During the holiday season, wine is an essential part of the dinner table. It also makes a great gift for family members, friends, and hostesses. Yet, what is even more valuable is wine that is made by the giver. 

Making wine is not as difficult as it may seem—one of the first decisions to make is what type of wine you will make.  A popular choice is merlot wine, making it easy to find recipes.

The Necessities Of Winemaking
Making a merlot wine recipe requires a few basic necessities.  You will need the standard winemaking equipment, which can be ordered on the internet.  Additionally, specifically pertaining to this merlot winemaking recipe, you will need cheesecloth or straining bags, as well as a potato masher.  

Prior to beginning the merlot wine making recipe, you will need to gather all the ingredients.  This means that you will need: 22 liters of merlot juice, 1 liter of blackberry juice, 22 grams of yeast, 1 package of Lalvin EC1118 “Champagne” yeast, and 72 grams of potassium metabisulphate.

When gathering ingredients, make sure to consider your flavor preferences.  For example, because merlot has a strong flavor, many people choose to add more blackberry juice to make the flavor more neutral.  Additionally, people who want a stronger blackberry flavor might choose to use the actual berries instead of the juice.  It all depends on what you prefer!

Do It Step By Step, Day By Day
Making wine can take a long time, so be sure to begin this recipe for making merlot wine early enough in advance to ensure it is ready for a special event or holiday.  The first step in the recipe is to sterilize all the equipment in a mixture of potassium metabisulphate and water.  Next, add the blackberry juice to the merlot juice and stir well.  

Add half of the yeast to the mixture, and then add the Lalvin EC1118 “Champagne” yeast on top.  Allow the mixture to sit for one hour, and then mix completely.

The next part of the merlot winemaking recipe involves a lot of waiting.  For the first five days, stir the mixture daily.  For the following two days, let the mixture sit.  On the seventh day, seal the mixture in a fermenter and let sit for 21 days.  After this time period, carefully move the mixture into another, clean fermenter and let it ferment for an additional 28 days.  

At this point, the merlot wine you have made is ready to be bottled.  However, don’t drink it just yet—the bottled wine should have a chance to age for anywhere from thirty to ninety days.

Wine Making Made Simple
For a creative and classy gift idea, make your own merlot wine from this recipe.  You are sure to make many wine lovers very happy.