This recipe for homemade wine may get you in trouble with the law in some states and municipalities. If you decide to try this recipe, be sure that you are not breaking any laws, although in most areas of the United States, you are permitted to make small amounts of homemade wine for your personal use (no sales). As with any alcoholic beverage, drink responsibly, and do not drink and drive.
This has been a favorite recipe for homemade wine among friends of mine, who have never had any problems with it (of course, there is always a first time), but they have had a lot of fun.
A balloon, a rubber band, and a gallon jug; a well-washed plastic milk jug is fine
Thaw the grape juice, and mix the sugar with the grape juice. Dissolve the yeast in a cup of warm (not hot) water, and add to the juice. Mix thoroughly, pour into the jug and add warm water to fill the gallon jug to about two inches below the neck. Basically, you have just completed your homemade wine. I remember one friend of mine telling me that when he got to this point, his girlfriend looked at her watch and asked, “What time will it be ready?”
Place the balloon over the top of the jug, and secure it with the rubber band. If you have followed these directions correctly, the balloon will expand with the gas within a few hours, as a result of the fermentation (the process created by yeast and sugar). Store the mixture in a cool not cold place for three to four weeks.
Check the balloon daily. If it expands too tightly, remove it, so the gas can escape. Replace it tightly. When the balloon ceases to expand, the wine is ready.
I have had friends leave off the balloon altogether, and they produced some good homemade wine. They would typically tie a handkerchief over the opening of the jug, to keep out insects.
Do not bottle the wine before it is finished, or you run the risk of having your bottles explode. Homemade wine that is still fermenting can build up a considerable pressure. One friend of mine bottled her wine too soon, stored it in her closet, and had to take all her clothes to the cleaners after the wine exploded. It was her last attempt to make wine.
Strain your homemade wine with cheesecloth or a dishtowel. You can bottle it, using corks or other closures, if you are sure that is has finished fermenting. More commonly, among people I know, just pour it gently, leaving about an inch (the dregs) in the bottom of the jug. You can pour it into another clean gallon jug and close it loosely with the original screw-on cap. Discard the dregs, wash the first jug, and you can start another batch of homemade wine, if you wish.
