1. Winemaking in the Classroom 1
Equipment, Yeast, Fruit & Chemicals
Sirromet Wines Pty Ltd
Mount Cotton Rd
Mount Cotton Queensland, Australia 4165
Courtesy of Jessica Ferguson
Assistant Winemaker & Site Chemist
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2. Requirements Fruit, juice, or juice concentrate
Chemicals may include: potassium metabisulphite, tartaric acid, enzymes, bentonite, fining agents
Temperature Control Method for fermentation (air-conditioned room as a minimum)
Yeast
Fermentation Vessels and Equipment
Testing Equipment for: pH, SG, Free SO2, temperature, acidity, alcohol
Siphon for Racking, Filters, Bottles and Closures

3. Fruit/Juice: Strongly recommend use of grapes/grape product
Possibilities include:
Wine grapes, table grapes, grape juice concentrate, raisins soaked or blitzed in water
Fruit preparation: ideally low solids, but relative high dissolved oxygen
Freshly crushed and pressed juice best option
Also preservative free juices, or can soak raisins (must be sulphite free)
Canned juices are an option also
‘Cloudy’ juices may work better than filtered juice as they have a higher natural nutrient level

4. Reasons for Preferring Grapes:
Ideal pH range for fermentation (not too high/low)
Sugar ratio 50:50 glucose:fructose
Naturally high levels of tartaric acid (stability)
Better structure to wines
Better balance of acid and flavour
High number of flavour compounds from grapes vs. other fruit

5. Potential Issues with Other Fruit
Use of other fruit may result in negative flavour and structure characters such as:
greenness, bitterness, hardness, ‘thin’ acidic or bitter wines
Possible issues with flavour/colour stability, fruit wines often don’t keep well
Usually lower alcohol than grape wine – potential for spoilage is higher
Sugar balance and acid profiles of other fruits may make them less suitable for fermentation
i.e. sweet eating apples: fructose>>glucose – this can cause sluggish ferments

6. Grape Juice Concentrate Kits
Consider as an easy option to get started
Can buy ‘kits’ to make red or white wine including all chemicals required
Less likely to have stuck ferments with a concentrate kit (but not foolproof!)
May be ideal if time is restricted for getting fermentation set up and started

7. All About Yeast Wine strains best suited (not brewers yeast)
Requirements:
alcohol tolerant to 15%
suited to low pH/low Nitrogen
low VA & H2S production
medium sugar accumulation

8. Where to get yeast Where to buy yeast:
Laffort (bulk supplier), Sirromet (comes in 500g packs)
many home brew shops sell wine yeast in small packs which may be more suitable
Comes in freeze-dried form
Care of dried yeast: Cool store or fridge, vacuum sealed, 12 months maximum shelf life.
Once opened, seal packet with tape, store in fridge and use within a few weeks

9. Fermentation Equipment
Suitable fermentation vessels:
Beer kegs, glass demi-johns: no taint
Plastic: hydrocarbon pickup, can produce plastic taint in wine
Use fermentation bubblers or silicon bungs
One way seals, or a plastic bag full of sand.

10. Fermentation Equipment (cont)
If your juice contains solids or skins, or is at higher temps:
Initial ferment should be started in a wide necked vessel
Bucket or plastic keg (loosely covered to allow CO2 escape)
Move to a narrow neck vessel once ferment has become less vigorous

11. Ferment Monitoring Equipment
Refractometer – for measuring Brix on juice pre-ferment
Hydrometers:
Baume scale (for juice)
Specific Gravity (for ferment monitoring)
Thermometer or data-logger to monitor temperature
Valenche or Wine Thief for sampling (optional)

12. Sanitation of Equipment
Sterilisation (heat) – could rinse/soak clean vessels in boiling water – limited effectiveness, or boil small pieces of equipment
Chemical sterilisation – hypochlorite (bleach) – rinse very, very well after
Chemical sterilisation – caustic wash followed by acid wash, water rinse
Chemical sterilisation – sulphite solution

13. Chemicals
Tartaric acid – to adjust acidity of must before or after ferment (can be used for any fruit/juice)
Yeast Nutrient – DAP or Fermaid
Sugar (if required) – use table sugar
Enzyme – to assist with cold settling of high solids juice pre-ferment
Potassium metabisulphite or Camden tablets – SO2 preservative and/or sanitiser
Bentonite – kaolin clay base used to aid clarification after fermentation (comes in dry form)

14. Processing & Finishing Equipment
Fruit press – for grapes or soft fruit, table top, manual stainless steel
Siphon tubes – clear plastic tubing is effective (silica or PVC food grade)
Filtration options – most are beyond the classroom budget, but gravity filters or small electric filters are available
Bottles and screw-caps or corks

15. Some useful links for businesses that sell winemaking supplies
Tonga Place, Parkwood
325 Gympie Rd Kedron
69 Shore St, Cleveland
41 Price St Nerang or Shop 9, Oxenford Square Shopping Centre, Old Pacific Highway, Oxenford
Many other large home brew shops may have equipment/kits
- not in Qld, high quality home winemaking equipment by mail order, well-priced
Carlton Glass (Sunshine Coast) manufacturer of hydrometers and other wine testing glassware