Posted on 07 May 2012. Tags: berries, Bread yeast, elderberry wine, Wine Yeast, Winemaking Process
It is not an absolute necessity that wine should be made from grapes in order to become the fermented and tasty brews that they are. A number of things that can also be sought out in order to make wine include berries, herbs, spices and some fruits and even vegetables. Before people start to look for these different things which can be used to make wine, you should think of the yeast that is going to be used in the process. The most preferable kind of yeast is usually wine yeast as opposed to bread yeast. A number of people and most especially those who are into winemaking, tend to think that all kinds of yeast are the same thing but they aren’t. Bread yeast only gives rise to a wine that has an alcohol level of at least fourteen percent and it will result in a cloudy wine as well. Wine yeast tends to result in wine with a higher alcohol level of seventeen percent and it leaves its sediments at the bottom of the wine which make it easy to clear out the cloudiness. Wine yeast tends to be sold in packages which are specifically measured out to be used in the winemaking process.
With this important consideration in the making of wine clarified, all you have to do is to choose whatever you want to make your wine with. If you have berries, an elderberry wine can be made or the wine can be made from other berries such as blackberries, strawberries, blueberries or any other berry which you find interesting. Another thing that you will need to do is to pour boiling water over the berries and allow them to remain for at least a period of twenty four hours. Berries must also be strained through something which allows the juice to get past everything. After all you don’t want impurities such as the skin, pits or stems getting into your wine. As soon as you have measured how much juice that you ended with, you should then add about three pounds of sugar per gallon of juice and boil for at least an hour on low heat. You should allow it to then cool down but only to a warm level. From then on it should be placed in a fermenting container and allowed to remain for at least two weeks. In order to contribute to the fermenting process you can also add spices or brandy in it before it is covered up. After this your wine should be allowed to age for a period of at least six months.
A quick herb wine is possible to make quite easily from the following recipe. All you have to do is select the particular herb that you want to use, some of the common choices include: lavender, cloves, lemon and sage. After this is done you should get a wine which is either one that you have made yourself or bought elsewhere, but it should be a wine which accents the herb well. After the herb has been chopped up properly, it should be left in large pieces and put it together with a pint of wine and left for a period of two weeks. After this period has been completed, the herb should be strained out from the wine and wine should be put into bottles, this will result in home made herb wine.
Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for >CaffeineZone.com>, >MyLowCarbPages.com>, and >HomemadeWine.com.
Posted in Winemaking Tips
Posted on 04 December 2010. Tags: Acheivment, Achievments, BENEFIT, Benefit Friends, berries, Big Hassle, Brandy Wine, Cherry Brandy, Claret, cork, Envy, grapes, Homemade Wine, Making, Orange Wine, Peach Wine, Rhubarb, Sloe Gin, Stalks, Tution, Vermouth, Wine, Wines, Your

Ever thought what benefits you can reap by making your own homemade wine?
Making wine is an art that is thousands of years old and the process has been handed down by generations. In this modern age we can make our own wine with the right tution.
We will explain how this can be done very easily with house hold items that you have in your own kitchen
#1 BENEFIT Make Wine from other Fruits rather than Grapes
Why would we make our own wine rather than buying. It might seem to be a big hassle when we could just take a walk to the super market and buy a bottle. I will tell you it is all in the process of getting started,doing something different,something you have never tackled before. Most of the wine we buy is made of grapes. If you can think of some of the wines and liquers you can make from all the berries and fruits that are around you, even Orange wine, Peach wine, just to mention a few. Can you imagine tasting some of them thet you made yourself.
#2 BENEFIT Fine Acheivment
That would be such a fine acheivment, to make something worthwhile out of some fruit you picked this morning, Like the 6 or 7 stalks of rhubarb from the corner. And now you can taste your own wine that you have nurtured. You can be proud that you have made wine by your own hand through all the processes till you can pull the cork and pour it in the glass.
#3 BENEFIT A New Hobby
It might just be for a hobby you start to make your own wine ,”Good on You” because once you get hooked you will be making more and more wine and liquers. There is actually no end of what you an make. I have got here recipes for Vermouth, Cherry Brandy wine, Sloe Gin wine, Red Curacao wine, Tangerine wine, Loganberry wine, Elderberry Claret, just to metion a few.
#4 BENEFIT Friends are Envious of Your Achievments
When you have a party and have freinds round you will be popular not to mention the envy. You will give them something to talk about to their neighbors and freinds. All the different wines that you make by your own hands, you can be proud.
