NOTE:  This is a good overview about making wine for home use.  Our purpose for including it here is to help inform those who use our products to grow their own wine grapes.  This article provides a good framework for making wine at home. 

Making Wine for Home Use

Karl L. Wilker, Tavis S. Harris, Marilyn B. Odneal
and Murli R. Dharmadhikari

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.
 

Overview

Wine 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.

Making Wine for Home Use is designed for the beginner, so the more involved laboratory procedures are not detailed here.  Aging in oak barrels is not addressed, however the use of oak chips to impart oak character is.  The References section will guide you on to further reading. An informative catalog from a reputable supplier is also a good source of information (see the Sources section).

It is advisable that before you begin to make wine at home, you set up a journal or some record system.  A log of your winemaking experience through the years is valuable to your personal improvement and your value as a resource to others.
 

Getting Started

The 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.
 

The Winemaking Process

Sugar 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.
 

Steps in White Wine making

Steps in Red Wine making

Wine Tasting

A 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.
 

Wine Evaluation

The 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.

Second, evaluate the odor or "nose" (aroma and bouquet) of the wine.  Do you detect a nice, fruity nose.  Do you detect any off-odors?

Third, evaluate the taste.  Does the wine taste good?  Are the major components in the wine balanced?  Is the taste of the wine consistent with its style?  A dry, red wine, for example, should not taste overly sweet. 
 

Storing Wine

Home 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.
 

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