How to Make Apple Wine
Creating apple wine at home is a rewarding process that results in a refreshing, fruity beverage. Follow Dark Rock Brewing’s detailed recipe to make your own delicious apple wine.
Tip: Use a mix of apple varieties and if possible add a few crab-apples which will give the final wine additional sharpness and flavour.
Chop the apples then crush them into a pre-sanitised fermenting bucket. Pour the cold water over the contents together with the rest of the ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Cover the bucket with a cloth and leave to ferment in a warm place for 5 days. Stir the contents of the bucket daily. Then strain into a demijohn (4½ litres) through a muslin
or nylon straining bag. Press the bag to retrieve as much juice as possible and then discard the pulp. It may be necessary to top up with cooled boiled water to 4½ litres. Fit a bung and airlock and leave in a warm place to continue to ferment out completely. The end of fermentation will be indicated by bubbles stopping emerging from the airlock. At this point check your wine’s specific gravity with a hydrometer. A reading of 0.996 means that all of the sugar has been converted to alcohol and fermentation is complete. Fermentation should take between 2-4 weeks.
Finishing the Wine
At the end of fermentation add 1 crushed Campden tablet and half a teaspoon of potassium sorbate per gallon. Leave in a warm place for 3 days to kill off the yeast. Then your wine should be left to clear in a cool place (15C) before siphoning from the sediment.
Some country wines may not fully clear on their own and we recommend adding Harris Winefine to accelerate clearing. When clear you should pass your wine through a Vinbrite filter to obtain a professional finish before bottling. At this point, the wine may be sweetened if desired. Although a sugar solution can be added the best way to sweeten wine is to use Wine Sweetener or Glycerine (which will smoothen the wine) since these are non-fermentable and will avoid the slight risk of post-fermentation. Your hydrometer will indicate the remaining sugar level and finishing gravities for wine are:
DRY = 0.990 – 0.996 MEDIUM = 0.996 – 1.009 SWEET = 1.009 – 1.018
Storing Your Wine
Your wine should now be bottled and stored in a cool dark place to mature for at least 6 months. During this time any harsh tastes will be smoothed out and the wine will improve in bouquet and flavour. Apple wine is a refreshing fruity white wine that is best served chilled.
