a local farmer presses his own grapes. Wine will be ready 2011

Winemaking is a hobby which comes with many benefits. Some of these benefits are financial ones. Regardless of whether its your first winemaking attempt and you have to buy all your equipment, you’ll find out that once you’re done, the average bottle of wine will only have cost around three dollars to make. If you’re someone who drinks wine on a regular basis, this adds up to a lot of savings for you. If you think of the costs of the average bottle of wine in the store, you’ll easily see how much money you’re saving. Other than these financial benefits you also have to consider the many benefits to your health.

If you’re the sort that enjoys wine along with dinner, your health may be doing much better than you know. From time immemorial wine has been used to clean wounds, get rid of fevers and aid people who required some form of nutritional supplements or the other. The reasons for this were largely due to the presence of natural acids and alcohols in wine and this easily kills bacteria that is harmful to our health. Wine also relaxes our bodies naturally and eases off the tension. It also supplies the body with energy and it tends to help people with digestion too. It makes people who feel unwell a whole lot better. It also gives people a sense of well-being and we’re just talking about less than a single bottle of wine here.

When you think of the benefits that have been explained above, you wonder why people aren’t encouraged to drink wine more often. The truth is that doctors and other medical professionals aren’t so hasty to recommend wine for your health because though it offers benefits it can be a stimulant at the same time. Excessive drinking tends to result in problems as well. A health care provider won’t want to recommend something which will lead you to drive under the influence of alcohol. The evidence has shown that people who drink at least a glass of wine daily reduce their risks of developing heart disease by as much as 50 percent. The results of these studies were published way back in the 1970′s and though the research is ignored today, further research continues to support this theory.

Much research focuses on Europeans, who tend to include wine with their meals. North Americans on the other hand consume more milk, coffee and soda with their meals. Europeans have much less heart disease issues and this research claims that this is as a result of the wine that they drink. Along with these reports, a word of caution is always included. Excessive drinking of wine is not recommended. People who drink heavily won’t get any benefits from drinking wine. They tend to do themselves much more harm than good.

I’m determined to singlehandedly offset this North American / European wine/dine balance – I’ve eliminated all milk and soda from meals and drink much more wine!

When you make your wine, don’t think only about of how good it will taste, you should also think about the health benefits that you will derive from your own brand of wine.

Sometimes the waiting is the hardest part – but it’s necessary…

In this world where many struggle to make ends meet, enjoying life is more important than ever. The problem gets compounded when you find yourself craving for a few small pleasures that have now moved out of your reach – such as a good glass of wine occasionally.

People get frustrated when they are unable to have a little enjoyment every once in a while. And when they do, their productivity goes down; their interaction quality gets down, and so on which can catapult a person into depression. It is better to find ways of indulging yourself every now and then, to prevent the possibility of depression. Many times, just a good glass of wine with a good hot meal can do wonders.

Wine can be expensive, true. However, there are many ways in which anyone can make quite good wine right at home with ingredients that are already there on the kitchen shelf. In fact, don’t miss out on this article. This means, you can make good wine at little expense to you, no need fancy tools, etc.

The basic tools you will need to make wine at home are simple too. You will need a container where you could measure a gallon of liquid. Then, you will need a normal cup to measure sugar. You will need a container with cover where you will have to agitate the mixture to mix it well. It has to be covered or you will not be able to shake it vigorously and hence the quality of your home-made wine will suffer.

You will need a water heater, where you will warm a bit of water to dissolve the yeast (or hydrate it). This could be done in a cup also.

Next you will a few balloons – actually you will need only one, but sometimes the balloon bursts and you will need to replace it fast, so it is always good to have 2-3 extra ones on hand. Since the balloon will need to be fixed very tightly to the mount of the container, it is good if you also have some twine or a good rubber band to fix it. It so happens that the fermentation will push the balloon off the container sometimes.

Once the wine is done (you will know the process is over when the balloon that was tied at the mouth of the container deflates) you will need to filter the wine through a strainer into another container. The strainer should be extra-extra fine since anything else will allow the residue pass through, giving you a murky wine. The wine should be totally crystal clear and a great tool is a clean piece of cheese cloth.

Once the wine has been strained thoroughly and has absolutely no dregs in it, your wine is ready for consumption. Before doing so, you would need to store in appropriate containers. Hence, you will need some nice bottles (there are a lot of fancy bottles available at very competitive prices) to pour it in. These bottles should be sealed ideally with a cork. So, for each bottle you should have an appropriately sized cork to the bottle can be sealed for storage.

