Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

• 5 gallons Cabernet Sauvignon juice
• 2 tsp pectic enzyme
• 6 crushed Campden tablets
• 3 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 packet Montrachet, Pasteur Red or Champagne yeast

With a hydrometer, check S.G. of juice. Starting S.G. should be 1.095 or higher. Add finely granulated sugar if required and stir very well to dissolve. Add crushed Campden tablets and yeast nutrient. Cover and wait 12 hours, then add pectic enzyme. Wait another 12 hours and transfer to a 6-gallon carboy, add yeast and fit air lock. Ferment to 1.010 and rack into sterilized 5-gallon carboy, topping up if required. Refit air lock and ferment to dryness (S.G. at 0.990 or lower). Rack, top up, and set aside two months. Rack again and add 5 oz of American White Oak or French or Spanish Oak chips tied in a finely meshed nylon bag. Do not use any other kind of oak chips. Refit airlock and move to a cold or cool place (an old refrigerator set at 38° F. would be ideal). Taste wine after 30 days. If oak taste is sufficient, rack; if not, allow one or two additional weeks and then rack. Top up, refit airlock, and return to cool place for additional 2-4 months. Rack again, stabilize, and wait 10 days before bottling. May taste after one year, but better if aged two. [Author’s recipe]