Making Wine From Oceanspray

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Ashley is a soil scientist who has had a passion for plants since she was a small child. In the long summers as a child, she would garden alongside her grandmother and it was then that she realized her love for greenery. With years of great studying, Ashley had begun her post-secondary education at the University of Saskatchewan. After years of working in agriculture R&D she has decided to take on teaching gardeners using science.

When you think about winemaking you generally think about fancy kits or stomping on grapes in a barrel. But I am here to tell you that making wine from scratch using juice boxes is possible. This article is all about how to make wine from scratch without a fancy kit. Specifically how to make wine from oceanspray juice. Let us know in the comments what your favourite type of wine is!

If you are new to this blog my name is Ashley and I am a soil scientist. I am located in a Canadian Zone 3 and a USDA Zone 4. I write articles, make YouTube videos, Instagram posts all designed for Canadians and Cold Climate gardeners using science-based methods. If you are looking for anything specific be sure to let me know in the comments down below.

Ingredients for Making Oceanspray Wine

The ingredients needed for this process should only cost you $15 & a majority you will have in your cupboard. What you need includes:

1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar

1 packet yeast (Fleischmann’s ActiveDry will work and generally comes with three packets)

1/2 gallon grape juice. You can use red grape juice for red wine, white grape juice for white wine or a combination of flavours for a unique taste.

Measuring cup

Balloon or a winemaking airlock.

Funnel

Steps For Making At Wine From Oceanspray At Home

Hot water wash absolutely everything. You want to treat this similar to a canning process to help ensure no bacteria growth is possible. If you skip this step you run the risk of having to throw your entire brew out.
You will need some headroom in your juice jug or container of choice so remove ⅓ of the juice from whatever container the juice is in. The fermenting process will cause expansion and therefore headroom is a must to avoid spilling.
This is where you decide how potent you want the wine to be. The typical sugar recommended is 1.5 cups of sugar. If you want less alcohol content only add 1 cup of sugar. If you want more alcohol content then consider adding 2 cups of sugar.
This step is where you get your exercise it. Screw your cap on nice and tight, then begin shaking your jug until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
Add one yeast packet to the jug.
Wait 10 mins and then give the jug a vigorous shake for 30 seconds.
Next, remove the cap and place the balloon over the top of the bottle. And poke a pinhole in the balloon where the balloon meets the bottle rim. This will allow it to act as an airlock. If you wanted too you could buy your own professional airlock.

How does winemaking work?

This is simply a chemical reaction that happens after the yeast eats the sugar it produces carbon monoxide and alcohol. The carbon dioxide is gasses off and escapes through the pinhole in the balloon. Without the pinhole that pressure may be enough to blow the bottle cap off. The alcohol obviously stays in place for your enjoyment.

The process of making wine takes time because it involves yeast eating and digesting sugar. This can take a couple of weeks to process so patience is the key. Leave the jug in a cool dark area and watch the balloon inflate. Once the balloon is deflated the process is completed and it is time to take a sip or bottle it up!

If you choose to bottle your wine make sure you have a fully sanitized setup. A boiling water bath for both the corks and the bottles is an absolute must. If you notice a vinegar smell your bottles have been exposed to too much air and it is no longer drinkable.

Issues You May Encounter When Making Wine From Oceanspray

The first issue will be contamination from the gear used. Hot water cleaning of everything used will help ensure this does not happen. You will know that there is an issue when bacteria or fungi accumulate inside the jug. If this happens you will have to discard all your wine and start over.

Old yeast is another common problem. Yeast is a living organism and therefore it has a lifespan. This means if you use old yeast the likelihood of digestion and therefore alcohol being produced is low. The first sign you have old yeast would be if the balloon does not inflate within a few hours.

If this happens to you give the bottle another good shake to see if it activates the little critters. If the balloon stays deflated it is likely that the yeast is old and you should grab a new packet of yeast. You maybe want to start over from scratch because the taste may be a bit off with the deactivated yeast.

There you have it! How to make wine at home from scratch. Keep in mind you need to be legal drinking age in your area. And make sure to stay creative with what combinations of juice you choose to use.