you, stop denying your condition now. Take a hold of your life, be brave, and go to a rehabilitation center immediately. Do this for your own good and for the people who are special to you.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Alcoholism: Knowing When You Need Help

Share This

Do you only get Cuban cigars one at a time so you you can smoke them right away or do you get them by the case so you can age your Cuban cigars too? If you like to buy them by the case like most people do, than you not only need a humidor, but almost more important is learning how to properly take care of your humidor. A humidor is designed to age your cigars and store them for you for as long as you like. A Cuban cigar can be aged for up to fifteen years. Results like these are only possible if you take care of your humidor too. Trust me, it can be a very rewarding experience.

Now your humidor is designed to store your cigars at ideal temperature. Make sure that which ever one you get, it does this basic job first. The ideal temperature is between 71 to 74 degrees. This is very close to the humidity levels in the country of Cuba. No wonder they make the best cigars in the world! A humidor’s job is to maintain the above temperature and if you take care of that humidor, you can easily have your own stash of well aged Cuban cigars.

You should have a good thermometer and hygrometer in the area in order to make sure that it is kept at the proper levels at all times. There are some electronic versions of these instruments that you can buy which can be monitored remotely. In fact, you can be sitting in your easy chair and monitoring the temperature of your cigar humidor at the same time. If you notice a wild variation in one of the numbers, make sure that you take action right away as your cigars could be affected quite quickly. Of course, you will also want to make sure that you keep it out of the direct sunlight.

At times, it is necessary for you to recharge your cigar humidor. This is a very important part of the cigar humidor maintenance process. You would maintain this by adding an activation solution every couple of months as needed. There is an entire process that is involved in doing this and you should see the instructions that are included when you buy the solution. Finally, you should test the calibration on occasion to make sure that it is testing out okay. If you do find that it is off, there is typically a way to adjust the hygrometer in order to bring it back into alignment.

If you want to take care of your Cuban cigars, take care of your humidor. It’s all about enjoying the true pleasure that is a Cuban cigar. If you can store them in a humidor and age them, than you are probably going to get a lot more out of it. Just like fine wine, aged Cuban cigars only get better with time.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Maintain your Humidor or else

Share This

Cuban cigars, just like any cigars, dry up after a certain amount of time in less than favorable conditions. Maybe you got a box of Cuban cigars, placed it in the closet and forgot about it. Several weeks down the road when you started cleaning your closet, out pops that box. The sad part is, your Cuban cigars look totally dried out.

Although you did place them in a humidor like a good boy, you didn’t re-energize your humidor that is essential for your cigars to stay in good shape. You realize all you have is a bunch of dried out cigars. You begin to wonder if your cigars will every be smokable again.

If you are looking for a how to rehydrate cigar process so that you are able to smoke it properly, there are actually several different methods that you can use. Some of them, however, work much better as a result of them working for a longer period of time. One of the things that you don’t want to do whenever you are rehydrating a cigar is allow it to take on moisture to quickly. If it has been completely dried out, you need to make sure that you reintroduce it to a hydrated level slowly so that it does not crack or peel in the process. Of course, a totally dry cigar may never actually be able to be rehydrated to the point where it is smokable. Unfortunately, there is little that you can do in these cases.

A fast way to get the right amount of moisture in your cigar is to put it in a plastic bag with some cedar linings out of a cigar box. You know those thin sheets on top of each cigar box, those cedar sheets. Leave the bag sealed for a few days and run a check to see how hydrated they’ve become. Don’t get too excited as this is not the cure for Cuban cigars left in the dark for quite sometime, but this will definitely get the ball rolling.

If they are totally dried out, than don’t worry. Try the method of using Tupperware container (Make sure the base of this container is flat) where you put some water at the bottom and place the cigar on top of cedar sticks. Make sure the water never touches the Cuban cigars or your precious beauties will be destroyed. Cuban cigars can stay fresh for up to 15 years so be patient when you are doing this process.

Recharge a portable humidor or table one and place the Tupperware in the humidor. Make sure the top is healed off completely. You can leave a little bit of opening in it but not too much. It is probably going to take you a month before your cigars get back in shape again so you can enjoy them.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

How to rehydrate your Cuban cigar

Share This

Being Chicagoans, we’ve always enjoyed the changing of the seasons. Spring brings rebirth and summer offers the warmth of all that’s good about life. Autumn arrives in a blaze of color, while winter has its own quiet sense of beauty.

And so, in our travels, we tend to gravitate toward areas offering the best of all four seasons. We couldn’t have found a better place than Maine. Maine is mountains, lakes, and rivers - an outdoor sports enthusiast’s paradise. Maine is rugged picturesque coastline teeming with fresh seafood just waiting for you to sample. Maine is National Parks and trendy beaches. And Maine is a shopping and gastronomical delight.

Before we visited, a friend asked us, “Why Maine?” We responded that there are several good reasons to visit Maine. As we left after a one week visit, we agreed that we can’t wait to return some day. There’s literally a new discovery around every turn.

Are There Really Wineries In Maine?

Upon arriving in Portland, a charming port city about 100 miles from Boston, one of our first questions was directed to a farmers market vendor. Are grapes grown in Maine?

Yes. Grapes are grown here, despite a growing season 90 days shorter than Napa Valley. Numerous hardy varieties thrive here, along with several delectable types of fruit. We visited 7 wineries on this wonderful trip and enjoyed numerous well crafted wines, almost all produced from Maine grown grapes and fruit.

After enjoying Portland for a couple of days, we set out north from Portland up Route 302, just about 1/2 hour to Blacksmiths Winery, in Casco.

In the tasting room, we learned that Maine is well known for its blueberries. In fact, Maine is America’s largest wild blueberry growing state, and many make their way into Blacksmiths Winery’s Blueberry winem which is actually a blend of two wines. It is fragrant, off dry, and fruity, perfect for summer.

Blacksmiths also offers several traditional wine varieties, made from grapes imported from growers across the country. But we so enjoyed the blueberry, and the fact it’s born from Maine soil, that we sampled another “grown in Maine” wine, the Elderberry.

