Niagara Grape Wine

• 12-15 lbs fresh Niagara grapes
• 1 crushed Campden tablet
• 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
• 3/4 tsp yeast nutrient
• Red Star Côtes des Blancs wine yeast or Lalvin ICV-D47 (Côtes-du-Rhône) wine yeast

Destem and crush grapes. Stir pectic enzyme into crush, cover, and let sit 2-4 hours. Press grapes and put juice in primary. Crush, dissolve and stir one Campden tablet and yeast nutrient into juice, cover and let sit additional 6 hours or overnight. Adjust acidity and sugar if required and stir in activated yeast. Re-cover and set in cool place (65° F.) to ferment. When specific gravity drops to or below 1.015, stir the lees, pour into secondary and fit airlock. Store carboy in cool place. At 4 weeks, rack, sulfite (1 crushed and dissolved Campden tablet), top up, reattach airlock, and return to cool place. Repeat racking every 4 weeks until wine clears, fining after 3rd racking if necessary. When wine clears, filter if deemed necessary. Stabilize, sweeten if required and set aside for 2 additional weeks to ensure wine does not referment. Rack into bottles and allow to rest 3 months before tasting. [Author’s own recipe]