WINEMAKING AT HOME CAN BE A LOT OF FUN and immensely satisfying, and it can be a big mess. If set up well, your winemaking space — your winery — will be efficient and organized, allowing all the functions of winemaking to take place in an environment that is pleasant for you and is the ideal ambience for the wine itself.
You can make wine in any number of places in your home, including the kitchen, a seldom-used bedroom or bathroom, the laundry room, the basement, the garage, or even a garden shed. The first thing to do is to analyze the spaces in your home and evaluate their potential for accommodating the necessary tasks and storage facilities. You may be spending a fair amount of time in your winery, so be sure your final decision on where to put it also takes into consideration your own personal comfort.
The amount of space you’ll need for your winery will depend on how much wine you plan to make. Conversely, the amount of wine you’re able to make will be limited by the space available. Efficiency in equipment storage and container management, as well as proximity to a good source of running water and drains, will help optimize the space and increase your winemaking capacity. It’s also helpful to have equipment that can perform more than one task.
If you’re making wine from grapes, a crusher-destemmer is a key piece of equipment. After sorting the grapes, you’ll put them in the crusher. The crusher breaks open the grapes, releasing a lot of grape juice and crushed skins. There will be spills, splashes, splatters, and little grape berries being squashed under your feet. With the destemmer attached, you’ll remove the stems from the crushed grapes and deposit them into another bin destined for the compost heap.
Crushing and destemming is a task best suited for the outdoors, on your crush pad, which can be any patch of lawn, patio, driveway, or other area that will clean up easily, or even an open garage with a floor that can be hosed out. Be sure to have an adequate water supply (with a hose and nozzle) and an appropriate power supply to run the crusher-destemmer (unless you’re using a fully manual crusher-destemmer).
If your crush pad is paved, it’s a good idea to lay down a tarp to protect the concrete from grape juice stains. I’ve found that a 9 × 12-foot blue tarp works well and is less slippery than the plastic Visqueentype tarps. However, if you like the idea of an artistic grape-stained patio, consider the tarp an optional piece of equipment.
After crushing, you will transfer the must (crushed grapes, skins, and juice that will become wine) into a fermentation container, whether by gravity or other means. The method you use to transfer the must will depend on how much wine you’ll be making at a time.
At the high end of the price range are must pumps; they are very expensive and overly productive for the relatively small volumes of home winemakers. On the other end of the spectrum, you can simply scoop the crushed grapes into buckets and pour them into your fermenters, though I don’t recommend this method. For small batches, crushing directly into the fermenter may also work. A middle-range option is to place a bin below the crusher-destemmer to capture the crushed grapes (a 25-gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck rectangular bin, which I prefer, is large enough for about 125 pounds of crushed grapes. Setting the bin on a homemade dolly would allow for easy transport; you can roll the bin over to a fermenter and scoop out the must. This system equals or beats the speed of must pumps and gives you a workout as well.
Rubbermaid Brute Container (left) and Rubbermaid Roughneck Container (right)
Cold soaking is a technique some winemakers use to improve the color and enhance the fruit forwardness of their wines by crushing the grapes and then cooling down the must to about 40°F for up to a week before adding the yeast culture. If you suspect one of these aspects may be lacking in your fruit, cold soaking may be worth considering. However, it’s important to understand that cold soaking can be a risky proposition if temperatures aren’t properly maintained. Results can vary, and it is recommended that the winemaker ventures into this process cautiously and diligently. Spoilage organisms, like mold, can quickly take over a fermenter if it’s left unprotected.
Fermentation of both red and white wines is best done under monitored temperature control. Whites tend to enjoy long, slow, cool ferments, while reds typically are fermented with warmer temperatures. Your winery must provide the proper ambience for your specific goals. Chapter 2 goes into more detail on controlling temperatures for fermentation. What you need to consider here are the space requirements and procedures performed in your winery to facilitate a good, thorough fermentation.
