Dry red wine is a type of wine that contains very little sugar. This type of wine can be used for many different purposes, including drinking, cooking with, or blending into your favorite recipes.
Dry Red wines are easy to make at home. They are made from grapes that have been crushed and fermented using natural yeast, making them very simple to produce.
To begin the process, pick, crush and de-stem about 2 bushels (80 lbs) of grapes such as Foch, Baco, DeChaunac or Frontenac. You may also choose to include the stalks in your grape crusher if you want more tannin in your wine.
Once the grapes are picked and crushed, place them in a large stainless steel or other container that is at least 1 gallon in size. Fill the container about half way and place a towel or piece of thin plywood on top to keep dust and fruit flies out. Add the wine yeast according to instructions on the packet. Leave the container at room temperature and stir the juice frequently to ensure that fermentation starts.
Fermentation can take a while and the length of time that your wine will take to ferment will depend on the type of grapes you used. Some dry reds will ferment for up to a year.
While fermentation is happening, you should constantly stir the wine to prevent it from becoming too hot or too cold and to promote proper turbidity. You should also be sure that your wine isn’t contaminated by bacteria such as mold or mildew, which can damage the taste and aroma of your wine.
When the fermentation is finished, it’s time to bottle your homemade dry red wine. This is a very important step in the process, as it helps to preserve your wine and keep it tasting its best.
This can be done in a variety of ways, including by pouring the wine into bottles and sealing them. Alternatively, you can use a vacuum pump to remove the air from the bottle and create an almost airtight seal.
Once the bottle is sealed, it should be stored in a cool area away from sunlight and high humidity to preserve its flavor and aroma. You can store a dry red wine in a cellar, at room temperature or even in the freezer, depending on how long you’d like to store it for.
After a few years, your dry red wine should have matured enough to be ready for drinking and should have an alcohol content of at least 11 percent. This is the minimum amount of alcohol that should be present in dry red wine to prevent bacterial spoilage.
It’s a good idea to store your dry red wine in a cool and dark place to maintain its aroma, flavors and color. You can also place a cork stopper inside the bottle to prevent air from getting in.