Winemaking FAQs

Theoretically yes, however some ingredients work better than others.

If using store-bought juice, make sure it doesn’t have preservatives like potassium sorbate, which prohibits yeast from multiplying and may either stall your fermentation or keep it from starting at all.

Highly acidic fruits, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit and pineapple, can also cause problems if the overall acid level in your ferment is too high (which can kill the yeast). You can test the acidity of your mixture before adding yeast using pH strips that are available on Amazon.

When it comes to actual sugar, you can use any type you like. Raw sugar, organic sugar, white cane sugar, brown sugar, etc. Some people will use darker sugars to get a more rich, caramel like flavor in the finished product.

You can also use liquid “sugars” like maple syrup, agave syrup and even molasses (though use sparingly unless you want a wine that tastes like sulfur, which I learned the hard way).

Zero calorie “sweeteners” will not ferment because there is no “sugar” for the yeast to consume. So avoid things like Splenda or other diet sugar substitutes. If your goal is to produce a low calorie wine, your best bet is to ferment your wine as dry as possible so there’s very little sugar left. Then backsweeten with a non-fermentable sugar like Splenda.

Vegetables also have sugar and therefore can be used to make wine. I’ve seen people use potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets and peppers. Sometimes it’s fun to experiment if you don’t mind the risk that the finished product may not be something you like. In the worst case, you can always use your vegetable wine for cooking or turn it into wine vinegar.

In terms of spices, you can add them either during the fermentation or afterwards for a stronger flavor. For example, many people will add a vanilla bean for a day or so after their wine is finished. You’ll get less flavor from spices if you add them at the beginning because much of the flavor will ferment out during the process. In addition, it’s harder to control the amount of flavor. Adding spices at the end allow you to remove them when the flavor is what you want.

It depends on a few factors, including the type of yeast, the amount of sugar, and the temperature. The more sugar you add, the longer it will generally take the yeast to consume it. Some yeasts have higher alcohol tolerances than others, and will be able to consume more sugar, which can also increase fermentation time. Temperature also plays a role because the yeast need it to be warm enough to stay active. So if the temperature is below 75 degrees, the yeast may be less active, extending the amount of time it takes them to consume all the sugar.

Generally speaking, full fermentation can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. 

The longer your wine ferments, and the more sugar the yeast consume, the drier your wine will be. That’s because there will be less sweetness left in the finished product. Some people try to stop their ferments in the middle to control the sweetness level. Most experienced winemakers instead allow their wine to ferment all the way, and then add sweetness using juice, honey or sugar syrup afterwards to increase the sweetness. This process of “backsweetening” allows you to achieve a higher alcohol content while getting the sweetness level you prefer. In addition, because you have exhausted all your yeast, there’s less risk of fermentation restarting and a bottle exploding due to pressure.

There are a few ways to determine whether your wine is fermenting. The most obvious will be whether the air lock is bubbling. However, sometimes that doesn’t happen. You can also use a flashlight to look at the liquid itself and see if there are any bubbles along the top of the liquid. Another way to check, especially for darker wines, is to look along the sides of the jug – do you see yeast particles floating up and then falling back down? All of these things indicate there is gas being produced by the yeast and your wine is fermenting. In most cases, if your yeast is not dead and the temperature is warm, you’ll see a good amount of bubbling in the airlock and a lot of foam/bubbles on the top of the wine’s surface.

When reading recipes or watching videos about home winemaking, you will come across the terms “primary fermentation” and “secondary fermentation”. Sometimes they are just referred to as “primary” and “secondary”. 

Primary fermentation refers to what you think of as the winemaking process. This is when the yeast are doing their thing and your wine or mead is bubbling away. 

Secondary fermentation is the stage after this, when you have transferred your wine to a second vessel, leaving most of the sediment (dead yeast, fruit debris) behind. During secondary fermentation, there still may be some sporadic bubbling as some yeast and sugar may still be present. Secondary is when your wine begins clearing, and when some winemakers add additional ingredients like extra fruit, spices or oak for flavor.