Moving to the Mid Coast area, our next stop is Maine’s very first winery, Cellar Door Winery and Vineyards, near Camden in the small community of Lincolnville. The winery is located on a farm that dates back to the 1790’s, complete with a vineyard, orchards, and fruit trees. Sticking with the Maine blueberry theme, we tried and proudly purchased the Blue Lobster Blue, and enjoyed it later with … what else … lobster and bleu cheese.

Next it was off to Union, just a few miles west from Camden harbor, for a stop at two wineries. Union is home to Savage Oakes Winery and Sweetgrass Winery and Distillery.

We were intrigued by Savage Oakes tagline: “Featuring Maine Wines From Maine Grown Grapes”. Owners Buddy and Holly Savage produce wine from nine different varieties of hybrid grapes, grown right on their 95 acre farm. On our visit, seven wines were available, all interesting and well made blends that highlight Buddy’s deft hand and passion for winemaking.

Sweetgrass opened their winery in 2007, focusing upon fruit wines and their award winning Back River Gin, with fruit brandies next on the agenda. It’s a picture book property, with a hiking trail that travels through the farm and overlooks the Medomak River Valley. Take advantage of the picnic area while enjoying a glass or two of their crisp and fruity Apple wine, or Bleujolais, a fruity and spicy blueberry offering. Of special note, the wine labels on their bottles are works of art in and of themselves!

All told, there are seven wineries in this beautiful state, each offering a unique experience for the wine travel lover. It was truly delightful to visit them all, and experience everything that Maine has to offer.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Wine Tours: The Wineries Of Maine

Share This

With over 6000 wineries across the United States, there are ample opportunities for wine lovers to tour and taste. With the addition of several new wine trails across the country in the past few years, more and more people are enjoying visits to wineries. Did you know that every state in the U.S. now has at least one winery? There’s sure to be an interesting winery in your neck of the woods just waiting for you to sample and enjoy.

Before you travel to your local winery or the nearest wine trail, consider that your wine tasting experience will involve several of your senses. To get the most from your visit, and to help you more readily identify your favorite wines for a purchase, let’s talk about how to approach wine tasting in general. And while wine tasting shouldn’t be complicated or intimidating, here are seven tips to consider …

1). Limit Your Use Of Cologne Or Perfume: These scents, while generally pleasing, will affect your ability to pick up wine aromas. In turn, this will alter your ability to judge a wine’s true taste. And, these scents will affect the senses of your fellow wine tasters as well.

2). Have A Hearty Breakfast Or Lunch: Before embarking on a wine tasting journey, be sure you’ve had something to eat, but nothing too spicy or overly seasoned. Your taste buds should be neutral, and of course you’ll want something in your stomach so you don’t get tipsy.

3). Bring Bottled Water Along: Most tasting rooms will offer water with your tastings to help cleanse your palate. But if you’re visiting more than one winery, it’s a good idea to hydrate in between winery visits. Not only will this help keep your palate fresh, but will help minimize the effect of alcohol.

4). Call Ahead: Wineries will occasionally host large tour groups, and if so, it might not be the best time for you to visit. Staff might be overwhelmed and you might not receive the attention you might otherwise expect. A quick phone call in advance will help you schedule the best time for you and the winery staff.

5). Follow The Progression: Be sure to go with the flow at the tasting counter. Wines are poured, and tasted, from light to dry to sweet for a reason. For example, if you start your tasting with a big bold red wine, it will adversely affect your perception of a light, dry white.

6). Hold The Cheese: Sometimes a tasting room will offer cheese samples along with the wine tasting. Try to hold off on the cheese, because cheese will alter your perception of the wine’s taste. You can always pair up an appropriate cheese with your favorite wine later.

7). Keep An Open Mind: You may already have a definite opinion of what types of wines you enjoy. But keeping an open mind has its advantages! Try different styles. You might find a new favorite, and it’s a great way to learn more about wine.

Just about every winery will offer you a warm, friendly wine tasting experience. Have fun, ask questions, and compare notes with friends. Wine is meant to be shared and enjoyed, and what better place to do it than at that special small winery on a scenic wine trail.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Winery Tours: How To Taste Wine In Seven Steps

Share This

For over 100 years, southwestern Michigan has been a weekend getaway haven. With its ample wide beaches and charming lakeside towns, this part of Michigan known as Harbor Country continues to lure weekend visitors. Since the late 1970’s, it’s also been a popular destination for wine travel fans.

Southwestern Michigan is only about 90 minutes by car from greater Chicago. Interstate 94 takes a gentle north by northeast turn near the Indiana-Michigan state line, tracing the route of historic U.S. 12. Back in the 1930’s, this area established its link to Michigan tourism. The first town greeting you upon entering Michigan is friendly and walkable New Buffalo.

With its harbor and compact business district, New Buffalo has long attracted boaters and those seeking a weekend escape. Of the eight communities comprising Harbor Country, New Buffalo feels most like a true town and a defined destination. Waterfront development has been carefully planned and monitored, ensuring the charm of this community for generations to come.

Wineries and Wine Tasting Diversions

Just outside of New Buffalo’s business district is the famous Red Arrow Highway. This is the heartbeat of Harbor Country and southwestern Michigan. From the Indiana border north 25 miles to the waterfront community of St. Joseph, Red Arrow Highway invites you to stop and explore. You’ll find antique stores, farmstands, home spun stores, and most of all, winery tasting rooms. For just over two decades, these tasting rooms have introduced visitors to this area’s pride and joy - Michigan wines.

Just a short distance from Red Arrow Highway, majestic dunes and woodlands give way to rolling hills and valleys planted with lush grapevines. Local viticulturists credit a good part of their success to the area’s sandy, well drained fertile soil, hilly terrain and Lake Michigan’s help in creating a variety of unique microclimates.

Six Wineries To Visit

While there are about a dozen wineries in the area loosely defined as southwestern Michigan, we’ll focus on Harbor Country and the area between New Buffalo and St. Joseph. This is an exceptionally convenient tour, as the six wineries are in very close proximity to one another.

