Home Winemakers Are No Longer The Amateurs They Once Were

Real amateur winemaking exists purely for the love of the art, however nowadays it is almost certainly fair to say that the majority of amateur winemakers do so at least in part for monetary reasons.

In the days of Ancient Rome the word 'amateur' meant 'lover' and was used to refer to an individual who engaged in something out of the love of doing it, and not for any monetary gain. Such people were considered to be the highest of experts because they honed their craft motivated by mere joy for their work.

Although wine professionals still fill their work with both skill and passion, amateurs, with the help of knowledge passed down over the centuries and modern technology, can generally now produce similar results.

The chemistry of the fermentation process was not well understood until the beginning of the 20th century but, even so, the process of fermentation has been in use for more than 5,000 years. Left to its own devices a wine grape will ripen happily until its skin splits and the juice ferments naturally. Now, however, this process is controlled by a combination of both art and science.

Harvested grapes are placed in a press where they are turned into must which is a mixture of juice, skin and pulp. Natural yeast (which is found on the skin close to the stem) and added yeast interacts with the sugars in the wine juice and produces alcohol (ethanol), carbon dioxide and heat. This process continues until the sugars are depleted or the yeast is killed by the products of the reaction.

As a result of the work of Pasteur and others we can now control the process to produce precisely the result we desire. For those people who are not fortunate enough to have a vineyard close to hand, wine juice concentrates can now be purchased quite cheaply.

Merely add sugar, yeasts, acids and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a container like a carboy or other jug and let the mixture sit for several at around 75 degrees fahrenheit (24 degrees centigrade). Specific recipes are frequently provided with the wine juice concentrate giving specific amounts and fermentation details.

In several days, strain the liquid off the pulp and let it ferment at about 65 degrees fahrenheit (18 degrees centigrade) for several weeks until bubbling (gas production) ceases. Then, siphon the wine off the sediments (lees) and store the wine bottles on their sides at 55 degrees fahrenheit (13 degrees centigrade) for six months in the case of white wine and up to twelve months for red wine before tasting.

Naturally, it sounds simpler than it is but it is certainly not beyond the dedicated amateur's ability. Today, the process is monitored and sometimes adjusted on a daily basis and, thanks to inexpensive refractometers to measure the concentration of sugar, thermometers, hydrometers, temperature controlled cabinets and a range of other items the job is much easier than once was.

Naturally things sometimes go wrong as nature takes its own course. Fermentation may not begin, it may begin and then stop prematurely, the resulting wine might be excessively sweet or hazy or filled with sediments. The wine may have excessive pectin, too many bacteria, taste sulphurous or flat or even moldy. Crystals can form if the temperature is not high enough or secondary fermentation can result from keeping the wine too hot.

Even so, thanks in no small measure to the Internet, today there are numerous websites devoted to assisting the amateur winemaker to produce wines that can rival those made by the masters of wine. All it takes is a little bit of practice.

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