Health and other associated issues - Tips, Information and Guides
Selecting the Right Ingredients for Home-Made Wine
by: James Wilson Tips for choosing the best home-made wine ingredients: Fruits must be ripe, but not over-ripe. A few shriveled grapes or black
currants are unlikely to harm a brew. In the case of larger fruits such as
plums, the doubtful ones should be taken out. The choice of roots (beetroot, parsnips, etc.) for wine-making purposes
should not be dismissed so readily. The best, (or even the only) roots suitable
for wine-making are those that are old and shriveled. Parsnips that have been
stored throughout the winter or left in the soil are at their best for our
purpose in March, as are old potatoes purchased in June when the new ones are
coming in. They are ideal if they are well shriveled and/or sprouting. (Be sure
to break off the roots before using them.) These old roots contain less starch than the fresher ones, and we do not
want starch in wines because it slows down the clearing process. Besides this,
when old roots are used, they flavor the wine less, and it is not in the least
bit earthy. It is a mistake to believe that using additional ingredients, (such as
less water, or more sugar/yeast), than is indicated in the recipes, will produce
a more potent wine. The strength of wine is decided by the volume of alcohol in
which the yeast can live and continue to do its work, and not on the quantity of
any ingredients. Too much sugar makes the wine far too sweet. More yeast makes
no difference at all, simply because it cannot make more alcohol than it can
live in. Age makes very little difference to the alcohol content of wines. Too
many ingredients will produce a liquid of too high a specific gravity and a
liquid containing too many solids per part of water, (in other words a liquid
which is too thick) and this will take a very long time to clear. Because of this, you should never use more ingredients than the recipe
indicates. About Straining: Fine muslin is best for straining mixtures produced when making root
wines. Tie one piece on the tub - allowing sufficient sag - and place a second
piece over this. This top piece containing the solids can be lifted off without letting
them fall into the brew. Jelly bags or similar things made of suitable material
are needed for fruit juices, as will be seen in the recipes. About Sugar & Yeast: You should always use white sugar, and make certain that all the sugar is
dissolved before adding anything (like wheat or raisins) to the brew. If all the
sugar is not dissolved, the yeast might not ferment properly & some of the sugar
could settle in the form of syrup and be left in the lees when they are thrown
away. As a result of this, the wine could turn out quite sharp. With a lot of
other ingredients in the brew, it is quite impossible to tell whether all the
sugar is dissolved or not. Baker's yeast is all we need during this stage. This can be purchased at
your local bakery. Yeast is added at the rate of one ounce per 1, 2 or 3
gallons. Do not add the yeast too early...as a temperature well below boiling point
will destroy the yeast organism and fermentation will not take place.
About The Author
James Wilson owns & operates
www.e-homewinemaking.com, a site providing wine-making tips, tricks
and techniques. If you're interested in making your own wine, visit
www.e-homewinemaking.com today and sign up for the FREE wine-making
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