CREATING YOUR OWN WINE MAKING RECIPES

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to
fish and you feed him for a lifetime".

You've probably heard this many times before. It's a Chinese
proverb that quickly drives home the value of learning, and it's
a proverb that can be applied to wine making as well.


-- Learning How To Fish

This article is about teaching you "how to fish"-- not literally,
but in the proverbial sense. This article is about teaching you
how to develop your own wine recipes as opposed to continually
having to search for a recipe every time you have some available
fruit or maybe just an idea for a wine you'd like to make.

All wine recipes have the same specific, key elements to them.
What we are going to do here is define and dissect these
necessary pieces, one-by-one, so that you can gain a better
understanding of the role each part plays within the recipe. Then
we are going to put them back together, one-by-one, so that you
can see more clearly how all the pieces work together to create a
coherent recipe.

By having a more intimate understanding of these different, vital
aspects of a wine recipe--then yes--you to will be able to create
your own wine recipe--anytime you have a notion. What a
liberating thought!

Now, I have to warn you, this article is rather lengthy, but I
think you will discover it is well worth a read. After all it is
the recipe that is the centerpiece--the plan--for any batch of
wine you will ever make.


-- The Pieces Of The Puzzle

There are 6 distinct pieces of a wine recipe puzzle. We will go
through them one at a time. They are as follows:


1. The Produce:
This refers to the fruit, vegetables, herbs or whatever it is
that is being used to make the wine. It could be grapes,
blackberries, rhubarb, or even dandelions. It could also be a
concentrated juice such as our SunCal or European Select brands
among others. This is the major flavor component of any wine;
this is the heart of the recipe; this is what gives the wine its
identity, its body, its character.


2. The Sugars:
This is the food that supports a fermentation. Without sugar
there is no fermentation; without a fermentation there is no
alcohol.

All of the sugars necessary to produce the normal range of
alcohol (9%-13%) can often come from the produce itself, such is
normally the case when fermenting many types of grapes. Or
conversely, all of the necessary sugars may need to be provided
separately, such as the case with dandelion and other
herbs--these produces provide no sugar of their own. And,
certainly there are situations where some sugars come from the
produce, but more still needs to be added as a supplement. This
is the most common scenario with country style, fruit wines.


3. The Water:
Water is often added to a wine recipe to dilute the flavor of
certain produces that are too strong or have acid levels that are
too high. Extreme examples of these types of fruits would be,
elderberry, gooseberries and blackberries. And, there are some
fruits that have enough water in them naturally. Their flavors
are not too strong and their acid level is not too high. Examples
of these types of fruits would be wine grapes and apples. While
one may elect to add water with these types of fruits to lighten
the body, it may not be necessary to do so.


4. The Nutrients:
Yeast has nutritional needs just like any other living thing.
Proper nutrition is vital to having a vigorous fermentation. Some
nutrients are obviously supplied by the produce itself, but in
almost all situation the amount or type of nutrients made
available by these produces are not sufficient or appropriate for
the yeast to perform to their maximum capabilities. So, we add
nutritional supplements such as Yeast Nutrient, Yeast Energizer,
Ghostex and others.

- To find out more about all the nutrients we offer, you can go
to the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Nutrients


5. The Acid:
Acidity does play a nutritional role in a fermentation in the
sense that if the acid level of a must is severely low, the rate
and quality of the fermentation will suffer. But, acidity plays
other parts in the wine making process as well.

Acidity helps to keep the wine stable. If the acid level is too
low then micro-organisms such as molds and bacteria will have a
better opportunity to flourish. But, if the acid level is brought
up to a proper range then the risk of these little nasties taking
the wine over is greatly reduced.

Acidity also plays a direct role in the flavor of the wine. If
not enough acid is in the recipe then the wine simply taste
flat/lifeless/flabby; too much acid and the wine taste
sharp/sour/bitter.

Quite often a must will be too low in acid, particularly if water
has been added to it to dilute its flavor. In such cases we will
need to add Acid Blend and possibly Tannin (tannic acid).

- To find out more about all the Acid Blend and Tannin we offer,
you can go to the following links on our web site:

Acid Blend

Wine Making Tannin

 

6. The Yeast:
All the above sets the environment. And, the yeast is what does
the work within that environment. It is yeast that is turning the
sugar into alcohol. Having the right kind of yeast is important.
Bread yeast won't cut it; beer yeast won't cut it. You need a
yeast that has been cultivated from wine and has been bred for
wine. Simple as that.

