Homemade wine

**IowaStateClones** · 06-25-2010, 05:46 PM

I've always known about those simple homemade wine recipes but I cant really find two that tell me the same thing. I know you get your sugar, yeast, and juice and put those together. I looked at a recipe and it said that you put a balloon on top, then let it inflate and when it deflates the wine is ready. I heard that you are supposed to poke holes in the balloon and just wait a few weeks.

Any ideas?

**chadm** · 06-25-2010, 06:41 PM

My mother made wine this way for a while, she did not put any holes in the balloon. Just let the yeast activate and inflate the balloon.

**Wallruss64** · 06-25-2010, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by chadm

My mother made wine this way for a while, she did not put any holes in the balloon. Just let the yeast activate and inflate the balloon.

Thats the way ive done it. If you want sweet wine dump the sugar in by the pound if you like sweeter but if you like it drier dont put so much in. Just wait untill the balloon is fully depressed into the jug after it has expanded and then you have wine.

**cyfan964** · 06-25-2010, 08:14 PM

Go to a beer brewing store, get a better bottle and an airlock. Costs under $50 for both and you don't have to worry about contamination as much.

**ripvdub** · 06-25-2010, 08:45 PM

Homemade wine... you mean this???

**jumbopackage** · 06-25-2010, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by ripvdub

Homemade wine... you mean this???

No, that's a still. Moonshine is awesome, but it will kill you, or at least make you go blind, if you mess it up.

No worries about that with wine or beer, which is why wine and beer is legal to make in most states, but most prohibit the distillation of liquor.

**GoCy** · 06-25-2010, 10:23 PM

I recommend getting a kit with all of the materials to make the wine (juice, yeast, preservatives, etc). You can get them as cheap as $40 and they make 30 bottles, or you can get more expensive ones with juice from the prime grape growing regions from around the world. Just follow the instructions in the kit, and you'll do fine.

You can try to use Welch's grape juice with wine yeast, but the end result will not be very good. It'll be cheap alcohol, but it won't taste much like wine.

If you are in Des Moines, I buy my stuff from Beer Crazy on 100th street near Douglas. There are also several online stores you can get the stuff from.