Storage, brings us to the next step of tool requirement. You can store wine in the fridge – this would be for immediate use – and on a specifically designed for this purpose, wine rack. A wine rack makes it possible to keep the wine bottle in a reclined position, which is the best way to store it. The longer it stays this way, the better the wine becomes. So, the quality of the wine stack should be such that it can be used for a long time.

All in all – these are some basic steps you will need to make your own wine at home.

What recent advancements allow a better home winemaking experience?

In spite of common belief, winemaking is a very simple process that can be done just about anywhere with the most ordinary ingredients. This art has come to us, the modern man, though ages and ages of wisdom and experience. In ancient times, winemaking was simple, fast and the result was exceptional. In modern days, there are a lot of ways to make wine, some simple on the lines our ancestors, and some as complicated as you would like them.

Thankfully, home made wines have become a fad the world over and with the pleasure of making wine at home, the demand for better ingredients, automation and fast maturity of the wine have grown by leaps and bounds.

The modernization has not, as expected, improved much of the process of wine making. You can still create the best wines in the traditional way at home, with ingredients that you can pick from the shelf of your kitchen. However, there has been some high tech contributions to fast forward the maturity time of the wine. This development has made it possible for people to have their wine, almost immediately after it has been bottled. Many love this development because the patience of a human being is not the same today, that had been some hundred years ago.

The second great achievement and gift of science-technology to the making of wine is that the grapes quality has become much better, and much more uniform in taste. Hence, the wine’s flavor is fast to develop and better to taste.

Modern science hasn’t made too many changes to the actual art of wine making. The basic craft remains the same.

1. Extract the pulp of the grapes by soaking and then crushing and pressing
2. Add helping ingredients, (yeast, sugar, etc) and leave for fermentation for initial period of about one week
3. After 7-10 days take the liquid and strain it of the grape skins and other ingredients also allow the liquid to ferment further, while being careful to maintain the temperature at 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit
4. Wait until the fermentation totally stops (you will know when the bubbling of the liquid ceases completely)
5. Strain the liquid again through very fine cheese cotton cloth and let it ferment again – this time for the secondary fermentation. You can repeat this step once or twice at intervals of one or two months
6. Bottle the resulting liquids and cork them tightly. The bottles will need to be left standing for about five days, after which these should be stored at an angle at 55F for 6-24 months. For white wines, aging should not exceed 12 months. Use green bottles for reds, and clear for whites.
7. Sample the wine; if you find it matured, enjoy it. If not, let it age for about six months to one year more.

This is the basic process and no matter what twists and turns you add to it, the process remains this much. The complications that you read in different recipes are most of the times unnecessary and avoidable. Stick to the ancient style of wine-making and you can do no wrong.

If you’ve finally decide to make your own wine, the tendency is that you have a lot of questions which are yet to be answered. By searching through the Internet, you may have found the answers to some of your questions but there is no doubt that you will have some certain questions remaining in your mind. Your primary concern will probably be about whether it is legal for you to distill your own wine. There are a lot of movies which show people distilling wine in their basements in order to avoid getting in legal trouble. The last thing you want to do is end up in jail for your efforts and you may need to know about the legal issues involved in winemaking before you make your own brew.

The answer is that you shouldn’t be overly concerned about any legal repercussions. Making wine at home, provided you follow certain legal regulations is allowed. This was as a result of a law which was passed by the United States government in 1978 which allowed citizens to make wine in their own homes provided that they stuck to certain legal regulations. These legal regulations dictate how much wine you are actually permitted to make and you are not allowed to exceed more than one hundred gallons annually if you are a single adult. If you live together with other adults you have a limit of two times the amount for single adults.

You should also check to see if there are any other state laws which should be followed. Most states in the United States tend to stick to the federal version, unlike Alabama which only permits a meager five gallons of wine per household annually. If you live in a country like the United Kingdom, you’re perfectly free to brew as much wine as you want.

Since the legal issues are solved, the next thing which you’ll probably be bothered about is the amount of money which you will spend on buying the necessary equipment for your winemaking. You should ensure that you don’t make so much wine at your first attempt so that if you end up not liking your efforts, you wouldn’t have ended up making and wasting so much wine and money. In terms of your budget, you’ll probably need to spend about 100 dollars for your first winemaking effort. This amount of money should give you about five gallons of wine. As long as you have made the original batch of wine, the cost tends to drop to as little as sixty dollars per five gallons afterwards. This works out to less than three dollars per bottle of wine that you make. Something else that will reduce the costs greatly is if you grow your grapes or your berries by yourself.

