Winemaking at home can actually be way easier than you think. With these tips, tricks, and best products, you are guaranteed to elevate your wine game to new levels.
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When I worked in Napa Valley, making commercial wines, I learned the elite methods to make the best wine in the world (yes, the best).
Winemaking at home is no different. The tips, tricks, and products I am about to show you come straight from the wineries playbook scaled down to work in your kitchen!
You will learn the best tips, tricks, and products for winemaking at home that NO one is talking about.
This post is all about winemaking at home.
Best Tips & Tricks | Winemaking at Home for Beginners
Winemaking at home seems expensive, challenging, and a far reaching dream to most.
What if I told you, you can practice winemaking at home and create swoon worthy wines right from your kitchen?
With these tips and tricks you will have the confidence and resources to start winemaking at home ASAP!
You have two options of wine to make:
- Fruit wines & herbal wines
- Grape wines
Fruit wines and herbal wines tend to be cheaper and have more room for creativity.
Grape winemaking is exactly that: grapes! This style of winemaking will use grapes from vineyards usually in a syrup-form that you use to ferment into Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, etc.
So, when you begin winemaking at home it is important to keep these two types of winemaking in mind. Especially for beginner winemaking!
Some of these tips are best used for making wine from scratch, but some of these tricks can be used on traditional winemaking kits.
Let's dive into the top tips and tricks for winemaking at home for stunning wines.
#1. Use the Best Wine Making Kit
When we begin our winemaking at home journey, the steps can seem challenging to manage. Where to start? How to start? What is most important?
If you are interested in grape winemaking to recreate some amazing Napa Valley wines, finding the best winemaking kit is crucial. Plus, having all the necessary equipment.
This kit, among others, results in high quality Cabernet Sauvignon, Pino Grigio, Cabernet Franc, and more! Choose your favorite and get started winemaking at home.
RELATED POST: Exclusive Wine Making Equipment List for Beautiful Homemade Wine
#2. Use Argon Gas During Fermentation, Bottling, and More
When I worked in Napa Valley, we used argon gas religiously. We used it twice a day on partial barrels and partially filled kegs. It is not as intimidating as it sounds!
Argon gas displaces the oxygen in the fermenter, bottles, etc. When our wines are exposed to too much oxygen it can become oxidized which negatively affects our flavor.
Once I thought carbon dioxide would suffice to displace the oxygen, but wine will actually absorb carbon dioxide like it does oxygen.
Therefore, your best option for decreasing the effects of oxidation is to utilize argon gas. Luckily, for winemaking at home we can use the small hand held bottle of argon gas!
The little bottle of argon gas can truly be that extra push for your wine to be UNBEATABLE, all made from your kitchen!
The product is sold as a "wine preserver" for bottles and glasses of wine. Some brands are marketed as "preservers". However, some will contain nitrogen AND carbon dioxide...
This argon gas is 100% Argon and only $14!
To use it, simply spray the gas in your fermenter for 30-60 seconds and close the lid and place an airlock as soon as possible.
For bottling, you can spray argon gas into the bottles before bottling to displace oxygen that is inside. Lastly, you can spray the gas into your secondary fermenter when you rack your wine over, and continue to spray while the wine is transferring fermenters.
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#3. Know How a Hydrometer Works
The hydrometer can tell us SO much about our wines and various ferments. This is one thing I wish I knew when I started winemaking at home with fruits and herbs.
Especially when working with herbal and fruit wines, it is crucial to use a hydrometer to tell us if we need to add more fermentable sugar.
Some fruits won't have enough sugar in them to naturally ferment into a wine. Sometimes we have to add additional sugar for the yeast to make a wine.
In most traditional winemaking kits from vineyards, they already have measured out the proper sugars (if needed). Though, the hydrometer will still tell you how much alcohol is in your wine!
RELATED POST: Understand the Content Once & For All | How to Use a Hydrometer in 5 Easy Steps
#4. Use Organic Sugar or Honey for a Healthy Alternative
With that being said, it is best to use organic brown sugar or honey when making wine at home.
Why? It is said to be the healthiest option for added sugar.
By definition, adding honey to your wine will make it into a *mead* or a "honey wine". The only real difference here is that honey takes a lot longer to ferment.
Yeast take a lot longer to break down honey than, say, corn sugar. So, it's up to you what you decide to add to your wine.
#5. To Boil Your Juice or Not...
Something I had no idea about: boil your juice before fermentation. There are varying opinions on this topic.
Some say boiling is not necessary. Enough sugar will dissolve at warm/lukewarm juice. Though, the main point to boil is to kill off bacteria and unwanted microorganisms that could be on the fruit.
Wines Best to Boil Before Fermentation:
- Flower or herbal wines
- Specific fruit that will benefit from boiling to extract flavors, like citrus fruits. Essential oils live in the skins and boiling can help release them.
If you boil fruit, throw the fruit in at the end of the boil for only a few minutes.
So, don't boil other types of wines?
No.
You can heat up the juice to lukewarm/warm, but not much more. Enough sugars will be extracted to leave the fruit at room temperature.
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#6. Utilize Tannins, Acids, and Pectin Enzyme
These three hot-shots are guaranteed to make unbeatable wine at home when dosed correctly!
Here is something that I wish I knew before starting winemaking at home...
For fruit wines, some fruits will lack the tannins, acids, and pectins needed to round out the flavor of wine.
