Wine Making Supplies

For the average wine consumer, there is a plethora of intimidation associated with wine buying. This is a feeling that is most often associated with not understanding wine labels. New world wines tend to make it easier - wines bottled in Australia, South America and the United States are often more direct in their presentation of the type of wine and the name of the vineyard.

On the other hand, old world wine labels like those from France, Italy, Spain and Germany carry with them loads of classifications, harvest-types, town names, vineyard titles and producer idiosyncrasies - all in a foreign language. While these labels embody the wonderfully classic aesthetic associated with a good looking wine label, they almost always cause a cocking of the head for the average wine buyer.

In an effort to make the process less of a mess and more fun for those unmoved with the prospect of memorizing a pocket dictionary worth of French, Italian, Spanish and German wine terms, here is a list of the top ten things to look for on a wine label. The first five are things you want to look for, and the last five are items that should raise a flag of caution or don’t mean what you think they should.

1. Cru :

If there’s one term you should learn when looking for a good French wine, it’s Cru. The infamous wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Alsace in France will carry the term Cru somewhere on the label to indicate that the wine is from a town or producer of high quality.

2. Poor Soil / Deprived of Water :

This will be something you read on the back of the wine label if there is a description. Sure - it sounds counter-intuitive, but wine that is grown in poor soil and deprived of water irrigation is actually likely to be of higher quality. Why? Because when a vine is deprived of excess water and nutrients, it will channel more of its energy into ripening the fruit rather than producing bright and vibrant leaves. The result is a higher quality grape harvest.

3. Methode Traditionelle (Traditional Method) :

This applies primarily to sparkling wine made in the United States and Australia. If you see Traditional Method on the label of a new world wine it means that it is made in the same way as traditional Champagne, and will often be less expensive!

4. Vieilles Vignes (Old Vines) :

Similar to the concept of vines grown in poor soil with minimal irrigation, vines that are considered old vines have more concentrated juices. The result is a vine that produces wines with denser, richer flavors. And as the juice is more robust, so usually are the other aspects of the grape, including the tannin and the acidity. A reference to Old vines either on the front or the back label is a positive indication of the wine’s quality. This will be called Vieilles Vignes on French Wines.

5. Estate Bottled :

On a bottle of French wine, you will see this labeled as Mis en Bouteille au Chateau, Mis en Bouteille au Domaine, or Mis en Bouteille au Propriete. The concept of an estate bottled wine is that it was grown, produced and bottled at the same location. There is an inference that the wine maker takes a great deal of pride in all aspects of the wine making process and wants the world to know that he or she oversees every element of the wine’s production. As such, it is typically a reference to higher quality wine.

6. Odd Sounding or Unfamiliar Wine Awards :

This is something that should raise a red flag. Australia notoriously has problems with wine makers placing gold, silver or bronze stickers on their wine labels that boast winning an award at an esoteric wine festival. Until very recently, there was no regulation in place for what type of award was worthy of placing on a wine label. If you do see award-winning stickers, make sure that the event sounds familiar or at least sounds large. You don’t want to end up with a wine that won an award at a bake sale.

7. Flowery Marketing Terms :

Most consumers have no problem identifying marketing adjectives from legitimate inferences to why a product is high-quality. Be wary of terms that a marketer developed while staying up late at the local café in the midst of a brain-storming frenzy. Anything that is trying to sound impressive by using words like exceptional, from wine maker’s personal bin, or limited release is most likely trying to sell the wine based on gimmicks rather than on its quality.

8. Vague Geological References :

High quality wines are usually a reflection of the unique characteristics of the small plot of land on which the grapes were grown. Wine makers will want to highlight this fact by referencing their specific region or town and the vineyard name. Be cautious of wine labels that reference a vague geographical space without getting more specific. South-Eastern Australia is a notorious labeling term you will find on Australian wines, which is about as specific as saying This Wine Was Made on Planet Earth. South-Eastern Australia includes the majority of the country’s wine growing regions. Similarly, a wine that only says California Wine, or French Wine without honing in on towns or more isolated regions should be avoided.

9. Grand Vin :

A Grand Vin term on a French wine label simply refers to the fact that the wine is the primary one produced at that vineyard. It is often confused with Vieilles Vignes (Old Vine), which is a reflection of quality. Grand Vin is a neutral term that will give you little indication either way.

10. Superieur :

This labeling term causes confusion similar to Grand Vine listed above. It sounds cool but all it really refers to is the fact that a French or an Italian wine has a higher alcohol content than what it is traditionally known for.