Let’s start our wine tasting at perhaps the most well known winery in this area, Tabor Hill Winery. This is a beautiful, tranquil setting, with the tasting room and adjoining dining room overlooking the vineyards. Nearly 40 years ago, Tabor Hill artisans discovered the premium grapes typically grown in France, Germany, and Napa Valley thrive equally well here.

We’ve always been partial to Tabor Hill’s white wine selections. We were especially pleased with the Lake Michigan Shore Dry Traminette, with it’s fruity floral bouquet. And don’t miss the approachable Tabor Hill White Heritage, an award winner that has been frequently served to White House guests through several administrations.

Less than a half mile down the road is the fascinating and ever evolving Round Barn Winery and Distillery. As the name implies, part of the facility is housed in an Amish built round barn, which is frequently used for weddings and special events. Not only can you sample wine at Round Barn, but distilled spirits and microbrews as well.

The other four wineries in this area are also quite near one another, making Harbor Country perfect for an afternoon of leisurely wine travel and tasting. Free Run Cellars, Domaine Berrien, Lemon Creek, and Hickory Creek all offer finely crafted wines that will appeal to even the most discriminating wine lover.

The other four wineries in this area are also quite near one another, making Harbor Country perfect for an afternoon of leisurely wine travel and tasting. Free Run Cellars, Domaine Berrien, Lemon Creek, and Hickory Creek all offer finely crafted wines that will appeal to even the most discriminating wine lover.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Wine Travel: Michigan's Natural Bounty

Share This

Wine clubs are popping up all over the place - not only because of our passion and pure love for wine, but mainly the reason is of a basic need to gather and discuss subjects that are intimate to us and we just want to share it with the rest of the world.

When it comes to drinking, wine is considered the most healthiest. Even science recommends occasional wine helps the heart. There is a wine for every budget and all of them taste great and come up with their own unique flavor. After all, out of all the liquors available today, wine is essentially made from grapes.

Now that wine and especially home wine making is getting very popular, this is the best time to start your own wine club. No you don’t have to be an expert, just gather other wine lovers and drink. Most clubs meet up for every 30 days and come up with new wonderful information about wine and wine and making wine at home.

Pick a main person to get the ball rolling and plan out your wine club meetings. Then, let the word out to other wine lovers about what you’re doing. Choose the wine club members that will be reliable in attendance and passionate in their devotion to wine.

At first offer a limited membership - don’t have too many members when you begin the club. Too many members will lessen the possibility of developing a close long term relationship with others in the wine club.

Next step is to gather some wine making magazines, hit up some wine making clubs and even just google for the latest wines or what not. I usually google it or go to my wine shop and just talk to the people who work their for the latest wines that I can discuss at my club.

You’ll also want to have a great selection of wine glasses on hand. They can be inexpensive, but be sure that you have enough so that each person has his own glass for each type of wine that you’ve selected.

The best to things to discuss at your first wine club meeting would be just the entire process of making wine. You’ll be surprised on how simple and easy it is. Plus new members who have no idea about the wine making process will really appreciate it.

To make the meetings more interactive, try to get everyone’s opinion on the same wine. A lot of wine clubs have wine rating cards, where each member rates the wine in their own way and than you compare all the ratings together. I guess you can call it playing wine games.

See when it comes to wine clubs, you can truly go crazy and come up with some innovative ideas. Also the fact that as your club grows, you will meet real like minded people who share the same interests as you. Now what can be better than that.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Wine clubs are the place for wine lovers

Share This

Early Cultures’ Love of Wine

Ancient wine making was practiced by the early Egyptians who recorded the harvesting of grapes on their stone tablets and tombs. Great importance was given to the production of wine and its consumption was a big part of any social event. The Egyptians loved wine so much that they imported the vine cuttings of grapes for cultivation and pharaohs were entombed with bottles of wine for their journey to the underworld.

The Egyptians were not the first culture involved in ancient wine making. Ancient Greek poets and historians praised the virtues of wine and it was considered the drink of the upper class and not to be consumed by ordinary citizens. Production of wine spread throughout Europe during the time of the Roman Empire and wine finally became available to the masses.

Monks Perfect the Process

During the Dark Ages, as the Church expanded its monasteries, the production of wine became the art of the monks. They developed some of the best vineyards and wines in Europe and by the time Shakespeare arrived on the scene, wine was very much a staple in the common man’s diet.

People of the Shakespearian age enjoyed drinking wine and discussing its virtues and sins with great enthusiasm. They began to appreciate the subtle varieties in flavor and wine became an important part of art and culture. By the end of Shakespeare’s life, ancient wine making was moving into a new age.

Moving Toward the Future

As cultivation of the grape continued to grow and better methods of storage were developed, wine making became more widespread. Of course with these improvements came a consistent supply of grapes and a growing economic interest in wine making. Wine containers with narrow tops and better seals were designed, that would allow for easier storage and transportation of the wine and soon wine became a very lucrative business. The craft of ancient wine making was slowly moving toward the future.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

A Brief History of Ancient Wine Making

Share This

One of the more important things to keep in mind when you are choosing among apple wine making recipes is the kind of apples you need. Many first time wine makers make the mistake of assuming that if you want a sweet wine you choose a sweet apple. The taste in the wine is just as much a result of the other ingredients and the process as it is the taste of the apple. It is recommended that for any kind of apple wine making recipes you may be using you will need to use a more sour tasting apple to get the real apple flavor. Apple types such as Winesap and McIntosh are great for wine making and so are crab apples. As odd as it may sound to get the most out of your apple wine making recipes then delicious apples should be avoided. Everything has its use in some particular way or another.

What Else Do We Throw In There?

Aside from the usual yeasts, acids, and enzymes needed to make any wine there are other staple ingredients that go into making an apple wine. Water and granulated sugar are very important to apple wine making and you could use upwards of six pounds of sugar for every gallon of water depending on which apple wine making recipes you are using. Raisins are popular is some varieties of apple wine as the flavor offsets with the apples rather nicely. A little bit of lemon is used in some apple wine making recipes. There is a call for cloves, cinnamon, ginger root, and other natural herbs in some recipes. All of these ingredients offset the taste of the apple and gives the wine its unique texture and flavor.

