wine 101: step 5

STEP 5: Strain the must.
Depending how good you are at juggling a funnel, a strainer, and a large pot full of juice and fruit pieces, you may want to ask a friend for a little help on this step.

Once your must has dropped down to body temperature and your fermenting vessel is clean, you can transfer the must into the vessel. As I mentioned before, the more straining you can do, the better. You may not be able to see the little fibers floating around, but they are there.

So, have someone hold the strainer over the funnel while you pour the must. You may think that getting every last bit of juice out of the pot is essential. It is not. In fact, the amount is dependent on your vessel and the amount of sugar you'll be putting in later. If you're using an uniform shaped, wide-mouthed vessel, leave about three inches from the top. If you're using something like a milk jug, you'll probably need to leave yourself a little more room because of the tapering. The extra space leaves room for the sugar and for the foaming and bubbling which will occur when your yeast gets to work.

If you want, you can keep the remaining must and add it a few days later, once the yeast is done being quite so enthusiastic. I've actually never done that. You can also reuse the fruit pieces. Peaches can be boiled down into peach butter, apples make great applesauce, and I'm sure you can find recipes for any other fruits as well. Try to waste as little as possible!