Orange Wine

You will need

• Oranges (supermarket, any kind)8-10
• Sugar1.2 kg
• Wine yeast + nutrient1 sachet
• Waterto 4.5 L

Method

1. 1

   Sanitise. Wash the oranges, halve and squeeze the juice; pare a little of the zest (no white pith, which is bitter) for aroma.

2. 2

   This wine's lesson is the airlock and headspace — why the wine breathes out but nothing gets in. Dissolve the sugar in warm water, add the juice and zest, top to 4.5 L, and take a reading (about 1.090).

3. 3

   Pour into the demijohn but LEAVE a few centimetres of space at the top — a hard ferment foams up, and a demijohn filled to the brim pushes wine out through the airlock and makes a mess.

4. 4

   Fit the airlock with a little water in it. It lets the carbon dioxide bubble OUT while sealing air (and its spoilage bugs) OUT too — that one-way valve is what protects the wine.

5. 5

   When it finishes and the airlock goes quiet for days, the ferment is done. Rack off the sediment.

6. 6

   As it clears you can top the demijohn back up (with cooled boiled water) to reduce the air gap for the long clear — less air means fresher wine. Bottle when bright.