Your fermentation containers can range from 1-gallon jugs to 4×4-foot macro bins to large stainless steel variable-volume tanks. The containers you select will depend on batch sizes and wine types, but be sure they are “food grade” or rated NSF approved. To begin, consider the number of different types of wines you’ll make, when you’ll start them, and the quantity of must that you’ll ferment for each. For grape wines, a rough rule of thumb is that 10 pounds of fruit will make 1 gallon of must. So if you have 100 pounds of grapes to crush, plan on a fermenter that will handle 10 gallons of crushed grapes, skins, and juice. For the container size, I recommend adding 25 to 50 percent capacity over the anticipated must volume. Therefore, 10 gallons of must requires at least a 12½- to 15-gallon fermenter.
For red wines, expect to perform regular punch-downs — pushing down the cap of drying skins that float to the surface as fermentation progresses. You will need room to work around your fermenters with a punch-down tool and a convenient place for cleaning the tool afterward. I like to keep a small bucket near the fermenters with the punch-down tool in it for easy access and transport to the sink or hose for cleaning.
You’ll quickly develop a domino routine of punching down one fermenter, removing the cover of the next and placing it on the prior one, punching, moving the cover of the next, and so on. Punching down will be messy. You’ll have spatters, skins and berries, and lots and lots of fruit flies around your fermenters. The cleaner you can keep your fermentation area, the better control you’ll have over the fruit flies. Wipe up any spills immediately, and cover your fermenters with towels, heavy fabric, or the hard plastic lids that are available with some fermenters to keep the bugs at bay and to allow the escape of carbon dioxide.
Whites tend to enjoy long, slow, cool ferments, while reds typically are fermented with warmer temperatures.
Red wines are typically fermented at warmer temperatures, above 70°F. If you’re making wine in regions that experience cooler fall temperatures, you may need to provide some heat over and above the natural rise in temperature that the yeast provides. You can do this in any number of creative ways, and we’ll discuss the issue in more detail in chapter 2. What you need to consider now are the logistics for providing that heating infrastructure, including electricity, thermostats and thermometers, insulating blankets, and even fermentation chambers or closets. Your options should be cost- and space-commensurate with the volume of wine you’re expecting to produce.
Controlling temperature for the cool fermentation of white wines requires a totally different approach, and you should keep the reds and whites separate so you can manage the fermentation rate you want for each type. We will discuss a number of methods for controlling cool fermentation in chapter 2, but for starters, you will need room for water baths, chillers, and other cooling devices that will enhance your white wines’ progress and prevent stuck fermentation.
Pressing the skins is also a messy task, best suited to your crush pad. With both red and white wines, you’ll be pouring, pumping, scooping, or shoveling the must into the press and applying a lot of pressure to squeeze all the goodness from the grapes. When the press is in operation, it’s common for juice to squirt out the sides of the basket and for the press pans to overflow. A tarp beneath the press is a great help in minimizing the mess and facilitating cleanup. We’ll discuss pressing further in chapter 2, including complete instructions for building and operating your own press.
Most commercially available presses take up a lot of space, being about 2 feet or more in diameter and up to 5 feet tall. They are also heavy and awkward to move around. Commercially available presses come in two main types — ratchet and bladder. The ratchet press features a basket with wood staves spaced about ¼″ apart to hold the must. A long threaded rod extends up from the press pan through the middle of the basket. A ratcheting lever is threaded onto the rod, over a wood press plate. When the lever is pulled back and forth, it pushes the plate down, squeezing the juice from the grapes. The juice exits via a spout into whatever container you’ve placed next to the press. The grape skins remaining in the basket are compressed into a disk called the pomace cake.
Transferring the crushed must to the press can be done by scooping it with a kitchen saucepan.
Wine that drains through the press before being squeezed from the skins is called free run. Free run will make up 50 percent to 75 percent of your total wine volume.
A bladder press (the kind that many home winemakers use) looks similar to a ratchet press, although typically the basket is made of stainless steel mesh. In the center of the basket is an inflatable rubber bladder. As the bladder inflates (being filled with compressed air or water), it presses the skins outward against the basket, rather than down, as with the ratchet press. The advantage of the bladder press is that the skins are pressed against a larger surface area, usually resulting in a thinner pomace cake and greater efficiency (a larger ratio of surface area to volume of pressing). Disadvantages of a bladder press versus a ratchet press are that it is more expensive, it’s a little more difficult to remove the pomace, and it requires either a compressor or a hose and spigot nearby. A bladder press is also less able to handle small batches — it needs to be filled to the top of its basket to be effective. (You can process a small batch by inflating the bladder gradually as you fill the basket, but this takes some finesse.) Also, if you use water to inflate the bladder, you have to drain it when you’re done, which takes up precious pressing time, and if for some unexpected reason the bladder ruptures, the wine can be ruined.