And, in fact their are several choice you have among wine yeast.
Each has its own, slightly different way in which it affects the
wine's resulting character, such is the case with our Red Star
and Lalvin brands of yeast.

- To find out more about all the Wine Yeasts we offer, you can go
to the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Yeast


NOTE: There are other ingredients that may be necessary
throughout the winemaking process such as Pectic Enzyme, Campden
Tablets and Potassium Sorbate, but these ingredients are not
reliant upon the recipe itself. These are ingredients that are
used in the same way regardless of what kind of wine you are
making. So, we will not consider these ingredients as part of the
recipe but rather consider them as part of the wine making
process. We will talk a little more about them later.


-- Putting The Pieces Together

When it comes to bringing all these elements together, it's about
about one thing--balance. It is about putting them all together
in the proper proportions so that the alcohol level, flavor,
body, character all come together to produce a wine to your
liking. But where do we start?

Step 1: Start With The Produce.
In all cases we need to start with the produce. We have to start
at the heart of the recipe. Produces come in an endless number of
varieties. Some are more naturally suited for making wine than
others in terms of the nutrients, flavor astringency and sugars
they naturally bring to the table. Others need to be brought into
balance.

Here's an example of what I mean. If you drink the juice from
freshly squeezed wine grapes it will taste fairly pleasant. It
will be sweet and flavorful; it wouldn't be too sour or bitter.
But, if you drink the straight juice of freshly squeezed
elderberries, I doubt you could even swallow it. The flavor would
be too strong; the acidity would be very sharp, almost to the
point of being bitter. Yet, we can make wine from elderberries
just the same as we do wine grapes. We do so by bringing them
into balance with other ingredients.

When you make wine from wine grapes you typically use 100 percent
juice--no water added. When you make wine from blackberries,
elderberries, and many other stronger-flavored fruits with higher
acid, you must dilute the juice with water. Exactly how much
water is up for debate, but what is not debatable is the need for
dilution to some degree with such fruit.

Here is a basic list of fruits and the typical amount normally
used in a 5 gallon batch of wine. Realize that the amount of
fruit can vary some based on personal taste or the variety being
used, but getting too far out of line with these numbers can only
get you into trouble.

70-80 pounds Wine grapes, Apples
40-60 pounds Table Grapes
30-40 pounds Muscadine, Scuppernong
20-40 pounds Pears
20-30 pounds Wild Grapes
15-20 pounds Blackberries, Blueberries, Strawberries
10-20 pounds Apricots, Watermelon, Rhubarb, Honey
8 -12 pounds Raisins, Potatoes, Prickly Pear
.5-1.5 pounds Ginger Root, Dandelions, Woodruff Herb

This list was not intended to be complete, but rather give a wide
variety of produces and the amounts needed to make 5 gallons of
wine. If the produce you want to make wine from is not on the
list, then compare the produce with similar ones on the list to
come up with a reasonable amount.

--As a side note, the produce will need to be either chopped,
crushes, bruised, pitted or ground depending on the type you are
dealing with.


Step 2: Add The Water And Sugar.
The water is simple. Add enough to equal the batch to 5 gallons.
In some cases this will mean no water at all; in other cases it
will mean nearly 5 gallons.

Once the water has been added you will need to determine if any
sugar is required in this recipe. The way to determine if sugar
is required is by testing the must with a hydrometer. The
hydrometer has a scale on it that is called "Potential Alcohol."
It is simply a scale of percentages--usually from 0 to 20--that
tells you how much alcohol can be made with the sugars that are
currently in the must.

For example, if you put the hydrometer in the must and get a
reading of 5 percent, this means that the must currently has
enough sugars to produce 5 percent worth of alcohol.

Once you know where you are at, the next step is to figure out
where you want to be. To take our previous example further, if
you know that you are currently at a potential alcohol level of 5
percent and what to be at 12 percent then you need to add and
dissolve sugar into the must until the hydrometer reads 12 on the
Potential Alcohol scale.

NOTE: To help you out, as a general rule-of-thumb, for every
pound of sugar you add to a 5 gallon batch you will increase the
potential alcohol level by 1 percent. This is not exact, but very
close and will save you a lot of time in making this adjustment.

It is recommended that you do not shoot for alcohol levels higher
than 13 percent. Quite often wine yeast will not to be able to
achieve these higher alcohol levels. The result being a massive
amount of left-over sugar in the finished wine making it too
sweet for any ones taste.

It is also recommended that you shoot for alcohol levels higher
than 9 percent as levels lower than this may fail to inhibit the
growth of molds and other micro-organisms in the wine while it is
being stored.

