Home winemaking

Dry white table wines differ from red table wines in characteristics other than color. They contain lower concentrations of the puckery and astringent tannins. They usually have a higher acid content which makes them somewhat lighter in body and fresher on the palate. Dry white wines also are usually simpler in their aroma in contrast to the complicated aroma and bouquet that can develop in a red table wine. While it is possible to make white table wines from red-skinned varieties, for the home winemaker this task is very difficult because it is almost impossible to remove all traces of the pigment-containing skins from the juice quickly enough to prevent some reddish or amber color from developing. 

White wines are normally fermented in containers that can be partially closed so that the surface of the fermenting wine is protected from the air by a blanket of carbon dioxide. For the home winemaker, 5-gallon carboys serve admirably. An hour or so after adding S02, one adds approximately 3% of an actively fermenting pure-culture starter yeast. 

For the home winemaker, the color intensity may be estimated by eye. It is essential to strain or filter the bulk of the yeast and pulp particles before examining the wine because these suspended materials make the wine appear much lighter in color than it actually is. Color intensity is estimated by looking down through the wines (sample and a control wine) contained in equivalent glass test tubes which are illuminated from the bottom. The depths of the wines are adjusted until the two wines appear to have the same brightness, even though the hues may differ considerably. The amount of color in the test wine varies inversely with its depth in the tube. Thus, if the depth of the test wine is twice that of the standard control wine then it contains only one-half as much color. 

For the home winemaker, the separation is facilitated if a cylindrical stainless steel screen closed at the bottom and long enough to extend from the top level of the cap to the bottom of the fermentation vessel is obtained. The screen is pushed down through the layer of skins until the screen bottom is in contact with the bottom of the fermenter. The wine is then siphoned from the inside of the screen into the containers in which the fermentation will finish. When no more free run wine can be obtained, the residual skins may be pressed to augment the yield considerably. Excessive pressure is to be avoided in this step lest the press wine be overly astringent and bitter. The free run wine should be kept separate from the press wine until the fermentations are finished. Tasting at this time will dictate whether the two can be blended without impairment of quality or whether the press wine is to be kept as a second quality wine. 

The growth of malo-lactic bacteria in wines is favored by moderate temperatures, low acidity, very low levels of S02, and the presence of small amounts of sugar undergoing fermentation by yeast. It is frequently possible to inoculate a wine with a pure culture of a desirable strain of bacteria and obtain the malo-lactic fermentation under controlled conditions. The pure-culture multiplication of the selected strain of bacteria is difficult, however. It is also difficult to control the time of the malo-lactic fermentation—sometimes it occurs when not wanted, and at other times will not go when very much desired. For the home winemaker it is probably most satisfactory to accept the malo-lactic fermentation if it occurs immediately following the alcoholic fermentation. The wines should then be siphoned away from deposits, stored in completely filled containers at cool temperatures, and have added to them about 50 ppm S02. If the malo-lactic fermentation does not take place spontaneously and the wine is reasonably tart, the above described regime of preservation will likely prevent its occurrence. When the malo-lactic transformation takes place in wines in bottles, the results are nearly always bad. The wine becomes slightly carbonated, and the spoiled sauerkraut flavors are emphasized. 

However, diethylpyrocarbonate also will react with the traces of ammonia in wines under high pH conditions to produce a few parts per billion urethane. Therefore, the compound is no longer used in any foods produced commercially, and its use by the home winemaker cannot be recommended. 

The home winemaker may follow the Spanish practice by adding 5-6 grams CaS04 per gallon to his freshly pressed juice. 

The home winemaker is encouraged to keep an accurate cellar log of the movements of wines through his solera. This will not only permit calculation of the losses by evaporation but will permit accounting for the relatively large amount of wine on hand in case of inquiry by federal authorities. 

Prohibition closed down the Eastern wine industry as quickly and as firmly as it did the California industry. However, the vineyards were partially saved by the increasingly popular grape juice industry, to which Concord was suited admirably. Furthermore, a large amount of grapes were sold to home winemakers, which was legal. 

Post-Prohibition. The repeal of Prohibition found eastern viticulture, what there was left of it, in deep depression. Unlike California, it was not helped by the huge grape deal directed at home winemakers and it had lost much of the fresh fruit market to Thompson Seedless, Flame Tokay, and Emperor from the Central Valley, short on flavor but long on shipability. 

Barney and his sons started uprooting the old vines and replanting with Cabernet Sauvignon and the native American Zinfandel. They harvested the grapes and sold them on to small home winemakers throughout the country. At some point along the way, they decided to make their own wine, and in 1968, two of the sons, Jim and John, converted an old barn into a winery. That year the Fetzer family produced 2500 cases of their first batch of wine. Barney s motto was to make wines people can drink every night . Their hefty reds soon earned them a reputation for quality wines at reasonable prices. 

G. Cooke, J. Lapsley. Home Winemaking. The Regent of the University of California,... 

The reducing properties of sulfur dioxide are put to good use commercially in bleaching natural fibres (straw, wool and newsprint). Sulfur dioxide has long been used as an antiseptic and antioxidant in the food industry wine casks have been fumigated with SO2 for thousands of years. The home winemaker of today, who adds a sodium metabisulfite tablet to the wash water, is following a very ancient practice The sodium metabisulfite dissolves to release SO2, which sterilizes the equipment. 

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