Wine Home Brew Step by Step with Pics - Pinot Noir Phase 1

Home Winery Supply is where we got this set of wine kits (picture to the right). We are going to start with Pinot Noir (we also got Sangiovese), and follow the Concentrate Setup Sheet (similar to the one provided here).

Make sure you have ALL your necessary supplies BEFORE you start!!

PHASE 1: (this entire phase only took about an hour)

Step 1: Thoroughly clean ALL equipment with "One Step Cleanser"(or similar product, follow instuctions on package). Dissolve 1 TBSP of One Step in 1 gallon of warm water, Wash bottles and equpment with the solition. Rinsing in not necessary with One Step. Seriously this is probably the MOST important step in home brewing. If you dont sanatize your equipment...ALL your equipment... then bacteria will grow and it will destroy your work. What a bummer to wait several months and then have nasty tasting wine...so CLEAN ALL YOUR STUFF!!

Step 2: Prepare yeast (follow instructions on back of package)...Our packet says “Active Dry Yeast Selected for Vinification: Dissolve the dry yeast in 2oz of warm NOT HOT water. Let stand 15 minutes without stirring, then stir well to suspend all the yeast. Add to previously sulfited must. The yeast should not be kept in the re-hydration medium longer than recommended.”

Step 3: Add 3 Gallons of warm water (DO NOT use chlorinated and or distilled water) to pail along with your sugar to dissolve sugar (6-10 lbs of sugar will be necessary dependant upon how sweet you want your wine...we are going with 8 lbs of sugar to get a semi-dry wine)..you may need to give it a good stir to help dissolve the sugar in the warm water.

Step 4: Dissolve concentrate in your water. The concentrate will be very thick and you may need to rinse the concentrate container out with some warm water and pour that into your pail so you dont miss out on any of the goodness!!

Step 5: Add 1 tablespoon pectic enzyme

Step 6: Stir

Step 7: Pour/Siphon/Funnel contents of pail into glass carboy. We chose to funnel it and it went super fast!

Step 8: Add water until you have reached 5 gallons

Step 9: Add yeast from step #2 making sure water is below 100 degrees

Step 10: Add water to your air lock make sure inside the neck of the carboy and the rubber stopper is dry and place air lock and stopper on carboy.

Put your Carboy in a "safe place" where you can monitor it... for us that "safe place" is behind the sink in the kitchen. We have a corner sink and the cabinet is just tall enough for our Carboy to fix perfectly under! Then if we have any overflow from the yeast/sugar reaction...at least it is right by the sink to clean it up!

WAIT! Fermentation will take about 4-8 weeks. Have fun watching the yeast and sugar react and "get movin" in the container!