Another type of press, which is less commercially available, is a hydraulic press. Its basic concept is the same as that of the ratchet and bladder press, except that a hydraulic mechanism is used to exert the pressure rather than a ratchet or bladder. A very effective hydraulic press can be made with commonly available materials and equipment. In chapter 2 we’ll discuss how to build a folding, rolling hydraulic press that will easily handle the legal limit of wine that home winemakers are allowed to make.
Carbon dioxide management should also be a concern for the home winemaker. If you’re making wine in a confined space, keep in mind that your desired result is yeast converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is what we exhale as a by-product of our biological functions, and it can become suffocating if the space we’re occupying is overwhelmed by it. Make sure you have adequate ventilation for your fermenting functions. A closet of fermenting wine can quickly become full of toxic gas.
The nemesis of most wineries is the fruit fly. These little buggers can get almost anywhere and can sniff out fruit and wine within minutes. They can destroy a batch of wine if uncontrolled. There’s nothing grosser than finding maggots crawling around in your fermenter. And they are prolific. In her short life span, a female fruit fly can lay 500 to 800 eggs. Needless to say, controlling fruit flies will make your winemaking experience (and that of your friends and family) much more enjoyable.
Fruit fly control begins with keeping your winery and equipment very clean. Wipe up spills, drips, and dribbles promptly with a squirt of 1,000 ppm (parts per million) potassium or sodium metabisulfite solution mixed with citric acid. Once flies begin to proliferate, a fruit fly trap or two is very handy. Sticky flypaper rolls can be effective traps; they’ll be even more effective if you leave a small glass of wine next to each roll.
You can also make a simple, effective fruit fly trap from a 2-liter plastic bottle. Drill a small hole in the cap of the bottle, and then cut off the top portion of the bottle, at the shoulder. Fill the bottom with a bit of wine and a couple drops of dish soap, and insert the top, inverted. Tape the cut edges together. You’ll have a nice little fruit fly farm in no time!
The primary tool for sanitation in my winery is hot running water. Establishing a convenient setup for rinsing carboys, bottles, hoses, and tubing with hot water is the first step in keeping your equipment clean and long-lasting. A deep sink is a great asset, although a kitchen sink will work just fine. Ideally, a home winery has a stainless, deep, double sink with an adjacent drain board and a wall-mounted faucet that can be connected to a short piece of garden hose, along with a variety of nozzles and sprayers. This sink can serve double duty as a site for soaking and removing labels from bottles scavenged from restaurants, friends, and recycling stations. (We’ll talk more about label removal techniques in chapter 7.)
Due to the unavoidable overflow and splashing of the wines in the process of winemaking, the ideal setup also includes a floor drain, especially in a basement winery. A floor drain that is connected to a sewer line or septic system must be installed according to local plumbing codes; improper piping can allow sewer gas to fill the winemaking space with smelly sulfurous gas and flammable methane. In many cases a winery drain may be allowed to discharge into a storm-water drain, which could eliminate costly P-traps, trickle valves, and other plumbing elements. But it should be connected and constructed to keep vermin from using it as a tunnel into the winery. Check with your local health and building authorities for more information on what they will allow.
FIGURE 1.01 Fruit Fly Trap
There are as many opinions about how to clean winery equipment as there are winemakers, but my preference is to thoroughly clean my equipment after each use and then to store it in an enclosed location like a cabinet, drawer, or storage box. Household liquid detergents tend to foam, are difficult to rinse thoroughly, and are frequently scented, so they are not the best choice for cleaning in the winery. I find that unscented sodium percarbonate cleaners (OxiClean is one popular brand name) work very well and are used by many commercial winemakers.
