Our family has been making our own red wine for several years now. It saves money, the process isn't complicated, and drinking our own homemade red wine gives us peace of mind—no worries about it being alcohol-based.Not only do we make it ourselves, but we also wrote an article detailing two methods for brewing homemade wine in autumn. Now that it's mid-October, the prime season for winemaking has arrived. It's time to get moving—gather your ingredients and start brewing! While our previous article focused mainly on text, this time we'll combine words with pictures to make things clearer and easier to understand.
1. At the farmers' market, carefully compare and select large, sweet, deep-colored Kyoho grapes. These yield wine with a beautiful color and rich flavor. Make sure to tell the vendor you're buying them for winemaking, not eating, and purchase a larger quantity for better pricing. Look, these are the grapes I picked. What are the benefits of eating grapes? Come see for yourself.
2. After bringing the grapes home, gently snip them off the stem with scissors, leaving a small portion attached for easier washing and drying. Pay close attention to detail during this step—avoid crushing any grapes. Place the cut grapes in a sink and rinse them thoroughly with clean water. Drain them well, then spread the grapes evenly on a disposable plastic tablecloth to air-dry in a well-ventilated area like a balcony.How to wash grapes? We previously published an article on this topic—feel free to reference it.
III. Once the grapes are dry, transfer them to a pre-cleaned container. Wear disposable gloves to crush the grapes. If gloves aren't available, wash your hands thoroughly but ensure they are completely dry before handling the grapes. Residual moisture on your hands can compromise the wine's safety—causing it to spoil.
IV. Stop adding grapes when they reach 15 cm below the container rim. Secure the lid to prevent fermentation overflow. Sprinkle high-proof white liquor over the grapes to accelerate fermentation and prevent spoilage in warm temperatures. After fermentation begins, vent the container daily to release pressure and avoid damaging it.
5. After one month of fermentation, squeeze out the juice from the grape skins and seeds before removing them. Filter the liquid several times through cheesecloth, then transfer it to a clean, tightly sealed container. The wine is now ready to drink anytime.
Health Living Tip: While homemade wine offers low cost and rich flavor, improper handling may lead to food poisoning incidents. Additionally, grape fermentation produces significant gas buildup—substandard containers risk exploding.
As your everyday life expert, I advise: Keep grapes and containers completely dry. Opt for glass bottles or ceramic vessels for fermentation. Avoid contact with metals like iron, aluminum, or tin during the process. Also, prevent containers from touching vinegar, as acetic bacteria can compromise the wine's quality.
Our health tips editor advises leaving space at the top of the container to prevent overflow from expanding grapes during fermentation. Do not seal the container to allow ventilation, as the large amount of carbon dioxide produced during fermentation could damage it. If a white film appears on the surface of the filtered wine, it indicates spoilage—do not consume it under any circumstances.