For 1 gallon ...

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp acid blend
1/4 tsp tannin
1 1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp yeast nutrient
sulphite (1 campden tablet or equivalent)
packet of wine yeast (if you don't know which one, use premier cuvee)

Procedu

1) Wash hands and sanitize everything.
2) Pour the juice into the fermenter.
3) Dissolve the acid, tannin, pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, and
sulphite in a little (1/4 to 1/2 cup) of juice, then add it to the
fermenter.
4) Bring 3 cups water to a boil, remove from heat, dissolve sugar,
bring back to boil, cool (in an ice water bath until under 100 degrees
F), and add to fermenter.
5) Draw off a sample and take a gravity reading (and any other
measurements you plan to take).
6) Pitch yeast, stir daily, and when fermentation subsides, rack to a
secondary.
7) Rack as necessary (when you notice 1/4" or more sediment) and add
sulphite at every other racking.
8) Bottle when clear.


Notes:

You can scale the recipe by multiplying everything, except the yeast,
by the number of gallons you plan to make (and making appropriate
equipment substitutions).

The amount of pectic enzyme may seem high compared to other country
wine recipes. I do this because the recipe is 100% juice, rather than a
fruit and water mixture, and because apples are high in pectin.

Most recipes call for delays in adding the pectic enzyme and the yeast.
I've never been able to find out why, so I started adding both of them
right away along with everything else. I've made a lot of apple wine
both ways, and haven't noticed a difference.

The "just dump it in" method usually works, but it's better to make a
yeast starter.

If you make more than a gallon of must, lets say 1 1/2 gallons, and
you're pretty good with a siphon, then you won't have to worry about
what to top up with. You can rack into a 1-gallon jug and a 1/2 gallon
jug. Later you can rack into a 1-gallon jug and a wine bottle. Can you
see where this is going? Sometimes I decide to bottle based on when it
just fits into a 1-gallon jug. Bakers have there 13-donut "dozen." I
like to think of this as a "vintner's gallon."

If you have the patience, don't drink until it's at least a year old.
I've noticed a benefit from aging two years.

Erroll