Home Winemakers Are No Longer Amateurs - written by Don Saunders

Back in the days of Ancient Rome the word 'amateur' meant 'lover' and referred to a person who did something out of the love of doing it, and not for any monetary gain. These individuals were considered to be the finest of experts because they perfected their craft motivated by simple joy for their work.

Despite the fact that 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 often now produce similar results.

The chemistry of fermentation was poorly understood until the beginning of the 20th century but, nevertheless, the basic process of fermentation has been used for more than 5,000 years. Left to its own devices a wine grape will ripen until its skin ruptures and the juice ferments naturally. Now, however, this process is controlled by a combination of both art and science.

Harvested grapes are put into a press in which they are turned into must which is a mixture of pulp, skin and juice. Natural yeast (which is found on the skin near the stem) and added yeast reacts with the sugars in the wine juice to produce ethanol (alcohol), carbon dioxide and heat. This process will continue until the sugars are depleted or the yeast is killed by the reaction.

As a result of work undertaken by Pasteur and other scientists we are now able to tightly control the process so that we get exactly the result we desire. For people who are not lucky enough to have a vineyard close to hand, wine juice concentrates can now be purchased reasonably cheaply.

Just add acids, yeats, sugars and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a container such as a carboy or other jug and let the mixture sit for a few days at around 75 degrees fahrenheit (24 degrees centigrade). Specific recipes are usually provided with the concentrated wine juice which give specific quantities and fermentation details.

In several days, strain the liquid from the pulp and permit it to ferment at about 65 degrees fahrenheit (18 degrees centigrade) for several weeks until gas production (bubbling) stops. Then, siphon the wine from 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 a year for red wine before tasting.

Naturally, it sounds simpler than it is but it is most certainly not beyond the amateur's ability. Today, the process is closely monitored and sometimes adjusted daily and, thanks to cheap refractometers to measure the concentration of sugar, hydrometers, thermometers, temperature controlled cabinets and a host of other items the job is a lot simpler than it used to be.

Of course things sometimes go wrong as nature takes its own course. Fermentation may not start, it may start and then stop prematurely, the resulting wine might be excessively sweet or hazy or full of sediments. The wine may contain excess pectin, too many bacteria, taste flat or sulphurous or even moldy. Crystals may form if the temperature is not high enough or secondary fermentation may result from keeping the wine at too high a temperature.

Nevertheless, in no small measure thanks to the Internet, there are now several websites which are devoted to helping the amateur winemaker to produce a wine which can rival those made by the wine masters. All it takes is a bit of practice.