Home Winemakers Are No Longer The Amateurs They Once Were

In the days of the Roman Empire 'amateur' meant 'lover' and referred to somebody who engaged in something out of the love of doing it, rather than for any financial gain. These individuals were regarded as the highest of experts because they honed their craft motivated by mere joy for their work.

Although professional winemakers still fill their work with passion and skill, amateurs, helped by modern technology and knowledge passed down over the centuries, can often now produce similar results.

The chemistry behind the fermentation process was poorly understood until the beginning of the 20th century but, even so, the basic process of fermentation has been in use for more than 5,000 years. Left unattended a wine grape will ripen happily until the skin splits and the juice ferments naturally. Today, however, this process is guided by a combination of art and science.

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

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

Simply add yeasts, acids, sugars and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a 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 wine juice concentrate which give specific amounts and details of how to ferment the wine.

After a few days, siphon the liquid off the pulp and permit it to 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 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.

Of course, it sounds easier than it is in reality but it is certainly not beyond the amateur's ability. Today, the process is monitored and often 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 far simpler than it used to be.

It will probably come as no surprise that things can and do go wrong as nature takes its own course. Fermentation may not start, it may start and then stop for no apparent reason, the resulting wine may be too sweet or cloudy or full of sediments. The wine may contain too much pectin, too many bacteria, taste sulphurous or flat or even moldy. Crystals may form if the temperature is not high enough or secondary fermentation may result from keeping the wine too hot.

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

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