Easy to Make Cranberry Wine
97Makes a Nice Tart Wine
Wine making essentially involves the mixing of fruit juice and sugar and then adding yeast to convert the sugar to alcohol.
While wine is generally made from grapes, other juices can be used as the base. The reason grapes are the usual fruit of choice is because of their high sugar content.
Alcohol is the by product of the action of yeast on sugar. Grapes contain enough natural sugars to allow full fermentation. When using the juices of other fruits sugar generally has to be added as the fruit generally does not contain sufficient natural sugar for full fermentation.
The skins of fresh grapes also have a natural yeast growing on them which is probably why grape wine is one of the oldest and most common fermented beverage.
Homemade Cranberry Wine
Cranberries have always been a favorite treat in my family and, as my sisters and brothers and I grew up and learned to cook, cranberries were one of the foods we experimented with.
Among my favorite cranberry recipes is this simple recipe and process for making cranberry wine.
Years ago when my younger brother and I began experimenting with making wine we found that cranberry wine was the best in terms of ease of production, taste and clarity.
Grape wine, using frozen grape juice, was just as easy but it tended to retain a yeasty taste as well as being somewhat cloudy. In both cases we used juices from the grocery store rather than the crushing of berries for juice.
Cranberry Wine Recipe
Here is what you will need:
1 one-gallon glass jug
2 - 12 ounce cans of frozen cranberry juice concentrate or 2 - 64 ounce bottles of cranberry juice
1½ cups of sugar – adjust to taste but bottled juice is usually sweetened
¼ teaspoon of wine yeast (you can use dry baker's yeast, but it is better to go to a wine making supply store and purchase regular wine yeast)
¾ cup of warm (not hot) water
A rubber stopper with a glass tube through it or a air lock device for the gallon jug (I prefer the rubber stopper with the tube as it seems to work better).
Both the rubber stopper and glass tube can be purchased from a wine supply shop
12 – 18 inches of plastic tubing that will fit snugly over the glass tube (only need this if you are using the rubbers stopper method). The tubing can also be purchased from a wine supply shop.
Container of water
1 funnel
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Steps for Preparation and Fermentation
Clean and sterilize the glass jug by washing it, by hand, with warm, soapy water and then rinsing it thoroughly as you don't want your wine to leave a soapy taste in your drinker's mouths..
While the simple, but thorough, washing above should be sufficient as an extra precaution you can run it and other utensils (other than the plastic tubing) used make the win through the dishwasher where the heat will sterilize them.
It is very important to make sure that the jug and all utensils used in the making of the wine are sterile and running them through the dishwasher will help accomplish this.
The heat in the dishwasher will kill any remaining bacteria the existence of which will spoil the wine if that bacteria comes in contact with the wine.
If using frozen cranberry juice concentrate, thaw and mix in a clean container that has recently been washed in dishwasher.
You can use either tap water to mix the juice or distilled water (if you use distilled water you will avoid picking up any taste that the tap water might contain).
Add sugar to the juice and stir until thoroughly dissolved.
If you use regular bottled cranberry juice, rather than concentrate, pour juice into a clean container, add the sugar and stir until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved.
Dissolve a tablespoon of sugar and the yeast in the ¾ cup of warm water.
Stir the mixture until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved
Then cover the container to prevent any airborne bacteria from contaminating the mixture and set the container aside for a couple of hours to allow the fermentation process to get started.
Pour juice, with sugar dissolved in it, into jug using funnel to avoid spilling.
Add the warm water and yeast mixture.
Insert rubber stopper into top of jug.
Attach plastic tubing securely over end of glass tube.
Place jug on a shelf in a warm (about 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21.1 degrees Celsius) shelf in basement.
Place container of water next to jug and place end of plastic tube in water. Make sure water level remains sufficient to keep end of tube under water.
The tube will allow carbon dioxide gas, a by product of the fermentation process, to escape while the water will prevent air contaminated with bacteria from entering the jug with the wine.
