*Based on making five gallons at a time and shop offers available. Not including yeast etc.

**Bentonite is a grey, diatomaceous clay granule that is used in wines as a clarifier. It is unique in that it possesses a negative electrostatic charge. This attracting charge along with hydrogen bonding, causes suspended particles in the wine to cling to it as it settles to the bottom of the container. There are several advantages to using Bentonite. It is very effective in dragging out yeast, tannins and other stubborn protein-based particles that may want to linger after fermentation. The result is a wine with a glassy clear appearance and a colour that is bright. It also helps to reduce the occurrence of certain off-flavours, as well as reduce the wine's ability to oxidise. So if you’ve got it use it.

First you need to sterilise the equipment using a sterilising solution. All that comes into contact with the wine must be sterilised. I use a crushed Campden table with half a teaspoon of citric acid dissolved in a pint of cold water. You could use Milton fluid or similar. This will reduce to possibility of introducing a rogue yeast to your wine. This could causing serious problems.

    If you have some bentonite first put some cold water in the bottom of your demijohn then a pint of very hot water. (Cold water will prevent the demijohn shattering with the thermal shock.) Swirl this round rapidly and then slowly add one teaspoon of bentonite. The swirling will prevent the grains sticking together.

    Add your sugar and keep swirling then add the juices. Continue swirling till the sugar has dissolved. You should then top up with cool water to about the three quarter mark. (If the wine starts to ferment rapidly and creating a froth then you will have room within the demijohn to contain it.)

    Check the temperature of the wine with a thermometer making sure the temperature is between 17 and 25 degrees centigrade. If it isn’t then leave in a place where the wine temperature can equalise with the surrounding area before continuing. (Make sure it’s corked.)

    Add your nutrient, citric acid, yeast, airlock and leave in a warm place (17-25 deg. C) When fermentation has slowed down top up to the full mark with tap water. (See top left photo.) The end of fermentation can vary from one to three weeks depending on the temperature. You should see no activity in the airlock or a very few bubbles rising in the wine. If you leave the wine it should eventually clear by itself (Especially so if you’ve used bentonite.) but you can use finings if you wish. You can then syphon it into bottles and cork. Plastic pop bottles will suffice if you can’t be bothered with corking. If you want to keep your wine you will need to add one crushed Campden tablet to the demijohn after fermentation, place your hand over the top and swirl gently till the fizz is removed. This will kill the yeast and aid in preserving the wine.

    DON’T BE TEMPTED TO CHANGE THE JUICE CONTENT. This recipe was given to me by a friend and I’ve tried to adjust the juice content but each time the wine has failed. If you want to adjust  the acidity in your wine then add about one tsp of malic acid per gallon or Potassium hydrogen carbonate.

Testing the specific gravity of the juices with a hydrometer to make sure the sugar content is as they claim on the side of the carton.

Above: I have a meter so I test for pH. Between 3.3-3.7 is reasonable for dry wine. Test before bottling as it may change during fermentation.

Above left: Two bottles of standard wine with the addition of raspberry juice. The one on the left with red grape juice and the one on the right, white grape juice. Above right: Home made Lava Lamp! Yeast and raspberry particles rising and sinking in a freshly made gallon of wine. Below are two demijohns, this time of cider. Note the level of the cider within the jars is quite low. This allows the initial rapid fermentation to take place without them overflowing. Later they were topped up when all the froth had died down. As a further precaution they are both stood in buckets!

Above left: straining the fruit. In this case raspberries. Above right: Adding the sugar.)

I have found that the addition of some other fruit juice, including those of the original recipe, can make the wine a little more interesting. During the summer months I add the juice of strawberries or raspberries, blackberries... any fruit you fancy. The way I do this is to take an amount of fruit (around 200g but this is entirely upto the individual’s taste) and place in a sauce pan. I then pour over boiling water and using a potato masher pulp up the fruit. Place a muslin strainer over a funnel and pour the contents of the saucepan into the muslin and through into the demijohn. With most fruit juices you will need one teaspoon per gallon of Pectolase enzyme. This will remove the pectin in the fruit and prevent a pectin haze forming in the wine. (Below: The Bentonite has been added to the hot water. Doesn’t look good? Makes for better wine though.)

 

You can buy a degassing tool which fits to an electric drill. This is a folding propeller that will fit into a demijohn, open out and remove the fizz. (Dissolved CO2 produces a weak acid called carbonic (H2CO3) and this will give you a false reading if using a pH meter. Remove the CO2 then check the pH.)