A number of different advantages exist in growing your own fruit for your own wine. The best of all these is the pleasure that you derive from knowing that the wine you make comes from fruit that you grew with your own hands. It makes the whole effort completely yours while you save a lot of money on your winemaking efforts as well. I’m so hooked on winemaking and enjoy sharing this information.

If you’re that freaked out, of course consult an attorney – I’m not one – I’m just a handsomely bald Hungarian man who lives in Chicagoland and really likes to make wine at home. This hobby is awesome!

How to make inexpensive wines from common grocery store items

Not every one of us can afford to have a glass of good wine on our tables with our meals. However, if it were possible, everybody would love to the accompaniment of this beverage. Wine is a drink that has celebrated from time immemorial. There are records that show it brewing and presence on the favorite list from the time man has learnt to cultivate his food.

This beverage is highly recommended for consumption for men, women and even children. The red grape wine in particular has shown some exceptional aging reversal properties, as well as many medical benefits if taken regularly because it is extremely rich in antioxidants.

For those who cannot buy wine, all is not lost. Anyone can make a reasonably good wine with ingredients of your kitchen shelf. This article will show you how to do this. With a little practice you will be able to brew your own inexpensive wine which in taste can compete with the best.

What you will need for your home-made wine

1. Half a cup of sugar
2. 144 ounces of grape juice (about three cans) – ensure that these are 100 percent grape juice and have no other additives
3. A measurement container where could measure one gallon of liquid
4. Two-three ordinary balloons
5. Water – it is recommended to use distilled water, but you could use your normal tap water to further cut the costs
6. A pin which will be used to make a few holes in the balloon(s)
7. Wine yeast. However if you do not have it, your normal baker’s yeast will do just as well, or the yeast you use to make bread. The baker’s yeast is the least expensive
8. For the beginners, who need a bit more orientation and help, it would be good if you ensure you have with you, a measuring cup, a rubber band or a tight rope, a funnel and bottles.

Roll up your sleeves and get ready to make wine

1. Take the funnel and then pour the juice into the container. Pour all the three cans (total 144 ounces) and then pour twice the amount of water. If you have three cans of juice, pour six cans of water.
2. Now, take this whole mixture and mix it thoroughly. Shake it till the mixture becomes totally homogenous.
3. At this point, add the half cup of sugar. Then, shake this mixture again thoroughly. The sugar should totally be dissolved at the end of the shaking / mixing.
4. Now, take the yeast. Following the instructions, you hydrate the yest and get it ready for use. Once the yeast is ready, add this too to the mixture you have and shake it again.
5. Once this is completed, you now tie the balloon to the mouth of the container. Ensure that the balloon has some holes in it before tying it up to the mouth of the container.
6. There is a special way of tying the balloon to the mouth of the container. It should be tightly done (here you could use the string or rubber band to tie it up) and you should ensure that the top of the balloon is not standing up but is inside the mouth of the container.
7. Place this container in a warm place, where it should not be disturbed for at least half a day (12 hours). At the end of this time, you will hear the popping sound of bubbles. This is proof that the yeast is working well.
8. As the days pass (the process would take some 2-3 weeks), the balloon will get inflated with the gas generated by the fermentation process of the grape juice. As long as the balloon is inflated, the process is on. You will know when the wine is done, when the balloon deflates.
9. Your wine is done! Now you will have to pour it slowly through a strainer into whatever bottles you want to store it into. The bottles should preferably be dark in color.
10. Refrigerate and enjoy your wine which cost you almost nothing – but it is YUMMY!

Keep trying – I’ve had so much fun over the past 15 years just experimenting with different methods and I’ll encourage you to also. First – keep with your recipes and tips step by step and then start creating your own concoctions – it’s a blast! Please bookmark and share this site – THANKS!

PS. Shout out to my typo catching friend Eric Hwang, the renowned wine aficionado and fellow foodie with an awesome blog, I highly recommend checking him out at Bricks of Wine.

This list includes 6 Homemade Wine Tips You Should Remember…

The following areas are important for your homemade wine making. By following the following areas in detail you will make sure to get your recipe performing like it should.

Marking the volume on your Primary Fermentor:

Fill your 23 litre glass or plastic secondary carboy (11.5 litre if using Selection Special wine varieties) with water. Empty this volume into your Primary Fermentor and mark off the water level.

Temperature Factor:

It is important to keep the fermentation temperature constant (70 – 75°F). Yeast cells are sensitive to temperature.

