Simple recipes for grape wine with added water. Wine from grapes at home, a simple recipe on how to make wine from grapes

Making wine from grapes and other ingredients is not only an interesting and exciting process, but also a pleasant, tasty end result in the form of an aromatic alcoholic drink on the table. There are a huge variety of recipes for making homemade wine, and the methods for making it are usually simple and accessible even to novice winemakers.

There are also a large number of grape varieties from which traditional wine is made. Some of them are so rich in aroma, sugar and taste that ready-made drinks based on them are especially thick or astringent, so it is almost impossible to consume them in their pure form.

In such a situation, the only effective solution is to dilute the wine with water. But in order to do this correctly and not spoil the tasting characteristics of the drink, it is necessary to take into account some features of the process and strictly follow them.


The most frequently mentioned wines that home winemakers dilute with water are brands from the Isabella, Lidia or Moldova grape varieties. Some home craftsmen, instead of resorting to diluting the finished wine with water, try to immediately, during the preparation process, use several varieties of grapes, due to which the taste and aroma of the drink is stabilized and balanced, with regard to its astringency and other taste characteristics.

In addition to the traditional preparation of wine from grapes, there is a common technology for preparing a drink from grape pomace, which also uses a certain amount of drinking water. To implement such a recipe, you need patience and the presence of sterile utensils. The tasting properties of homemade wine made from pomace are also high and of high quality.

Regardless of which homemade wine recipe was chosen by the craftsman, it is important to learn a few basic rules that apply to any technology:

  • To make wine, only ripe grapes are used;
  • The grapes should be picked in sunny weather, in the afternoon or late afternoon;
  • Spoiled, rotten and moldy berries are removed;
  • You don’t have to pick off the branches of the berries, but it’s worth considering that they will add special notes of taste to the drink that may not be to everyone’s taste;
  • Grapes are not washed because there is wild yeast on their surface, which promotes an active fermentation process.

Recipe for wine with water from Isabella grapes. To prepare wine according to this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

  • Grapes – 10 kg;
  • Drinking purified water – 6 l;
  • Granulated sugar – 2 kg;
  • Wine yeast – 10 g (as needed).

The sequence of steps in the process of making homemade wine with the addition of water looks like this:

  • After picking, the grapes are mashed and placed in an enamel pan for several days until the fermentation process begins;
  • The container is covered with gauze, and from the second day the wort is regularly stirred with a clean hand or a wooden stick;
  • After fermentation has begun, the water is boiled and cooled to room temperature, after which granulated sugar and wine yeast are added to it;
  • The grape cake is squeezed out and placed in another pan;
  • Warm water is poured into the fermented juice, with yeast and sugar already dissolved in it, after which a water seal or a medical glove is placed on the container, with a hole pierced in one of the fingers;
  • The fermentation process usually lasts for 10-21 days, and after its completion, the wine is drained from the sediment, being careful not to disturb it;
  • The wine drained from the sediment is poured into sterilized bottles and hermetically sealed with corks. From this moment on, the young wine is stored in a cool room.

Recipe for wine with added grape pomace water. Isabella grape pomace is used as the main raw material in this recipe. The main ingredients are:

  • Grape cake – 5 kg;
  • Drinking purified water – 10 l;
  • Granulated sugar – 2 kg;
  • Wine yeast – 10 g (as needed);
  • Vodka or alcohol.

Cooking sequence:

  • The cake is poured with warm water, with yeast and sugar pre-mixed in it and mixed thoroughly;
  • The container with the wort is placed in a warm place for 4 days and covered with gauze, and stirred during each day;
  • After fermentation begins, the wort is filtered into a clean, sterile container, onto which a water seal or seal with a hole in one of the fingers is installed;
  • When fermentation becomes less active, the wort is drained from the sediment and tasted for sweetness, adding more if necessary;
  • During 3 weeks of fermentation, the drink is drained from the sediment into a clean container 2 or 3 times;
  • The drink is fixed with a strong alcoholic base, bottled and stored horizontally in a cool room.

