Home winemakers: Do you work with grapes or buy juice?

Just a quick poll for our resident home winemakers here to gauge how most of you go about making your homemade wines: by buying grapes and destemming/crushing them yourself, or by buying juice pressed on-site at the vendor's facility. I suppose a third option would be those who grow their own grapes, and although that takes us away from a strictly "either or" model, I've added it in as an option too.

Personally I always buy grapes and de-stem them by hand. It's a time-consuming, laborious process that isn't all that much fun, but I'm convinced that it allows me to keep the tightest control possible on the quality of what will become the must. I often fear that all manner of undesirable materials may end up by simple chance in the crusher, leading to juice that might not be without a moldy/rotten grape here or there, and maybe even other stuff!

I'd be curious to know where most of you figure in this poll.

AWWWW....No Fair. I do both and voted for #2, thinking I could go back and then vote for #1, but it wouldn't let me. However, I hope to be doing #3 in the near future.

Darn - I forgot to allow for multiple choice responses!

I don't seem to be able to edit the poll now, though.

We used to take options #1 and #2, but have moved exclusively to #1.


Mike

Option 1 and 2 here as well.

With the improved methods in which juices and concentrates are prepared, packaged and handled for shipment I believe the amateur home winemaker has more options. Heck even those so called “kit wines” seemed to have improved over the years, just look at the list of winners in the Wine Makers Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition. (We can argue the fact that some of the class categories are “sponsored” by these corporations, but we can not argue the fact that the way concentrates are prepared and packaged has definitely improved). Once in a while, especially during a long and cold winter, I’ll find myself in my local winemaking supply store and I’ll buy a kit wine. I might not follow the instructions to every letter, but some interesting and good quality wines can be produced from these kits. But in my mind nothing beats “fresh grapes”. Can’t wait for mid to late September!

Salute

But in my mind nothing beats “fresh grapes”. Can’t wait for mid to late September!

Salute

I agree. However, the juice I buy is from a presshouse 20 minutes away. It is refrigerated to 33F immediately after pressing and I pick it up within a few days, so its about as close to fresh grapes as I can find. I once won a kit as a door prize, followed the directions exactly and was quite disappointed. It tasted OK immediately after bottling, but went downhill very quickly. Within six months it was oxidized. However, I have a friend who makes 75% of his wine from kits. He starts a new batch every month and I've enjoyed several of them.