You can turn your grape juice into a zesty punch in just a few days, without having to mix in any alcoholic substances, if you know something about home wine making. The tools you will need can also usually be found at home. So if you are having a party or a club meeting in your house all you need to buy for home wine making, are the cans of grape juice to provide zesty drinks for your guests. Of course, the punch has to be prepared three or four days before the event itself.
What you will need for home wine making
If you have a five-gallon glass or plastic jar in your house, you can use that to ferment the juice in. Glass is preferable for home wine making to plastic on account of the fact that you can’t be always sure that the plastic container will not enter into a chemical reaction with the juice.
How to tell? Examine the bottom of the plastic container and look for something that looks like three bent arrows forming a triangle. The number inside that triangle is the resin identification code for the plastic used in your container. Unless you see ‘2’ inside the triangle, that container is probably not safe to use for home wine making.
HDPE is the only kind of plastic usable in home wine making. It is odorless and practically inert under normal conditions. Its resin code is ‘2.’
For home wine making, you will also need some potable, undistilled water. Distilled water has lost the nutrients that yeast will need to live in the fermenting liquid.
Of course you need to have your grape juice, preferably the style which is packaged in jars or jugs and sold in the refrigerated section. If you are not using the grape juice immediately, place it in the coldest part of the fridge, or in the freezer. This is to prevent the action of bacteria on the sugar. Remember you will need that sugar for the alcohol in the wine.
You will also want a pack of wine yeast, a package of sugar, a measuring spoon, one or two balloons and thick rubber bands for home wine making.
What to do for easy home wine making
The first thing is to thaw the juice. Once thawed, use a clean funnel to transfer it into your container. If your juice is not sweetened, add into the container two-thirds of the amount of sugar recommended on the label of the juice. Close it and shake the contents until you are sure the sugar has been dissolved. Set the container aside and start working with the yeast.
Simmer the yeast with a moderate amount of water until it is gooey in texture. It should rise in the cooking pan. How much yeast? For every 12 oz. of juice, you will need ¼ tsp.
When done immerse the pan in a little tap water until the yeast has cooled down. Then you can pour it into the juice mix.
Cover the mouth of the container tightly with one of your balloons and secure the balloon with one or to rubber band(s). Prick the balloon several times in different places with a pin. This will produce the holes through which the gases of fermentation can escape.
You should notice the balloon swelling after 30 or so minutes. That indicates that fermentation has started. After a few days, the balloon should have deflated back in place and your home wine making is done.
Using a rubber hose, siphon the wine out of the first container into a second one. It should be ready for drinking.