| Homemade wine making is fast becoming very | | | | plastic tubing to round out the equipment. |
| popular across the world. There are several | | | | Some chemicals may be required as well. Yeast is |
| reasons for this. | | | | an obvious first one (not really a chemical but a |
| The biggest one is that the cost to transport that | | | | dormant microbe). Citric acid, potassium sorbate, |
| yummy nectar from where they grow, harvest, | | | | metabisulfate, campden tablets, pectin enzyme |
| and ferment it is going up right along with the | | | | and a few others are pretty common. |
| cost of fuel. There's no two ways around it - we | | | | The biggest secret in home wine making is: get |
| are about to see bottles of wine at the grocery | | | | the good stuff to start with. |
| store and wine shops double. | | | | There are actually vineyards that will sell small |
| In the last year, there has been a flurry of "How | | | | quantities of grapes or even crushed grapes and |
| To" guides crop up around the internet. All of the | | | | juices, fresh from the vineyard. Although these |
| guides are helpful and at least can get a beginner | | | | are hard to locate, they do exist. I have found at |
| started. | | | | least one wine making guide that lists these |
| The truth is, you can make high quality wine, | | | | sources. |
| award winning wine, at home, in a 5 gallon food | | | | Aside from the money savings (you can make |
| bucket. | | | | wine for about 25 cents a bottle), there is the |
| Some preparation and materials are required. You | | | | actual enjoyment of making something that you |
| have to at least have a hydrometer. You need at | | | | can drink! If your batch comes out really good, |
| least the 5 gallon bucket. AND - you need some | | | | you will be calling all your neighbors and friends to |
| kind of near air tight secondary fermentation | | | | come and give it a try. |
| vessel. In the industry we call this a "carbouy". | | | | Cheers and happy wine making! |
| There are very inexpensive airlocks and some | | | | |