Do you have a recipe for OLD-FASHIONED HOMEMADE GRAPE WINE that uses only grapes, yeast, water, and sugar?

Question

My friend is wanting to make homemade grape wine like his grandparents used to do. He doesn't know the recipe, but he thinks it only requires about 4 ingredients including:

Grapes
Water
Sugar
Yeast


Know of any recipes like this?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Grape wine doesn't have water or sugar added -- there is enough juice and sugar in the grapes.

See http://winemaking.jackkeller.net for lots of home winemaking recipes.

Answer 2

well, wines were made in a lot of different ways in the old days a recipie like yours would risk spontaneous fermentation with the yeasts that are on the grapes, you might get wine you might get vinegar, you might get rotten juice (No they aren't the same)

Sulfites are used to kill the yeasts you don't want Or at least inhibit them until the right yeast takes over (PLEASE don't use fleshmanns yeast it is baking yeast, not wine yeast, you'll get a horrible aftertaste if it doesn't settle out fully.Ideally if your grapes are ripe you don't need to add suar or water, just Grape Juice, sulfites,, and WINE Yeast. the finer winemakeing details can be over looked (Such as fining and flitering)

Also you do not want air to get into your jar that you are fermenting your wine in unless you are making sherry, this will cause the wine to oxidize and turn brown

Answer 3

This recipe makes just under one gallon.

1 qt. grapes (heaping full quart)
2 lb. sugar
1 pkg. powdered Fleischmann's Yeast

Use a big mouth earthen or glass jar - 1 gallon size. Mash grapes in jar and pour in sugar. (Use potato masher or anything to crush grapes.) Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir well.
Fill jar to within about 3/4 inch of top with warm water. Cover jar with cheese cloth or other porous cloth so air can get in jar and fumes get out.

Put in a place and keep at least 21 days. Strain and put in bottles, dark ones best.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,173,154190-255194,00.html

This recipe is even better, I think:
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/getrecipe.zsp?id=74593