Sanitizing Your Equipment:

Make sure all utensils and equipment are clean before use. Use a chlorine cleaning agent to sanitize your equipment. We suggest preparing a soaking tub solution made from your sanitizing agent. Instruments such as your wine thief, hydrometer, mixing utensils, and thermometer are constantly used – keep these soaking in solution until you need them and remember to rinse them thoroughly before use.

Water Quality:

Be sure to use good quality drinking water.

Racking Tips:

Racking your wine or beer (from primary fermentor to secondary carboy, or into a bottle) involves the risk of incorporating air into your wine or beer. To minimize the risk of “oxidation”:

1. • Avoid splashing of wine when racking. Always keep the end of the siphoning hose below the surface of the liquid.
   • Always make sure that your airlock and bung are securely attached and level of water in airlock is properly maintained.

Cork Quality:

When bottling wine, be sure to use quality corks only. Higher quality corks give better protection against oxidation. Longer corks ( min. 1 3/4”) and those with little or no large fissures are preferable. Natural corks are generally better for long term aging. Check with your retailer for more details on the different styles of cork available.

Of all the areas of winemaking that must be studied, one of the most essential is the area of racking. The racking process is what is done in order to have a clear wine that can be bottled. Bits which are left floating about are usually called the lees. These bits must usually be removed in order to allow the wine taste and look better. Nobody (and this especially refers to people who are buying wine) wants to drink wine which has different unknown elements floating in it. Lees or bits may be anything from dead yeast to other things such as dirt and pieces of skin and stems which get into the wine in the process of winemaking.

Racking can be done by taking wine from one bottle and placing it in another one without taking the sediments along with it. Several techniques can be employed in this process; one of these techniques is where wine is siphoned from one bottle to the other. You should then stop the bits as they come closer to the neck of the bottle. After this you should do it again when some months have passed and some time before you bottle the wine as well.

You should repeat this process for the number of times that it will take to clear out the wine. If you still have the sediments after a couple of months, you should repeat the process again and do some waiting before the last bottling process. However you should ensure that you don’t do it that often. You should make sure that it isn’t done more than once every three weeks or so.

Bits may be left to sit for three months if you feel that this suits you best. What you should ensure is that you do not bottle your wine with lees remaining at the bottom. Whatever these sediments are, they may be rotting in your wine and this can affect the flavor of your wine in a way that is very detrimental to everything else. Your wine may be smell and taste bad due to these lees. If you’re the sort that prefers to leave the lees alone for a while, make sure you stir it weekly. This won’t affect the flavor but it will enhance it just as long as it is stirred often. You can also rack your wine if you feel that you have received enough advantages from the lees. When the wine is being racked you should be careful and reduce the contact that it has with the air.

When you have purchased your winemaking equipment you will notice that other than the kit that can be purchased, a lot of other pieces exist which can do a number of other things. You can purchase a number of items which will help you along with the racking process but then again you may not want to do this if this is your first time of making wine. This is because you may not be sure if you want to repeat the winemaking process again. It may just be a one time thing.

Due to the different choices available in terms of the making of wines, a person should know that winemaking isn’t a straightforward process. Grapes tend to be picked in a number of ways and each particular winery has their own trade secrets which they use in the preparation of their aging wines in order to make certain individual flavors. Regardless of all these secrets and methods, one which is still unusual involves the use of frozen grapes to make wine. As such this wine is called ice wine and though it is not commonly made, it is quite popular.

Ice wine is called Eiswein in Germany as the Germans were the first to make the wine as they still do today. A number of other countries also make a huge amount of Ice wine and this includes countries of North America a number of countries in Eastern Europe. Ice wines are also made in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Of the entire lot, Canadians and the Germans are the most proficient in the making of such wines and it is usually reflected in the prices people are ready to pay for Canadian and German ice wines. The largest ice winery in the world is even in Ontario in Canada.

Ice wine is classified as a desert wine which is made from frozen grapes. The grapes are frozen while still growing on the vine. In the periods of frost the grape may freeze to some extent but for perfect wine, a strong freeze must occur after the grapes have sufficiently ripened. What this means in Canada is a temperature of 17F while in Germany, the recommended temperature is 19F. The bad thing about all this is that the grapes are required to remain much longer than normal on the vines. A bad winter or frost could easily ruin the crop. If the process is too lengthy then the grapes may fall rotten from the vines or get devoured by foraging animals. What this usually means is that the grapes from a winter harvest are substantially lesser than those from a regular crop.

