One of the growing hobbies in America today is wine and beer making and most people are learning that making wine with grapes is fairly simple. Most homemade wine makers will attest to the fact that when it comes to wine, it is all about the grapes but even the ones that are high is acid and low in sugar can be adjusted to make good tasting wines. However, starting with good grapes reduces the amount of water and sugar needed for making wine with grapes.
Those considering making wine with grapes will need two important pieces of equipment, neither of which is excessively expensive. A pH testing kit will be needed to determine how much acid is in the juice from the grapes and a hydrometer will be needed to determine sugar content. The idea hydrometer will also have a relative alcohol content meter to show how much alcohol is in the juice. Most shoot for an alcohol content between nine and 12 percent.
The acid level should be adjusted before testing the sugar level. If using litmus paper, the acid level target is between 3.8 and 3.4, keeping in mind that the lower the number the higher the acid content. When making wine with grapes, there are fruit acids available to help increase the amount of acid, if it is too high, a mixture of four cups of sugar in a gallon of water can be used before fermentation. The amount of acid in the wine not affects its taste, but also affects the fermentation process.
Checking Sugar Content For Sweetness
The type of grapes being used will greatly affect the acid and sugar content. Native wild grapes, used in making wine with grapes such as muscadine are higher in acid and lower in sugar. Native wine grapes such as concord, Catawba and Niagara are also high in acid but also have higher sugar. European fruit used when making wine with grapes, such as merlot, Cabernet and Pinot Noir are typically high in natural sugar content and low in acid, rarely needing dilution to reduce acid content.
If the sugar level is low, adding more sugar will obviously make a difference, and how much acid it contains can help decide to use pure sugar or mixing it with water prior to adding it to the juice. When making wine with grapes and the acid is too high after fermentation, plain water can be used to reduce the acid content. Many kits sold for making wine with grapes will also include an acid reducer to be used instead of water.
