California Farm Made Pinot Grigio Cooking Wine

Name: California Farm Made Pinot Grigio Cooking Wine
Yield: 2 people, 40 pint bottles
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Pinot Grigio grape concentrate; 2 Packets champagne wine yeast; Tbs bentonite; 1/2 Tsp sulphite, Sorbate, other for stabilizing and clearing, or; 1 gallon white grape juice with 1 packet champagne yeast, sugar and quart of water

Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

California, United States

We make red wine from our own grapes and used to buy white wine concentrates to make cooking wine. These wine concentrate kits have become outrageously expensive in 2024. I am leaving this wine kit recipe up for reference, but added an inexpensive method to make 6 bottles of cooking wine from a gallon of store bought white grape juice.

Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

California, United States

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Ingredients

2 months

2 people, 40 pint bottles

Pinot Grigio grape concentrate
2 Packetschampagne wine yeast
Tbsbentonite
1/2 Tspsulphite, Sorbate, other for stabilizing and clearing, or
1 gallonwhite grape juice with 1 packet champagne yeast, sugar and quart of water
California Farm Sparkling Wine From Grape Juice
Equipment: plastic pail with lid and airlock, sanitized used 500 ml and 750 ml bottles with recloseable tops, or an oak wine barrel to age this wine longer, remote thermometer, siphon hose
Cost: from $21 to make 40 pint bottles in 2022, to $69-$99 per box of concentrate in 2024. Will be cheaper to make from white grape juice, $1.33 per champagne bottle

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Steps

2 months

1

Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize. I run the bottles and bung stopper through the dishwasher, and soak the pail, lid, airlock, funnel, stirrer and siphon hose in boiling water inside the pail. Airdry.
2

I soak my empty oak wine barrels a week in my bathtub, they swell up and become watertight. You dont need a barrel, you can transfer your wine directly from the plastic pail to the bottles. Once wine barrel has sealed again, rinse out any residue, siphon wine from plastic pail to barrel to age half a year. To use right away, siphon wine from pail to bottles.
3

Put six gallon pail on kitchen counter where it can stay 2 weeks at room temperature. Pour four quarts of warm water in the plastic pail. Stir in the bentonite till dispersed. Add the juice concentrate. Rinse the juice bag with warm water, add to pail. Fill the pail up to the six gallon mark, or 20+ liters. Rest till mix is at 68F. Sprinkle yeast on top, dont stir. Close lid, fill airlock, wait two weeks.
4

Clear your wine. Add clearing agents per instructions, stir one minute. Put lid and airlock back on. Move heavy pail to cool closet (60F degrees to 68F degrees) for two months. Sanitize beer bottles: remove rubber stopper rings, rinse bottles, put open upside down in oven, 45 minutes at 250F degrees. Put new rubber rings on stoppers. Gravity fill bottles with tube, close, you are done! Now, sanitize all equipment again, airdry, store for next time.

Linked Recipes

California Farm Sparkling Wine From Grape Juice

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Cooksnaps

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Hobby Horseman @HobbyHorseman

on December 05, 2022 23:46

California, United States

I teach people at the farmers market to grow small scale fruits and vegetables. My grandparents and parents taught me growing, cooking and preserving home grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, meats and fish. I got certified by the University of California Master Gardener Program in 2005. I try to bring out the original flavor of ingredients, then add layers of spices, herbs and flavorings that enhance, not distort the taste. These are the global, organic and vegan family recipes we use.