To sanitize equipment before using it, I use solution of potassium metabisulfite (K-meta) and citric acid, made by mixing 8 grams of K-meta and 5 grams of powdered citric acid in ½ gallon of water. I keep a supply in a 16-ounce pump spray bottle. When I’m ready to make wine, I spray some of the solution onto my work surfaces and even into my racking canes and tubing, shake off the excess, and they’re ready to use. No rinsing is required. For larger things like carboys, I like to pour about a quart of solution inside, swirl it around to coat all surfaces, and then pour it back into the sanitizer container (use a funnel!). You can reuse this solution several times if you’re using it just to give a sanitizing rinse to previously cleaned equipment. Mark your sanitizer container clearly, so you don’t accidentally use it to sanitize your wine. I make a label with blue painter’s tape, writing on it the name of the solution and the date it was mixed so that I’ll know when to toss it out after a few months and mix some new.
You will spill wine on tables, counters, racks, and floors, so be sure that these surfaces are easy to clean. While carpeting is nice for cushioning a carboy on the floor, it will get ugly very quickly. Carpet scraps and rubber mats, on the other hand, can be taken outside and hosed down when they get dirty, and they’re easy and inexpensive to replace.
I highly recommend keeping a very detailed log of each wine you make. A good wine log will allow you to track the daily progress of your wine from vineyard to bottle, and it is a great reference tool for the next time you want to make a similar wine. When, two years after making a great Bordeaux blend, you want to replicate that fantastic vintage, you’ll be very happy you kept notes on the simplest details. Which yeast did I use? Did I add malolactic bacteria? Did I adjust the acid? At what temperature did I ferment the wine? And so on.
I have a wine log template that’s two pages (see the next page), which I format as a double-sided page (one side on the front and one on the back). I created the template electronically, on my computer, so I can update the form or add information easily. However, I prefer to print out the logs and keep them in my winery in a three-ring binder with a water(wine)proof cover. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having my computer near all the activity that goes on in the winery. That said, I wouldn’t know what to do without my computer for any number of winemaking tasks, from calculating sulfite additions to making and printing labels.
Each batch or varietal of wine has its own log. The first section deals with the fruit, namely the source of the fruit and any initial data or comments about it. Here I record the conditions under which it was picked or any other information I might want to note. I also like to make note of everyone who helped me with the crush or press, to be sure they get a bottle of this particular wine when it is ready for release.
The next section relates to the fermentation. Here I record the yeast and nutrients I used for inoculation and feeding during alcohol fermentation, and the dates I added them. If I use malolactic strains, oak augments, or other additives, I’ll note it in this section, along with the date I added them. For red wines or fruit wines, I’ll note the average number of times I punched down the cap.
Next is the analysis section, where I record the conditions of the wine from fermentation and bulk aging right up until bottling. It gives a quick picture of the transition of the wine from crush through finish and allows for easy analysis of what might need to be adjusted and when.
Following the analysis section is a notes section where I can track all my actions and adjustments and note what I’ll need to do next and when to do it. For example, for one batch I might note, “October 5th: Inoculated with yeast and nutrient.” My follow-up might be “Add malolactic bacteria on October 15th.”
Page 2 of the wine log allows me to annotate the various adjustments or additions I make over the course of the batch. Below that I can record the bottle sizes, types, quantity, and closures I used. Then there’s room for additional comments that may be important to the wine record.
At the bottom of the log, I like to track the progress of the fermentation in chart form. Each time I check the Brix and temperature of the wine, I’ll make a corresponding dot or X on the chart, marking that information for that given day. The lines plotted from the data track the progress of the fermentation and can be helpful in predicting a slow or stuck fermentation.
You could purchase a starter equipment kit that will get you on your way to making wine from juice, concentrates, or kits. Typically the equipment kit will have a 6½-to 8-gallon bucket and lid, a carboy, some plastic tubing, a racking cane, and a number of other basic essentials like bottle brushes, a hand corker, and cheap corks. Such an equipment kit is great for someone who isn’t sure where to begin, but by educating yourself, being selective, and buying the right equipment for your planned advancement through the winemaking journey, you could save a few bucks and avoid acquiring equipment you’ll never use.
