Wine revisited

You don't need to be a wizard to make home made wine. You need very little in supplies or equipment. You just need a big jug, sugar, and yeast and time.

I started this grape wine way last back in the fall of 2008, before I fractured my creativeness. I am just getting around to bottling some of it. I already bottled about 1 liter to give away at Christmas. This evening I syphoned off some into the smaller jug. Half the fun is in the syphoning off the final results.

The tubing is old, but clean oxygen tubing. The red thing is a balloon. You just don't need much more other than your ingredients: juice of your choice, 5 to 7 cups of sugar, a couple packages of plain, ordinary yeast. I used bread yeast with good results. If you want to "cheat" use a couple cans of frozen juice, add the sugar and yeast, fill the jug with water and place a balloon over the top of the jug. Make sure the balloon is on very tightly because it will fill up with gases as the brew ferments. Lots of bubbles and action going on within the jug before you know it! Place jug in a dark place and forget about.

The more sugar and juice you add the higher the alcohol content. I used real grapes from my grape vine. If you use frozen juice you will not have much residue. My jug has been sitting in the back room for months on end because of my arm. I have another jug back there awaiting attention.

Don't strain until the wine has stooped bubbling. After you strain it you will have some residue in the bottom of the jug. That is when you syphon of the clear fluid into a smaller wine bottle and cap/cork it. You can drink the residue if you want-dregs in the bottom of the big jug-but why would you?

You can buy all kinds of supplies for making wine on line, but this is the easiest and least costly method I know. I like the path of least resistance.

Don't think I am a drinker because I am not. I have home made wine in the frig that is many years old and well aged. I find it a fascinating process.

Yesterday I actually lifted my sewing machine with my right arm and carried it a few few feet, not far, but a few feet. Progress?

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