#5 BENEFIT A Stock of wine You can be Proud Of
Imagine a year from now how many different bottles of wine you could have made, The loft will be full. A good idea is to put 2 bottles away out of each batch that you have made and by the end of the year you will have a great selection of your own wines. By doing this as well you are letting it mature and will taste a lot better.
#6 BENEFIT No Need to buy Wine Again
And think about that, you will never have to buy another bottle of wine again as you will have you own wine cellar to pick and choose from
Now that you have read through the 6 Benefits to You making you own wine, don’t forget about it, do something about it. Can’t you smell the aroma and taste your own wine with all the different fruits that are a round you. the envy of your friends and the self gratification of the making of your own wine.
Posted in Featured, Winemaking 101
Posted on 14 February 2010. Tags: Alcohol Wine, Aroma, berries, Bit Of Brandy, Cylindrical Container, Different Color, Extent, Ferment, fruit, Fruits, grapes, Grapes Wine, Harvest Season, Main Categories, Process, Right Time, Sediments, Sparkling Wine, Sugar Alcohol, Table Wine, Wine, Wine Grapes, Wine Wine, Yeast Cells
Wine, which is a drink we all know and love, is produced from fruits such as grapes and berries by drying and then fermenting them. Once the fruits ferment, the sugar within the fruit will turn into alcohol. The wine will display a different color, taste, and aroma depending on the type of fruit that it was made from.
Wine is divided into three main categories – fortified, sparkling, and table. Wine is known as fortified when a bit of brandy is added into it to enrich the alcohol. Wine is deemed as sparkling when it has the right level of C02. Table wine, the third category, is wine in it’s natural form – which is different from any other type of wine.
Normally, grapes are the preferred ingredients for making wine. They contain an equal amount of acid and sugar, which can’t be found in any other type of fruit. When drying the grapes, a high amount of heat is needed. To use grapes with wine though, you need to know the exact harvest season. If you don’t pick the grapes during the right time, your wine will suffer due to the level of increases in sugar and a lack of acidic extent.
During the beginning stages of wine making, the grapes or other fruit is crushed by a large cylindrical container that will deflate the juicy parts of the fruit into large bags that are attached to the machine. Next, the juicy part of the fruit is fermented through the use of heat. During this part of the process, present yeast will help to convert the sugar into alcohol. Once the sugars start to break down into alcohol, the wine will get a buttery flavor.
Next, is the settling. Settling involves the yeast cells or any other type of material flowing near the top of the wine. Once it is at the top, it is then filtered with all sediments being gathered on the filter. Aging is next, which is where the wine is tightly packed away in special contains that won’t allow any contact with air for months – sometimes even years. Once the wine has been aged, it is transferred into smaller bottlers then shipped out and sold.
When the wine is bottled, it is done in a way that makes it easy to distinguish the several types of wine. Colored bottles are preferred, as they will greatly reduce the risk of oxidation, damage, and several other possible risks. The bottles are also labeled according to their manufacturer and brand as well, which makes it easy for you to select the wine you are interested in.
Once you have bought a bottle fo wine, you should always make sure you store it in the right place. The most appropriate places to store wine is the basement, underground cellars, or anywhere else that is damp and cool. No matter where you store your wine at, you should always make sure that temperature stays around 55 degrees F.
Never store the wine in an area where the temperature fluctuates, as it can harm the wine. A humidity level of around 60% is also important, in order to keep the cork moist. If the temperature is too low, it can also harm the wine. When you buy your wine, you should always make sure that you store it in the right location. Wine that is properly stored and taken care of can be truly amazing once you drink it – making it more than worth the time and effort.
Posted in Winemaking 101
Posted on 12 February 2010. Tags: Actuality, Art Form, berries, Blackberries, Busy City, Commercial Wineries, Country Wines, Elderflower, Ferment, Flower Petals, flowers, Flowers And Vegetables, Fruits And Vegetables, fun, Good, Grape Juice, grapes, hobby, Home, Home Made Wine, Home Wine Makers, Home Winemaking, Home Wines, juice, Plums, True Art, vegetables, Vintages, Wine Maker, Winemaking

For many people, the art of home wine making is a true art form. Home wine making can be not only satisfying and fun but also a great culinary learning experience for those who want to try their hand at making their own vintages.
You may have heard that the actual word “wine” could be only used to describe grape juice that has been fermented and stored. In actuality, many home wine makers ferment wines of fantastic quality from other fruits; sometimes even using flowers and vegetables in the process as well.