The art of understanding the wine label can be the journey of a lifetime, but there’s no reason why the average consumer can’t get a leg up by understanding some of the key items to recognize. The most important thing is to have a sense of adventure and continue to explore new wines. Taste them and see how the label reflects what you like (or don’t like) about the wine. If it was flat and watery, were there gimmicky marketing terms that were used in the description? If it was full, balanced and complex, did it have a reference to Old Vines? The terms listed here will help equally with choosing wine off of a menu at a restaurant as buying a bottle in a store. Listen closely to the waiter or sommelier’s description. You never know what gems you can find by simply being aware of the terms listed here!

Until the early 20th century, most wine drinkers produced their own wines at home out of necessity; the average bottle of commercial wine could cost up to a month’s wages for a farmer or factory hand.As can be imagined, the quality of these homemade wines was uneven and the alcohol content sometimes greater than would be expected.

In the last thirty years, however, the task of home winemaking has become easier and results more predictable.

Nearly every good-sized city in North America and Western Europe has at least one shop catering to home brewers and winemakers. Kits make it possible to produce decent table wine at a fraction of the cost of the cheapest wine in the liquor store.

Making wine at home isn’t necessarily easy. There’s a lot of work involved, especially in cleaning and sanitizing, but the sense of accomplishment the winemaker can get from producing 30 bottles of extremely drinkable white wine for less than $2 a bottle cannot be understated.

Wine making Equipment

Although one could theoretically make wine with nothing more than grapes, a big barrel and some young maidens to stomp the grapes, most winemakers find the following equipment necessary to produce decent wine on a predictable basis:

•  A 30-liter or larger food-grade plastic container (similar in shape to a garbage can) with a non-airtight lid and a mark at the 23-liter point
• A 23-liter glass or food-grade plastic carboy
• An airlock and bung (a rubber stopper with a hole in it) for the carboy
• A hydrometer to check the specific gravity (sp. gr.) of the wine
• A long, narrow tube or jar to hold the wine while you’re checking its specific gravity (generally the tube the hydrometer comes in works fine)
• A dairy thermometer
• A long piece (at least 1.5m or five feet) of food-grade plastic tubing
• A long spoon that can fit into the neck of the carboy and reach to the bottom
• A wine thief to remove the developing wine from the carboy without having to tip it

It is essential that any plastic items that are in contact with the wine be made of food-grade plastic. Regular plastic will leach polymers into the wine, which will give it an odd plastic taste.

These items will last forever and most wine stores stock a reasonably priced starting kit. If you decide to brew beer as well, you can use most of this equipment, but you will need a separate 30-liter plastic container (the taste of the wine will remain in the plastic) and you should make sure your carboy is glass.
Ingredients

For every batch, you will also need the following:

1. Something to ferment. Generally, that means grape juice, but wine has been made from almost all fruits, especially crabapples and elderberries. Winemaking stores sell kits containing eight to thirteen liters of concentrated grape juice varieties such as Riesling, Merlot and Chardonnay. If you are not into a specific variety, you can use unpasteurized grape juice, but it tends to be more expensive and your results might not be as predictable.
2. Good quality water. Generally this means filtered water. Heavily chlorinated can skunk your wine.
3. Wine yeast. The type of yeast you use will affect the flavor of the finished wine. Bread yeast can be used in a pinch (say, if you’re making wine behind enemy lines during a war), but generally if you’re not in dire circumstances you want to use a wine yeast tailored for the type of grape or other fruit you’re using.
4. Something to settle the wine. You can use sterilized bentonite, isinglass, or (in a pinch) egg whites. The first two are readily available at any winemaking store.
5. Something to stop fermentation. You can use a little pure ascorbic acid (Vitamin C, but do not use vitamin pills containing sugar or flavoring), or you can buy a packet of potassium sorbate at the wine store.
6. Bottles and corks. You can reuse bottles, and unless you are making champagne, it does not really matter what type of bottle you use as long as you get it clean. The best way to do this is to remove any residue in the bottles, soak them in water with strong detergent to remove the labels and the glue, wash them again in new water and detergent, rinse well, and sanitize. New bottles are also available at a reasonable price and can be reused indefinitely. You will need 30 bottles for a standard 23-liter recipe. Both natural and synthetic corks work well (although the natural is cheaper); you will need longer corks if you plan to keep the wine for longer than six months.
7. Sodium metabisulfite for sanitizing. Warning - Do NOT use this under any circumstance if you or anybody in your family has asthma. Use iodophor or bleach instead. You must sanitize if you do not want your wine to turn out as vinegar. Sodium metabisulfite is the most convenient form of sanitizing. If you must use iodophor, follow the instructions on the label and rinse well. If you use bleach, soak your items for 10 minutes in a 5% bleach dilution, and then rinse at least six times thoroughly. Sodium metabisulfite is perfectly safe for the average person, but it can cause a serious reaction in asthmatics, so heed the warning.
8. Detergent. Dish detergent is probably not strong enough. Wine stores sell strong, unscented detergents that do a better job at removing labels, old smells, etc.

