Wine Making

Wine Making Tips

The single biggest reason that home-made wine goes bad is the lack of cleanliness! All equipment has to be sanitized - including your hands.

Fruit, including grapes, contain different types of acids. Too much acid renders a wine undrinkable. On the other hand, if wine does not have enough acidity, the result is a flat or insipid tasting wine. That's why it's important to check the acid levels and adjust if necessary.

To a lot of people, it's ready when they want to drink it. However there is no cut and dry answer. Some vintages simply develop faster than others, and whites peak faster than reds. It could be anywhere from a few months for light wines to a few years for heavier, robust reds. The key is to develop your ability to evaluate wines and then taste and judge for yourself.

If your wine smells like vinegar, toss it. Now you can appreciate how important it is to keep your equipment clean and your container topped up. If your wine has a yeasty taste then most likely your wine was left too long on the lees. Prompt racking can prevent this.

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