How Long Should Home Brew Wine be Fermented?

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When making your own home brew wine, it's important that you allow it to ferment for the appropriate amount of time.

What is Fermentation?

Fermenting essentially means that yeast you add to the wine interacts with sugar from the grapes in order to produce the byproducts of carbon dioxide and ethanol also known as alcohol. This process, which takes two stages, continues until the yeast can't tolerate the alcohol percentage of the wine any longer, or until all the sugar is utilized.

large jugs of homemade honey wine

Primary Fermentation Stage

This stage is usually about four to seven days long and is the time when the majority of fermentation will occur (about 70%) This is a time of rapid fermentation, and it is common for the wine to foam during this stage. Allowing the access of air into the wine is a crucial part of a successful primary fermentation.

Secondary Fermentation Stage

During the secondary fermentation stage, the remaining 30% will take place, and this stage can take up to three weeks, depending on how much yeast and sugar are available. This process is much slower, and you should not allow air exposure, so it is a good idea to use an air lock on your wine container to make sure no oxygen gets in.