Wine Making Page
There a 4 normal ways to make wine:
On site wine stores are locations where you can buy a wine kit and brew it at the store using their equipment. Your level of involvement in the process varies by the store and the amount you pay. In some locations, all you have to do is add yeast and they do the rest.
The advantage to these stores is that you don't have to invest in equipment and can use the store's expertise. However, wine made in a store costs about twice as much as wine made at home and you don't get the same feeling of pride when you serve it to a friend and brag, "I made this!". Also, you don't have the ability to adjust the wine to your tastes.
Pre-packaged kits have everything you need except the equipment. These are a good choice for the beginner. They have balanced the wine to suit most tastes and have pre measured the ingredients. The instructions in most kits are clear, step by step, and easy to follow. Kits range from inexpensive table wines that are ready in 28 days to high quality grape juices that take months to ferment. As you get more experienced you can adjust the kits to suit your tastes.
Fresh fruit wines are more work than wine kits. They do not compare to grape based wines. It is not that they they aren't enjoyable but they just don't taste like grape wine. Seeing they aren't made from grapes, I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Also, you have to locate the other ingredients needed, add them in the right proportions and, the last time I looked, raspberries didn't come with step by step directions how to make wine. Therefore, you have to get a recipe for your first try at each kind of fruit. All in all, fruit wine isn't difficult but you might want to start with a kit.
Wine from fresh grapes is an art. To be done right, you need crushers,
presses and copious quantities of grapes. While you can get good wine form
fresh grapes, it's a lot of work. Also where do you get the grapes? The
table grapes you get in the supermarket are a different variety from wine
grapes. For you botany buffs, wine grapes fall under the family vinifera
while table grapes are under labrusca. Some wine stores or community clubs
offer truck load full of grapes in season. The problem with buying wine
grapes is getting good quality grapes. The best grapes are usually tabbed
for the commercial wineries and the wine kit producers. Individuals and
small groups just don't have the buying power to get a shot at the best
grapes.
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