The following lists outline the recommended equipment that you’ll want to have access to in your winery, organized for beginner, intermediate, and advanced home winemakers. By comparing these lists, and taking into consideration your goals of advancing in the hobby, you can evaluate whether you should skip purchasing some of the basic pieces of equipment in favor of buying an upgraded version or making the equipment yourself. Items listed in bold are those you’ll find plans for in this book.
Beginner (up to 30 gallons per year)
EQUIPMENT LIST
8-gallon bucket fermenter
Two 5-gallon glass carboys
Two 6-gallon glass carboys
Airlocks—one per carboy, plus one extra
One-hole bungs (see page 90; variation of silicone bungs)
Hydrometer (see page 92; triple-scale recommended)
Hydrometer jar
5/16″ or 3/8″ plastic tubing
Potassium metabisulfite
Bottle filler (see page 139; four-spout version recommended for higher production volumes)
Strainer
Bottle corker
Corks
Bottles
Bottle brush
Long plastic spoon
Bottle tree (see page 125)
Autosiphon or siphon pump (see page 61)
Pump spray bottle
Several sizes of glass jars with lids
Measuring spoons
½-gallon plastic bottles
Turkey baster
Funnel
Wine glasses
Paper towels
Rags
Sponge
Broom
Mop
Corkscrew
Log book (see page 14), pens, and pencils
Blue masking tape
Felt-tip marker
Sink
Garden hose and nozzles
Scissors
Utility knife
Steel wool pads
Two plastic racking canes
Intermediate (up to 175 gallons per year)
EQUIPMENT LIST
Q All of the beginner equipment (see page 17) plus:
Rubbermaid Brute fermenters
Crusher (see page 24)
Destemmer (see page 30)
Dolly (see page 56)
Press (see page 36)
Punch-down tool (see page 48)
Wine thief
Larger hoses
A small barrel or two
More carboys
Oak augments (see page 193)
Silicone bungs (see page 89)
More air locks
Lab support stand (see page 97)
10 ml and 25 ml pipettes
Pipette bulb
Graduated cylinders
Erlenmeyer flasks
Beakers
Test tubes
Sulfite testing equipment (see page 105)
Malic acid testing equipment (see page 99)
Titratable (total) acid testing equipment (see page 96)
pH meter
Vacuum pump
Inert gas tank and regulator
½″ plastic tubing
½″ stainless steel racking canes (see page 57)
Chemicals for various tests
Double sink with drain board
Refrigerator freezer
Rinser-sparger (see page 133)
Bottle cleaner
Advanced and Clubs (175+ gallons per year)
EQUIPMENT LIST
Q All of the beginner and intermediate equipment plus:
Stainless steel variable-capacity tanks
Power destemmers
Must pump
Bladder press
Larger barrels
Stainless steel connectors
Laboratory meters
Pressure washer
Compressor
Pallet jack
Wine hoist (see page 70)
Breathable silicone bungs
A well-organized winery makes for efficient and happy winemaking. “A place for everything and everything in its place” is a good rule to work by. Take a look at the equipment lists on the previous pages, and after deciding what equipment you will need, want, or perhaps grow into, consider where in your winery would be a good place to store it all, keeping in mind that you’ll use some pieces, like your crusher, only occasionally, while others, like carboys, lab equipment, and wine bottles, you’ll use and move around the winery all year long. Carefully planning how you’ll store these items so you can access them easily, without stumbling over other equipment, is key to success.
Glass and plastic (PET) carboys are preferred and proven containers for aging wines. They’re available in 3-, 5-, 6-, 6.5-, and 15-gallon sizes.
The majority of the space you’ll need for winemaking is for storing the wine, from the first crush to the last sip. You’ll need to consider temperature control (protecting the wine from large or rapid temperature swings) as well as access (locating the wine in a place where you can easily test, taste, and monitor it). Home winemakers typically make wine in batches ranging from 1 gallon to 60 gallons. After fermentation, the wine will generally bulk-age in large containers for 6 months to a year or more. These containers can be glass, stainless steel, certain types of plastic, or oak barrels. Anything over 1 gallon can be quite heavy, so plan on developing your storage space to minimize the need to move these containers when they are full. You’ll also need unimpeded access to the tops of these containers so that you can insert wine thieves, racking canes and hoses, and additives into them. In considering clearances above your carboys, keep in mind that airlocks will extend the height required above your carboy, keg, or barrels.
