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Making Wine for Home Use |
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If you consider making wine at home, some questions may arise. Wouldn't it be easier to buy? Isn't it a complicated chemical process? Is it legal? Actually, up to one-hundred gallons of wine may be legally produced in a one-adult household, and up to two-hundred gallons in a two or more adult household (see ATF regulations). Although it may be easier go to the store, winemaking is an interesting scientific and creative process that can become a rewarding hobby. The most important advantage to making wine for home use is the satisfaction of serving your wine to friends and family and reliving your winemaking adventure over a wonderful dinner. This guide is designed to help you decide if home winemaking is for
you and to help you get started. It is a basic platform upon which you
can build your own database of suppliers, experience, and styles. Ultimately,
you will learn practical winery skills and derive a wine style based
on your own preference and technique. |
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OverviewWine is traditionally the product of fermented grapes. Although
wine can be made from other fruits and even honey, this guide deals
only with production of table wines made from grapes. Red and
white table wines range from dry to sweet and have less than 14% alcohol. |
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Getting StartedThe first decision you need to make is whether you are going to process fresh or frozen grapes, or if you are going to purchase juice or concentrate. If you decide to start with grapes, you will need more equipment and space. If you are not growing the grapes yourself, you need to locate a source of fresh grapes or frozen grapes. You need about 15 pounds of grapes to yield 1 gallon of juice. The second decision you need to make is how much wine to make. It is legal for a two adult household to make up to 200 gallons of wine. If you decide to make 200 gallons, you need room to process the grapes, work with the wine in 3 to 5 gallon carboys, and store the bottles. The beginning winemaker is best advised to make from 5 to 20 gallons of wine and then expand from that point if desired. Once these decisions are made, you can begin locating sources and
supplies. It is necessary that the home winemaker to be able to
measure the percent of sugar in the juice. You will need a hydrometer
with a scale to read sugar level (sacchrometer) to do this. A
refractometer will also measure sugar level, but is more costly. |
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The Winemaking ProcessSugar in the grape juice, through the activity of yeast, is fermented into the alcohol in the wine. The equation for this chemical change is: C6H12 O6 g 2 CH 3 CH 2OH + 2 CO2h or literally one molecule of glucose (sugar) is fermented to yield 2 molecules of ethanol (alcohol) and 2 molecules of carbon dioxide gas (bubbles). The alcoholic fermentation also produces heat. It is necessary to know the level of sugar in the juice you begin with. By multiplying the sugar level (in °Brix) by a factor of 0.55, you can estimate the future alcohol level. You want a final level between 10 and 14% alcohol for table wines so you need to start out with a juice that has a sugar level from 20 to 22 °Brix for white wines and from 22 to 24 °Brix for red wines. The first major step in the winemaking process is to extract
the juice from the grapes. This step can be skipped if you begin
with purchased fresh juice or juice from concentrate. The second
major step is to ferment the juice and clarify and stabilize the wine.
The third major step in winemaking is to bottle the wine and
store it properly. The last step is to evaluate and enjoy
your wine. |
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Steps in White Wine
making |
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Steps in Red Wine making |
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Wine TastingA 12 - 15 ounce tulip shaped glass is useful for the tasting and drinking of table wines. Red wines should be served at about 65°F and white wine should be served at about 45 - 50°F. To taste the wine, fill the glass 1/3 or less full and swirl the wine around to get the molecules up in the air. Sniff the wine and savor the aroma and bouquet. To help you describe what you smell, you may want to obtain the wine aroma wheel developed at the University of California at Davis. Taste the wine by taking some in your mouth and rolling it around your tongue. Note the sweet, sour and bitter tastes and the balance and body of the wine. If you decide to grow grapes or make wine from those locally grown,
the best way to learn what you like is to visit Missouri wineries and
taste the wines in their tasting rooms. Sample, ask questions
and take note of what you like. Visit the
Wonderful Wines of Missouri
website for more information on Missouri wineries or see the listing
of Missouri
Wineries at the Paul Evans Library of Fruit Science website.
You may also wish to join the
Missouri Winemaking
Society, a non-profit organization of amateur winemakers in the
state. |
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Wine EvaluationThe more you learn about tasting wine, the better you will be in evaluating your finished product. Whatever your level of ability, you need to spend some time critically evaluating your finished product. As your skills in sensory evaluation evolve, you may devise a score pad or evaluation table that you can fill out or each wine you make each and every year. First, evaluate appearance. Is the wine clear or cloudy.
Is the color appropriate? A white wine color of dark amber indicates
oxidation is white wine and is not appropriate. Brown color in
red wines is also inappropriate. |
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Storing WineHome wine cellars can be quite elaborate or very simple. An area with a cool (about 60°F) and even temperature, out of direct sunlight, with relatively high humidity and away from strong odors and vibrations is ideal. Available now are small wine temperature controlled storage units, either free-standing or integrated into kitchen cabinetry. Wine cellars can be large rooms with temperature and humidity controls, a tasting area, and an extensive wine library. Most of us are content to find a cool spot in the home, out of direct sun, to store our wine. Be careful not to put your wine rack on top of a refrigerator or freezer that may vibrate and produce heat. Corked bottles should be stored horizontally so that the cork is
wetted. Screw capped bottles can be stored upright. |
(a) General. Any adult may, without payment of tax, produce wine for personal or family use and not for sale.