Fixing with vodka or alcohol is necessary, because otherwise the wine will not be stored for long.

Anyone can make delicious grape wine at home. To create it, no special devices are needed: the distillation apparatus is assembled from improvised means. The sweetness and strength of alcohol is determined by the ingredients used. For example, a good taste is obtained by combining Isabella with other varieties. Step-by-step recipes with photo and video tips presented below will help you understand the features of preparing a flavorful drink. It can be prepared with the addition of water and sugar, without yeast.

How to make wine from grapes at home, a simple step-by-step recipe

Experienced winemakers use virtually no yeast or water. Self-fermentation of the grapes ensures a natural taste. Add water only if the grapes are too acidic. In other situations, the recipe for grape wine at home includes only berries. The absence of additives makes it refined and has a pleasant aftertaste. How to make wine from grapes at home, without using additional ingredients, is described in the following instructions.

Ingredients for making wine at home using a simple recipe

  • grapes - 10 kg;
  • sugar - 100-150 gr. for 1 l.

Step-by-step recipe for simple wine preparation at home

  1. The clusters are cleared of large branches (leave the green ones, it is better to remove the dry ones), transfer them to a small saucepan and pound with a mortar. You cannot wash the grapes beforehand: this will remove the wine yeasts released from their surface.
  2. The pulp (crushed grapes) is transferred to an enamel bowl. The top is covered with gauze. This will eliminate the appearance of fruit flies. It shakes itself a couple of times a day. The composition is left for 4-5 days at a temperature of 18-23 degrees.
  3. Afterwards the cake is separated. To do this, put gauze on a colander and put the pulp on top.

  4. The squeezed juice is poured into jars (2/3 full) and tightly closed with lids. Holes are prepared in them and a flexible tube is connected. Its free end is immersed in a small jar of water. This will help remove gases and prevent direct contact of the liquid with air.
  5. When fermentation ceases to be active, sugar is added. The need for filling is checked by tasting: it needs to be added if the sweetness and strength of the alcohol is insufficient. When the formation of bubbles stops, pouring and capping should begin.

Amazing dry wine from grapes at home - a simple recipe with photos

Making dry wine from grapes at home is not difficult. Its advantages are ease of preparation: the use of additives in this case is not required. Making wine from grapes at home can be done using any variety with a slight sweetness. Then the resulting drink will have a slight sourness.

Ingredients for making dry wine at home using a simple recipe

  • grapes - 10 kg.

Step-by-step recipe for making dry homemade wine

  1. Bad and green grapes, leaves are removed. The sorted grapes are manually pounded with a mortar. In an enamel container it lasts for about 1 day (temperature - 20-25 degrees).
  2. The remains are separated from the wort: the composition is filtered several times and poured into bottles with a narrow neck. A hose is connected to the lids and lowered into a jar of clean water.
  3. At the end of fermentation, the liquid is poured into containers. It is important to carry out the procedure carefully without touching the sediment. It is better to store containers in a dark place. If sediment forms, additional filtering is allowed.

Wine from grapes at home - recipe without yeast, video

Natural wine should contain a minimum of additives. But also during its production it is necessary to take into account special requirements for collection and processing. Therefore, beginners are recommended to make homemade wine from grapes using a step-by-step recipe. Following the rules outlined in the video tutorial will help you avoid common mistakes.

The instructions provided provide an example of using Isabella. But it can be replaced with other berries. For example, Bianca is a white grape that is one of the best varieties. It has an original taste, but is quite expensive, and caring for the plants themselves is not easy. Therefore, you can make homemade wine from grapes with the addition of water and sugar and with cheaper, familiar varieties - sultana, valentina or bazhena.

