Home > Home Brewing > Grape Wines > Red Wine
Red Wine
Ingredients
Dry Red Wine
Black grapes
White sugar
Yeast culture
Campden tablets
Method
Only black grapes should be used; if they are only lightly coloured use part of the juice for white wine and the partially pressed pulp for red wine.
The grapes are crushed as before and placed in a wooden tub fitted with a wooden draw-off tap in the bottom. For small quantities of grapes a jug or glass jar should be used and the tap dispensed with. For each 14 lb. of grapes used dissolve one Campden tablet in a little water and pour over the pulp and mix it in well. The pulp will be bleached slightly at first, but the colour will be restored as soon as fermentation sets in. Leave the pulp overnight and then add the yeast culture. Fermentation should set in after approximately twenty-four hours, the cap of pulp should then be pressed down twice daily and swirled slightly in the juice on each occasion. When the juice is suitably coloured (about one to three weeks) draw it off and pour it into a jar or cask. Squeeze the remainder of the pulp in muslin or in a thick cloth and add the juice to that already drawn off. 1 lb. white sugar is added to each gallon and the juice is then treated as directed for dry, white wine, except that no more Campden tablets are added.
Dry, red wine should be drunk during dinner with venison, beef, game or dark poultry meats.
Sweet Red Wine
Prepare the juice as directed for dry red wine, ferment and then sweeten and re-ferment as directed for sweet white wine. This wine can be drunk with desserts, fruit and nuts or in the evening.
Related food category:
