WOW i make a dry cider with NO added sugar, the juice being sweet enough. I make an airspace in the bottle, Fit an airlock to the original lid and add a teaspoon of yeast. I've used bread yeast and champagne yeast. When ferment ends i decant directly into bottles. Add extra sugar and cap. Makes for a dry sparkling Champagne like cider.
I've done this in the past and I was interested in doing it again to see if I could refine my craft. I usually wait a minimum of 4 weeks before I even think about tasting it. But a trick that I've learned from some OG's is to put a balloon on top of the bottle so when it starts producing that CO2, the balloon swells up. I made the mistake of putting the cap on and when I took it off it exploded and shot me in the face. Much safer with a balloon. Thanks for the simple instructions. Great video...
I've enjoyed and learned a lot. I've been making ACV for a long time and always knew it went thru a 'boozy' stage...so I thought, why not try cider or wine? which is how i got here...thanks for the info.
Ballons are not used on this channel because as the ballons expand the pinhole also expands large enough for fruit files to possible enter. See my video: ua-cam.com/video/DQfnQ2-IkLA/v-deo.html
Thanks, if you're using bread yeast, then for this apple wine keep the temperature somewhere below 60F. I mean its not super critical to maintain this temperature, but it helps. Also, every few weeks or so you will need to transfer the wine off the sediment on the bottom until clear, being as careful as possible not to mix in any air. The longer you wait, the better the wine will be.
I started it today! I doubled the recipe for a 1 gallon carboy. Peach apple and peach mango juice. A little black tea, sugar, and some store bought bread yeast. I started off at 1.91 sg so I’ll have to rewatch your hydrometer video to see what that means! I’ll get back to you in 2 months! 🤞🏻
The thing about making your onw wine is that you can make whatever you want that can't be found at the store. A couple of things. after a week or so, you will need to rack your wine into a secondary container to get the wine off the sediment on the bottom, and again every 4-6 weeks or so until the wine is clear enough to your liking. 2 months, although drinkable, I would suggest patience and go 6-8 months. The longer you wait the better the wine will be.
@@DIYFermentation Wish I could post a picture! It is doing well, I have gotten to 12.6% (I got the same S.G. over 1 week, so I may be nearing the end of fermentation). Racked for the second time and added in some Peach and Mango slices as well as vanilla extract to give it more of the flavor I'm looking for. After my first rack, I learned about degassing and nutrients so I added those and have the wine in a pretty good place for now. Definitely needs some aging time though, and after my additions may have a little extra fermentation. I'm off to a good start though! It has cleared out nicely and will hopefully maintain the tastes it has so far!
@@OldSchoolPrepper hey! Thanks for asking! So after adding the peach and mango slices, it gave it a really nice flavor, but the mango did give it a bit of a tart flavor I didn’t care for. Then unfortunately, the fruit took away a lot of my headspace! I had to reduce down to a 1/2 gallon carboy. Then I added oak and it gave a really harsh tone that I didn’t particularly care for. I have since just let it sit and age hoping that I will appreciate the flavor later on. I plan to bottle next month! So I’ll probably sneak a taste in and let you know how it goes!
Great video and great explanation, but I did the same thing with apple juice, and there are preservatives, so should I have to wait a little longer or what? and the fermentation is working well, but the juice spills sometimes. Your thoughts?
Your explanation and description are superb m8, I've just put a bottle of apple juice to ferment after a bunch of research and tutorial watching/reading. Yours is definitely one of the best and easiest to follow. The bottle is on the shelf to the side of my desk with a towel over it (to potentially keep it dark?). I didn't correctly measure the sugar or yeast, but I used the bottle indentations in your video to vaguely measure since your bottle is nearly the same as mine. Dunno how well it'll work but here goes a month or so of wait! Thanks and cheers man!
You will be adding sugar to the finished product as the will will be very dry. Later videos show more refined techniques. I might suggest: ua-cam.com/play/PLbtJa2CkkSCQ9KtwQyEfAhqchJAZlP_Yk.html
The thumbnail told Me that you are very friendly so I came to enjoy. PS Yeah wow, indeed I enjoyed, was fun, I love how you are constantly smiling, just makes Me happier, and that yellow one looks so tasty!
Not necessary when using both the juice and the bottle the juice came in. Everything has already been sterilized. In my subsequent videos where I'm using fermenters, spoons, hydrometers, etc... I always stress the use of StarSans or equivalent before letting them come in contact with the wine.