Delicious wine from Isabella grapes at home without yeast - a simple recipe with photos

The use of Isabella as a base is fully justified by the ease of its cultivation and collection in large quantities. True, some winemakers believe that it is almost impossible to make delicious wine from Isabella grapes at home. Achieving a rich and pleasant taste with this variety is easy when using additional components. A simple recipe will help you prepare exquisite wine from grapes at home.

Ingredients for homemade wine from Isabella according to a simple recipe without yeast with water and sugar

  • grapes - 5 kg;
  • water - 12 l (boiled only);
  • sugar - 3 kg.

Step-by-step recipe for homemade wine from Isabella without yeast with the addition of water and sugar

  1. Prepare the bunches for processing. Grind the grapes, add sugar and leave for a week.
  2. Dilute the infused pulp with water and leave for 1 month under gauze. The resulting “cap” must be constantly removed.
  3. At the end of the month-long fermentation, the mixture should be strained and bottled. It is important to remember that sediment getting into the purified liquid will lead to its rapid deterioration.

Homemade grape wine with added water and sugar, recipe with photo

The use of auxiliary ingredients allows you to obtain a strong and very sweet wine. Such drinks made from white grapes are combined with cheeses, desserts, chocolate or other confectionery products. Alcohol made from red grapes is usually served with meat dishes (poultry, pork or beef).

Ingredients for making sweet wine at home

  • red grapes - 5 kg;
  • water - 30% of the mass of the resulting pulp;
  • sugar - 40 g per 1 liter.

Recipe for making sweet homemade wine with added water and sugar

  1. Remove damaged grapes and leaves. Press grapes for wine at home using a mortar.
  2. Place the grape “porridge” in an enamel pan and mix with additives. Cover with gauze and stir after 3-4 days. In the future, the foam “cap” that appears should be removed. After another 12-24 hours, strain the pulp.
  3. Add water to the prepared composition (40% of the total mass). Pour it into bottles, cover with a medical glove, and make a puncture in it to release gases. When the glove comes down, you need to take a little liquid, heat it and dissolve sugar in it (200 g for each liter), pour the mixture into a bottle.
  4. When the liquid stops fermenting, you need to wait for the sediment to peel off and keep the mixture for a month. Next, use a straw to pour it into bottles and seal.

White grape wine at home with the addition of water - a delicious recipe

A distinctive feature of this light, transparent wine is its delicate, refined taste. It is light and goes well with simple snacks: cheese, sliced ​​vegetables. Ideally complements salads and fish. You can make wine from white grapes at home from any variety. Regardless of the sweetness, the drink will have a pleasant aftertaste. During 1 year of storage, it is recommended to carry out additional straining of the liquid. This will help achieve a transparent color and protect against the appearance of bacteria.

Ingredients for a delicious recipe for making homemade grape wine without yeast

  • grapes - 20 kg.

Step-by-step recipe for making wine from grapes at home

  1. Prepare the bunches: remove leaves, damaged or rotten grapes.
  2. Crush the berries. It is better to carry out the work manually: using squeezes and grinding seeds can lead to bitterness.
  3. The juice is decanted from the prepared grapes: the pulp is placed in cheesecloth and wiped well. Subsequently, it settles for about 12-24 hours to settle unnecessary particles.
  4. After settling, the juice without impurities is expressed using a tube. The sediment must not be raised! It is poured, closed with a tongue or similar plug with the possibility of connecting a thin hose.
  5. During fermentation, the temperature should be maintained at about 15-25 degrees. After reducing the volume of juice in glass bottles, it is topped up: due to contact with air, harmful bacteria can form in it.
  6. Straining and pouring occurs only at the end of fermentation, when bubbles stop forming and the carbonated taste completely disappears.

Natural wine from grapes at home, as can be seen from the step-by-step photos and video recipes, can be prepared even by a novice winemaker. Compliance with these rules, careful grinding and straining will allow you to get a truly original drink. Using exclusively grapes as a base, it is not difficult to obtain a light, dry wine. By adding water and sugar, it is not difficult to prepare a semi-sweet drink. You can make wine from grape juice at home without using yeast at any time of the year. For example, for early varieties, preparations are made in the summer. And Isabella is prepared even in the fall: it withstands frost and can be harvested with the onset of cold weather. But the most important thing is that such a wine product will be of high quality, excellent aroma, and will not contain dangerous impurities.