As soon as frost sets in, pickers must harvest the entire crop of grape by hand. The grapes also have to be processed quickly so that they remain frozen during the winemaking process. What this means is that the grapes have to be picked late at night or in the early hours of the morning in order to be pressed.

Certain winemakers feel that too much is left to chance in such methods; hence these winemakers freeze the grapes in an artificial condition which bears certain similarities to frost. It has all the advantages of the process while eliminating the disadvantages. It also tends to increase the amount of grapes that can be yielded during harvest.

The taste and aroma from Ice wines are both fruity and sweet. The acid content is high but the alcohol content lower than what you have with most wines. Canadian Ice wine is more alcoholic and can have up to 13% alcohol. Germany has wine with a lesser alcohol content with 6% being the average range.

After you have had an opportunity to experiment with making your own wine you may naturally decide that it is time to begin creating your own wine recipes. This is quite common. There are a number of advantages to creating your own recipes. For example, you can avoid the hassle of having to look around for a recipe every time you want to make a batch of wine with the fruit that you have available. In addition, you gain the ability to experiment and possible produce a really original, great batch of wine.

Like any recipe; however, wine recipes must have a specific format and certain ingredients in order to be successful. Let us examine it from the point of view of baking a cake. There are certainly hundreds, if not thousands, of different cake recipes. Line them all up and they are decidedly different. In order for a cake to be a cake; however, the recipe must have several basic ingredients. For example, you are usually going to need some type of flour, sweetener and something to help the cake rise. This is a basic formula that forms the basis of cake recipes. While you may not think of it, it is really a matter of science.

A wine recipe is no different. There are certain ingredients that must be included in any wine recipe in order for the end result to work. These ingredients are: produce, sugars, water, nutrients, acid and yeast.

First, you will need to start with something to make the wine. Most wines are made from grapes but you can use practically any fruit or vegetable matter; even herbs if you wish. You can also use concentrated juices as well. In addition, you will need sugars in order to start and support fermentation. If you do not add sugar to your wine recipe, fermentation will not take place and without that, your wine will not have any alcohol. In most cases, the fruit that you select for your wine will produce the necessary amount of sugar but that is not the case with all produce. For example, if you are making dandelion wine then you will need to provide sugar because the produce will not be able to produce any of its own. You may also find that you need to occasionally add some sugar to support the sugar that is provided.

Water is essential in order to dilute flavors that may be too strong. Common examples of wines which may need to be diluted with water include blackberries, elderberries and gooseberries.

Nutrients are also essential. Keep in mind when creating your wine recipe that the yeast which you will add to your wine is a living organism. As a result, it needs nutrients to thrive and support a healthy fermentation process. Usually, you will need to add some nutrients to your wine. Common examples of nutrients include Yeast Energizer and Yeast Nutrient.

Do not overlook the importance of acid in your wine. While you certainly do not want to have too much acid in your wine, it does play an important role in the fermentation process. If the acid level in your wine is too low then the fermentation will not be as successful as it should be. Acid also assists in the stability of your wine. Also, without sufficient acid, your wine may very well develop bacteria and molds that could ruin your wine. Tannic acid and Acid Blend can be used to help add necessary acid to any wine recipe.

Of course, no wine recipe can be complete without yeast. Yeast is what basically does all of the work of converting the produce you have chosen into wine. Without yeast, there can be no wine. You will need to make sure that you have yeast that is specifically designed for winemaking. Do not make the mistake of thinking that you can use the yeast you have in the kitchen for bread making. Even yeast designed for brewing beer will not work for making wine.

Certain wines can certainly benefit from the addition of oak chips. Just a few of these wines include Chardonays, Cabernets, Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlots, Sauvignon Blanc, Burgundy, Pinot Blanc and Fume Blanc.

Oaking provides a way to develop a wine that is quite complex. The depth of the complexity is greatly determined by the type of oak that is used as well as the wine itself. Oak can provide a wide variety of flavors to wine including coconut, vanilla and even spices such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. In some cases, oak can even add a somewhat earthy tone. The type of flavor that is added to your wine is largely determined by the type of oak that is used. For example, American oak when used with white wines such as Merlot tends to add an aroma that is decidedly vanilla in nature. Generally, most of the oak that is used for flavoring in wine is either American or French. Hungarian and Yugoslavian oaks are also now being increasingly used as well; however.

In the past, wine was oaked by placing it into an oak barrel. The wine would then stay in the barrel until it reached the aroma and taste that was desired. There were few ways in which to control the process other than by choosing the type of oak as well as the size and age of the barrel. A vintner could also decide whether they wanted to use a toasted or charred barrel or not. This process typically took quite a long time. Older barrels tended to take even longer.

