What the For wine of 10% by For wine of 12% by
saccharometer shows volume, add volume, add
Ounces of sugar per gallon
10 11.8 16.2
11 10.1 14.8
12 8.9 13.3
13 7.4 11.9
14 5.9 10.4
15 4.6 8.9
16 3.0 7.5
17 1.5 6.0
18 4.3
19 2.9
20 1.4
_Note_: The result is not precise, yield of alcohol varying under the
conditions of fermentation.--
Adapted from _Grapes Into Wine_ by Philip M. Wagner.
In using non-California grapes, you need to test the sugar content in
advance. That is done by a simple little instrument called a
saccharometer, obtainable at any winemakers' shop. This is floated in a
sample of the juice, and a direct reading of sugar content is taken from
the scale. The correct amount of sugar to add, in ounces per gallon of
juice, is then determined by reference to the sugar table.
[Illustration: Saccharometer and hydrometer jar. Instrument floats
at zero in plain water. It floats higher according to sugar content
of grape juice.]
If _total acidity_, or tartness, is too high and not corrected, the
resulting wine will be too tart to be agreeable. Again, California
grapes are usually within a satisfactory range of total acidity. Grapes
grown elsewhere are often too tart, and acidity of the juice should be
reduced.
In commercial winemaking this is done with precision.
The home winemaker rarely makes the chemical test for total acidity but
uses a rule of thumb. He corrects the assumed excess of acidity with a
sugar solution consisting of 2 pounds of sugar to 1 gallon of
water--adding 1 gallon of the sugar solution for every estimated 4
gallons of juice. This sugar solution is in addition to the sugar
required to adjust sugar content of the juice itself.
In estimating the quantity of juice, another practical rule is that 1
full bushel of grapes will yield approximately 4 gallons. The winemaker
therefore corrects with 1 gallon of sugar solution for each full bushel
of crushed grapes.
The pigment of grapes is lodged almost entirely in the skins. It is
during fermentation "on the skins" that the pigment is extracted and
gives red wine its color.
_How to proceed._ Crush the grapes directly into your fermenter (a clean
open barrel, plastic tub or large crock, never metal). Small hand
crushers are available, but the grapes may be crushed as effectively by
foot--wearing a clean rubber boot. Then remove a portion of the stems,
which may otherwise give too much astringency to the wine.
Low-acid California grapes are quite vulnerable to bacterial spoilage
during fermentation. To prevent spoilage and assure clean fermentation,
dissolve a bit of potassium metabisulfite (known as "meta" and available
at all winemakers' shops) and mix it into the crushed mass. Use ¼ ounce
(1/3 of a teaspoonful) per 100 pounds of grapes.
[Illustration: Kevin Hayes
A hand-crank grape crusher.]
Also use a yeast "starter". This comes as a 5 gram envelope of
dehydrated wine yeast, also obtainable at winemakers' shops. To prepare
the starter, empty the granules of yeast into a shallow cup and add a
few ounces of warm water. When all the water is taken up, bring it to
the consistency of cream by adding a bit more water. Let stand for an
hour, then mix it into the crushed grapes.
After the meta and yeast are added, cover the fermenter with cloth or
plastic sheeting to keep out dust and fruit flies, and wait for
fermentation.
If non-California grapes are used, test and make the proper correction
for sugar content. Then correct the total acidity by adding sugar
solution as described earlier. In using non-California grapes, it is
desirable, but not necessary at this point, to add a dose of meta. A
yeast starter is advisable.
As fermentation begins, the solid matter of the grapes will rise to form
a "cap". Push this down and mix with the juice twice a day during
fermentation, always replacing the cover.
When fermentation begins to subside and the juice has lost most of its
sweetness, it is time to separate the turbid, yeasty and rough-tasting
new wine from the solid matter. For this purpose a press is necessary,
preferably a small basket press though substitutes can be devised.
Be ready with clean storage containers for the new wine, several plastic
buckets, and a plastic funnel. The best storage containers for home
winemaking are 5-gallon glass bottles or small fiberglass tanks.
Beware of small casks and barrels for several reasons. They are usually
leaky. They are sources of infection and off-odors that spoil more
homemade wine than any other one thing. And there is frequently not
enough new wine to fill and keep them full. Wine containers must be kept
full; otherwise the wine quickly spoils. Using glass containers, you can
see what you are doing.
With the equipment assembled, simply bail the mixture of juice and solid
matter into the press basket. The press basket serves as a drain, most
of the new wine gushing into the waiting buckets and being poured from
them into the containers. When the mass has yielded all its "free run",
press the remainder for what it still contains.
Fill the containers _full_, right into the neck. Since fermentation will
continue for awhile longer, use a stopper with a fermentation "bubbler"
which lets the gas out but does not let air in. When the bubbler stops
bubbling and there are no further signs of fermentation, replace it with
a rubber stopper or a cork wrapped in waxed paper.
[Illustration: Fermentation bubbler fitted to jar. Left, water is
poured in to level shown. Right, position of water immediately
before a gas bubble passes through.]
Store the wine for several weeks at a temperature of around 60° F.
Suspended matter in the wine will begin to settle, and at this
temperature certain desirable reactions continue to take place in the
wine itself.
At the end of this period, siphon the wine from its sediment, with a
plastic or rubber tube, into clean containers. At the same time dissolve
and add a bit of the meta already referred to at the rate of ¼ level
teaspoon per 5 gallons of wine. This will protect against off odors and
spoilage but does not otherwise affect the wine.