Making your own apple wine can be fun and quite an experience. It is not as easy as it sounds and it does require a lot of trial and error. But once you get your method and process perfected you can sit back and enjoy the results. Apple wine has a very unique taste and when it is done correctly it can be a taste that you may have never experienced before. Most apple wine making recipes that contain other fruits like raisins are worth trying because it is the contrast between the raisin and the apple that creates the flavor. Don

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Different Apple Wine Making Recipes For Different Wines

Share This

Due to most of those making their own beverages, federal and state laws on beer and wine making seldom enter the picture. Most states limit the amount of beverage that can be made for family use is five gallons per year. Some states stipulate that the grapes also have to be grown by the individual making their own wine, but many groups are working to get these laws changed to allow individuals involved in beer and wine making to be able to buy their grapes from any vineyard.

When many people think about beer and wine making they have visions of a still boiling in a remote mountain location, mostly due to movies and television programs depicting the illegal alcohol trade during prohibition. Today’s home brewers cover a wide range of backgrounds and economic classes.

Many Begin To Have Something To Do

Most people who get into beer and wine making do so because a friend or relative has been doing it and they want to try their hand at making their own. Usually, they have thought about it previously and want something to do in the fall and winter, and perhaps have a little spirit of competition and get into beer and wine making to make a better tasting brew than their neighbor.

People initially might start their beer and wine making hobby by buying a kit that typically includes everything needed, including complete, step-by-step instructions to brew their own and have it come out right the first time. As they experiment with recipes and quantities, they will begin to add equipment and materials used in beer and wine making and set up their own personal distillery in their basement or garage,

While the hobby of beer and wine making is continuing to grow, the sale or distribution of these homemade brews is illegal and transporting them to other countries is also covered by United States laws as well as laws in other countries. It is OK to make the brew for personal consumption, within limits, and the interest in beer and wine making continues to grow.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Beer And Wine Making Becoming Favorite Hobby

Share This

There is a rumor within wine making that blueberry wine making is next to impossible because blueberries do not ferment. There is a chemical in blueberries called sorbic acid that many claim cannot bond with yeast to ferment correctly. While this rumor is prevalent in blueberry wine making it is not at all true, and blueberries absolutely have the ability to mix with yeast and ferment the juice into a wine. The process does take longer than some other berries to ferment but in the end the wine that is made is considered one of the best varieties of wine available.

Finding The Right Berry

Blueberries used for blueberry wine making traditionally come in four different kinds. There is the dwarf, the lowbush, the highbush, and the swamp variety of blueberry for blueberry wine making. For the best tasting blueberry wine making you should probably find a variety of lowbush blueberry commonly referred to as vaccinium angustifolium. This variety of blueberry is the most common found in your local store or sold at your farmer

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Very Popular Blueberry Wine Making Information

Share This

Most wines are made from grapes which are essentially water and sugar and tiny amounts of various chemicals. All of these things that make up the grape play a big part in determining the character and quality of the wine.

Sugar and Yeast

The chemistry of making wine involves the breaking down of these sugars by yeast. This forms the alcohol and carbon dioxide. There are a number of factors at this point that affect the finished wine. Sulfur dioxide passes through the grapes and kills any wild yeast. Without this process, yeasts would compete with one another and fermentation would stop.

The chemistry of making wine also involves controlling the pH or acidity of the grape pulp. If the grapes are overly sweet, this means the pH is too high and the wine will have much less flavor. To lower the pH, tartaric acid is added at the beginning of fermentation.

Fermentation is a chemical process that produces heat, and in winemaking this heat must be controlled and temperatures kept as low as possible. Yeast will stop growing as temperatures rise and will actually die at high temperatures. Lower temperatures enhance the color, flavor and clarity of the wine.

Advancement for Good or Profit?

As the chemistry of making wine becomes more advanced and we can look deeper into the makeup of the grape and how all the processes work, there are some interesting theories at work. One being that the regular consumption of wine has beneficial health effects. This could be due to specific chemicals found in the wine that can help combat certain medical conditions. An example of this is an antioxidant found in wine called resveratrol which may help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of Alzheimer

Post from: Simple Wine Making

The Chemistry of Making Wine: Manmade Science or Nature?

Share This

In fruit wine making you not only need the juice of the fruit but you also need the skin and pulp as well. The skin and pulp is referred to as must and every wine needs the correct amount of fruit to ferment properly. Just like sugar there is no wine without fruit skin and pulp. After you have created your mixture of juice and sugar another key ingredient is water. How warm or cold you make the water depends on what you want the yeast to do during fermentation. The whole idea behind water temperature is usually a well-kept secret among wine makers. During fermentation a wine maker has to keep an eye on the yeast being used and many wine makers prefer to remove the natural yeast that many fruits have and put their own yeast combination in to get their own desired results. Fruit wine making is like an art and a science together and people that are very good at it have years of experience.

Which Fruits Do We Use?

Fruit wine making is not limited to just grapes even though grapes are what the average person always associates with fruit wine making. Grapes, among regular wine drinkers, isn

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Different Kinds Of Fruit Wine Making

Share This

Where to Shop

If you are looking to purchase a gravity filter for wine making there are many options available to you. One of the best companies you can go to for a gravity filter for wine making is The Cellar Homebrew Company. Besides wine making supplies they also offer equipment and materials for cider making, brewing, cheese making, and more.

Their best-selling gravity filter is the 27-800 Vinbrite MK-3 Gravity-Feed Wine Filter. This filter is an easy to use wine filter that is used to clarify fruit or grape wines with a minimum of equipment and expense. The pad type filtration used here offers convenience for small quantities of wine.

The High Gravity Company is another great option if you are looking to buy a gravity filter for wine making. They are a fabulous company that offers one of the largest selections of wine making products and equipment in the industry today, and this includes accessories, corkscrews, stemware, wine labels, wine preservation, wine racks, wine equipment, bottle dressing, bottling and racking, conical fermenters, equipment kits, red wine kits, white wine kits, filtering equipment, fruit wine bases, wine additives, wine yeasts and more.

The filter is only one piece of equipment that you are going to require in order to get started in wine making however, and it is important that you have everything you need before you get started so that the process will go smoothly and you will not have to leave your wine and head out to a store to get something that you forgot.

