This is the first step in your wine making journey (after you purchase your juice/equipment, naturally). It is my hope that you find this helpful, and as always if anything is unclear please ask questions. I am happy to answer them.



Take a measurement of your must using a hydrometer. This is an important first step as understanding the specific gravity of your juice will tell you quite a bit about your resulting wine. As you can see in the photo above, the hydrometer reads at 1.090. Always take your reading below the meniscus (the link provided, gives a good definition with pictures of reading below the meniscus, however the super snazzy goggles are not a wine making requirement).

This reading was taken one day after the addition of yeast. For a more accurate reading, perform this step before inoculation. Now here is the fun part, your hydrometer is the most useful and least expensive part of your wine making arsenal, however they are highly breakable so treat them like a good friend.

If you turn your hydrometer around to the side that yields potential alcohol, you can determine, using your initial reading (1.090), the potential alcohol available for fermentation (which is approximately 12%-using the photo below). This is useful, unless you like accidental rocket fuel. Keep in mind that the side for S.G. (specific gravity) has gradient lines that move up or down in increments of two, however on the potential alcohol side, it is determined in increments of 1.

Knowing this can also allow for sugar additions if your juice is lacking the appropriate sugars. If your must is not perfectly balanced for you, this is a way to determine if the person who sold you the juice, sold you what you thought you were buying, and gives you the option to take it back or request a new product, or add the appropriate amount of additional sugar.

So, the photos above show that the juice has an S.G. (specific gravity) of 1.090 which will yield a alcohol content of 12% provided that all of the sugars are fermented out. See below an image of what your hydrometer reading should look like when the fermentation is complete. If your hydrometer reads above the 1.000 line your wine will be unstable and there is likely some residual sugars left over.
The hydrometer reads at .994, which is a good place to undertake your first racking, and add your finings and stabilants. Which will be covered in the next blog post.

Cheers and Happy Winemaking!