Final Bottling and Aging
After about a month you will notice that air bubbles are no longer entering the container of water from the wine jug and the juice becoming clear.
There will be sediment on the bottom of the jug. At this point, get a two or three foot (approx .5 to 1 meter) length of ½ to ¾ inch (approx 1.25 to 2 cm) clear plastic tubing
Remove the stopper and siphon juice into a second sterilized jug. Be careful not to disturb or transfer the sediment.
The sediment can be poured down the drain while the jug with the wine should be securely capped with a screw-on cap or cork stopper.
Store in a cool place, a basement with a fairly constant temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit or 21 degrees Celsius for 6 to 12 months while it ages.
Serving and Enjoying
Allow at least six months for your wine to age. Ideally, your wine should be sufficiently aged and ready to drink within twelve months maximum.
So long as the wine has been capped tightly and not exposed to outside air, it should be good for at least two to three years.
While the quality of the wine will improve with age up to about 12 months it will be at its peak and won't continue to improve after about 12 months. If stored more than two or three years it might spoil (however, I have never kept it this long so I am speculating at this point).
The wine can be chilled in a refrigerator before serving (and must be refrigerated after opening to prevent spoiling).
For me, this process has always resulted in a nice clear, but slightly tart wine with the taste of cranberry.
If you prefer a sweeter wine, you can add sugar to taste after opening.
Links to my other Hubs on Wine and Brewing
- A Prohibition Era Wine Recipe
The basics of wine making are easy and inexpensive. Wine is nothing more than fruit juice that has been mixed with yeast which converts the sugar in the juice to alcohol. The alcohol then preserves the... - How to Brew Root Beer and Ginger Ale
Before the advent of refrigeration, there was no way to preserve juices for more than a day or two as they would spoil. However, ancient peoples soon discovered that there were two types of spoiling -... - An Afternoon Visit to the Crop Circle Winery
Traveling down Interstate 10, on what has recently become an annual autumn visit to Apple Annie's Orchard in Willcox, Arizona, I noticed, among the many signs that dotted the highway just before Exit 340 for...
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Great Hub! Voted up and useful :]
thanks for sharing an useful article
Wow, but how about drinking it than making it .. lol. drinking is always much fun than making it , but yes thanks for the share and i will put it to test when i get along with my friends. Bookmarked !
My first try at a cab was a disaster (I think I ended up with some cleaning solution/acid in my batch). Since that first attempt, I have found that it is both a science, and an art! My second batch was a success, and a good one if I don't say so myself. I did find a website that helped a ton though (broke down and paid, but well worth it) at www.how-to-make-wine.com I am sure there are others too. Cheers!
Very Nice Hubs
Oh this i just awesome. If i had the means and resources to try this out I definitely would. homemade alcohol is a luxury I am looking forward to in the future
very simple and easy tips make a wine.....
MMM... I think I'll try it, but with watermellon.
my uncle makes wine every year....almost 2000 liters....verry verry good....red wine
i absolutely agree
Wow, another really cool article Chuck. Once again thanks for such an informative article.
I did not know much about how to make vine. But I knew all about how to get drunk. By now I know more about both. :)
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for sharing. I will put this to the test.
Very nice tutorial. I like it.
Hi Chuck,
Make Wine At Home great idea.
simple recipe and process for making cranberry wine...
Amazing article writing Thanks!
This is almost grammar school when living in a wine growing region!
Wow great hub on how to make wine! amazing article and quality of writing!
Thanks so much for this wonderful post this is the kind of thing that keeps me on track through out my day.
Great hub! Thanks for sharing!
Great instructions!
Hello! What a great Hub It is interesting.
Thank for sharing and for the tips.
Keep it up. =)
Have always wanted to try making wine at home but never quite got around to it. Your hub makes it look very easy :) let's see, maybe this time around I will put it together! Nice hub.
