Reddit mentions of Mini Corker

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you!

So there's a bunch of different resources. I started out with a simple set of instructions on how to make cider out of prebought apple juice. Googling "How to make wine" gives you a lot of different things.

And I'm not trying to say, "Google it yourself you lazy bastard." There's a lot to learn about making wine, and there's a lot of resources to get you started. I wouldn't just read one recipe. I'd read a bunch of them.

Here are the basics: Brewing alcohol is a chemical process where enzymes within yeast convert carbohydrates into CO2 and alcohol. They're the showrunners. You want to give them the best possible life you can. Keep in mind that alcohol is a sterilizer, so it will kill of the yeast if there's too much. For brewing, not distilling, the upper limit is 15% alcohol by volume. If there's too much alcohol, there's leftover sugar and the yeast dies. You can put in too much sugar that'll leave a sweet, burning flavor, but the good news is that you cannot put in too much yeast. It doesn't speed it up or hurt it, so I just use a packet of yeast.

The first thing is: Sanitize, not sterilize. Clean everything, even your hands, thoroughly through all the steps. Using wild or homegrown grapes can introduce wild yeasts and other molds into the mix, so you want to wash them thoroughly before the mashing begins and boil the juice to kill any strays.

I started out with a 10 pack of champagne yeast from Amazon and a bag of balloons from the dollar store. You can get better and more professional equipment as time goes on, but I'd say start small and cheap. Also, do not use bread yeast for winemaking. For cider, it's hardly going to make that much of a difference, but something like wine, you want to use a strain that's suited for it.

So, I'll give you a quick rundown: Go to Lowes or some home improvement store or homebrewing shop. Get a 1 gallon foodgrade tub, reuse a 1-gallon glass jug, or use a 1-gallon jug of purified water from a grocery store. If you reuse anything plastic, make sure it has a triangle with 1 in it. Clean it thoroughly with bleach or hot soap and water, though I prefer StarSan. It's a food-grade, non-toxic no-rinse solution. Mix 1 oz with 1 gallon warm water, gets all sudsy, and coat everything you're using with it. Let it dry. You're done. Bleach takes time because you will have to rinse and you'll have to wait for the bleach scent to dissipitate.

If you go to Lowes or anywhere like that, get a about 3-5 feet of clear, vinyl tubing. I grapped a few feet from 3/8" tubing that was on clearance, though it should run you less than five dollars no matter what.

Bust out a large pot, some cheesecloth or a metal mesh strainer.

Next level tools: Hydrometer, which is used to check the amount of sugar in it. A triple scale gives you the specific gravity, Brix, and potential ABV. They're all related in some way, which is good. I start somewhere around 13% ABV, but here's a site that breaks it down better than I could..

This is what I did, adopoted for an open-ended recipe:

• Separate grapes from stems. Toss out any that look moldy or have split already or have shriveled up entirely. If there's a black mark on it, it's still fine. Get about 3-4 pounds per gallon of water. Rinse thoroughly with cool water, if you have Star San on hand, wouldn't hurt to wash them with a little of that and rinse it off.
  
• Mash the grapes up, separating the pulp and seeds from the skin^1. If you're making red wine, retain the skins. If you're making white wine, discard. Best to discard the seeds as they'll impart a bitter flavor. Strain through the wire mesh carefully, as you'll build up a bunch of gunk. White grapes will become cloudy and brown as they oxidize. That's fine. Bring to a boil then simmer, stirring in your sugar into the mix to sweeten. Use approximately 2-3 cups.
  
• Once cooled, strain into container and return skins if you're making red wine and add filtered water. You can keep the skins in a mesh bag or a little "teabag" made out of cheesecloth^1. It's okay if it floats. Use the hydrometer to check where you stand, stir in more sugar if necessary (I prefer using simple syrup, but it's fine no matter what).
  
• Take about half a cup of your solution, add the yeast and wait 10-20 minutes until it starts bubbling. Pour into your mixture and stir in. For a jug, just put back on the cap and shake or swirl vigorously and then remove the lid. If you're using a food-grade bin, just stir with a spoon.
  
• If you're using a food-grade bin, secure the lid and find a way to secure your balloon there. For a repurposed 1-gallon jug, just stretch the balloon over the top and poke a some holes into it with a sterilized push-pin.
  
• Put it somewhere cool (63 F degrees is ideal, but I keep it in a cupboard in my kitchen which is usually in the low 70s F).
  
  ^1 You can also put the grapes into a fermentation bag or a mesh sack made from cheesecloth and squeeze out that way, keeping it to add back into the must once it's cooled. You can do it however you want.
  
  And wait.
  
  Like, 5-7 days. Transfer from one vessel into another by siphoning with your vinyl tube into a sanitized container of the same size. Affix another airlock. Wait at least 2 weeks to a month. Fermentation doesn't really stop. Transferring, or "racking," is helpful as you separate the "lees", or left-over crap of dead yeast and plant matter, behind. You don't want that to come with you. Each time you rack your wine, you'll have less lees than the previous time. You should only have to rack once or twice before you put it into your bottle. Once you seal the bottle, free oxygen can't just get in, so fermentation is effectively stopped. Corking lets in very minute amounts, while screw tops are a pretty solid seal. The reasoning is this: Aging is a settling process and a slow fermentation of any leftover sugars. Introducing oxygen back into the system allows aging to speed up, but too much and the wine spoils. Too little or not at all, and it just takes longer for it to happen.
  
  If you have a hydrometer, check to make sure the specific gravity is less than 1 but above .995. That's sort of the "sweet" spot for wine. Taste it, also. It'll require some aging and breathing to taste good, but that's a better indicator than anything else really. Once you're comfortable, transfer into wine bottles and cork or seal however you want. Corks are cheap, and a handcorker is the simplest instrument I could find that requires very little effort.
  
  And then age for a while. Or be impatient like I am, but let it breathe before you start drinking.
  
  Then when you feel comfortable, start getting the good stuff. I haven't got that far yet, where you get the Campden tablets (a better sanitizer) and the yeast nutrients and the autocane and the acid blends. Some people start with kits. I started with cider and moved up. It was low effort and low cost. I wasn't sure if it was something I had time for or patience for, so investing heavily upfront wasn't a good idea.
  
  I know there's a lot of words here. If you want better resources to get started, check out /r/winemaking and /r/homebrewing. Look up wine recipes and check out the myriad of homebrewing forums. Don't get overwhelmed and don't get ambitious. Start small and then go big.