Red Grapes to Wine  

 Fall Bright, The Winemakers Shoppe

Carmine

            May your wines fall bright!  

When making red wine from whole grapes, allow about
twelve to thirteen pounds of grapes to yield one gallon.

  Basic info:

  Recommended initial TA is .7 to .85  See Acid testing

  General conversion of sugar to alcohol is approximately 
  58% (0.575%).

  Initial sugar or brix should be 21 to23%.  See Sugar adjustment by calculation or chart. 

  Potassium Metabisulfite  is a form of SO2 and added initially it will inhibit the yeast but not kill it.  It may take a day or two to get started.  Follow instructions on the product label, which is 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per 5 gallons.  If you over-dose, the cure is time, waiting, patience.  
   Campden tablets may be sodium metabisulfite or potassium metabisulfite.  They are used at the rate of 1 or 2 tablets per gallon delivering 75 PPM per tablet per gallon.  They can be strong.  We have seen some tablets rated at 120 PPM per tablet.   Hopefully the strength is on the label. 

 

    

The grapes need to be destemmed and crushed.  If your grapes are just crushed and all the stems are fermented with the must, one will end up with a very high tannin wine.  You may use our crusher-destemming machine for this task for a modest fee or free if your buy our grapes.  You will need an appropriate container, such as an open top fermenter.  Your "must" (crushed grape)  need not be totally stem free!  Don't worry if there are up to 25% of the stems.  

Add potassium metabisulfite at the rate of 1/8 teaspoon per 30 pounds of fresh grapes.  

After the grapes are crushed take a hydrometer reading of the fresh juice to determine the sugar percentage or brix (^o).  Adjust the sugar to 21⁰ or 22⁰ brix.  See: How to read a Hydrometer and Adjust the Brix.

Re-hydrate the yeast and add to room temperature grapes (“must”).  This is a good time to  add wood chips  to soften tannins.  Ferment 1-2 weeks.  Every day during fermentation you have to push the skins down as they float and form a cap.  This blends the skins with the resulting alcohol, which extracts the color and flavors from the skins into the wine.  Pressing prematurely before there is adequate alcohol to extract color, may result in a light red even though you fermented on the skins.  The usual time frame for skin fermentation is about 10-14 days. 

On the last day, leave the cap in place, siphon the juice from underneath via racking rod and siphon hose into a clean carboy, press the skins, adjust sulfite levels and continue the fermentation (secondary and much slower) in glass.  Top up the carboy as much as whatever fermenting activity will allow (within 1 inch of the bung).  The primary fermentation has finished, so there probably will not be much activity.  Wines fermented with Cotes des Blanc and the Lalvin yeast may be topped up sooner due to the low foaming nature of these yeast.  Ferment 1 to 2 months more. 

Rack when bubbling has ceased or has become very slow and a definite line of sediment (lees) shows.  Sulfite and fine as necessary.  Top up the new vessel with a compatible wine to within 1 inch of the stopper.  We do not recommend topping up with water.  Water will throw off the acid structure and change the brix or residual sugar.  

Steve Shanker, one of our favorite (award winning) winemakers, has a neat site regarding making wine from red grapes. He has a lesson on making wine from grapes.  Check it out.  You must be connected to go here. 

Pictures complements of Steve Shanker
Steve Shanker's Winemaking Lesson site,   You'll need a internet connection to go here.