Wine Making Tips

Making fruit wines? Don't use your blender! - Avoid using a blender to crush the fruit or berries required in fruit wine recipes. A blender will crush the seeds and can add a bitter taste to your wine. It is best to use a potato masher or a heavy bottle (e.g. wine bottle) to do the job.  So avoid the blender and make better not "bitter" wine.

You may think the temperature in your room is well within the desired range for your brew; however, be careful where you place your carboy in that room. I was reading a comment from a brewer on the internet in which he stated he used to keep his carboys in room next to the wall. Little did he know that cold air was coming through the wall via an electrical outlet. The brew was 10° cooler than the room. An easy way to keep a check of the temperature of your brew is with a stick-on thermometer. It is a plastic adhesive strip, which is stuck on the outside of the fermenter. It gives the temperature reading the instant it touches the side of the fermenter. It is inexpensive and easy to read.

The first racking will have a lot of sediment. Aeration of the wine as it goes into the carboy will be helpful at this stage. The second and subsequent rackings will have little or no sediment, and care must be taken not to let the brew oxidize from too much aeration.

Adding one or two aged bottles of wine to a new batch will hasten quality aging.

Removing harshness in new wines: The astringent/harsh taste which can be present in new wines can be reduced by adding 20 ml of glycerin at the bottling stage when aging is not possible.

Corks: Should be soaked in a mild solution of sulphite. You should never boil corks as it will cause them to break apart. Discard any left over corks which have been soaked.

Trying to filter unclear wine is the most common cause of leaking and spraying filters.

The absolute most important thing to remember when filtering is to keep away from the sediment. It does not matter what kind of filter system you have, they can not work miracles. You can take a very clear wine and start filtering, but if you have picked up sediment off the bottom, you will plug the pads within the first gallon.

Bottles should be cleaned/sterilized and rinsed well. The use of a bottle washer, sulphiter and bottle drainer will be helpful at this time.

Winemakers who dislike swallowing must, risking the chance of bacteria infection by sucking on the siphon hose at the beginning of the racking process can use the Auto-Siphon. This instrument works well and is highly appreciated by many home brewer