Homemade Wine Recipes for the Summer

Summer is finally here, and that means time to relax, unwind, and enjoy the warm weather! What better way to do that than sipping on a glass of wine. Summer is also a great time to learn new hobbies and try different things, which is why we’re going to show you how to make and enjoy your own wine this season.

How to Make Wine 

Believe it or not, making wine at home can be easier than you think. All you need is a glass jug, measuring cup, a funnel, a balloon (trust the process on this one!), and your recipe ingredients. Of course, if you want to be really fancy about it, you can also buy a winemaking kit that comes with some more advanced equipment. But, if you’re a first-time winemaker and just want to try it out, the other tools will do the trick! Here’s how:

1. Clean out all of your supplies with hot water. This ensures that all of your brewing materials are sanitized and won’t impact the fermenting process. 
2. Add your ingredients into your glass jug. The ingredients you add should essentially just be your “juice,” so whatever fruit mixture you are using, whether that simply be grape juice or a different fruit mixture from one of our recipes down below. 
3. The next step is to add sugar to the mixture. The more sugar you add, the more alcoholic your wine will be. Wait for the sugar to completely dissolve into the mixture.
4. Add a yeast packet into your jug, wait a few seconds to let it absorb some moisture, and then shake or mix it for 20 seconds. 
5. I told you to trust the process! Here is where the balloon comes in. Cover the jug with your wine mixture with the balloon and poke 2 very small holes into it with a safety pin or needle. Once the wine starts fermenting, the balloon will slightly inflate.
6. While your wine is fermenting, store it somewhere cool and dark if possible. 

Now for the hardest part of the process: waiting for it to be finished! After a couple of weeks, the balloon should start to deflate, and this is when you can celebrate your hard work and drink your wine! 

Our Favorite Homemade Wine Recipes

Now that you’ve got down the basics of making wine at home, it’s time to decide what kind of wine you want to try. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled some of our favorite recipes for winemaking in the summertime! 

Sweet Strawberry Wine Recipe

This strawberry wine recipe is delicious and perfect for summer! Here are the ingredients:

• 3 pounds frozen, hulled whole strawberries
• 2 1/2 pounds cane sugar (this will make a semi-dry wine)
• 1/2 teaspoon pectic enzyme, optional
• Non-chlorinated water
• 1/4 packet Red Star Premier Blanc yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon wine tannin OR 1 cup of strongly brewed black tea (2 teaspoons of loose leaf tea to 8 ounces of water)
• 1 teaspoon acid blend OR 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mango Puree Wine Recipe

This fruity wine has a subtle tropical flavor and is perfect for sunny days by the pool.

• 8 cups of water
• 30 oz can of Mango Pulp
• 6 cups Granulated Sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon acid blend
• ½ teaspoon pectinase pectic enzyme
• ¼ teaspoon wine tannin
• 1 packet Red Star “Champagne” yeast

Dried Apricot Wine Recipe

Better for breezy summer nights, this wine recipe is a great option to start with for winemaking beginners.

• 2 lb of chopped dried apricots
• 1 can of 100% white grape juice frozen concentrate
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 6 pints of water
• ¼ tsp of grape tannin

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