There are dishes that women are more likely to succeed in, but there are purely masculine joys of gastronomic existence, where men have no equal! Yes, we are talking about winemaking, because only a passionate man can produce homemade wine from grapes, the recipe of which becomes his pride! A woman can only be “on hand” here - to prepare the containers, and to encourage the man and praise him for his skills and enthusiasm!

We will share with you the classic technology for making homemade wine from grapes, the recipe of which will allow even a novice winemaker to be proud of the result. So let's get started!

Terms

Mezga- This is the initial, intermediate product of winemaking technology. It is a mass of crushed grapes, with or without ridges. The ridges should be selected, otherwise the wine may become bitter.

Wort- This is the unclarified juice of grapes released from the pulp. This is, in fact, young wine that has not yet begun to ferment.

Fermentation- the process of reproduction of wine yeast, which converts fruit sugar in berries into alcohol, and as a result we get wine!

Which grape variety is the best?

To produce homemade grape wine, technical (wine) grape varieties should be used. The clusters of these varieties are small in size, the berries are small and tightly adjacent to each other.

These are varieties such as Merlot, Isabella, Cabernet, Muscat, Sauvignon, Golubok, Chardonnay, Riesling and others.

Preparatory work

Harvested or purchased grapes should not be washed, since wine yeast lives in abundance on the surface of the berries. Grape harvests harvested after heavy rainfall are not suitable for the production of natural wines for the same reason. And don’t be afraid of dust on the surface of the bunches either - it will settle, and during the fermentation process the juice will clean itself.

The grapes must certainly be freed from atmospheric moisture and be dry - this is an important condition for high-quality homemade grape wine, the recipe for which we are studying. However, this applies to any of the recipes for making wine at home!

We separate the berries from the ridges, selecting moldy, dry and spoiled ones - they can ruin the taste of the drink. Now we need to crush the raw material to a pulp state, and it is more convenient to do this in parts if we mash the grapes with an ordinary potato masher.

You need to knead carefully so that each berry releases all the juice.

If winemaking promises to become your hobby, then it is justified to purchase a special crusher. For a small amount of wine material, you can also use a meat grinder.

Homemade grape wine recipe

Stage I

Pour the resulting mass of pulp into a large prepared container - a wooden or polyethylene barrel, or an enamel pan, taking into account that it only needs to be filled 2/3 full. Cover the container with a cotton cloth and secure it around the circumference of the dish.

Fermentation temperature conditions: 18-23°C. If the temperature is higher, the quality of the final product will suffer or even vinegar fermentation will begin, which will turn the wort into vinegar.

Temperatures below 18°C ​​will slow down the fermentation process, which may not even begin at this temperature.

Experienced winemakers advise: if you brought grapes from fresh air with a temperature of 10-15 ° C, then the grape bunches should warm up to the temperature of the living room.

You can't even start squeezing them until they get warm.

Leave the container with grape pulp alone for 3-5 days. The very next day, rapid growth of yeast bacteria begins, accompanied by fermentation.

The wort begins to actively separate, and the pulp begins to collect on the surface of the liquid mass, which is helped by the active release of carbon dioxide. This risen pulp must be mixed with the must more than once a day, otherwise the pulp will peroxidize and spoil the future wine.

Many winemakers use only freshly squeezed juice to make homemade grape wine, and throw away the skins and seeds. But to obtain a fragrant drink with a beautiful rich color, professional winemakers will never give up pulp, which gives the wine a noble aftertaste!

Stage II

After the prescribed 3-5 days, squeeze out the pulp - first through a colander, then through several layers of unbleached gauze. Now, for subsequent fermentation, pour the wort into a large glass container to three-quarters of the volume and tightly close the stopper with a straw.