Today, the method of oaking wine has shifted from using just oak barrels to use oak pieces. This has made it much easier and more affordable for home vintners to oak their wines. Today, winemakers can choose to use oak chips as well as oak beans and oak powder for the purpose of oaking their wines without the concern and expense of having to use large barrels.

You will need to give some thought to which method you think will best suit your purpose; however. There are advantages as well as disadvantages to each. For example, oak chips are commonly preferred because they are easily available and can be obtained in a variety of different types. The problem with oak chips is that once you have put them into your carboy, you have to find a way to get them out. Oak powder works quite well during the fermentation process and you do not need a lot of oak powder to achieve the results that you want. The flip side to this is that if you are not careful, you can easily over oak your wine. In addition, it can be difficult to rack your wine using oak powder.

When oaking your wine you will need to decide when you wish to add the oak. Generally, the oak is added either during fermentation or after the wine has been racked and you are ready for bulk aging of your wine.

Oak powder really does work best if you decide you want to oak during the fermentation process. Over time the oak powder will absorb wine and eventually it will just sink to the bottom of the container. For a small batch of wine, you should not use any more than 20 grams of oak powder per gallon. You may wish to use less than that. If you decide to oak your wine during bulk aging, oak chips tend to work best. Plan to use somewhere between two and four ounces of chips for every six gallons of wine. Ideally, it is best to make sure that you sanitize your chips before you put them into your wine. You can use Campden Tablets for this purpose. Just soak the chips in some water, add a tablet and allow them to sit for a few minutes.

Finally, remember that as when trying anything new with your wine, it is best to start small with oaking. You can always add more, but it is virtually impossible to take it away once it is there.

Have you ever wondered about home winemaking? This series of videos from winemakerstoystore.com will teach you everything you ever wanted to know. The last thing to do before enjoying your wine is bottling and corking it. Get winemaking supplies and find out more at www.winemakerstoystore.com

As the popularity of wine continues to rise, more and more people have made it a point to become educated wine enthusiasts; trying different wines with different meals and keeping those bottles they find the most enjoyable on hand. The storage of wine can be a space challenge, but it can also poise a design challenge. So, for savvy wine connoisseurs, combining form and function is the key to successfully displaying their wine. For them, using a wine rack is the most space efficient, visually appealing, and cost-effective method of display.

There are many wine racks on the market today, of all sizes and materials. But for many wine consumers, the modular wine rack makes the most sense when it comes to displaying their collection. The biggest benefit of the modular wine rack is its ability to grow your collection. While you may just beginning your love affair with wine, as you learn more and experience different types of wine, you may choose to add more bottles to your collection. A modular wine rack – while it may start with space consideration for just a half-dozen bottles – can be added on to as your collection grows. This can also be enormously helpful for price considerations. It may not be necessary to spend the money for a large wine rack with space for fifty bottles when your wine collection is in its infancy. With a modular wine rack, you can add as you go, keeping pace with your interest and collection – and, in so doing, your budget can be paced as well.

A modular wine rack is generally a floor piece that can sit against a wall. As it grows, it is wise to securely bolt the wine rack to the wall behind it as it can pose serious dangers should it tip over onto someone. If you have children in the home, it is doubly important that you mind this risk.

You can find a modular wine rack in a variety of styles – from wood to wrought iron – and in a variety of places. Most large home improvement retail stores have a selection of wine racks, as do some home furnishing stores. You can also find listings for a modular wine rack online where you can even purchase one and have it shipped straight to your door. You’ll find that the modular wine rack is quite simple to put together with some common household tools.

The modular wine rack performs the dual function of organizing your wine bottles and displaying them beautifully. With the added benefit of adding on to its frame, you’ll be able to enjoy it for years to come.

As you contemplate the prospect of making your next batch of wine you will need to decide whether you want to use fruit, such as grapes, or packaged fruit juices. Packaged juices are known as concentrates and can be easily purchased online as well as in home brewing stores. There are many advantages to using concentrates, including the fact that they come with easy to follow directions and usually all of the extra ingredients you may need. Many novice winemakers feel that concentrates are a great introduction to the process of winemaking. There are also advantages to using fruit rather than concentrates; however. The main advantage to using fruit is that you have more control over the process, and thus the results, when you use fruits.

For the most part, the process of making wine from fruit is similar to making it using concentrates. There are a few differences; however, and those differences are critical.