Oak barrels are available for the home winemaker in sizes that range from 1-gallon to full-sized 60-gallon barrels and in different species of oak including American, French, and Hungarian.
In chapter 3, we’ll describe in greater detail the ways in which you can transfer wine from one container to another, as well as devices that you can use to move full containers when it becomes necessary to do so.
In addition to storing your wine during bulk aging, you will need a place to store your winemaking equipment. Stored equipment should be easily accessible, so you can get to it when you need it, but it should not intrude upon the winery, your home, or other spaces when it is not in use. Commercially available crushers, destemmers, and presses can take up a lot of space, as can fermenting bins, empty bottles, and containers. In general, do not buy equipment that is larger than what you need to provide efficient processing in the quantities you will be making. For example, sometimes two medium-size presses are better than one really big one.
Your wine lab requires a clean counter where you can set up your lab equipment for testing wine samples and store the delicate instruments, glassware, and chemicals. You may want an under-counter refrigerator and closed cabinet storage as well, because some of the chemicals you’ll be using have a longer shelf life if kept in a refrigerator, and others keep best if stored away from light. Good organization and identification of the various chemicals and agents are imperative.
The amount of counter space needed ranges from a couple of feet in width to a whole kitchen, depending on your winemaking goals. Chapter 5 has plans for a number of pieces of lab equipment as well as descriptions of the process for each test you’ll be performing regularly.
Once your wine is ready to bottle, you’ll move it to your bottling line. This can be as simple as a hose, tube, and siphon or much more involved, with automatic bottle fillers and corkers, or somewhere in between. In general, the bottling process will involve cleaning and sanitizing bottles, filling them, and inserting the corks. Bottling can be a messy process, so be prepared for overflowing bottles, tubes spraying wine all over, and cleaning carboys or barrels when finished.
I like to combine the total effort of bottling with installing the corks, shrink capsules (or foil caps), and labels all in one operation. Some winemakers don’t do that much at once, but with some helpers and proper preparation, it is a fun event and you can get the wine ready to drink just that much faster. We’ll describe the bottling line, including how to build and use a bottling machine, labeling jig, and bottle rinser-sparger, in chapter 7.
All the wine is now in the bottle and ready to store. If you use real cork closures, you’ll want to store the bottles on their sides. Some winemakers espouse the need to allow the corks to expand for a day or two before laying them down, but with good-quality corks, I have not had one leak in years.
Your cellar should remain at a relatively constant temperature, preferably between 55 and 60°F. The bottles should not be exposed to direct light. And humidity should be kept high enough to avoid cork shrinkage, but low enough to avoid mildew or mold growth on the racks and corks. Air-conditioning usually removes a lot of moisture from the air, so if you’re planning to use A/C for cooling your cellar, you’ll also need to plan how you will maintain relative humidity around 60 to 65 percent in the cellar.
The size of your cellar will be determined in large part by the type of racking you use. Racks that simply stack bottle on bottle, like a diamond rack, will store more wine than vertical-ladder-style racking. However, when it’s time to choose a wine for a special occasion, diamond-style racks don’t offer as much versatility as ladder-style racks; you’ll have to move bottles around to get down to that perfect bottle.
We’ll discuss wine cellars in much more detail in chapter 8, including designs for a number of types of racking arrangements, passive cooling methods, and many other considerations for cellaring wine.
Winemaking is all about process. By evaluating all the tasks you’ll need to undertake and planning in advance how and where you’ll be doing them, you will have much success in your winemaking endeavors. You’ll come to call your winemaking space your “winery,” your bottle storage space your “cellar,” and the little counter in the laundry room your “laboratory,” no matter how small or multifunctional these spaces may be.
So pour yourself a glass of wine, brush the sawdust off your tool belt, and let’s get busy building your winery!
