Basic Red Wine

directions

1. Get everything ready to go. For this recipe, here’s what you’ll need:

   
   

   
   

   
   

    1 gallon of grape juice

   
   

   
   

   
   

   A clean container for fermentation (either the container your juice comes in, a gallon jug, or any other food-safe container)

   
   

   
   

   
   

   White sugar

2. Get your juice ready. Make sure your grape juice is at room temperature, and then pour it into your clean gallon jug or fermentation container, if you're not making your wine directly in the juice bottle.

3. Add your sugar. Brewsy gives you the choice for how sweet or dry you would like your final wine to be. Choose how sweet you’d like your final wine to be by opening the drink designer.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   If you’re making a different sized batch, or would like a different sweetness level than “sweet,” use the drink designer to customize your wine.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   If you’re using fresh-pressed juice without nutrition facts, use the value 25g of sugar per 8 fl oz for the drink designer.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Then, pour out juice to make room for headspace if necessary, and then add your sugar according to the drink designer. If you have extra juice, you can drink it now or save it to make a simple syrup with later.

4. Shake well. Shake until the sugar is evenly mixed into your juice and almost entirely dissolved.

5. Add one full Brewsy bag. Then shake vigorously for 30 seconds to help wake up the yeast.

6. Put on the airlock. First, squeeze the rubber stopper into your gallon’s bottleneck, and then attach the plastic airlock. Fill the airlock with water, and then snap the hole-punched plastic part back on.

7. Put your wine in a warm, dark place. An attic, closet, or near your water heater are all good places. The ideal temperature is 75°F to 85°F. (The fermentation will take longer in cooler temperatures).

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Now, fermentation is beginning. Fermentation will take approximately 5 days.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Tip: Once or twice a day, swirl your container to make sure the yeast make surface contact with all of the juice.

8. Wait 5 days, then taste-test. After 5 days, take a very small sip of your wine. Right now, the yeast haven’t been separated from your wine, so it won’t taste amazing just yet.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   When you taste, taste primarily for sweetness. If it tastes dry enough for you, move on to the next step. If it still tastes too sweet, let it ferment for 3 more days, then repeat the taste-test.

9. Put your wine in the fridge. Take off the airlock and put the hole-punched cap on your gallon jug — or, simply use a loosened cap.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Tip — make sure you never fasten the cap of your gallon jug to prevent potentially explosive carbon dioxide buildup!

10. Wait two days while your wine is in the fridge.

    During this time, the cold in your fridge is forcing the solids in your wine to the bottom of the container, making it easier for you to separate them in the next step.

11. Rack your wine. Slowly, pour your wine off of the sediment at the bottom into a different container.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    Your goal is to remove as much of the sediment as possible, so try not to tip your jug back up until you’ve finished pouring.

12. Take a sip! Now, you can taste your wine! Cheers!

    
    

    
    

    
    

    You may love it right away, but you may find it tastes harsh or a bit off. Don’t worry! That's very normal with young alcohol. It will get better and better with time.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    If it tastes bitter, you can quickly fix that by making a simple syrup.

13. Return your cider to the fridge with a loosened cap. Unlike store-bought wine, Brewsy doesn’t have any preservatives, so it needs to stay in the fridge with a loose cap unless it is properly prepared for room temperature storage.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    If you’d like to bottle your wine for storage outside of the fridge, you can find out how to do that here.

14. Age your cider. The character of your wine will change significantly as it ages.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    Harsh tastes or off-flavors will dissipate, and your wine will taste smoother and more flavorful. Age your wine for at least 3 weeks, racking it about once a week.

15. Enjoy! Share your wine with our Brewsy communities, the First Pour Club and Club Brewsy.

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    And be sure to reach out to us with any questions. You can text us at the number we texted you from about your order, message us on Facebook, or send us an email at hello@getbrewsy.com.