WHITE WINE

Just 4 u

Discard any mouldy or unsound grapes, remove the stems, and express the juice
by means of a press or by crushing with the hands, the fruit being in a calico or sacking
bag. If using a press, apply pressure gradually; it is better to repeat the pressing once or
twice slowly, than to try to rush it through, for you may only burst the bag and be in
trouble.
If using a hydrometer, test the juice and determine how much sugar has to be
added; dissolve it in the juice, and pour the juice into your fermenting vessel. (Many
winemakers prefer to add only half the sugar at this stage and the remainder two or three
days later.)
You can then either (a) rely upon the natural yeast (the bloom upon the grapes, of
which sufficient will have passed into the juice, to start fermentation) or, preferably, (b)
add one Campden tablet per gallon, and, 24 hours later, a vigorous yeast starter of your
own choice. A good yeast nutrient will also help.
Fermentation, in a warm place, will be more rapid than with the usual run of
country wines but the advent of chillier weather will slow it down.
If you are not using a hydrometer, of course, add your initial 8 oz. of sugar, and
thereafter keep a close eye on your ferment, for it is likely to require further sugar almost
every day, although the ferment and sugar consumption will be slower in the latter stages
than in the early one.
Thereafter the process is the same as with any country wine.