Homemade Merlot Wine - City Steading Brews

Homemade Merlot Wine. Super easy recipe! To make merlot, you need merlot grapes, or…. their juice. So, we made a super simple merlot wine using merlot wine juice!

What makes a Merlot a Merlot? Well Wikipedia states:

“Merlot (/ˈmɜːrloʊ/ MUR-loh) is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and “fleshiness,” combined with its earlier ripening, make Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.”

Homemade Merlot Wine

Ingredients:

1 quart (950 ml) Merlot Concentrate: https://amzn.to/3Z4pwHi

2 grams Fermaid O: https://amzn.to/3GasaCE

1/2 teaspoon Wine Tannin: https://amzn.to/3jHZxVP

1/2 teaspoon Pectic Enzyme: https://amzn.to/3Q9fGj7

1 Packet Lalvin 71B: https://amzn.to/3icXSXI

Water to one gallon

Additions:

French Oak Medium Plus Toast Stave: https://barrelcharwood.com/

Tools We Use:

Star San: https://amzn.to/3YV67bw

1 Gallon Carboy with Airlock: https://amzn.to/3VDLYE9

Funnel: https://amzn.to/3vx8SSQ

Solid Bung: https://amzn.to/3GbKRWz

Tiny Whisk: https://amzn.to/3CjeS5x

Graduated Cylinder: https://amzn.to/3Cb1fp5

Hydrometer: https://amzn.to/3i0kkn7

Baster: https://amzn.to/3IgjFZj

1 Gallon Wide Mouth Fermenter: https://amzn.to/3Cibd8e

Glencairn Glasses: https://amzn.to/3Idrijh

Homemade Merlot Wine tasted after a year of aging. Aging is one of those vague terms. It literally means, to leave your wine alone for a while. Just let your Merlot sit. That’s it. How long? Well… that depends on the brew. Some need only a few months, others need years. Some start to degrade quicker than others. It’s hard to know for sure if your brew will age well or not. Experimentation and insight are your best tools here. Anyway, let’s taste our merlot and see how a year did for it.