Posts Tagged ‘make wine in jail’

Anyone else noticing an increase in articles and websites that infer they can teach you how to make wine quickly?

Folks, settle down here! While it is true that you can pitch some yeast into fruit juice which might have some added sugar and in seven days end up with something that contains alcohol, it’s not going to be very drinkable – unless you’re desperate. Wine takes time. Yes, home winemaking can be fun, it can save money, and you can create wines that you won’t find in many wine stores – but the process to make decent wine requires the same thing the world over: time.

Recently, I came across someone trying to sell a manual and a packet of yeast who was claiming he could teach you to make wine in four days. I hope no one purchased that. A packet of yeast costs about a dollar, and no manual will ever teach you to make wine you’ll be pleased with in four days. It’s impossible. The very bare minimum you’ll need is a month – and you’d be best off to head over to your local winemaking supply shop and pick up an economical winemaking kit that provides instructions, grape juice concentrate and the necessary ingredients to stabilize and clarify the wine in 28 days. Even then, the wine will benefit from at least a month’s worth of aging in the bottle.

I did watch once a video about how some prisoners made wine in jail. Even they agreed it took at least seven days to end up with some plonk that had alcohol in it. But it wasn’t exactly very appetizing. It had something to do with smuggling sugar from the jail cafeteria, a plastic trash bag, fruit juice … a dirty sock, and some mouldy bread. I guess Lalvin EC-1118 yeast is hard to come by behind bars. I can only guess what use the dirty sock had.

If you want to learn how to make wine, be sure to take your time – or rather, let time do the work.