There is also the option of buying a wine making kit, which comes included with all the different pieces of equipment and ingredients that you are going to need to get the ball rolling with your wine making hobby.

Wine making can be a lot of fun, and is something that everyone can learn to do. You can even make some fabulous wine and give it away to your family and friends as gifts.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Shopping for a Gravity Filter for Wine Making

Share This

The history of wine making in California begins in 1759 with a Franciscan missionary named Father Juniperro Serra. Father Serra planted the first California vineyard at the Mission San Diego de Alcala and created eight more missions with associated vineyards before he passed away. For all he did in the history of wine making in California, Father Serra is commonly referred to as the Father Of California Wine. The father part was probably more due to his creation of the industry in California rather than his religious station in life. Either way Father Serra started the history of wine making in California and it grew from there.

So Why Is California Wine So Great?

California wine gets its taste from a combination of the climate and land of California and the grapes native to Europe. That is right, the grape vines used today to make California wine were brought to California from Europe and are not native to California. In 1833 Jean-Louis Vignes is the first documented person to import a European vine to Los Angeles, California thereby starting the influx of European vines into California. It was this notion of bringing in European vines that created the next great person in the history of wine making in California. Agoston Haraszthy was credited with being the person that really brought California wine making to the next level and the work he did is the foundation for the industry.

Throughout the mid-1800

Post from: Simple Wine Making

A Short History Of Wine Making In California

Share This

Different Fruit Juices For Home Wine Making

You might want a citrus wine favor. If so, you can use oranges, apples, grapefruit or gooseberry. If you want something a little less citrus flavored, you might try bananas, cherry, pear, peach, strawberry or grapes. There are people who use dandelions and rhubarb as well as watermelon and ginger root to make wine. Home wine making possibilities are endless when you think about it. You can use any type of fruit that would make a good wine. If you wan to experiment with just about anything, you can do this as well. You do not have to stick with what other people do, you can make your own blend.

Home Wine Making Blends

You make have heard of people who like a specific fruit mixed with another fruit, well this might just make a great wine as well. If you like a can of fruit cocktail, you might try making a fruit cocktail wine. There are some people that mix fruits and the wine is to die for. It has a taste you cannot find with any other wine around. Home wine making opens up new avenues for wine enthusiasts. If you like wine, you will love experimenting with new tastes.

Enjoy your wine as a professional wine taster. When the wine is ready to be opened, try a little taste before taking a few drinks. You want to savor the taste before making a judgment as to how it tastes. Your home wine making skills might have created a extraordinary bottle of wine. You might want to share some with friends to hear their opinions about the taste. A good wine maker always shares to find reviews. Once the reviews are in, you will know whether you have a great wine or maybe a best seller as well.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Home Wine Making Is The Ideal Way To Fine A Taste You Like

Share This

Making Blackberry Wine

If you are interested in making blackberry wine, you are first going to have to get the essential materials and ingredients. This includes campden tables for winemaking, fermentation locks, grape crushers, pectic enzyme for winemaking, hydrometer and testing jar, siphon hoses, wine yeast and yeast nutrients, glass gallon jugs or barrels, and a plastic bucket.

The next step in the process of making blackberry wine involves crushing about four pounds of fruit into the plastic bucket. You then want to add one crushed campden tablet, one teaspoon pectic enzyme, and one gallon of water. Mix this together thoroughly and then let sit for about 24 hours.

Now you want to add about two pounds of sugar to the mixture, brix up to 20 to 21 degrees F, and add one teaspoon of yeast food. Mix thoroughly again, and rehydrate one packet of yeast in warm water and let sit for about ten minutes before adding to juice. Now you want to transfer the juice into glass jugs, filling until they are each about two-thirds full. Attach a fermentation lock to each glass jug, and when sediment settles, which is usually after about a week

Post from: Simple Wine Making

A Guide to Making Blackberry Wine

Share This

Easy As One Two Three

Making watermelon wine is extremely easy in fact, it is one of the easiest wines to make. To begin, make sure that you have all of the winemaking equipment necessary to the winemaking process. Next, gather the ingredients you will need specifically for making watermelon wine. These ingredients are: 1/2 gallon Watermelon Juice, 1 Campden tablet, Water, 1/2 pound sugar, 1/8 tsp Tannin, 1 tsp nutrient, 2 1/2 tsp Acid Blend, and wine yeast.

Begin by cutting the watermelon into quarters and removing the rind as well as all the seeds. Then cut the watermelon into slices. Using a strainer bag, squeeze the juice from the watermelon into a primary fermentor. (Put the strainer bag into a primary fermentor as well.) Add all the remaining ingredients to the primary fermentor at this time, with the exception of the yeast. Stir the mixture, cover, and let it sit for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, remove the cover and add the yeast to the primary fermentor. After three to five days, pour the juice into the secondary fermentor. Squeeze the juice in the strainer bag into the secondary fermentor, and then discard the bag.

After this point, it is safe to continue with the normal fermentation process. Remember that this process takes time and that it is important to have patience. The longer you allow the wine to ferment, the better it will taste. Also remember that your easy-to-make watermelon wine will taste better if you let it age several months after it is bottled.

Fruity Fun

Easy to make watermelon wine is also poplar because the ingredients are easy to acquire. It is a great selection both for someone who is just starting to make their own wine, and for someone who has been doing it for years. Whatever the circumstances, this easy watermelon wine will make a great addition to your evening meal.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Watermelon Winemaking Made Easy

Share This

The practice of growing grapes for winemaking, or viticulture, is considered to be one of the most complicated forms of agricultural. A master vintner must be an expert in a diverse number of areas including the chemistry of soil, the process of fermentation, as well as understanding the effects of weather and climate on the making of grape wine. In grape wine making, it is the focus of the grower to keep the leaf growth minimal, which will allow more sun to reach the grapes. He must also be on the lookout for insects and disease.

When Fertile Soil Isn’t a Good Thing

While most other crops require a fertile soil, this is not the case with grapes that will actually produce a more desirable crop with thinner and somewhat rocky soil. The end results are fewer grapes but a fruit of higher quality and one perfect for making grape wine.