If we leave the pulp, then we skip the previous step.

This tube for removing carbon dioxide is called a water seal, which protects the wort from oxygen and souring. We lower one end of the tube into the wine, the other into a liter jar or glass of water.

At the same stage, we adjust the strength of homemade grape wine. It depends on the amount of fructose in the berry and the amount of sugar that should be added during the fermentation process. The grape varieties growing in our countries do not contain fructose above 20%, and therefore it is necessary to add the missing sugar. Otherwise, we will get dry, sour wine.

Add sugar in doses: 200-250 g of sugar per 1 liter of wort. To do this, you need to pour a little juice, heat it and dissolve sugar in it, and then pour it into a common container and securely close it with a stopper.

In general, grape must ferments without pulp for approximately 21-30 days at room temperature. During the fermentation process, yeast settles to the bottom, the wine becomes lighter and gradually gains density, and the release of carbon dioxide stops.

Stage III

We separate the sediment from the clarified wort: by draining (through a straw, lowering the second container below the container with wine). If you can’t drain it carefully, then strain the wine through several more layers of gauze.

Checking the sweetness. If you like dry wine, you don't need to add sugar. If you prefer sweet wine, then add sugar, remembering to stir it in the wine until completely dissolved.

Pour into prepared dark glass containers and seal loosely so that the carbon dioxide still released can find its way out.

Stage IV Stage V

This stage of winemaking at home varies, because... Every master has his own opinion. We are talking about sterilizing unripe grape wine.

Some winemakers believe that wine should ripen naturally for several months and should not be disturbed. For natural ripening, you need to install water seals for each bottle and place it in a cool and dark place until the fermentation of the wine from the grapes has completely stopped.

Maturation usually takes at least 2-3 months, during which the wine is drained several times from the resulting sediment.

Another part of winemakers insists on sterilizing bottles of wine material and further maturing it in tightly sealed dark glass containers.

How to do this according to this recipe?

  1. We pour the wine into bottles, loosely cork them, wrap them with any cloth and place them in a tank of water (it should reach the shoulders of the bottle).
  2. We lower a thermometer into one of the bottles and sterilize it until the temperature of the wine in the bottle rises to 60 degrees. This completes the sterilization process.

During the sterilization process, wine yeast is completely destroyed, thereby making further fermentation impossible. In this case, the bottles in the water are not tightly closed with stoppers - to allow carbon dioxide to escape.

At the end of sterilization, seal the bottles tightly. Let it cool at room temperature and then take it to a cool place for storage.

Wine material that has undergone sterilization is perfectly clarified, matures efficiently, and the wine is distinguished by a velvety softness of taste, with a magnificent aftertaste. Drink of the gods! But even after sterilization, it must be “drained from the sediment” several times.

Wine with the addition of water and wine yeast (video)


Homemade grape wine, the recipes for which we have reviewed in detail, can be stored for up to 10 years at a temperature of 10-15 degrees.

In home winemaking, the most heated debate is whether to add water to wine. Proponents of this method claim that after proper dilution, the wine is not so sour, and more of the drink itself is obtained. Opponents remind that adding water worsens the taste and reduces shelf life. In fact, it all depends on the initial characteristics of the juice.

Theory. The optimal titratable (total) acidity of the finished wine is 4-6 grams of acid per 1 liter. This refers to the total value of all basic acids (citric, succinic, malic, lactic) and their salts. During fermentation, the concentration of these substances decreases, so depending on individual taste preferences, the initial acidity of the juice may be higher - 6-15 grams per liter.

The problem is that at home it is impossible to accurately determine the acid concentration in juice; this requires laboratory equipment and reagents. Approximate values ​​can be found by referring to the tables.



It is important to consider that the acidity of the same raw material depends on the type of soil, climate, weather (amount of precipitation and sunny days) and even in the same region can be different from year to year.

