The Days when Home Winemakers Were Mere Amateurs Are Behind Us

The real amateur winemaker made wine for the simple joy of doing so and not from any monetary motives. Nowadays, however, despite the fact that a significant number of people still produce wine for pleasure, there is often a monetary element.

In the days of the Roman Empire 'amateur' meant 'lover' and referred to somebody who did something from a love of doing it, and not for any financial gain. These people were thought of as the highest of experts because they perfected their craft motivated by simple joy for their work.

Although professional winemakers continue to imbue their work with both skill and passion, amateurs, assisted by knowledge passed down over the centuries and modern technology, can frequently now produce similar results.

The chemistry behind the fermentation process was not well understood until the beginning of the last century but, even so, the process of fermentation has been used for over 5,000 years. Left unattended a wine grape will ripen until its skin ruptures and the juice ferments naturally. Nowadays, however, this process is guided with a mixture of both art and science.

Harvested grapes are put into a press in which they are turned into must which is a mixture of skin, pulp and juice. 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 ethanol (alcohol), carbon dioxide and heat. This process continues until either the sugars are exhausted or the yeast is killed by the reaction.

As a result of work carried out by Pasteur and others we are now able to tightly control the process to produce precisely the result we want. For those people who are not fortunate enough to have their own vineyard close to hand, concentrated wine juice can now be purchased fairly cheaply.

Just add sugar, acids, yeast and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a suitable container like 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 normally provided with the concentrated wine juice giving specific amounts and fermentation details.

In several days, siphon the liquid off the pulp and permit it to ferment at about 65 degrees fahrenheit (18 degrees centigrade) for a few weeks until bubbling (gas production) stops. 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.

Of course, it sounds easier than it is but it is certainly not beyond the dedicated ability of the amateur. Today, the process is monitored and frequently adjusted on a daily basis and, thanks to inexpensive refractometers to measure sugar concentrations, thermometers, hydrometers, temperature controlled cabinets and a range of other items the job is a lot easier than once was.

Not surprisingly things sometimes go wrong as nature takes its course. Fermentation might not start, it may start and then stop prematurely, the resulting wine may be excessively sweet or cloudy or filled with sediments. The wine may have excess pectin, too many bacteria, taste sulphurous or flat or even moldy. Crystals might form if the temperature is too low or secondary fermentation might result from storing the wine too hot.

Even so, in no small measure thanks to the Internet, today there are a number of websites which are devoted to helping the amateur winemaker to produce a wine which can rival those made by the masters of wine. The only thing that it takes is a little bit of practice.

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