I've experimented with this a little and have always enjoyed it. I can't seem to get one that I really like though, might be time to learn from someone with a little more experience. I can see how this could easily become a fun hobby!
Great Hub. Making wine is truly a labor of love for many.
Great hub! If only I could wait the 6 to 12 months required. Wine doesn't sit on the shelf that long in our household.
The perfect recipe for out here in Saudi Arabia....
I personally like to use fresh fruit when Im making my wine.
Do you have any tips about the best way to go about this?
Wow, I didn't even know that this was possible. Thanks for sharing!
Very interesting! I remember growing up, my mom used to make rice wine. Thank you for sharing!
Wine making at home seems like it is a real science. I would think that after putting in all the effort needed to make a good bottle, nothing would be more pleasing to share it with others as a gift. Nice hub.
Making wine always sounds so simple.. I will give it a try but I am betting it gets way more complicated once you get started.
Cool wine making article A lot of great info
Hi Chuck
Have you or anybody out there got a recipe for white cabbage wine?
Hi Chuck, I have beem making my own wine for a while. I love doing it. When you have thefinished product and know you did that,it is a good feeling. You are right, you do need to let the wine age. Sooo many can't wait. It does make a diff. Cool page Chuck. can't wait to read more of your hubs. Ps. I am a newbie. Glad i stumbled on to your page
this is very interesting.I will try it out with my friends some day.
These are great instructions! I'd love to try this sometime. :)
It sounds interesting, but I think I'll just stick with buying my wine at Trader Joe's. Not too expensive, but still better than what I would end up making. For those of you who can make it yourself and do a good job, more power to you!
Oh this is so interesting. I'm making my own apple wine right now :)
I sure gonna try this one out.
Roberto Galea - I don't know what caused the smell as I have never tried to use apples to make wine. I suggest you try to find a recipe for hard cider and try that.
Chuck
Hi, I have tryed to make wine the way it is described in this site, but instead I used apples, and the product had an Acetaldehyde smell. What can I do? and what is the problem? Thanks Roberto. :)
With the price of wine being so cheap these days, I've taken my eye off the ball and stop making it. This has motivated me to continue.
I used to have an old wine making book, published in the UK, that had recipes for making wine out of almost every fruit and vegetable imaginable-- including turnips and 'coltsfoot'. I once made a batch of peach wine, which --though cloudy-- tasted wonderful. It was even a bit fizzy or sparkly, perhaps due to my inexact following of the directions.
Juliet Christie - thanks for visiting and for sharing the link to your article with some excellent information (I checked it out and I recommend it).
Hi your wine recipe seem cool. I too have made chocho sparkling white wine I have also a great article on wine making ,some questions asked here by your readers can be answered in that article http://www.specular-jamaica.com/wine-making.html
Janet - thank you for visiting my Hub. When I have made the cranberry wine, using cranberry juice, described in this article or grape wine using frozen grape juice I have always used wine yeast purchased from a wine making shop. I was told by others when i started making wine that I shouldn't use bread yeast but was never told why. I tried doing some research just now to answer your question but couldn't find any clear answer.
Both wine yeast and bread yeast are living organisms and it is possible that some varieties are better for making wine than others and have been bred for that pupose and both convert sugar to alcohol and give off carbon dixoide in the process. There may be some effect on the taste of the wine but I think that you can successfully make wine using bread yeast.
One more point, when making wine using fresh grapes you don't need to add yeast as yeast is found naturally on the grape skins.
Hello great page!.what is the difference between yeast nutrient and wine yeast can you use one or the other?..need help thanks
SEO Expert Kerala - yes, making wine at home for personal consumption is legal in most areas of the U.S. The repeal of Prohibition in the 1930s did allow states and areas within states the option of passing their own laws regulating the production, distribution, sale and consumption of alcohol so there may be some counties or other areas within a few states where this is illegal but, for the most part it is legal for people to make their own beer and wine. Distilled spirits (whisky, brandy, vodka, etc) are another matter and I believe that it is illegal to make these products without a license.