The only real differences between bread yeast & wine yeast are the flavor, and alcohol content (yeah, there are other differences but you can buy bread yeast at the supermarket). I might suggest watching the part 2: ua-cam.com/video/_7biCd67XRc/v-deo.html and my video on racking: ua-cam.com/video/b72yfymnFlc/v-deo.html
What do you expect from someone's 2nd. ever UA-cam video. Nearly 10K subscribers, monthly UA-cam checks, and 125+ videos later, things have progressed a bit.
There are several additional steps, and several additional months required. Next steps in the wine making process: ua-cam.com/play/PLbtJa2CkkSCQ9KtwQyEfAhqchJAZlP_Yk.html
There are no guarantees in life. If you go and do something on you own, then that's on you. There are follow on steps to wine making that you can find here: ua-cam.com/play/PLbtJa2CkkSCQ9KtwQyEfAhqchJAZlP_Yk.html
Thanks for the lesson will be attempting my own! I'm asking this before watching the full video so maybe I should just chill but can you use other juices too other than apple?
quick question i made 2 different batches and one of them is fizzing and the other isn't one of them is pomegranate and the other is peach did i do something wrong? i also wanna add i love your set up its so clean and the mic is amazing compared to other homemade wine videos :)
Hi, so I’ve been watching some videos about this wine making juice, and some videos told me to shake my juice every day. Is that something I should do? Great video by the way.
Bread yeast works well for making wine. The alcohol volume will be less than wine yeast. That’s the only downside. I find that wine made with bread yeast tastes better than some wine yeasts such as Montrachet, D47 and 71B
Thanks for this information! 😀 I saw on another video where the man put the juice container in a small pot and ran water over it to make the sugar dissolve faster. Do you think this step would help the yeast and over all product?
Hi I am a beginner in Homebrewing. I just made my first one with sugar and yeast. I used 1 pound sugar with 2 liter(0.5 galon) water then added 20 grams of angel bread yeast. I didn't used any yeast nutrient. Should I make yeast nutrient as per your video and add it in next? As in my country alcohol is not actually legal so I cannot find anything in stores related to winemaking, have to make everything myself. Can you help me in this video what is the juice quantity? cannot read the label in the bottle. I have some other questions. Will be of great help if you can help with those please... 1. Is it possible to make proper wine using bread yeast( I have angel brand sugar resistant bread yeast)? 2. Can I drink it without distilling as distiller costs more than $300 and is too costly for me. 2. Can I store it without refrigerating as the alcohol percentage is low?
No, not when you're using bottled juices. The bottles have already been sterilized, as have the juice. When dealing with fresh fruit, then some form of sterilization should be used. When not using campden tablets, you can boil the fruit for several minutes.
@@DIYFermentation Sir! I'm having a foam during the fermentation and also the co2 gas does bubble on the other bottle. I use a cheap diy airlock hehe. Is this fine at all?
Yes it would. In this video the intent was to make wine as simply as possible. To touch on the basic process of juice-sugar-yeast. Going into the process of multiple rankings, and months of aging, might turn off someone just looking to see if they can make wine. Many of my subsequent videos show at least racking from primary to secondary.
Pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, watermelon juice... You can experiment with different fruit juices. And the good thing about it is that the cost is so low. If it messes up, you've only spent a few dollars.
Just buy some clear plastic tube and drill a whole in the lid. Stick the hose in about 5mm and hot glue the tube on the outside of the lid to make AIR tight. Place once you close for fermentation, place the hose into a jar of water about half full. The CO2 will escape without allowing any other containment in.
is no magic formula that will boost the avb of bread yeast. If you properly aerate the wine during the initial first 3 days, and provide proper yeast nutrients, and maybe use a step back sweeting method where if your hydrometer reading is below .994 you add a little more sugar, take a reading and then another reading in a week or so to see if fermentation has restarted continuing the process until there are no further changes to the reading then that's all you are going to get out that yeast. You are much better off buying wine yeast, the cost is not that much different. There should be an Amazon link in the comment section.
@@DIYFermentation Thanks,i do use wine yeast up to 18%abv E1118 is the one i use in most of my wines,but would consider using bread yeast if nothing else was available.
The purpose of the airlock is two-fold. One is to allow CO2 to escape, and the other is to prevent small bugs from getting in. Holes in a balloon may work for CO2 but not for bugs (gnats, fruit flies, etc...