Tannin are what live in the skins of fruit.
Think about the skin of grapes. For thicker skinned grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon) there is a higher concentration of tannins. But, for thinner skinned grapes (Chardonnay or other white grapes) the tannin level is lower.
Some wine drinker like tannins, and other do not. Make sure to research your fruit for the tannin levels!
Utilizing acid blends in wine are great because it mellows out the flavor. Especially when you age your wine, the acids will soften and some amazing chemistry works its magic!
Lastly, pectin enzymes:
- Minimizes haze and increases wine sediment for cleaner wine.
- Breaks down flesh of fruits into sugars and tannins.
- Release color and flavor.
- Increases juice yield.
#7. The Secret to Natural Clarifiers
You have most likely seen ALL the additives and chemicals in little tiny zip locker baggies. Some white powder, others capsules... But, what about using a natural ingredient so you don't have to use all these additives...
Well here is the secret to natural clarifiers for wine: Bentonite clay.
You can actually ingest bentonite clay on its own for detoxification of the body.
Bentonite clay added to wine, in small doses, can bind to haze and settle it to the bottom of the fermenter.
#8. Add Camden Tablets
Another additive, but the benefit is unmatched!
Camden tablets:
- Kills acetobacter, bacteria that turns your wine into vinegar.
- Kills other unwanted microorganisms.
- Removes chlorine/chloramine from water.
- Prevents spoilage!
A thing, again, I wish I knew. Camden tablets will make sure your are fermenting safely and help prevent the spoilage of your wines.
Use 1 tablet per gallon of must, let it sit for 20 minutes, and boom! Easy.
#9. Ferment at 70-75F for Optimal Results
In the beginning of fermenting, it is crucial to have a home for your ferments to live.
This includes adequate temperature.
Fermenting at high temperatures just means the fermentation process will speed up. Alternatively, fermenting at lower temperatures means the fermentation process will slow down.
During the fermentation process, the flavors are being developed. If you speed that up you can miss out on opportunities for bold flavors to develop.
Keep the fermentations at 70-75 and the yeast will create magic!
#10. Fruit Wines... Know What is in Season
A simple, yet powerful, trick to making ridiculously delicious wine at home.
When choosing fruit:
- Know what is in season
- Know how much tannins are in the skins
- Use your hydrometer to check the sugar content
Once you move through 1-3 a couple times you will learn the various types of fruits and how they behave.
That alone will transform your fruit juice into swoon-worthy wine!
#11. Herbal Wines... Learn How Herbs Behave
Many herbs behave differently, but there are some that can be classified together.
When making herbal wines, you can add herbs for a bittering agent, sweetener, as a wetting agent, etc.
Bittering herbs are great because they can counter the sweetness of added sugars. Or if you prefer more bitter drinks.
Favorite bittering herbs:
- Yarrow flower
- Mugwort
- Dandelion root
- Burdock root
Mountain Rose Herbs has outstanding products, and you can purchase any herb in bulk.
RELATED POST: 11 Life-Changing Herbal Medicine Recipes To Make at Home With Leftover Herbs
#12. Use a Siphon the Correct Way
If you utilize all these tips, you will have some lovely sediment on the bottom of your fermenter.
However, you do NOT want that sediment to move into your bottles, or worse, to drink it.
That is when we use a siphon to move the wine off the sediment into the secondary fermenter for secondary fermentation, and again from secondary fermentation into bottles.
Some siphons have a pump, others are just hoses where you have to use your mouth to pull the wine through (yes, really!).
This siphon is SO easy to use, and cheap. You will be able to get your wine off the sediment perfectly without the challenging technique of using your mouth.
Sounds crazy, right?
#13. Keep Wine in Secondary Fermentation for Months?
Speaking of siphons and secondary fermentation...
You can keep you wine in secondary fermentation for as long as you want! In contrast, homebrewing keeps beer in secondary for only 1-2 weeks.
So, you can keep wine in secondary for 1-2 weeks or for 3 months.
Benefits of Keeping Wine in Secondary:
- Increased flavor complexity
- Softer acidity
- Better clarity
In addition to using argon gas once a week, keeping wine in secondary will only create incredible wine.
A secondary fermenter if you need it for your winemaking at home. Option to trade out the one-gallon with a five-gallon fermenter bucket!
#14. Learn How Long to Age Your Wine
Believe it or not, not all wine is better aged! It depends on a few factors: acidity level, ABV, and even tannins.
For example, tannins are natural antioxidants. Therefore, if you added tannins to your wine must your wine will age better due to the antioxidant properties.
RELATED POST: Your Wine Can Taste Better if You Know How to Age it Properly [How Long to Age Wine]
#15. What About Aging Wine Underground?
Last, but not least, where to age your wine.
Once you learn how long to age your wine made at home, its time to find a place to age it!
What about underground?? Is that crazy?
No, it is not crazy. In fact, it is very doable. With a little research into your region, soil, temperatures, etc, you can be well on your way to creating an underground wine cellar.
Benefits of Storing Wine Underground:
- Stable temperature
- Mildly humid
- Free storage!
Winemaking at Home Tips & Tricks Conclusion
Literally every one of these tips is something I wish I knew as a beginner winemaker.
As a beginner winemaker, it is important to learn the details and how to avoid common pitfalls. These tips and tricks are a sure way to get you started the right way and hopefully offer you some guidance on your winemaking at home journeys!