- To find out more about all the hydrometers we offer, you can go
to the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Hydrometers


Step 3: Adjusting Acidity.
As mention early having the proper amount of acid plays several
roles in the flavor and stability of the wine. There are two
types of ingredients that you may need to deal with when
adjusting acidity, the first being Acid Blend. This is the
ingredient that controls how flat or sharp the wine will taste.

To determine if any Acid Blend is needed in your recipe you will
need a Titration Kit. This is a kit that will allow you to test
the current acid level of the wine. And, by reading the
directions it will also tell you how much Acid Blend to add to
get your wine to a proper level. All the information you will
need comes with the Titration Kit.

- To find out more about the Titration Kit we offer, you can go
to the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Titration Kit

Once you have made any necessary adjustments with the Acid Blend
you will want to consider if adding Tannin, or Tannic Acid, to
the wine is necessary. Tannin increases the acidity level just as
Acid Blend, making the wine more stable, but Tannin affects the
wine's flavor in a different, more subtle way.

Tannin brings out a zesty flavor in the wine; more of a
puckering, tangy type of flavor. It is the backbone of the acidic
flavors. Wines short in tannin will be have lifeless, flabby
character to them. Too much and the wine will be bitter and
astringent.

Knowing exactly how much Tannin to add is more of a question of
taste than science. I would suggest to you that the best way to
know if you want to add Tannin to a wine is to experiment with a
small sample of the must first, and go by taste. If you are not
comfortable with this you can use the info below to help you as a
guide.

1/4 to 1/2 Teaspoon Per Gallon:
Flowers, vegetables, grain, bananas, honey, gooseberries,
strawberries, pineapple, rhubarb.

1/8 to 1/4 Teaspoon Per Gallon:
Grapes, apple skins (most varieties), blackberries, cherries,
loganberries, raspberries, currants, sultanas.

None to 1/8 Teaspoon Per Gallon:
Elderberries, crab apples, oak leaves, tea, grape stems,
apricots, blackcurrants, plums, grapefruit, oranges, peaches,
pears, figs, raisins, sloes.

Also, please realize that Tannic Acid is in any fruit. It is
primarily in the skin and stems of the fruit. So, it stands to
reason that the more fruit you use the less Tannin you will need.


Step 4: Selecting The Yeast:
The main consideration with selecting a yeast is its flavor and
aromatic characteristic. While subtle, yeast does effect the
character of a wine. Some produce a more fruity aroma; while
others bring our the deeper, more complex characters of a wine.

If you are not sure which yeast to use then I would suggest that
you use "Montrachet" yeast by Red Star. It is considered a very
strong fermenting yeast with a neutral character.

- To find out more about the wine yeast we offer, you can go to
the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Yeast


-- Other Ingredients To Consider

Pectic Enzyme:
This should be used in any recipe that has pulp. It helps to
break down the fiber of the fruit, allowing you to extract more
flavor during the fermentation. It also help to make sure that
your wine does not end up with a pectin haze. This is a problem
that can occur with fruits that have a high amount of pectin in
them.

When using Pectic Enzyme it is best to add it as early in the
process as possible. For example, at the same time the fruit is
being crushed. Just follow the directions that are listed on the
package that it came in.

- To find out more about the Pectic Enzyme we offer, you can go
to the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Pectic Enzyme


Campden Tablets:
This should be added to any must 24 hours before the yeast is
added. It sterilizes the must, getting rid of any mold, bacteria
or wild yeast that may have came with the fruit.

Campden Tablets should also be added to the wine just before
bottling. This is to help the wine to keep better while in
storage.

- To find out more about the Campden Tablets we offer, you can go
to the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Campden Tablets


Potassium Sorbate:
This is needed only if you intend to sweeten the wine just before
bottling. It is added at the same time the sugar is added.
Potassium Sorbate stops the yeast from starting up a fermentation
again with the new sugars.

- To find out more about the Potassium Sorbate we offer, you can
go to the following link on our web site:

Wine Making Potassium Sorbate


-- As A Final Note:

Take notes! If you go through these steps you will have a batch
of wine. If you go through these steps and take notes, you will
have a batch of wine and a wine recipe that you will be able to
use in the future.
 

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E. C. Kraus

Home Wine & Beer Making Supplies

Address: 733 S. Northern Blvd. - P. O. Box 7850 - Independence, MO  64053

Phone:(816) 254-7448  Fax:(816) 254-7051  Toll Free: (800) 353-1906

Email: customerservice@eckraus.com

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