Making wine from fresh Chilean juice

Introduction

These instructions explain the process of crafting wine from your Fresh Chilean Juice.  When your juice arrives at our warehouse it is chilled and nearly ready to ferment.  You will need to check the sugar level and add cultivated yeast.  

The equipment and ingredients required to craft your wine includes (1) Initial items required to craft wine and (2) Items required at bottling.  The bottling process occurs approximately 6 months from crafting.  Note the optional items in the Initial Items section;  you can choose to add these ingredients and cultures to dramatically improve your wine!  As such, we recommend crafting your wine with both the Fermenting with Additives,  and  Malolactic Fermentation steps.

Initial items required to craft wine

Yeast Nutrient             6 Gallon Carboy               Cylinder lock             Potassium Metabisulfite (for preserving) 

3/8" Siphon Tube        Autosiphon                       Hydrometer

Yeast                             Sodium Metabisufite (for sterilizing)  

Optional items:

Malolactic Culture      Opti-Malo                          Malolactic Test Kit         Fermaid-K  

Go-Ferm                       7 ½ Gallon Fermenter     Oak Chips 

 

Items required at bottling (approx 6 months from fermentation)

Bottles (30 750ml bottles per 6 gallons)   Potassium Sorbate         Potassium Metabisulfite

Ascorbic Acid                                                 Bottle Filler                      Corker

Jetspray Washer and Adapter                    Corks

Optional items:

Minijet Electric Wine Filter

Before you Begin
Read the instructions below.  You have options so choose the methods that suit you and make sure you have the correct additives for that process.
Be sure to thoroughly clean and sterilize all equipment with a Sodium Metabisulfite solution prior to every contact with the must (fermenting grape juice).  Follow the instructions on the package to make a sodium metabisufite solution.

1. Prepare Your Must (wine juice)

• Remove the lid from the container and replace it lightly on top.  By doing this, the container can act as a primary fermentation vessel.  If you prefer, you may ensure no outside bacteria reaches your wine is to transfer the juice to a 7 1/2-gallon primary fermenter with a lid and cylinder lock filled with a solution of water and a pinch of Potassium Metabisulfite.  The advantage is to ensure no bacteria enters your must.
• Add 1/8 teaspoon Potassium Metabisulfite per 5-6 gallons of must.   Mix well and calculate the specific gravity. Record your reading and temperature.  This step kills any wild yeast and allows the must to reach room temperature (70-80 degrees F).
• Adjust the must to a specific gravity of 1.095 using sugar/water (see Must Adjustments).
• After 24 hours, check temperature and adjust to 70-80˚F.

2. Choose a Fermentation Method
Choose either the Standard or Enhanced winemaking procedure.

Standard Winemaking Procedure

• Add yeast. Cover fermenter with a plastic cover and let sit at 68-74 degrees.
• Ferment for 4 to 6 days, measuring the specific gravity and temperature every two days.
• When the specific gravity reaches 1.010 – 1.030, transfer the must and sediment into a sanitized carboy using your autosiphon and tubing.  Leave headspace in the vessel to allow for possible foaming when adding yeast nutrient.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of yeast nutrient per gallon
• Top-up container using wine (ideally a like varietal) to bottom of the neck of carboy.  Fill cylinder lock with water and a pinch of Potassium Metabisulfite.  Place cylinder lock into stopper and insert into carboy.
• Ferment for one additional  week. Continue taking your specific gravity readings every second day.

Enhanced Winemaking Procedure

• Add Go-Ferm nutrient (1 pkg. for every 6-gallon bucket of juice).  Follow instructions on Go-Ferm package to prepare nutrient, including addition of appropriate yeast and pitching temperature.
• Cover fermenter with a plastic cover and let sit at 68-74 degrees.
• Add Fermaid-K nutrient to must after must reaches a specific gravity of 1.060 (about 2 days)
• When the specific gravity reaches 1.010 – 1.030, transfer the must and sediment into a sanitized carboy using your autosiphon and tubing. 
• Top-up container using wine (ideally a like varietal) to bottom of the neck of carboy.  Insert cylinder lock containing water with a pinch of Potassium Metabisulfite. Place cylinder lock into stopper and insert into carboy.
• Ferment for one additional week. Continue taking your specific gravity readings every second day.

3. Choose Malolactic Fermentation or Standard Aging
A malolactic fermentation removes the tartness from wine.  Compare the tartness to a green apple, which contains malic acid.  The malolactic fermentation converts malic acid into lactic acid over 2-6 months and the result is an incredibly smooth wine.  The tradeoff: 2-6 months of additional fermentation.

Malolactic Fermentation

• When specific gravity approaches 1.000, rack the wine into a carboy. Leave the sediment behind.
• Add the malolactic culture and Opti-Malo to your wine.
• Top up the carboy with wine of a similar varietal (1-2” from the neck) and attach an airlock.
• Store the carboy in a consistently warm area (68-74 F).  Watch for minute CO2 bubbles.
• Use a Malolactic test kit to determine when the fermentation is complete, usually 3-4 months out
• When complete, add a clearing agent and allow to clarify for 2-3 weeks in a dark, cool location.
• Adjust sulfites to 50 ppm using a Free SO2 kit
• Transfer the wine into a sanitized carboy using your autosiphon and siphon tube (this is known as racking).
• Some wines may require a few additional rackings to completely clarify.  Use your judgment on timeframes – when you see sediment, rack the wine.  It may take a few days to a week to observe settling sediment.

Standard Aging

• Wait until the specific gravity approaches 1.000
• Rack your wine in a new sterile carboy. Leave the sediment (lees) behind.  Transfer the wine into a sanitized carboy using your autosiphon and siphon tube.
• Add 3 crushed Camden tabs and a clearing agent to the 6 gallons of wine.
• Top up the carboy with wine of a similar varietal (1-2” from the neck) and attach an airlock.
• Let set for 2-3 weeks to clear and rack again (taking care to avoid aerating or splashing)
• Some wines may require a few additional racking to completely clarify.

4. Oaking your wine
Oaking is an optional step performed to your individual taste.

• Measure 2-3 ounces per 5 gallons
• Steam the oak for 5 minutes, place in a muslin bag and add to your wine vessel
• Taste frequently.  Remove oak in 6-8 weeks or when desired taste is achieved.

5. Bottling

Preserving your wine

• Taste your wine when it has cleared
• Rack the wine once again, using your autosiphon and siphon tube.
• Add 1/2 tsp of Potassium Metabisulfite and 1/8 tsp of Ascorbic Acid to the wine and mix well.
• Filter your wine using an electric wine filter (optional)
• Add 1/8 tsp of Potassium Sorbate for each gallon of wine if you performed Standard Aging. 
• Bottle within 24 hours of adding the the sulfite, sorbate and ascorbic acid.

 Cleaning and Filling

• Clean all bottles using the sink adapter, jetspray washer and warm water
• Rinse all bottles with about 2 oz of Potassium Metabisufite solution
• Allow the bottles to drain
• Sanitize the autosiphon, siphon tube and bottle filler
• Attach the autosiphon to the siphon tube and bottle filler
• Open your wine vessel and insert the autosiphon.  Be sure it is on a counter, approximately 30" above the bottles.  Gravity feeds the wine into the bottles.
• Begin to siphon wine by pumping the autosiphon while a helper presses the bottle filler down to initiate the flow.
• Fill all bottles to the top.  The wine level will decrease when you remove the bottle filler, dropping the wine level to the bottom of the bottle's neck.  This will  create the perfect space for the cork,
• Cork based on the instructions provided with your corks.
• Allow your wine to age gracefully in a dark and cool place.