Step 1

Start by removing about 1 quart of juice (4 cups) from the gallon, and then pour the other 3 quarts into a fermentation vessel.

Step 2

Place 2 cups of the removed juice in a small saucepan, and set the other 2 cups aside for topping off the fermentation vessel later.

Step 3

Gently warm the juice in the saucepan. Add all the ingredients (except yeast) and stir to dissolve. Turn off heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

Step 4

Pour the sweetened juice mixture into the fermentation vessel with the other apple juice.

Step 5

Dissolve the winemaking yeast in a small amount of unchlorinated water (about 1/4 cup). A packet is sufficient to start fermentation in 5 gallons of juice, so only use roughly 1/5 to 1/2 the packet. Allow the yeast to sit for about 10 minutes to rehydrate.

Step 6

Add the wine yeast to the fermentation vessel with the juice.

Step 7

Top off the fermentation vessel with some of the apple juice you set aside at the beginning until the level of the juice is at the base of the neck of the fermentation vessel. Be sure to leave 2-3 inches of headspace to allow the mixture to bubble.

Step 8

Cap with a rubber bung and waterlock (filled with water) and allow the mixture to ferment in primary for about 7 to 10 days. Fermentation will be very active, and may bubble up into the water lock. If so, clean out the water lock and re-attach it as necessary.

Step 9

After primary fermentation, use a brewing siphon to move the ferment to a clean fermentation vessel, leaving any sediment behind.

Step 10

Re-cap with a water lock and allow the mixture to ferment in a cool, dark place in "secondary" for at least 6 weeks, but preferably longer, like 6 months.

Step 11

When fermentation is complete, bottle the wine in wine bottles and allow it to bottle age for at least a month but preferably longer before drinking. If you'd like sweet wine, back sweetening may be necessary at this point. See notes for instructions.