To more accurately determine the acidity of a wine using improvised means, use the pH indicator (potentia hydrogeni, takes values ​​from 0 to 14) - the negative logarithm of the effective concentration of hydrogen ion activity. A special device is required - a pH meter, household models of which can be found on the Internet. The lower the value, the higher the acidity of the solution: 0 – strong acid, 14 – alkali.


Household pH meter

The active acidity of the must before wine fermentation should be in the range from 2.8 to 4 pH.

Titrated (total) and active acidity are interconnected (a decrease in one leads to a decrease in the other and vice versa), but it is impossible to find a numerical connection in the form of proportions or formulas. This means that, knowing the pH of the juice, it will not be possible to determine the acid content in grams per liter.

When to add water to wine

Diluting juice with water is advisable only to reduce acidity to the recommended value. Another option is possible - for one reason or another, the sugar content of the wort is above 20%, as a result of which fermentation has stopped, but then it is better to lower the sugar concentration with a new batch of pure juice, rather than with water.

The more water is added to the wort, the lower the dry matter content in the finished wine will be, which will negatively affect the taste of the drink, so they say: the wine turned out watery.

Often, residents of non-wine-producing regions face the problem of reducing the acidity of juice or if there have been few sunny days during the season (typical for grapes, apples, plums and cherries). For example, grapes grown in central Russia or the north have much higher acidity than the same variety from the southern regions. If you do not add water, the wine will turn out to be very sour, with a burning taste, sometimes the acid even crystallizes on the walls of the vessel with the drink.

Attention! You need to add water to the wine immediately before or during the first 10-15 days after the start of fermentation. Adding water during ripening or storage leads to spoilage of the drink, so diluted wine should be drunk immediately, fermented again or stabilized with alcohol, increasing the strength to 12-16%.

How much water to add to wine

First you need to determine the initial acidity and sugar content of the juice. There are 3 methods:

  1. Using a pH meter and vinometer. The best option. To find out the necessary indicators, it is enough to lower both devices one by one into a container with wort.
  2. According to the tables. An approximate method, since the values ​​depend not only on the type of raw material and variety, but also on the climate in the region and the weather of the year.
  3. Taste. The most inaccurate method, since each person's sense of taste is subjective. Water is required only if the juice is so sour that it stings the tongue and cramps the cheekbones. Residents of the northern regions can play it safe by adding 10-15% of the juice volume with water.

The relationship between acidity, water and sugar. It should be borne in mind that not only water, but also sugar reduces acidity, but it is correct to calculate by volume and not by mass: 1 kg of dissolved sugar occupies 0.6 liters of volume, reducing the acid content in the wort by 60%. In turn, adding water reduces acidity by 2 times.

1% fermented sugar gives 0.6% strength, therefore, to obtain wine with an alcohol content of 12%, 200 grams of sugar per 1 liter is required (natural in juice and added). If the wine is not dry, but semi-sweet or sweet, then when determining acidity, you need to take into account the sugar added after fermentation.

First, the acidity is reduced by the amount of sugar that is planned to be added. Only after this the required amount of water is determined. An example of the calculation will be in the recipe; you can also use a calculator and determine the required values ​​for dry wine.

Counting in progress...

Enter the initial data on the left

Recipe for wine with added water

The task is to make semi-sweet grape wine with a strength of 12%, a sugar content of 5% and reduce the acidity of the must to 6 grams/liter. In this case, there are 5 liters of fresh juice with an initial acidity of 18 grams and a sugar content of 8% per 1 liter.

