THE PROCESS: GETTING READY

GETTING READY

Before you begin, be sure you have everything you need. When you're starting a batch, the timing of tasks is critical. So it's good policy to have all equipment pre-sanitized and rinsed. Some sulfite solutions are not meant to be rinsed away. In these cases, another quick treatment just before using that piece of equipment is fine.

A note on sanitization: You should gently but thoroughly scrub and rinse any equipment, especially a container that will house your wine for any extended periods, immediately after you've emptied it. Getting into this practice will make the (already) tedious task of sanitizing equipment much easier. Resist the temptation to delay the cleaning job until you need the equipment; the chances of contaminating a subsequent batch are greater this way.

If you are a first-time winemaker, follow the recipe exactly. Later, you may wish to change, add or eliminate ingredients and steps.

A typical recipe for a Pinot Noir concentrate, generating five gallons (19 liters) of wine, will contain one bladder pack of concentrate (100 ounces minimum), one or two yeast packets, and three or four numbered, pre-measured and pre-mixed additive packets.

Home Winery Starter Kits

Winery Index: Connecticut