The varieties of grapes that are planted in an area depend upon what is called the terroir. This is a French term which literally means terrain, but is used in the wine industry to mean the way the wine expresses the qualities of a region, from climate and soil to its very traditions.

Many areas in the United States are involved in making grape wine, along with a number of other countries including Chile and France but the major wine producer in the U.S. is California which produces between 80 and 90 percent of the wines made in this country.

Name That Grape

Generally, the type of grape used to make a specific wine will give that wine its name, such as Chardonnay or Zinfandel which are both varieties of grapes as well as the wines made from them. Some wines are the product of the blending of grape varieties and this technique is used to produce unique flavors.

Once the grapes are grown and the wine is made, it then comes down to the business of selling the product and making grape wine is a very big industry. While France is the biggest exporter of wine with Italy running a close second, the U.S. makes an impressive showing with recent sales figures of over $20 billion.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

The Art and Science of Making Grape Wine

Share This

Why Make Wine?

Many people wonder why they should go through the trouble of making wine when they have the ability to purchase it from the store already made. Yet, the answer is quite clear. More so than with other fruits, using grapes to make wine provides the maker with the ability to create wines with a remarkable flavor, body, and character.

That said making home made grape wine also saves the maker lots of money. Because the quality of homemade grape wine is just as good, if not better, than store bought grape wine, it only makes sense that you make your own at home!

Finally, making homemade grape wine is the beginning of a fun and rewarding hobby. Winemaking of any sort is a great activity, and the results are a gift that you can enjoy yourself or give away to family and friends.

Classified—Choosing Grapes For Your Wine

The first step to making homemade grape wine is selecting the type of grape you would like to use. There are three main types of grapes: native wild grapes, native wine grapes, and European wine grapes. The different types of grapes are used to make different types of wines.

Native wild grapes are very sharp tasting, and they contain less sugar than other grapes. These grapes include the Muscadine (Scuppernong), Fox and Frost grapes. Native wine grapes, which encompass Concord, Catawba, Niagara and Delaware grapes, are still sharp tasting but have more sugar than native wild grapes.

Finally, European wine grapes include Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Pinot Chardonnay. These grapes, unlike the other two groups, are not native to the American continent and were brought over from Europe. These grapes are rarely sharp in flavor and they have a very high sugar content.

Depending On Decisions

The grape that you choose when making homemade grape wine determines a lot about the rest of the process. Thus, it is the initial decisions—deciding to make grape wine, and what grapes to use—that are the most important ones of all and that will define your experience.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Do It Yourself Grape Wine

Share This

Depending on the type of wine being made, with grapes being the most common fruit used in making homemade wine, the fruit has to be closely inspected to ensure the tastes of the wine and using a hydrometer can predict how sweet the wine will be. The hydrometer is used to measure how much sugar is in the most that is the initial juice squeezed from the grapes. The stems and seeds have to be removed before placing the most in the first fermentation container to avoid bitterness and harsh tastes.

It is always best to have all the ingredients and equipment necessary for making homemade wine on hand and ready to go before starting. The types of grapes used, as well as the color will determine the appearance and flavor of the finished wine.

Starting Scratch Or Using Commercial Kit

Nearly every person with experience making homemade wine has their own recipe they use, based on time-tested wines made in the past. However, for who are new to the process of making homemade wine, kits are available to improve the odds of producing a quality product the first time out of the blocks. Following the initial attempts, recipes can be adjusted to meet the tastes of the winemaker.

One word of caution when making homemade wine is that all equipment needs to be clean and sanitized before starting the wine making process. With the low price of corks, once they have been removed from last year

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Making Homemade Wine Turns Into Big Business

Share This

Choosing the Right Juice

An important thing to remember when making homemade wine from juice is that wines are usually named after the grapes they are made from and the same applies when making homemade wine from juice. If you want to make a red wine, look for names like Merlot, Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon. For white wines you will want Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling.

Most of the juices used in making homemade wine come in five gallon pails and have already been sulphanated for sterilization and have the yeast added. Once you get the juice home, open it and smell and taste the juice. It should have a slightly wine-like scent with a very mild champagne flavor. This tells you that fermentation is underway.

Turning Juice into Wine

At this point you can transfer the juice to sterilized, five gallon carboys, leaving about three inches of headroom at the top. Put the air trap in place and leave it for about a month. The plastic pail also works great for primary fermentation when you are making homemade wine from juice. Make certain that there is room for expansion so it doesn’t overflow. Open the pail once a day for about a week and stir the juice with a plastic spoon or clean ladle. Replace the lid, making sure it’s not too tight, allowing the gases to escape. After the fermentation has slowed, you can then transfer the juice to the carboys and place the air traps.

Fruits of Your Labor

About a month later you should see sediment in the bottom of the carboys. You can rack the wine to a second sterilized carboy, being careful not to disturb or transfer the sediment. This can cause an off flavor in your wine. Rack again in three months and every three months there after until finished. When fermentation stops the wine is ready. You can drink the wine at this time but if you plan to bottle it, be sure to filter it first.

Making homemade wine from juice is such an easy way to get started in the hobby of winemaking. After your first attempt it will be easy to try other varieties of juices as well as experimenting with your own blends. The end product is something that you can share with your friends or give as a gift and you can have the pride of knowing you made it yourself.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Easy Steps in Making Homemade Wine from Juice

Share This

The grapes remain frozen until they are crushed and instead of juice, the squeezing are ice crystals high in sugar with a good level of natural acid. Typical wine grapes will have a sugar content reading of between 20 and 22 brix, but when making ice wine the sugar level will be about 35 brix. This unit of measurement indicates the amount of sucrose in the liquid from the grapes. A reading of 35 indicates a sucrose content of 35 grams and 65 grams of liquid.

Due to the high sugar content when making ice wine the fermentation process is usually longer, three months or more, resulting in higher production costs for this wine. It also results in a very sweet wine and typically not made with high acid, low sugar grapes. Typically, white grapes are used, but red wild wine and some of the European wine grapes are utilized for making ice wine.