Making wines at home is legal in USA ?Read my blog about indian wines
RACM, thanks for visiting my Hub and for your comment. As to advice on avoiding headaches, my suggestion is moderation. Bottoms up!
This Hub just became my favorite Hub. I am not a heavy drinker, actually I drink on rare occations. And does occations are when they bring me a good bottle of wine (for free) so as you can see, I dont drink that much. I do have a request for you. How can I avoid getting the bad headache without sacrificing the enjoyment of drinking my wine?
Very nice Hub... great information. I did not realize that wine making was so easy.
Oops! My mistake and I made the same mistake in two sentences in that paragraph. But both have now been corrected.
Phil, thanks for catching this.
Chuck
In the next to last paragraph, you wrote "the 'sentiment' can be poured down the drain". I believe you meant to write "sediment"?
Was this a Freudian Slip?
Cool information on winemaking ... I think I will give it a try!
Denise
use less sugar if turns out todry 1/2 to1 cup of sugar to 2 cups water boil for 1 min let cool add 2 wine let set for 5 to 7 days then try it i cut back on the sugar when mixing togather then when its time to taste if its not sweet enough thats what i do works well
Agreed - you can use any juice, not just cranberry juice. Since pineapple juice is usually sweeter you may want to reduce the amount of sugar you add but you will need some sugar and may want to experiment some to get the right level of sweetness. As to blending, that sounds interesting and can either be done at the beginning and let them ferment together or blend them after fermentation. Again, you may have to experiment until you get the desired taste.
You can ferment anything with sugar in it. So ya, go for it! Pina-Wine-ada
This is really cool to learn that you can make wine from cranberry juice. I'm now wondering if you can do the same thing with pineapple juice. Hawaii has a pineapple wine that they are famous for. Do you think you can substitute the cranberry for pineapple juice to make wine out of that instead?
It'll also be pretty cool if you can blend the two wines (pineapple + cranberry) to make something like a BayBreeze wine cocktail. Its a great tasting & popular cocktail.
Regardless, cool hub! Thanks!
I like the idea of cran-wine.
Here are some more resources for grape based wine.
oh that great.... but can be also a calamansi can a wine?
I've always been afraid to try making wine because my father used to make it and it was terrible. You've inspired me to give it a try again sometime.
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TexasLady - I don't see why you can't simply boil them. The idea is to prevent bacteria from getting into the mixture and spoiling the wine. Good luck with your winemaking.
Chuck
Could one just boil the needed utensils? The only dishwasher we have is ME, and I'm anything but sterile, with four kids.
If I can do this, let me know please! I'm a professional wino from way back. :D
Robert - Thank you for visiting my HubPages and for your comment. If you want to make wine from a frozen juice concentrate click on this link http://hubpages.com/hub/A_Prohibition_Era_Wine_Rec to go to my HubPage entitled "A Prohibition Era Wine Recipe". This will give you step-by-step directions including how much water, sugar and yeast to add. Good luck. Chuck
Hi i was wondering im making 5 gallons of wine ive dun this before but forgot i used concentrated juice i want to know can i use just 100% juice in a jug. I also wanted to know can i still add sugar and if i did how much i really dont know and do i still add water or just all juice and also how much yeast should i use if u could help me i would appreciate this thank u
Interesting. -Matthew Cepican A&R Vesuvius Records
Ahh yes, the fine art of making wine. It really is a rewarding feeling to take that first sip of wine you created
Maybe you put too much sugar in it in the first place. Don't put ANY sugar.
I made a batch of wine (7 gallons). The darn stuff has quit working and is too sweet. Can I just add a bit more yeast and wait for the sugar to go away? Sweet, like some kid needing a sugar fix from 8 cups of sugar in Kool Aid.
cbpoet Level 2 Commenter 3 weeks ago
This is something I've always wanted to do - make wine. I'm looking forward to trying out your recipe.. Thanks for sharing