When calculating using tables:

  1. Total increase in wort volume (O) = (initial acidity / desired acidity) = 18 / 6 = 3 (times);
  2. Proportions of water and sugar by volume (VS) = O – 1 = 2 (times);
  3. The percentage of wort sugar content (Sax) = sugar to achieve the desired strength (desired strength percentage / 0.6) + residual sugar for sweetness = 12 / 0.6 + 5 = 25%.
  4. Amount of sugar (K) = (O * amount of juice * Sax) – (initial sugar content of juice (kg) * amount of juice) = (3 * 5 *0.25) – (0.08 * 5) = 3.35 kg;
  5. Volume occupied by sugar (S) = K * 0.6 = 3.35 * 0.6 = 2.01 liters;
  6. Required amount of water (VOD) = VS * amount of juice - S = 2 * 5 – 2.01 = 7.99 liters.
  7. Total volume of wort (V) = amount of juice * O = 3 * 5 = 15 liters.
  8. Sugar for sweetening the finished wine (SS) = V * sugar for sweetness (%) / 100 = 0.75 kg;
  9. Sugar that needs to be added at the fermentation stage (Vb) = K - SS = 3.35 - 0.75 = 2.6 kg.

Using the same algorithm, you can determine the amount of water for any other sour juice: apple, cherry, etc.

When calculating using a pH meter, first adjust the sugar content of the wort to approximately 20% according to the hydrometer, then add water in small batches to a pH value of 2.8-4. At the fermentation stage, sugar content and strength are controlled with a vinometer. Adjustments are made based on the relationship between acidity, sugar and water (juice), which is described above.


Vinometer example

To increase the acidity of the wort (required in the case of sweet raw materials such as peaches or apricots, as well as when diluted too much with water), you can use pure citric acid in bags or squeeze fresh lemon (the juice of one medium-sized fruit contains 5-6 grams of acid).

Ingredients:

  • grape juice – 5 liters;
  • sugar – 3.35 kg;
  • water – 7.99 l.

Wine making technology

1. Unwashed (so that wild yeast remains on the skin) crush the grapes and leave for 3-4 days in a dark room at room temperature in a plastic or enamel container (pan, barrel or bucket) with a wide neck. Add wine yeast if desired. Cover the container with gauze to prevent flies.

Every 8-12 hours, stir with a wooden stick or a clean hand, drowning the surfaced pulp - peel and pulp - in the juice. After 8-20 hours from the start of cooking, foam, hissing and a slight smell of fermentation should appear, this means that everything is going fine.

2. Filter the fermented juice from the pulp through gauze or a sieve, squeeze out the pulp well. Add all the water and a third of the sugar (0.87 kg according to the recipe in the example). Mix.

Attention! During fermentation, I advise you to add sugar at intervals of 4-5 days in three equal portions in a total amount of no more than 200 grams per 1 liter of diluted juice, taking into account the natural sugar content of the raw material. Then, after fermentation is complete, sweeten the drink to taste.

3. Pour the wort into the fermentation container, filling a maximum of 75% of the volume so that there is space for the next portions of sugar, foam and carbon dioxide. Install a water seal of any design (you can get by with a glove with a hole in your finger). Transfer the future wine to a dark place (cover with a thick cloth) with a stable temperature of 18-28°C.


Homemade water castle A glove is the easiest option

4. 4-5 days after installing the water seal, pour 50% of the wort from one portion of sugar into a separate container (approximately 450 ml according to the example). Dissolve sugar (0.87 kg). Pour the resulting syrup back into the container with the wine and close it with a water seal. After 4-5 days, repeat the procedure for adding sugar using the same technology, adding the last portion (0.87 kg).


Syrup from part of the juice eliminates the need to stir the sugar, lifting sediment from the bottom

5. Depending on the yeast, temperature and sugar content of the juice, the duration of fermentation of homemade wine is 25-60 days. If the process lasts longer than 45 days, in order to avoid the appearance of bitterness in the taste, the drink must be poured through a straw into another container, without touching the sediment, and left to ferment under a water seal.

After fermentation is complete (the water seal does not release gas for a couple of days or the glove is deflated), remove the young homemade wine from the sediment by pouring it into another container through a straw (it is important not to touch the loose layer of pulp at the bottom).

6. Try the drink. Add sugar to taste (0.75 kg according to calculations), adjusting the sweetness. You can also fix it with alcohol or vodka (2-15% by volume).