Before you begin, you will need to make sure that you have plenty of fruit. It is not uncommon for many novice winemakers to think they have a sufficient amount of fruit when in fact they do not. You will need at least 70 pounds of grapes in order to produce six gallons of wine. This is the equivalent of about two bushels. The one exception to this is if you are using wild grapes such as Muscadine. In that case you will only need about 25 pounds of grapes due to the fact that wild grapes tend to have a stronger flavor as well as more acid.

Since you will be dealing with a large amount of grapes, you will need to make sure that you have sufficient facilities to deal with them properly. Before you are able to use them to make wine, you will need to remove the stems as well as crush the grapes. Later, the grapes will then need to be pressed after they have had a few days to ferment.

You can easily remove the stems as well as crush the grapes by hand. For small batches of grapes, you can use something as simple as a potato masher to crush the grapes; just make sure it has been cleaned and sanitized first. If you are dealing with larger amounts of grapes it may be worth it to go ahead and invest in a grape crusher as this will speed the process along.

As previously mentioned, after the grapes have fermented for a few days, you will need to press the pulp in order to extract as much juice as possible. In the event you are making white whine, the grapes will need to be pressed directly after they have been crushed but before the first fermentation.

When working with fruit rather than concentrate you will also need to have a hydrometer on hand in order to assist you in controlling the sugar level. As you may recall, this essential in determining the alcohol level in the final wine so it is a step that must not be overlooked.

An acid test kit may also be helpful in controlling and monitoring the levels of acid that are present in your wine when you are using fruit rather than concentrate. When the acid level in the wine is too high, the resulting wine will typically have a taste that is too sour or sharp. If there is not enough acid; however, the wine may taste somewhat flat. An acid test kit will provide you with accurate readings and help you to determine whether you need to add water or acid blend for balance.

So you’ve decided to take a large step, and move from wine lover to wine connoisseur. You are going to buy a wine cellar. This guide will give you all the information you need to make this purchase.

Wine Bottle Storage
The ideal location for storing wine is a dark, draftless area that stays at a constant 50-60 degrees, with 60-70 percent humidity. The bottles should be kept on their sides to keep the corks moist, and should be exposed to limited vibrations. This will ensure that you will be able to keep bottles at their best for years to come.

One thing to consider if you decide to purchase a large wine cellar: make sure the unit will fit! This sounds obvious, but many times stand-alone wine cellars are much wider than a standard door. Another thing to think about is weight. Consider not only the weight of the storage unit, but be sure to calculate 3 pounds each for a standard bottle of wine. You might not want to store your wine upstairs. This is another reason that wine is typically stored in a cellar.

Types of Wine Cellars
If you are lucky enough to live in a house, maybe you can use the existing cellar or a spare room, or have one built. Just be sure not to skimp on building materials – it would be silly to have 400 bottles of wine crashing to the floor because you wanted to save a few bucks on thinner wood. Also, be sure the condensation will be able to evaporate; otherwise, the humidity will increase beyond ideal levels. Consider the cellar as an investment.

If you don’t have a large amount of space, you can buy a freestanding wine cellar. While not actually a cellar in the traditional sense, these are large units that can be stored in a house or apartment. They are available commercially for a wide variety of prices. Always consider where you are going to be storing the wine. If it will be kept in your home, you will not need to have as much insulation or as strong of a cooling unit, but a unit kept in the garage will have to be much higher quality.

Building Your Own Wine Cellar
The best location for the cellar is below the level of the house. If your basement has outside walls, keep in mind that north-facing walls will get the least amount of light. Some smaller crawl spaces may not work very well if they experience extreme changes in temperature. The same goes for a garage. The first floor of the house can also be used, and as long as the house stays at a fairly constant room temperature, the cooling unit will not have to work too hard.

Framing
The first step in building a wine cellar is the framing. The outer walls of the basement or room should be framed with 2″ by 6″ wood studs. If the floors are cold, use 2″ by 4″ studs.

Insulation
The next step in the creation of a wine cellar is insulation. The room needs to be kept at the most constant temperature possible. The best type to use is sprayed 2 pound polyurethane, although less expensive methods can used, especially if the cellar is on the first floor of the house. Once again, consider the cellar to be an investment.
Doors
Don’t forget about the door! It needs to have weather stripping and also be insulated. Otherwise all the work done to insulate the walls will be wasted.

Drywall
To finish the walls, use a drywall that is resistant to moisture. Other wall material can be used, but make sure that it will not soak up moisture and that it will not impart an odor on the wine.