In 14 days all you have is sweetened yeasty apple juice with a little bit of alcohol. Is it drinkable, yes. Will it taste anything like it will in 6-12 months when it's finally done, NO! There are a number of intervening steps to make wine. I would suggest looking at my Wine making operations playlist on my channel page.
WOW i make a dry cider with NO added sugar, the juice being sweet enough. I make an airspace in the bottle, Fit an airlock to the original lid and add a teaspoon of yeast. I've used bread yeast and champagne yeast. When ferment ends i decant directly into bottles. Add extra sugar and cap. Makes for a dry sparkling Champagne like cider.
Love the way you simplify, also are informative. Thanks for all you do.
You are so welcome!
Most underrated channel on the platform, really good content
I appreciate that!
Random person: How did you get those muscles?
DIY Fermentation: Shaking apple juice.
Random person: Huh?
Subscribed, love from a country that bans both alcohol and brewing yeast thanks for the simplicity
I just happen to dig your explanations. Very complete yet very open to the laymen. You did an outstanding job sir wit the tools at your available.
Thank you for watching.
I like your recipe and I like how you kept it simple.
Man you have the simpliest directions I’ve seen so far! Thank you for that!!
Thank you, that is the whole point of this channel.
I've done this in the past and I was interested in doing it again to see if I could refine my craft. I usually wait a minimum of 4 weeks before I even think about tasting it. But a trick that I've learned from some OG's is to put a balloon on top of the bottle so when it starts producing that CO2, the balloon swells up. I made the mistake of putting the cap on and when I took it off it exploded and shot me in the face. Much safer with a balloon. Thanks for the simple instructions. Great video...
Thank you for watching.
Great video instructions where very clear unlike other videos 👍
Glad it helped
Felt like learning from my uncle who served lol,i didn't wanna look away for fear of getting in trouble for not paying attention😂
bread yeast is perfect for cider.
Thank you for making this simple, whilst still incredibly educating. Going to do it now!
I've enjoyed and learned a lot. I've been making ACV for a long time and always knew it went thru a 'boozy' stage...so I thought, why not try cider or wine? which is how i got here...thanks for the info.
Thanks for sharing!
poke a hole in a balloon and put it on the top instead of a lid and when the balloon deflates its done
Ballons are not used on this channel because as the ballons expand the pinhole also expands large enough for fruit files to possible enter. See my video: ua-cam.com/video/DQfnQ2-IkLA/v-deo.html
Thanks. The way you describe and smile send me some positive energy.
At what temperature should we keep the bottle?
Thanks, if you're using bread yeast, then for this apple wine keep the temperature somewhere below 60F. I mean its not super critical to maintain this temperature, but it helps. Also, every few weeks or so you will need to transfer the wine off the sediment on the bottom until clear, being as careful as possible not to mix in any air. The longer you wait, the better the wine will be.
@@DIYFermentation
Thanks a lot for explaining.
I am going to stick to bread yeast in all my wines I prefer the flavor, I realized it's a personal preference, but after all it's what we like.
That's all that really counts.
I started it today! I doubled the recipe for a 1 gallon carboy. Peach apple and peach mango juice. A little black tea, sugar, and some store bought bread yeast. I started off at 1.91 sg so I’ll have to rewatch your hydrometer video to see what that means! I’ll get back to you in 2 months! 🤞🏻
The thing about making your onw wine is that you can make whatever you want that can't be found at the store. A couple of things. after a week or so, you will need to rack your wine into a secondary container to get the wine off the sediment on the bottom, and again every 4-6 weeks or so until the wine is clear enough to your liking. 2 months, although drinkable, I would suggest patience and go 6-8 months. The longer you wait the better the wine will be.
Thanks for the insight! I will be racking away. Also I meant the sg was 1.09!
@@DIYFermentation Wish I could post a picture! It is doing well, I have gotten to 12.6% (I got the same S.G. over 1 week, so I may be nearing the end of fermentation). Racked for the second time and added in some Peach and Mango slices as well as vanilla extract to give it more of the flavor I'm looking for. After my first rack, I learned about degassing and nutrients so I added those and have the wine in a pretty good place for now. Definitely needs some aging time though, and after my additions may have a little extra fermentation. I'm off to a good start though! It has cleared out nicely and will hopefully maintain the tastes it has so far!