There is a large difference in the price between home wines and wines made by commercial wineries. You can actually make six bottles of wine for the price of one bottle you would normally buy at a spirits store. The main reason home wine making is such a great idea comes from the fact that there is a real satisfaction in creating an enjoyable wine through your own efforts.
Home made wines are called “country wines”, because they use ingredients from tree and plants found in the country. Many fruits are used in the wine making process. Elderberries, sloes, blackberries, loganberries, rosehips, plums and so on are primary ingredients of home-made wine. Surprising as it is, home made wines can also be made out of ordinary plants found in any backyard. Flower petals are also used in home made wine making, the most well-known flower being the elderflower.
For those who live in the center of a busy city or town, home made wine making with these kinds of materials is easy and fun; there are several home winemaking stores which supply wine making equipment, canned and dried ingredients, as well as helpful advice. This is a real benefit and another plus for people who really don’t know how to make wines and just want to make small batches and try their hand at wine making. Its also fascinating for the wine maker, because he or she could add other fruits and vegetables to augment the certain textures, characters and blends to taste for the finished product.
Making wine at home is a fun and creative hobby, that being the most important good idea. It is a hobby which provides extreme satisfaction and one that has very few limitations.
Posted in Featured, Winemaking 101
Posted on 31 January 2010. Tags: Batches, berries, Endeavor, Fine Wine, Fruity Aroma, Grape Concentrate, Grapes Wine, High Quality, Home Brewing, juice, Making, Many Different Ways, Preferred Method, Purchasing, Skins, Stems, Steps, Tannins, True Wine, Wine, Wine Connoisseur, Wine Kit, Winemaking, Yeast
If you are a true wine connoisseur, the next step in appreciating a fine wine may be to make your own wine at home. While the process may seem to be complicated, wine can be made rather easily at home. Before beginning the process of making your own wine at home it is important to understand the basic steps of winemaking.
In order to make wine at home you will need either grape concentrate or grapes. If you have a sufficient growing area, you may choose to grow your own grapes and make wine from that. If you choose to use grape concentrate, keep in mind that you will need to use high quality grape concentrate. This can be purchased online as well as in wine and home brewing stores. In addition, you will need yeast and brewing equipment. If this is your first batch of wine you may wish to consider purchasing a wine kit rather than buying all of your equipment separately. After you have had a chance to experiment with making wine at home and decided whether it is an endeavor you wish to continue you might then begin accumulating various pieces of equipment for brewing larger batches of wine.
There are five to eight basic steps involved in the process of making wine, depending on whether you are using grapes or concentrate. If you are using grapes then the fruit will obviously need to be harvested first. After the grapes have been harvested, you will then need to remove the stems from the grapes. This is an absolutely essential step as very bitter tannins are contained in the stems that can have a heavy influence on the wine.
After the stems have been removed, the skins of the grapes will then need to be broken in order to release the juice from the fruit. There are certainly many different ways in which to do this. Crushing is the preferred method for most winemakers. The degree to which the fruit is crushed will have an impact on the resulting wine. If your goal is to create a wine that has a fruity aroma then you may wish to leave the berries almost completely intact.
The next step is known as the primary fermentation. During this step the yeast cells contained in the wine will feed on the sugars. Alcohol and carbon dioxide is produced as a result. In some cases, you may wish to add additional yeast. This helps to ensure a stable and consistent conversion which may not be the case if you rely solely on the yeast that is found on the fruit itself.
After the primary fermentation, more juice will need to be extracted from the fruit. It should be noted that the juice that is extracted in this step is typically not as high of a quality as the juice that is extracted during the crushing phase. This is because the juice that is obtained during crushing, known as free run juice, has had less contact with the stems and skins. This does not mean that press juice is useless; however. Even large wineries may choose to use press juice in order to increase their yield.
A secondary fermentation occurs after the pressing, at the same time as the wine is aging. As the winemaker, it will be up to you to determine how long the wine should ferment.
Blending is an optional part of the process; however, one which can assist you in creating a highly customized wine. Blending is most commonly used in order to improve two or more batches which may be slightly lacking.
The last step of the process is bottling. The wine is poured into bottles and at times you may wish to add sulfites in order to help end fermentation as well as to preserve the wine. Finally, the bottle of wine is sealed with a cork.
Making wine at home can be a very enjoyable experience. As you learn more about the process of making wine, you will likely gain a more thorough appreciation of wine.
Posted in Winemaking 101