Making your own wine is an incredibly satisfying experience, and an ideal way to show off to your friends.
Contrary to what some people believe, making wine at home for your own consumption is not illegal. In 1978, the Federal Government passed a law to allow a single adult household to make up to 100 gallons of homemade wine annually. Making your own wine is incredibly satisfying and a perfect way to show off your winemaking prowess to your friends at dinner parties. The unique flavour of watermelon and grape will certainly get them talking, although it may take several attempts to find that perfect blend.
Instructions
1. Slice the watermelon into strips and place them into the blender. Add 2 cups of water and blend until smooth. This gives you the watermelon juice for the wine.
2. Remove the seedless grapes from the stem and wash them, then place them into a bowl. Mash the grapes to open them up, then place them in a stockpot and heat them to a simmering temperature for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour the simmering grapes into a sieve and strain them until the juice is as smooth as possible. Let the cool.
4. Mix the watermelon and grape juice in a 1.75 pint container. The ratio of watermelon juice to grape juice is up to you and depends upon your personal taste. Once mixed, add the juice to the 8 pint jug, followed by 5 pints of cold water.
5. Pour ½ pint of water into a pan and simmer. Add sugar to the water in the pan and continue to do so until no more sugar will dissolve. Strain out the excess sugar and add the solution to the eight pint jug and top the jug off with more cold water.
6. Add the packet of yeast to the eight pint jug. Insert the airlock -- half filled with water -- into the bung. The airlock and bung act as a one way valve, allowing gases from the fermentation process to escape from the jug and preventing oxygen from entering. Place the jug in a controlled environment of between 70 and 75 Fahrenheit. Remember to take regular readings with the hydrometer, each time checking how much sugar remains in the mixture. The hydrometer is a device which measures the weight of a liquid, compared to the weight of pure water. Therefore allowing you to measure the sugar content of the liquid. The amount of suger you want remaining in the mixture depends on if you are making a dry, medium or sweet wine.
7. After fermentation, place two crushed Campden tablets with potassium sorbate to the jug and replace the bung. These are antibacterial tablets that will kill any bacteria hidden in the yeast. Leave the fermented mixture for a few days and let it cool to a temperature of about 59 Fahrenheit, then transfer the mixture to a different jug, removing any sediment.
8. Leave the wine to clear and then transfer to sterilised wine bottles.
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