Pour the wine into aging containers (it is advisable to fill to the top to avoid contact with oxygen). Transfer to a refrigerator or basement at a temperature of 5-16°C for ripening. Leave for at least 40 days (optimally 60-120 days).

7. Periodically, when a layer of sediment of 2-5 cm appears, filter by pouring through a tube (siphon).

8. When sediment no longer appears, the finished drink can be poured into bottles for storage and hermetically sealed.


If you follow the recommendations, the appearance of a wine made from red grapes will not differ from a similar one made from pure juice.

The shelf life of homemade wine with the addition of water is up to 3 years (with pure juice - 5 years or more) if stored in a refrigerator or cellar (basement). Strength – 10-14%.

To more accurately determine the acidity of a wine using improvised means, use the pH indicator (potentia hydrogeni, takes values ​​from 0 to 14) - the negative logarithm of the effective concentration of hydrogen ion activity. A special device is required - a pH meter, household models of which can be found on the Internet. The lower the value, the higher the acidity of the solution: 0 – strong acid, 14 – alkali.

Household pH meter

The active acidity of the must before wine fermentation should be in the range from 2.8 to 4 pH.

Titrated (total) and active acidity are interconnected (a decrease in one leads to a decrease in the other and vice versa), but it is impossible to find a numerical connection in the form of proportions or formulas. This means that, knowing the pH of the juice, it will not be possible to determine the acid content in grams per liter.

When to add water to wine

Diluting juice with water is advisable only to reduce acidity to the recommended value. Another option is possible - for one reason or another, the sugar content of the wort is above 20%, as a result of which fermentation has stopped, but then it is better to lower the sugar concentration with a new batch of pure juice, rather than with water.

The more water is added to the wort, the lower the dry matter content in the finished wine will be, which will negatively affect the taste of the drink, so they say: the wine turned out watery.

Often, residents of non-wine-producing regions face the problem of reducing the acidity of juice or if there have been few sunny days during the season (typical for grapes, apples, plums and cherries). For example, grapes grown in central Russia or the north have much higher acidity than the same variety from the southern regions. If you do not add water, the wine will turn out to be very sour, with a burning taste, sometimes the acid even crystallizes on the walls of the vessel with the drink.

Attention! You need to add water to the wine immediately before or during the first 10-15 days after the start of fermentation. Adding water during ripening or storage leads to spoilage of the drink, so diluted wine should be drunk immediately, fermented again or stabilized with alcohol, increasing the strength to 12-16%.

How much water to add to wine

First you need to determine the initial acidity and sugar content of the juice. There are 3 methods:

  1. Using a pH meter and vinometer. The best option. To find out the required indicators, simply lower both devices one by one into a container with wort.
  2. According to the tables. An approximate method, since the values ​​depend not only on the type of raw material and variety, but also on the climate in the region and the weather of the year.
  3. Taste. The most inaccurate method, since each person's sense of taste is subjective. Water is required only if the juice is so sour that it stings the tongue and cramps the cheekbones. Residents of the northern regions can play it safe by adding 10-15% of the juice volume with water.

The relationship between acidity, water and sugar. It should be borne in mind that not only water, but also sugar reduces acidity, but it is correct to calculate by volume and not by mass: 1 kg of dissolved sugar occupies 0.6 liters of volume, reducing the acid content in the wort by 60%. In turn, adding water reduces acidity by 2 times.

1% fermented sugar gives 0.6% strength, therefore, to obtain wine with an alcohol content of 12%, 200 grams of sugar per 1 liter is required (natural in juice and added). If the wine is not dry, but semi-sweet or sweet, then when determining acidity, you need to take into account the sugar added after fermentation.

First, the acidity is reduced by the amount of sugar that is planned to be added. Only after this the required amount of water is determined. An example of the calculation will be in the recipe; you can also use a calculator and determine the required values ​​for dry wine.