Basic Processes Remain The Same

When making ice wine, once the grapes have been crushed, the process of making wine remains very similar to the traditional wine making method. One the grapes have been crushed, the acid and sugar content is tested and adjusted as needed. However, knowing the sucrose content of the frozen grapes is going to be higher to begin with, it is rare that it will be diluted.

Due to the process of making ice wine, very few people have attempted to make it at home. The temperature controls and equipment needed to crush frozen grapes is different that crushing other grapes. Additionally, not many home winemakers are going to want to hit the vines at daybreak on a frozen day to pick their grapes and crush them the same day.

This beverage was, as many good things, was discovered by accident, following an early freeze in Germany. Vineyard owners had to decide whether to try to make wine from the frozen grapes or simply throw them away. After the first year of trying making ice wine has turned in a business from those first few bottles produced as an experiment.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Making Ice Wine Can Be A Cold Business

Share This

Peach wine is good for general health and making peach wine at home is an easy but wonderful hobby. In practice, peaches generally contain a very little character and a second ingredient is mandatory for giving it a delicious shape. Here is a recipe for making peach wine that uses raisins in it.

Peach With Raisins Wine

The first step for making peach wine is to select good and fresh peaches. Thoroughly wash 3 lbs of ripe peaches in cool water. You do not need to peel the peaches. Cut them into thin pieces and throw the stones aside. Now mash the peaches and mix ½ cup chopped raisins into the mix. Take 1 qt of boiled water and add 1 lb of sugar and stir it carefully to dissolve. Wrap it with disinfected cloth and let it sit until it comes to room temperature. Now mix cool water to make it equal to one gallon.

After that, add the juice of one large lemon and one crushed campden tablet into the mixture and let it sit for the next 12 hours. Now add ½ tsp peptic enzyme and set aside for another 12 hours. Mix 1 tsp yeast nutrient and blend it thoroughly. Now ferment the solution for next three to four days and stir it twice daily. Now pour all the mixture into a nylon-straining bag and squeeze it tightly so that the maximum amount of juice can be extracted.

Now it is the time to add more sugar to the solution. This is a crucial phase in making peach wine. The sugar not only gives the additional flavor, but it helps in further fermentation. Add ½ lb sugar into the mixture and stir well to dissolve it. Now move the mixture into secondary fermenter and make it airtight. After that the fermentation slows down and terminates.

Now, you are on your final phase of making peach wine. Within the next two weeks, you need to stir it for the final time and put it into bottles. If possible, age it for six months to one year to give it an aged flavor.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

An Exclusive Recipe For Making Peach Wine

Share This

Making Pear Wine With Raisins

For the non-Mead type pear wine you are going to need some basic ingredients. All of the ingredients for this version of making pear wine are based on one gallon of water, so you should count on using these quantities when you start making pear wine and do not change them. You are going to need one gallon of water, five pounds of very ripe pears, one pound of raisins, two pounds of sugar, a package of yeast and a teaspoon of yeast nutrient, and a combination of enzymes and acids that vary from recipe to recipe.

Boil the water and then pour the boiling water over the fruit that has been treated with the enzymes and acids. This is where any recipe gets personal and all of them vary when it comes to the actual fermenting and cooling of the wine. You will have to experiment to find the combination that works for you.

Using The Mead Method

Mead is basically the same as the raisin pear wine except instead of sugar and raisins you use honey. Mead has a tendency to be a little thicker than raisin pear wine so before you start making pear wine you may want to decide if you want a thick wine or a more flowing wine. Apply the same cooking principles and you have it! Making pear wine can take years to get right but it can also be fun in the process.

Just as the ancient Romans used to do, you too can start making pear wine. All you need are the ingredients, the know-how and the time to work through the different issues that come up when making any wine. It can be a lot of fun and it can also be rewarding but just make sure it’s legal where you live!

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Some Tips On Making Pear Wine

Share This

Basic Plum Wine

This is a pretty good recipe and one can use any variety of plums while making plum wine at home following this wonderful recipe. The plums must be good, fresh and ripe but not rotten. Take three and one-half quarts of water, add two pounds of sugar and boil them together in a large pot. Instead of sugar, you can substitute the same amount of honey.

Take either four pounds ripe sweet plums or three pounds wild plums. Wash them thoroughly and cut them into small pieces. Put the pieces into a straining bag in the bed of primary fermenter and crush. Now pour the boiled sugar water onto the crushed fruit and top it up to the one-gallon mark. The mixture must now be cooled down. After cooling, add five teaspoons acid blend if you are not using wild plums, one-eighth teaspoon of tannin, one teaspoon of yeast nutrient and one campden tablet. Now cover it to in an airtight container.

After twelve hours, add one-half teaspoon peptic enzyme. Following a day later, add Montrachet yeast and mix it thoroughly. Take out the straining bag after one week. When it is totally fermented, soothe it with a campden tablet, then bottle it and age it for six to twelve months.

Plum With Elderflower Infusion

This is an early summer wine recipe. Take two four-liter tubs of ice-covered Victoria plums and wash them thoroughly. While they are ice-covered, it is very easy to crush them by using your hand. Now mix one pound of sugar into the fruit to bring up to one and on-half gallons by adding boiling water to the mix. The boiled water needs to be hot enough to be sterilizing.

Now blend the elderflower infusion with the juice and cool it for few hours. Add twenty-four grams of Young’s peptic enzyme along with two campden tablets. Add an additional one-pound of sugar after two days as it accelerates the fermentation process. Within the next couple of days the fermentation process will be slower. At this time, another one pound of sugar can be added to make a 12.5% alcohol wine.

When fermentation is fully stopped, rack it nicely for next few months. If it is racked for one year, it will turn out to a clear, proper pale yellow color. You are now to the finishing line of making plum wine. You can bottle it after another six to twelve months and then drink it young.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Recipe For Making Plum Wine

Share This

Portugal Parentage

The making of port wine began in Portugal in the mid fifteenth century. It originated in the northern Douro Valley. However, after the Methuen Treaty of 1703, the port wine making process was introduced to England, where it has been popular ever since.

Practice And Patience

Making port wine is a lengthy process, and it takes practice to get it right. To begin, grapes are picked, smashed, and placed in a machine which chops them into miniscule pieces. The grapes remain in the machine for twenty-four hours, where they begin the fermentation process.

