Home winemaking, while it can be hard work at times, is a delightful hobby that for some can turn into something more serious such as a second career. For most, however, winemaking provides a lot of pleasure and excitement in creating something that can be enjoyed by not only them but also by friends and family. Before you get to that point, however, you need to start at the beginning and learn how to make your own wine.
How to make your own wine starts with gaining knowledge. Yes, you’ll want to read a lot of books, article, blog posts, and forums to get an idea of the fun you’re about to embark in. There are a lot of great resources out there, in particular the books The Joy of Home Winemaking, by Terry A. Garey, The Home Winemaker’s Companion: Secrets, Recipes, and Know-How for Making 115 Great-Tasting Wines, by Gene Spaziani, and many others.
Learning how to make your own wine also requires the knowledge of what type of equipment you’ll need to use. For the beginner, purchasing a homemade wine kit is a great way to learn how to make your own wine, as these kits come complete with all the basic equipment you’ll need to make your first batch of wine, as well as detailed instructions on how to make your own wine from the kit. There are several different types of home winemaking kits, so find the one that best suits the type of wine you’d like to make and have fun!
Learning how to make your own wine eventually comes with the ability to adjust on the fly and figuring out what adjustments you need to make to you wine in order to get things back on a good track. Learning how to make your own wine and adjust on the fly comes with experience and research, but after a while will come second nature to you. It will all come with experience.
Finally, learning how to make your own wine is a fun challenge. As time goes by and more experience comes about, you will be able to create your own wines. Your own unique creations that do not need the aid of a wine recipe. You’ll be the one writing the recipe. You’ll know why each and every wine ingredient is called for and how each one affects a wine. It is at this point you will be able to call yourself a pro!
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Ed Kraus is a 3rd generation home brewer/winemaker and has been an owner of E. C. Kraus since 1999. He has been helping individuals make better wine and beer for over 25 years.
