Making Your Own Grape Wine: From Harvest to Bottle
Pressing grape wine yourself
The harvest – the right time
Grapes are ripe when the sugar content is right: 75–90 Oechsle for white wine, 85–100 Oechsle for red wine. Measure with a hydrometer. Taste test: the berries should be sweet, the seeds brown.
Harvest grapes in dry weather, ideally in the morning. Sort out rotten or diseased berries immediately.
Pressing
White wine: Press the grapes directly, the pomace (skins + seeds) is removed. Light, clear color.
Red wine: Ferment the grapes first (skin maceration for 5–10 days), which releases color and tannins from the skins. Then press.
Rosé: Short skin contact time of 12–24 hours, then press like white wine.
Sulfiting
Sulphite immediately after pressing. According to the LVWO Weinsberg, depending on how much rot there is, a sulphur addition of up to 50 mg/l may be needed – that corresponds to 100 mg of potassium metabisulfite per liter, i.e. 10 g per 100 liters of must; less for healthy grapes. Dose Campden tablets according to the package. Protects against oxidation and unwanted bacteria.
Fermentation
- Add a pure-culture yeast (e.g. Lalvin EC-1118 or 71B)
- Temperature: 18–22 °C for white wine, 20–25 °C for red wine
- Check the airlock: active fermentation shows as bubbling (every 1–5 sec.)
- Duration: 1–3 weeks
First racking
When the airlock is barely bubbling and sediment (yeast deposit) is visible: carefully transfer the wine using a tube, leaving the sediment behind.
Aging & maturity
After another 4–8 weeks, do a second racking. White wine is ready to drink after 3–6 months, red wine better after 6–12 months.
Rule of thumb: The more tannic the red wine, the longer it should age.
Sources
- State Teaching and Research Institute for Viticulture and Pomology Weinsberg (LVWO): Weinqualität sichern durch richtige Schwefelung, accessed 5 Oct 2026
The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.