How to Make Sparkling Wine at Home

This guide shows you how to make sparkling wine at home, from crushing the grapes through to disgorging and storing your bottles.

Day 1: Sterilising, pressing and testing the juice

Step 1: Sterilise your equipment

Sterilise all equipment to be used for Day 1.

For sparkling red wine, follow steps 1 to 7 of our guide How to Make Rosé at Home. After that step, you need to rack the wine off its sediments, and then switch back to this recipe to make it sparkling.

Step 2: Press the grapes and add the first packets

• Crush the grapes and load them into the press.
• Squeeze the pulp.
• Over-extracting the skins can make the pulp bitter. The pressed pulp should be about 1/4^th the size of the press when you have finished extracting.
• Add packet A from the kit (as per the instructions).
• Add packet B immediately after adding packet A.

Step 3: Test the Baumé and pH of the juice

Grab a sample of this juice and test its Baumé and pH. Check this table to understand whether any additives are necessary.

For best results, store the juice in a wine cooler. If left overnight, the grape solids will settle. The clear juice can then be siphoned off and stored in a demijohn or stainless-steel V/C tank.

Day 2: Starting the ferment

Step 4: Fill the containers and add packets C and D

• Ensure that only 2/3^rd of the demijohn is full. This will help with the fermentation.
• The remaining 1/3^rd must be placed in the refrigerator.
• If a V/C tank is being used, then leave 10% head space.
• Now add packets C and D as per the instructions.
• The wine will start bubbling in the next 24 hours. If it doesn't, bring the wine in for an assessment.
• On a daily basis, add a little juice until the container is full. The frothing will start to slow down.
• Add judiciously and ensure the container does not overflow.

Day 3: Managing the ferment

Step 5: Monitor temperature, pH and Baumé

Measure the fermenting wine’s temperature regularly. If it exceeds 30 degrees, cool it down using artificial means such as wet towels, ice over the container, or switching on the room’s cooling. Such wine ferments best in a room at 18 to 25 degrees.

Check the wine’s pH after 5 days and adjust based on the table above.

After day 3, check the wine’s Baumé. Once it reaches 0, proceed to the next step.

Step 6: Assess the wine as fermentation slows

Within a week the fermentation should slow down. At this stage, check the table below:

• Every week, test the Baumé and pH of your wine.
• We are looking for a pH of 3.3 to 3.6 and a Baumé of -1.
• If the pH is above this, adjust as per the table above. If the Baumé has not reached -1 after the first two weeks, stir the lees at the bottom of the container for 30 seconds and put the airlock back on.
• Do this twice a week for two weeks.
• If the wine has not gotten to -1 by the end of this stage, bring in the wine for an assessment.

Step 7: Check that fermentation is finished

Fermentation is considered done when we have the following conditions:

1. The wine does not taste sweet
2. -1 Baumé has been achieved (check with the hydrometer)
3. The airlock stops bubbling

Step 8: Rack the wine and choose your bottles

Once the fermentation is complete, the wine needs to be racked from the lees. Smell and taste the wine at this stage. You should be getting a fruit-driven aroma and taste, ranging from oak through to buttery or biscuity. If you get any vegetable, vinegar, sulphurous or other smells, then bring your wine into the store for an assessment.

Once the wine is clear of any sediments, it can be put into champagne bottles. Only a champagne bottle can handle the pressure of a sparkling wine, so this is a mandatory step.

Step 9: Prepare for secondary fermentation and bottling

You must ensure a few things before bottling:

• The wine’s specific gravity (SG) must be 1000. If not, you will have to adjust the amount of sugar that needs to be added for secondary fermentation.
• Bottle explosion can occur if there is a lot of residual sugar.
• Dose the wine with the following: 16 g/L of dextrose and 0.2 g of yeast per litre.
• Make the entire mixture and then start bottling.

At this stage you could use a bench capper and close the bottle with a tirage cap. Once bottled, the bottles can be stored anywhere between 6 months and 2 years (on their sides only).

Step 10: Riddle the bottles

Get your protective gear ready. Once the wine has reached a certain level of maturity, the sediments need to be riddled and moved to the neck of the bottle. Every couple of days over a span of four weeks, nudge and tilt the bottle gently. Continue doing this until the bottle is upside down and the yeast is in the neck.

• You could use a strong crate with divisions or a riddling rack to complete this process.
• Disgorge only after the bottles are completely upside down.

Step 11: Prepare to disgorge

• Keep some wine aside for topping up. All disgorging must be done only after the bottles are chilled or in a cool room. This ensures that the least amount of wine is lost in the process.
• The disgorging process can be messy. Ask a loved one to help and keep the area and tools ready.
• Disgorge and recork the sparkling wine bottles as quickly as possible. Time is a critical factor during carbonation.

This part can be a little dangerous if not done right. Please use protective gear and clothing, and especially cover your face and hands. The bottles need to be stored correctly and the necks need to be frozen before moving to the next step.

Step 12: Disgorge and store the wine

• Place the bottle against your thigh.
• Use a bottle opener. Aim away from your body and quickly open the bottle.
• This will shoot out the ice plug with the yeast.
• Quickly cover the neck and return the bottle to an upright position.
• Plastic champagne stoppers are easy to use.
• Try this process for a couple more bottles. Use the wine from the first bottle to top them up. Immediately apply a plastic stopper, wire the bottles and place them back for maturing.
• Ideally, store in a cool cellar. Sparkling wine can be stored for up to 12 months.