@@matthunt121 How are things now? (4 months after your last post)
@@OldSchoolPrepper hey! Thanks for asking! So after adding the peach and mango slices, it gave it a really nice flavor, but the mango did give it a bit of a tart flavor I didn’t care for. Then unfortunately, the fruit took away a lot of my headspace! I had to reduce down to a 1/2 gallon carboy.
Then I added oak and it gave a really harsh tone that I didn’t particularly care for. I have since just let it sit and age hoping that I will appreciate the flavor later on.
I plan to bottle next month! So I’ll probably sneak a taste in and let you know how it goes!
Simple easy recipe. Excellent tutorial!
Thank you for watching.
I started making wine like this end of last year get me into wine and brewing
Thank you for watching.
Great video and great explanation, but I did the same thing with apple juice, and there are preservatives, so should I have to wait a little longer or what? and the fermentation is working well, but the juice spills sometimes. Your thoughts?
Your explanation and description are superb m8, I've just put a bottle of apple juice to ferment after a bunch of research and tutorial watching/reading. Yours is definitely one of the best and easiest to follow. The bottle is on the shelf to the side of my desk with a towel over it (to potentially keep it dark?). I didn't correctly measure the sugar or yeast, but I used the bottle indentations in your video to vaguely measure since your bottle is nearly the same as mine. Dunno how well it'll work but here goes a month or so of wait!
Thanks and cheers man!
You will be adding sugar to the finished product as the will will be very dry. Later videos show more refined techniques. I might suggest: ua-cam.com/play/PLbtJa2CkkSCQ9KtwQyEfAhqchJAZlP_Yk.html
he has a young soul.. ı loves this
Thank you for watching.
The thumbnail told Me that you are very friendly so I came to enjoy.
PS Yeah wow, indeed I enjoyed, was fun, I love how you are constantly smiling, just makes Me happier, and that yellow one looks so tasty!
Thank you for watching, Glad you enjoyed!
:-)
Nice video. Direct and to the point, no stupid editing or talking about irrelevant stuff
Interesting. in my last few videos I have rediscovered that more direct approach.
Good basic introduction to wine making...stress need for SANITIZER :)
Not necessary when using both the juice and the bottle the juice came in. Everything has already been sterilized. In my subsequent videos where I'm using fermenters, spoons, hydrometers, etc... I always stress the use of StarSans or equivalent before letting them come in contact with the wine.
They trying to sell you something with all that sanitizer mess. They getting played
Sorry, this channel does not offer individual winemaking advice.
Amazon & Canva affiliate product information.
As an Amazon Associate & BrewDemon & Canva Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
My current winemaking setup:
BrewDemon Fermenter: www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=cl&merchant_id=f34b031c-e43a-43a4-973d-24d17c9a727a&website_id=ebe44688-8c34-46de-b945-9406903c8ad6&url=http%3A%2F%2FBrewDemon.com
Red Star Premier Blanc Wine Yeast: amzn.to/3yskhUK
Wine Yeast Sampler: amzn.to/3F8gNtf
Hydrometer: amzn.to/3l2XbMS
Airlocks: amzn.to/36bpGlg
Wine Corks & Caps: amzn.to/3vgBA9w
Wine Bottle Corker: amzn.to/3zO4fVa
Stoppers: amzn.to/3673Tv1
Racking Cane: amzn.to/34YyP19
Wine/Beer DeGasser: amzn.to/3ODVTXi
StarSan: amzn.to/356Tnot
Good project to do with the family
The only real differences between bread yeast & wine yeast are the flavor, and alcohol content (yeah, there are other differences but you can buy bread yeast at the supermarket).
I might suggest watching the part 2: ua-cam.com/video/_7biCd67XRc/v-deo.html and my video on racking: ua-cam.com/video/b72yfymnFlc/v-deo.html
Question so my yeast clusterd up at the top like 4 minutes in what should I do
Thanks
Amazing video
Thank you for watching.
I like it! Good Job:)
Thank you for watching.
So excited to have found your channel ♡♡
Welcome!!
This isn't a criticism, but this video gives off vibes that it was made 12 years ago. Feels like old school youtube
What do you expect from someone's 2nd. ever UA-cam video. Nearly 10K subscribers, monthly UA-cam checks, and 125+ videos later, things have progressed a bit.
@@DIYFermentation I never said it was a bad thing
No offense taken.
@@DIYFermentation That's good. Nice work with your channel
Thanks papa your video is clear 😊😊😊❤
Thank you for watching.
can t wait for the next video!
