Sanitize all equipment by soaking in sanitizer solution for at least 20 minutes, rinse with hot water, and air dry.

Prepare the must: crush fresh grapes with stems and skins intact for red wine or pour juice into the pot for white wine.

Measure specific gravity with a hydrometer by floating it in a sample of must and recording the reading at the meniscus.

If gravity is below 1.085, dissolve additional sugar in warm water, stir into the must, and retest until target gravity is reached.

Optional: add dissolved potassium metabisulfite and tartaric or citric acid, tasting and adjusting acidity as needed.

Rehydrate wine yeast in warm (not hot) water for 10 minutes, then stir in yeast nutrient and pitch into the must.

Transfer the must into the carboy through cheesecloth, leaving about 2 inches of headspace at the top.

Install the airlock and store the carboy in a cool (60 to 75°F), dark place until active fermentation (bubbling) begins.

After 30 days or when fermentation slows, siphon the clear wine into a clean carboy, leaving lees behind (first racking).

Continue secondary fermentation for another 2 to 3 months at 60 to 75°F until hydrometer readings stabilize around 1.000 or lower.

Perform a second racking at 3 months if significant sediment accumulates, then allow wine to clear fully.

Once clear, siphon into bottles, filling to 1/2 inch below cork line, and seal with corks or screw caps.

Age bottles on their side in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month before tasting, with 3 to 6 months improving complexity.