Wine Making at Home: Common Problems
Making wine at home is not all fun and games. There are some problems that naturally occur if you do not know what to look for.
Two come to mind right away. They are acetic bacteria and wild yeasts. Acetic bacteria, which is ever present in the air, converts alcohol into acetic acid, which in turn turns your wine into vinegar.
Also hanging around in the air are the yeasts and spores of fungi. Thet can turn your wine flat or sour. They could also be traveling on the fruits that you may be using to make your wine. Although these problems are common, you can make sure that you prevent them. You will be getting your ingredients from sealed containers. This will insure that they are not contaminated.
Also make sure that when making wine at home you keep everything very clean and covered. Sometimes people are concerned about the wine, but they do not think about the other supplies such as bottles and corks that may be contaminated. It is very important to make sure that anything involved in the wine making process is clean and not exposed to the air.
Just as soon as the prepared yeast has to added to your mixture, you will cover the container with polythene. It should be pressed firmly against the container and secured with string. During the fermentation process the gases from the process will find a way out of the seal. This will be a constant stream which will prevent and incoming flow. However, this is not the preferred method. You would be better off using a container with a fermentation lock.
This lock will only allow air to escape. No air can enter the container. Another advantage of this fermentation lock is that it will let you know when the fermentation process is complete. The lock will have water or another better mixture in it which will make bubbles and be pushed to the farthest point from entry. When the fermentation process is complete the bubbles will cease and the liquid will return to it’s normal place. Near the end of the process the bubbles will be very slow. The best indicator is that the liquid is being pushed because of the pressure.
When some people are making wine at home they are so concerned about the possibility of air getting to their wine that they even seal around the fermentation lock with wax. You can by wax for this purpose, or you could even use candle wax.
Making wine at home can easily turn into a disaster. You could end up with some vinegar or wine that is so nasty no one will drink it. But if you are careful with each step, the rewards will be well worth the effort. There will be nothing quite as good as wine made at home!
