According to the King James Bible, winemaking was the first miracle that Jesus performed. It's easy and doesn't require a miracle at all unless, of course, you're at the wedding when the wine runs out. What's more, home winemaking is a legal adult pastime here in the USA. Not only that, it is the most fun I've ever had with a hobby! You can produce and store a rather significant quantity for your own use. You can give it to friends for gifts. But, if you're a home winemaker, you are prohibited from selling the wines you make, a fact that friends don't really mind at all when they receive gifts of wine!
For a reasonable cost, wine-making suppliers can see that you have everything you need to make a great-tasting wine for your own table.
Plan ahead before you begin. Talk to people who make wine--the numbers are growing--or find a good resource to guide you through the process. This blogsite will help you. When I make wine, I take copious notes so that, if I do it right I can help others. If I mess up, I'll try to pass that along too so that others will benefit by my successes as well as my mistakes. After you decide you're going to make wine, gather your supplies to one convenient spot. This could be a basement corner, a spare bathroom, or even right in your own kitchen! The process smells wonderful! Then, just wait for the ripening of the fruits you want to use in making your wine. If you just can't wait or don't have a suitable fresh source, try one of the kits made especially for winemaking, available from winemaking suppliers such a E. C. Kraus.
I hope this has planted the little grape seed that has you thinking about making some wine. And although I enjoy grapes for wine, there are many other fruits that seem to want to be wine. Tonight, I'll work with one and enjoy another! In some following blogs I'll will share some of the resources that I've learned from and a little overview of my experiences with winemaking. In the meantime, let that seed of thought grow and someday you, too, may live life more abundantly with your own delicious table or dessert wine!
A very good community for learning more about Wine making, along with brewing beer, cheese making, and more; is Homebrewtalk.com. I've been a member there a little over 2 years and aside from the vast amount of knowledge, it is a community of great people.
ReplyDeleteRhonda, if you feel this forum would be in competition with your blog, please feel free to remove my link or ask me to do so.
Brad, that's a great suggestion It's no competition at all, just more good food and drink, since I'm not doing beer or cheesemaking. Enjoy them both, though! And I'll check out their site. Thanks for the tip!
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