After Christmas.
I made 4 quarts. Fleishmans makes it cloudy. The red packet batch made clear wine.
Thank you for sharing.
@@DIYFermentation thank you for being you
Thank you so much!
You're welcome!, I recommend adding the juice of 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
@@DIYFermentation I’m gonna go ahead and try it out today and see how it goes :)
There are several additional steps, and several additional months required.
Next steps in the wine making process:
ua-cam.com/play/PLbtJa2CkkSCQ9KtwQyEfAhqchJAZlP_Yk.html
Is there any chance of poison if you miss the steps. How many days before it became alcohol and is ready to drink?
There are no guarantees in life. If you go and do something on you own, then that's on you. There are follow on steps to wine making that you can find here: ua-cam.com/play/PLbtJa2CkkSCQ9KtwQyEfAhqchJAZlP_Yk.html
Thank you, daddio
You're welcome.
we can drink this before 7 days when alcohol percantage is low ?
Yes but if yeast didn't die its not gonna taste good
Wait until yeast collect in the bottom then leave that part.
Thanks. I'm taking all this info in. I want to learn how to make my wife some awesome wines and ciders.
Thanks for the lesson will be attempting my own! I'm asking this before watching the full video so maybe I should just chill but can you use other juices too other than apple?
Yes, in hindsight you only need the juice on 1/4 lemon.
quick question i made 2 different batches and one of them is fizzing and the other isn't one of them is pomegranate and the other is peach did i do something wrong?
i also wanna add i love your set up its so clean and the mic is amazing compared to other homemade wine videos :)
Thank you for your comment, unfortunately this channel does not offer individual wine making advise.
Do you have to refrigerate the juice after adding all the stuff
No.
Hi, so I’ve been watching some videos about this wine making juice, and some videos told me to shake my juice every day. Is that something I should do? Great video by the way.
Just give it a good stir for the first 3 days.
Solid video. Any guidance on the difference between wine / hard cider?
Apple wine has an alcohol by volume of 10% or better. Hard cider runs lower at about around 6 to 8%
@@DIYFermentation nice, thank you! I always wondered. I'm excited to try it when it finishes the ferment!
Bread yeast works well for making wine.
The alcohol volume will be less than wine yeast. That’s the only downside.
I find that wine made with bread yeast tastes better than some wine yeasts such as Montrachet, D47 and 71B
Thank yo for the comment.
Perhaps a drop of vodka would do
Just subbed great info 🖒🖒🖒
Thank you for subscribing.
Thanks for this information! 😀 I saw on another video where the man put the juice container in a small pot and ran water over it to make the sugar dissolve faster. Do you think this step would help the yeast and over all product?
I have no way of knowing if what someone else did is workable.
Hey Very informative video, I'm curious if rapid rise yeast would work the same or do I need to buy a packet of active dry?
I don't know. I haven't tried that.
Hi I am a beginner in Homebrewing. I just made my first one with sugar and yeast. I used 1 pound sugar with 2 liter(0.5 galon) water then added 20 grams of angel bread yeast. I didn't used any yeast nutrient. Should I make yeast nutrient as per your video and add it in next? As in my country alcohol is not actually legal so I cannot find anything in stores related to winemaking, have to make everything myself.
Can you help me in this video what is the juice quantity? cannot read the label in the bottle.
I have some other questions. Will be of great help if you can help with those please...
1. Is it possible to make proper wine using bread yeast( I have angel brand sugar resistant bread yeast)?
2. Can I drink it without distilling as distiller costs more than $300 and is too costly for me.
2. Can I store it without refrigerating as the alcohol percentage is low?
Please note: On this older video comments will be acknowledged, but questions are no longer answered.
If you never found an answer I’ve been making homebrews for about a decade now and can answer any questions you might still have
Thanks for video, I have an apple tree in backyard, should I juice it with juicer or crush it with nutri bullet?
The crushed seeds will add bitterness to the wine.
@@DIYFermentation okay thanks
Would there be any harm if the wine sits for 1 or 2 weeks after the fermentation has completed?
Try looking at this video: ua-cam.com/video/3DunEG1MHZg/v-deo.html
Yeah, I’m back in the day just cause $.99 sugar was cheaper and so was yeast lol
How about temperature, my house gets pretty hot (around 85 degrees sometimes) will it still be good, It will still be out of sunlight though
If you are concerned about high temperatures then perhaps you should use wine yeast, either Red Star Premiere Blanc, or Lalvin EC118.