(b) Quantity. The aggregate amount of wine that may be produced exempt from tax with respect to any household may not exceed:
(1) 200 gallons per calendar year for a household in which two or more adults reside, or
(2) 100 gallons per calendar year if there is only one adult residing in the household.(c) Definition of an adult. For the purposes of this section, an adult is any individual who is 18 years of age or older. However, if the locality in which the household is located has established by law a greater minimum age at which wine may be sold to individuals, the term ``adult'' will mean an individual who has attained that age.
(d) Proprietors of bonded wine premises. Any adult, defined in Sec. 24.75(c), who operates a bonded wine premises as an individual owner or in partnership with others, may produce wine and remove it from the bonded wine premises free of tax for personal or family use, subject to the limitations in Sec. 24.75(b).
(e) Limitation. This exemption should not in any manner be construed as authorizing the production of wine in violation of applicable State or local law. Except as provided in Sec. 24.75(d), this exemption does not otherwise apply to partnerships, corporations, or associations.
(f) Removal. Wine produced under this section may be removed from the premises where made for personal or family use including use at organized affairs, exhibitions or competitions, such as home winemaker's contests, tastings or judgings, but may not under any circumstances be sold or offered for sale. The proprietor of a bonded wine premises shall pay the tax on any wine removed for personal or family use in excess of the limitations provided in this section and shall also enter all quantities removed for personal or family use on ATF F 5120.17, Report of Bonded Wine Premises Operations.
(Sec. 201, Pub. L. 85-859, 72 Stat. 1331, as amended (26 U.S.C. 5042))
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1512-0216)
[T.D. ATF-299, 55 FR 24989, June 19, 1991, as amended by T.D. ATF-338, 58 FR 19064, Apr. 12, 1993; T.D. ATF-344, 58 FR 40354, July 28, 1993]
Dharmadhikari, Murli R. and Karl L. Wilker. 2001.
Microvinification:
A practical guide to small-scale wine production (soft cover book)
Missouri
State Fruit Experiment Station.
Contact
SMSU - Mountain Grove Publications
Pamela Mayer
SMSU - Mountain Grove
9740 Red Spring Road
Mountain Grove,
MO 65711
(417) 926-4105
pam621t@smsu.edu
Rey, Kimberly. 2002.
Basic Wine Analysis (set of 3 VHS tapes
or a DVD)
Mid-America Viticulture and Enology Center.
Contact
SMSU - Mountain Grove Publications
Pamela Mayer
SMSU - Mountain Grove
9740 Red Spring Road
Mountain Grove,
MO 65711
(417) 926-4105
pam621t@smsu.edu
Vineyard and Vintage View Newsletter
Missouri State Fruit Experiment
Station.
Contact SMSU - Mountain
Grove Publications
Pamela Mayer
SMSU - Mountain Grove
9740 Red Spring
Road
Mountain Grove, MO 65711
(417) 926-4105
pam621t@smsu.edu
or subscribe online at
http://mtngrv.smsu.edu/grapenews.htm
Cooke, George M. and James T. Lapsley. 1988. Making Table Wine
at Home.
Contact Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Publication.
University of California
6701 San Pablo Avenue,
Oakland, CA 94608-1239
or download online version at
http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/WineGrape/Homewine/index.htm
Ough, G. S. 1992. Winemaking Basics.
The Howarth Press, Inc.
NY.
Rankine, Bryce. 1989. Making Good Wine: Manual of Winemaking
Practices for Australia and New Zealand.
Pan Macmill, Australia
Yair, Margalit. 1990. Winery Technology and Operations:
A handbook for small wineries.
The Winery Appreciation Guild, San Francisco.
Wine Directory
Your one-stop destination
for anything you can think about wine. This wine directory designed to help its
users find the wine information, source, companies, products and services...
Missouri Winemaking Society
To promote winemaking as a hobby and to
develop an appreciation for wine
Paul Hendricks
2 Matterhorn Court
O'Fallon,
MO 63366
(636) 379-0722
yokus@aol.com
http://www.mowinemaking.org/
GusmerCellulo
Filtration, clarification and processing materials
for the wine industry
East Coast
1165 Globe Avenue
P.O. Box 1129
Mountainside, NJ 07092-0129
Phone: (908) 301-1811
Presque Isle Wine Cellars
Winemaking supplies and equipment
9440
West Main Rd.
North East PA 16428
(800) 488-7492
http://www.piwine.com
Prospero Equipment
Small winery equipment and supplies
725 Clemens
St.
Muscatine, IA 52671
(914) 769-6252
Scott Laboratories
Products and services for producers of valuable
liquids
2220 Pine View Way
P.O. Box 4559
Petaluma, CA 94954-5687
(707) 765-6666
www.scottlab.com
The Home Brewery
Home brewing and winemaking supplies
P. O. Box
730
Ozark, MO 65721
(800) 321-BREW
www.homebrewery.com
St. Louis Wine and Beermaking
Wine and beermaking supplies
251 Lamp
and Lantern Village
Chesterfield, MO 63017
(636) 230-8277
www.wineandbeermaking.com
UC Davis Wine Aroma Wheel
A. C. Noble
Dept. of Viticulture and Enology
University of California
Davis, CA 95616
(530) 752-0382
http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/Acnoble/WAW.html
Vinquiry
Analytical services, consulting & supplies for the wine industry
7795 Bell Road
Windsor, CA 95492-8519
(707) 838-6312
www.vinquiry.com
Copyright © 2000 Board of Governors,
Southwest Missouri State University
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