Racks
Don’t leave the design of the racks until the end. Start first with this design to make sure that you have enough space for the number of bottles you’d like to store. A good place to start would be to look at the smaller racks available at your local wine store. These will give you ideas on the design you would like. Once again, make sure the construction is sturdy enough for the weight of the wine.

Temperature and Humidity and Wine
As mentioned before, the ideal temperature for wine is between 50 and 60 degrees. If the temperature is too high, it will spoil quickly. If it is too low, it will not age properly. If the temperature changes often, the cork will expand and contract. This may lead to air getting into the wine. Keeping this in mind, never buy wine chilled at a store, as you have no idea how long it has been that way. Also, don’t keep wine in your own refrigerator for more than 1 or 2 days.

Humidity can also damage wine. If the humidity is too low, the cork can dry out. While a tipped bottle will keep one side moist, the rest of the cork can become cracked and brittle.

Also, ensure the wine will be kept in a dark place, away from vibrations. Colored bottles help keep the light out to some extent, but don’t rely on the bottle to keep the light out. Movement may cause the bottles to shift. Wine needs to stay in contact with the cork so it will not dry out and crack, so limit the movement the bottles are exposed to.

Wine Cellar Cooling Units
After you cellar is complete, you can purchase a commercial wine cooling unit. Many of these work similarly to a window AC unit. They vent through a wall rather than being installed in the ceiling. However, if you are below ground or for some other reason cannot use a window unit, there are commercial units that can be installed. These are slightly more costly, but work well in those situations.

Every wine has an ideal aging time. If your wine cellar is built properly, it will keep your wine for years to come.

Blending has become a highly respected part of the process of winemaking. Many winemakers in fact view blending as a highly evolved art form. The basic idea of blending is to mix different wines in order to create a final wine that possesses a quality that is superior to that of each of the different components singularly.

The most common type of blending involves blending at least two different grape varieties of wine. Blending has become some a popular concept that many winemakers specifically plant their vineyards for the purpose of blending by growing a variety of different grapes in order to create a blended field. Another way of achieving blending is to combine at least two different varieties of grapes that have been harvested separately but then ferment them together. This process commonly involves at least one red grape and one white grape.

Still yet, you might choose to create a blend which contains the same grape; however, different fermentation containers are used. Because the containers are different they will produce a taste that is somewhat different even though the grapes are essentially the same. You might even choose to go so far as to create a blend containing wine from a batch that has been barrel fermented and another that has been fermented in a stainless steel container.

Another way to blend wines is to blend wines that are from different vintages. If you have been making your own wine for some time, there is a good chance that you probably have a few bottles of wine in your cellar that were produced in different years.

It should be pointed out that there are some wines that do not lend themselves particularly well to blending. Chardonnays are known to not be particularly improved by blending. Red Zinfandel and Pinot Noir also rarely see many improvements from blending. There are also some wines which are too delicate for blending such as Gewürztraminer.

When properly handled, blending can help to balance the flavors as well as the levels of tannins and acids. It should be pointed out that blending can help to improve the quality of wines that already at least somewhat good on their own. Blending one good wine with a bad wine; however, will not improve the bad wine enough to create a single good blended wine. Typically, rather than the bad wine being improved, the good wine will take on the lesser qualities of the bad wine. If you have a bad wine that you wish to improve, consider mixing; a process that can take away an off flavor.

Generally, if you are new to blending it is best to start with just two wines. Many home based winemakers discover the benefits of blending when they taste a wine in order to see how it turned out and discover that it could be slightly better. Blending gives you the ability to select the best characteristics of multiple wines and then blend them together to achieve a far better flavor. While the process may seem complicated, even the most novice home winemakers can create a good blend at home.

The basic process of blending involves testing, comparing the flavors and then finding the ratio you prefer for the final blend. Remember that it is best to blend on an incremental basis, starting with small amounts and then making minor adjustments until you find a preferred blend. As you may wish to blend in the future, it is a good idea to take notes as you go along; noting how many millimeters of each wine you have used for subsequent tests.

It is also important to note that in some cases, certain blends may need some time in order for the individual components to marry and achieve a good flavor. This is commonly the case with young red wines. Tasting a blend of young reds right away can give you an inaccurate idea of what the final result will taste like. Whites; however, can usually be blended and tasted right away.

Most winemakers find that blending produces better results when it occurs as soon after fermentation as possible. Blending right after fermentation will protect the final product from oxidation and also gives the wines the opportunity to age together into a single wine rather than separately.