Hi, don’t we need to sanitise everything with Campden tablets or something?
No, not when you're using bottled juices. The bottles have already been sterilized, as have the juice. When dealing with fresh fruit, then some form of sterilization should be used. When not using campden tablets, you can boil the fruit for several minutes.
Hello sir, instead of having a apple juice can I just go straight away with grape fruit, sugar and yeast ingredient?
Sure.
@@DIYFermentation will be trying it rn at home. I got all prepared and the grapes. Will update my comment from time to time
@@DIYFermentation Sir! I'm having a foam during the fermentation and also the co2 gas does bubble on the other bottle. I use a cheap diy airlock hehe. Is this fine at all?
Sorry to be bearer of bad news, but this channel does not offer individual or personal winemaking advicc.
Do I filter it before drinking on the 7th day?
Winemaking takes several weeks to complete fermentation, and several months to age and start clearing.
Would it help to rack the apple juice after a build up of sediment forms into a container that has an air tight seal or a water seal
Yes it would. In this video the intent was to make wine as simply as possible. To touch on the basic process of juice-sugar-yeast. Going into the process of multiple rankings, and months of aging, might turn off someone just looking to see if they can make wine. Many of my subsequent videos show at least racking from primary to secondary.
DIY Fermentation ❤️
Is having that weird cap on it a necessity? Will the wine still be fine without it?
That cap is called an airlock, and is used to allow CO2 to escape, and to keep bugs from getting in.
without it you're going to have a mess
I'm a super noob so I don't know gravity readings and stuff but would it come out weaker alcohol content using only a cup of sugar per gallon?
As opposed to to
Higher alcohol content does not make for better wine.
P.S.I kinda of want to do a mix of a cranberry wine with something sweeter. Any thoughts?
Sorry, I've only make a cranberry and an apple-cranberry wine.
Pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, watermelon juice... You can experiment with different fruit juices. And the good thing about it is that the cost is so low. If it messes up, you've only spent a few dollars.
what is that aparitus called thzt u used on the container??? and can i do without it? 🙄 i don't have that apparatus ???
It is call an airlock with stopper or bung. You can find links to Amazon in the top comment. I am an Amazon affiliate.
Just buy some clear plastic tube and drill a whole in the lid. Stick the hose in about 5mm and hot glue the tube on the outside of the lid to make AIR tight. Place once you close for fermentation, place the hose into a jar of water about half full. The CO2 will escape without allowing any other containment in.
This is so clever, thanks! @@joshbeemer2156
Do you have any advice on how to get as much abv% as possible out of bread yeast,some i read got 12% some say can only achieve 8% at most.
is no magic formula that will boost the avb of bread yeast. If you properly aerate the wine during the initial first 3 days, and provide proper yeast nutrients, and maybe use a step back sweeting method where if your hydrometer reading is below .994 you add a little more sugar, take a reading and then another reading in a week or so to see if fermentation has restarted continuing the process until there are no further changes to the reading then that's all you are going to get out that yeast. You are much better off buying wine yeast, the cost is not that much different. There should be an Amazon link in the comment section.
@@DIYFermentation Thanks,i do use wine yeast up to 18%abv E1118 is the one i use in most of my wines,but would consider using bread yeast if nothing else was available.
Some sources say that Fleischmann's bread yeast is better for brewing than Red Star bread yeast. I have not personally tested this.
What will happen if add more yeast??
ua-cam.com/video/NzcDhg3LZIs/v-deo.html
Can I use water instead of the juice?
It's called Kilju.
A good homemade airlock is grabbing a balloon , poking a couple holes in it , and placing it on the bottle
The purpose of the airlock is two-fold. One is to allow CO2 to escape, and the other is to prevent small bugs from getting in. Holes in a balloon may work for CO2 but not for bugs (gnats, fruit flies, etc...
Two weeks at most
So it takes 14 days until it's finished or safe to drink
In 14 days all you have is sweetened yeasty apple juice with a little bit of alcohol. Is it drinkable, yes. Will it taste anything like it will in 6-12 months when it's finally done, NO! There are a number of intervening steps to make wine. I would suggest looking at my Wine making operations playlist on my channel page.
Yo that's way more than just one cup!
Apple juice now cost around $3.50 for 64 flz. To me that's a lot of money. Wish it was cheaper