Home Wine Making - Blog 2 Sterilising

Day 2 of my ibrew wine making odyssey that began on, yes, you've guessed it, Day One - here.

 

My winery has been sourced and it is indeed under my desk. Comfy and cosy then. Time to start some serious winemaking. Back to Step 2 in the instructions where I sterilise and begin to ferment.

Oh oh, my instructions have a conflict! I have just been told to put 10 liters of cold water into my bucket. The back of the sterilising packet suggests that the powder works with warm water. I'll stick with ibrew instructions and go with the cold option.

Bucket with paddle - note the height of the paddle!

Now I have been asked to close the lid with the paddle inside the bucket and to shake my 10 liters around so as to sterilise all surfaces inside the bucket. The paddle is quite long and won't fit onto the bucket when it is closed!! Oh well, sterilise as much as is going to come in contact with the must. Ah, now I've moved on. The skins have been separated and the grapes have been lightly crushed. So, now its called 'must' and this is what we are going to make into wine.

The must in this case comes in a can! I have to rinse out the bucket and pour the cans' contents into it. Have to open the cans first. Nothing easy about this. The damned can opener just busted itself trying! Maybe I'll finish the opening off with a hammer and chisel ...

Ooh. Gooey stuff in the cans. Really sweet and smells of confectionary and overripe fruit.

In they go. Top up with warm and cold water, add yeast and yeast nutrient and leave in the bucket with a loose lid for 10 days. Mind you I have just been asked to top up to 12 litres as per the measurement on the bucket - except that there is no measurement for 12. There is for 10. There is for 11 and lots of other marks. But no 12.  

Well, except for the messy nature of the conflicts in the instructions versus what actually came with the kit this all went ok. The room smells of yeast and the bucket is lovingly nestled just to the left of my feet.

Get to work yeast.

Pinot Grigio a la Kildare here we come ... 

Back again in 10 days.