Making the Wine

The process of actually making the wine is simple but somewhat tedious. Kit wines must be prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Otherwise, the following are good rules:

Make sure the area in which you are making your wine is at a stable temperature below 23C or 75F. At higher temperatures, the chances of your wine turning into vinegar are increased.

Clean and sanitize everything just before it touches the wine. That includes any funnels, cups, bowls and other items. If you have to use them on two consecutive days, clean and sanitize before every use. A good yeast will outgrow the odd bacterium that gets in, but the sloppier you are the more likely something like acetobacter is going to get in and turn your wine to vinegar.

Pour your juice into the large plastic container. If you are using a concentrate, top up with filtered water to 23 liters. You want the finished product to be between 65 and 75 F or 18 to 23 C. Test with your sanitized dairy thermometer when you’re up to 20 liters, and add hot or cold juice or water at the end to adjust the temperature.

Stir like mad.

Add yeast.

Check your specific gravity by putting the sanitized hydrometer right in the container. It should show a specific gravity of 1.010 or greater. If it is less, you probably want to add a bit of sugar syrup and stir, then check again. Remove the hydrometer.

Put the lid on. Cover the container with a big plastic sheet and tie it closed with some string or twine around the middle of the container.

In a day or two, your must should be bubbling away. Soon after that the yeast will drop to the bottom of the container and you will not see it working, but it will still be fermenting.

After a week, clean and sanitize the carboy, the bung, the airlock and the plastic tubing. Siphon the must into the carboy. Leave out as much of the sedimentation on the very bottom as you can. Attach the bung and the airlock, making sure to fill the airlock halfway with water.

Cover the carboy with a dark, clean, thin sheet if you are doing this in an area where light can get to it.

Wait ten days and check the specific gravity. The best way to do this is to use the wine thief to transfer a little wine from the carboy to the measuring tube (the one the hydrometer came in), then use the hydrometer to check the specific gravity. If you started out at 1.010, you are looking for a specific gravity of 0.998 or lower. Check this once a day until the specific gravity is the same on two separate days.

Remove the bung and airlock and add whatever you are using to stop fermentation and to encourage settling. Stir for five minutes straight. Make sure to stir up all the sedimentation on the bottom. Replace the bung and the airlock.

Fourteen days later, clean and sanitize your bottles and your tubing. Siphon the wine into the bottles and cork them. You can buy a corking machine, or you can rent or borrow one from your friendly wine store - many stores lend them free of charge to their customers. Most corks are sold pre-sanitized, but you can soak them in a sulfite solution if you cannot buy them already prepared.

Let the bottles sit upright for three days, then let them sit on their side for at least a month. If you have made red wine, you should leave it for a year. If you do hold wine for over six months, you may wish to add a bit of sulfite to prevent discoloration, unless, of course, someone in the house has asthma.

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If you think of drinking wine as a bad habit, then you are about to make a new discovery. Home made wines are treasures full of natural juices from vegetables, fruits, flowers and grains. The thrilling part of making wines at home is the knowledge that out of quite commonplace ingredients, you are producing something which will, in time, be a delicious drink.

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When you have a guest for dinner at home it is far more exciting to pull out a bottle of your own wine, and also proudly show off your wine making talents than to serve a wine that you have bought in a store. Once you become familiar with wine making, you can make wine that compare very favorably with any wine you can buy.

There is also another reason for making your own wine, and that is the ridiculously small cost of the ingredients compared to the magnificence and the quantity of the finished ones. You can have a fair sized and varied cellar for a sum that would not buy a case of French champagne.

It should also be remembered that although a few wines may be drunk almost as soon as they are made, the majority have to mature for a long time. There are also a variety of wines – white wines, red wines, wines to be drunk before and after dinner, and wines that can be used for cocktails. But always remember that home made wines are potent and should not be drunk like lemonade, but with discretion.

If you are not sure where to start with making your own wines, there are some great wine making books to be found, which will guide you through making wines at home, step by step.