Steps to Successful Wine Making

Owner Julie Pettit Welcomes Customers

Step 1: Wine Selection and Mixing

The customer learns of the available wines, their attributes, costs, time to maturation,etc. A selection is made and the concentrate is mixed with yeast nutrient and ultra-low chlorine water in the primary fermentor.

A Partial Selection of our Wine Kits

Preparing the Primary Fermentor

Primary Fermentors

Step 2: First Racking

After 7-12 days (7 for red wines, 12 for whites) the wine is siphoned from the fermentor and placed in a glass "carboy" for further fermenting. This is called "racking" and the process leaves the "lees" or precipitates behind in the fermentor. The carboy is then tagged with the name of the client, the wine type, and status of the wine.

Wine Fermenting in the Carboys

Step 3: Second Racking

At day 18, the wine is racked into a clean carboy and   stabilization and clearing agents are added. The second siphoning adds a small amount of air into the wine also.

Testing The pH Levels

Step 4: Bottling and Corking

At day 45, the customer is called and notified that his/her wine is ready for bottling. The Grape Escape will supply bottles if necessary at a modest price, or the customer may supply his own. Corks are provided, but labels and decorative foils are optional items. The customer makes an appointment to bottle his product under the watchful guiding eyes of the staff.

Bottling equipment. Vacuum filler on the left, bottle cleaner on right.

The Filling Process

Corking the Bottles

Want More Information?

Please take a look at our Detailed Process Page