Fermentation must be stopped after half of the grapes’ sugar has gone through the process. This is done using a mixture of wine and clear brandy, which kills the yeast in the wine, thus ending the fermentation process. The resulting port wine is sweet, and only about twenty percent alcohol.

Distinctive Styles

There are many different styles of port wine; they fall into two main categories that are related to the two different port winemaking processes. These two categories are Cask aged and Bottle aged—making this one simple change results in different flavors and characters. Some of the different styles of port wine include: White Port, Aged Tawny Port, Vintage Character Port, Young Tawny Port, Single Quinta Vintage Port, Vintage Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port, Traditional Late Bottled Vintage Port, Ruby Port, Crusted Port, and Garrafeira Port.

Popular Picks

Regardless of the many different styles of port wine, there are a few that remain popular among wine lovers. Such wines include: Smith Woodhouse Vintage Character Port, W. & J. Graham’s Tawny Port, Taylor Fladgate Tawny Port, Niepoort Vintage Port, Quinta do Infantado Single Quinta Vintage Port, and Adriano Ramos-Pinto Late Bottled Vintage Port. These wines are classic selections and have a universal and lasting appeal.

Worth Your While

Though making port wine is more difficult and time consuming than other types, making it is still time worth spent. In the end, the quality of the result will exceed your expectations.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Making Port Wine Requires Persuasion

Share This

Vinegar making at home is not only a rewarding experience in terms of its outstanding value and excellent quality, but the process is very simple and fun. This article sheds light on some useful guidelines for making red wine vinegar.

Basic Principles

Vinegar is prepared simply by the oxidation of alcohol. In fact, vinegar can be produced from any alcohol-based substance. It is processed using a gradual technique from wine, beer, cider, and many other alcohol rich consumables. The process of making vinegar from red wine is very slow and it can be adapted to a small-scale size production. In fact the weaker the alcohol level, the better it is for fermentation. The higher the alcohol intensity of the wine the more it decelerates the speed of the fermentation process.

Prerequisites For Making Red Wine Vinegar

Typically, red wine contains nearly 14% alcohol. In general, wine vinegar consists of citric acid, tartaric acid and small amount acetic acid. While preparing the vinegar, the processing temperature should be maintained around 74 to 86°F, in fact, the lower the temperature the slower the fermentation process. The best choice is to put the solution into a black-painted cask. It can help absorb heat even when the outside temperature is low. After making the red wine vinegar, you need to freeze it and take out the floe, which is formed over the surface. This helps to make the vinegar stronger.

Discoloration Of Red Wine Vinegar

If you like to lighten the color of red wine vinegar, add forty-five grams of bone-charcoal to a liter of cold red wine and store in a glass vessel. Shake the solution frequently. You can see that the color disappears within two to three days. If the procedure is implemented for larger production, you will need to put the charcoal inside the cask of vinegar and stir it at regular interval.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

A New Testament For Making Red Wine Vinegar

Share This

Those considering making wine with grapes will need two important pieces of equipment, neither of which is excessively expensive. A pH testing kit will be needed to determine how much acid is in the juice from the grapes and a hydrometer will be needed to determine sugar content. The idea hydrometer will also have a relative alcohol content meter to show how much alcohol is in the juice. Most shoot for an alcohol content between nine and 12 percent.

The acid level should be adjusted before testing the sugar level. If using litmus paper, the acid level target is between 3.8 and 3.4, keeping in mind that the lower the number the higher the acid content. When making wine with grapes, there are fruit acids available to help increase the amount of acid, if it is too high, a mixture of four cups of sugar in a gallon of water can be used before fermentation. The amount of acid in the wine not affects its taste, but also affects the fermentation process.

Checking Sugar Content For Sweetness

The type of grapes being used will greatly affect the acid and sugar content. Native wild grapes, used in making wine with grapes such as muscadine are higher in acid and lower in sugar. Native wine grapes such as concord, Catawba and Niagara are also high in acid but also have higher sugar. European fruit used when making wine with grapes, such as merlot, Cabernet and Pinot Noir are typically high in natural sugar content and low in acid, rarely needing dilution to reduce acid content.

If the sugar level is low, adding more sugar will obviously make a difference, and how much acid it contains can help decide to use pure sugar or mixing it with water prior to adding it to the juice. When making wine with grapes and the acid is too high after fermentation, plain water can be used to reduce the acid content. Many kits sold for making wine with grapes will also include an acid reducer to be used instead of water.

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Making Wine From Grapes Requires Acid, Sugar Readings

Share This

A Recipe for Success

This recipe for making wine from lemons is fairly simple. You will need 24 lemons, 6 lbs of granulated sugar, about 3 gallons of water, ½ tsp. each of grape tannin and pectic enzyme, 3 tsp of yeast nutrient, Campden tablets and wine yeast.

Boil approximately a gallon of the water and dissolve the sugar in it. Wash and peel the lemons making sure all the bitter white pith is removed. Then cut the lemons into halves and squeezed to extract the juice. This can be done with an electric juicer or by hand catching the seeds by using a sieve or small tea strainer. Remove the white pith from the peel and tie the remaining zest in a little bouquet garni or a nylon straining bag so it can easily be removed later. When making wine from lemons or any other fruits, you don’t want bits and pieces of something floating around in your wine

Put juice, pulp and zest in the primary container and add the boiled sugar water, as well as the rest of the water. Then add the tannin, pectic enzyme and yeast nutrient. You can add crushed Campden tablets at this time if necessary. At what point you add your yeast when making wine from lemons will depend on whether you use Campden or not.

The Lemony Results

When making wine from lemons, it can take some time to get the fermentation process started, but once it does, the specific gravity should drop rather quickly. Wait until your specific gravity reaches about 1.04, then add 16 oz of diluted sugar water to raise the specific gravity to 1.055 and wait for it to drop to 1.04 again at which time you can move your wine to the secondary container and fit with the airlock. Rack as normal about every 30 days and in about 4 months when the specific gravity has dropped to .990, you will have lemon wine!

Post from: Simple Wine Making

Making Wine from Lemons: When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Wine!

Share This