Air Locks ~ The Essential Winemaker's Tool

With this post I thought I would begin a series to share some general information that I've gathered in the time I've been making wine.

How did I get started?  Well one spring day I was gazing out my window at work and the empty field next door (which is now a fenced in soccer field) was covered in beautiful yellow dandelion blooms.  Being an opportunist  I announced to my co workers I was going to make some dandelion wine since there was a pristine supply next door where no lawn chemicals were used.  I've always had a soft spot in my heart for this beautiful yet hated plant.

 The research began and I was overwhelmed by all the details but I finally just jumped in head first.  I went to the local liquor warehouse (called Liquor Barn in these parts) and bought an extra glass gallon jug, 2 bungs, siphon hose, and a mesh bag for straining.  The clerk also recommended a book called "First Steps In Winemaking" by C.J.J. Berry so I bought that as well (more another time on that wonderful little book).  I picked a recipe and picked my dandelion flowers and my future as a vintner was born!

This is a close up of air locks.  They are your best friend in winemaking.  In fact, without them you will most likely get vinegar.  This isn't the only type of air lock available either.  I have seen pictures of airlocks that look like little buckets perched atop the bungs.  The bung is the rubber stopper in the picture in case you aren't familiar with the term. 

Air locks keep oxygen out of the wine so the anaerobic process can succeed.  It also keeps out fruit flies which will spoil your wine and appear from nowhere even in the dead of winter in freezing temperatures.  Basically, the yeast eats the sugar and the byproduct is a gas that bubbles up through the water in the airlock and is released.    The sugar in turn is converted to alcohol.  The trick is to keep out as much oxygen as possible while all the yeast is working.  The air lock, your best friend, keeps it ALL out while sitting on top of the bung. 

If you want to make wine you must have a good air lock.  I like these because you can watch as the gas as it pushes its way out of the jub and it helps to judge how well your wine is fermenting.  And especially when it ISN'T fermenting which is when you have to help out a bit.

Winemaking can be made a complicated process but my intent here is to give you an overview and to get you started so that you can enjoy one of nature's oldest processes and not be bogged down in scientific terms, equipment and verbage.  I want to inspire you to make your own wine.  Even if it turns to vinegar you still have a product that you can use in your household!  How is that for a no fail project?