Basic Ingredients For Making Homemade Wine
If you decided to start making homemade wine and already have all the necessary equipment, then visit a Wine Maker store to buy the essential ingredients. If there’s no such shop nearby, then you can try to find some of ingredients in a regular store. Unfortunately some ingredients are very specific and the only opportunity I see is to try to order them via online shop.
The list of ingredients for making homemade wine (grape and fruit wine) consists of:
1. Grape or Fruit - to extract the flavour and colour.
2. Sulfites, the most common sulfite used is the Campden Tablet
These tablets kill the undesirable wild yeasts and bacteria in the must and stop wines from taking up air and developing off flavours. Campden tablets can also be used to make a sterilizing solution.
3. Acid Blend or Citric Acid
It is important to add some acid to the wine such as lemons or other citric acids. This gives the wine a lively flavour. Tartaric acid is another ingredient and this has a harsher flavour.
4. Tannin
Most fruits contain some tannin but this is frequently insufficient. Tannin gives the wine more body and the wine tends not to spoil. This should be added prior to fermentation as if this is added at a later date the wine may become hazy. A half a pint of strong tea can sometimes be substituted for tannin.
5. Pectic Enzyme
These break down the glutinous matter present in fruit (this works at temperatures 40°C to 60°C). Pectin enzymes will also clarify a wine which is cloudy due to the presence of pectin.
6. Potassium Sorbate
Potassium sorbate is used to slow down yeast growth and inhibit fermentation, thus “stabilizing” your wine prior to bottling.
7. Sugar
Ordinary household sugar will suffice. The larger amount of sugar used, the more alcohol will be formed, within reason, but the yeast will not tolerate too much sugar. When the yeast has converted as much of the sugar as possible into alcohol, the fermentation will stop. Each pound of sugar added to the must will increase the quantity of the liquid by half a pint.
8. Yeast
A wine yeast gives the best results, although bakers yeasts can be used. An all-purpose wine yeast is suitable but some recipes recommend the use of specific wine yeasts such as Bordeaux, Chablis, Tokay, Burgundy, Champagne etc.
9. Wine Finings
Fining agents are used to clarify wine before bottling or long-term storage. Fining agents work on the principle that all of the particles clouding up wine or beer have an electrical charge. As the saying goes, opposites attract, so a positively charged fining like gelatin will attract negatively charged particles and bind with them, making them too heavy to float. They will then sink to the bottom of your carboy, leaving everything brilliantly clear.
All of these ingredients are essential and if one of these is missing, then it is likely that the fermentation will not be successful. Be sure that before you start making your wine, you have the complete ingredients along with your complete tools.
