Article on Home Winemaking

AP dateline, but on CBS website.
For Some, Wine Tastes Best If Made At Home

Howie, that was a superb read - many thanks for posting it.

As you can see, I have updated my tag with a quote from this article - and I believe in that philosophy wholeheartedly. We have gotten too far away from the earth in our culture, methinks - too many people have forgotten how to raise a garden, how to cook from scratch, and by extension, how to grow wine from scratch! I think that the re-emergence of this knowledge among everyday people will be the start to a certain cultural renaissance on our continent - and that is something that I wholeheartedly support.

"It's really intriguing, there's a lot more chemistry and a lot more science to it than I originally thought, as well as art," she said. "But we've been making wine since the time before Christ, so it's not rocket science."

This is absolutely true, for those who are happy making wines from concentrates and kits only a very basic understanding of fermentation is required (the manufactures of these concentrates and kit wines take care of all the “science and chemistry” for you),. But for those who take this hobby one step further, to lets say fresh grapes or fruits, the “chemistry part” becomes a little more important. Especially if one wants to consistently make a “so-called quality wine” year after year.

Salute
BTW, nice article Howie, thanks for posting it!

Enjoyed the article. I have been hobby making wine from Columbia Valley grapes for 3 years now. Its true that property chemistry helps, but I will be damned that the grapes, must and young juice have a mind of their own in making the quality of the wine. I have made average wine from the best grapes money can buy and very good wine from a vines first crop of marginal "terroir". I am working towards consistency (but enjoying every step of the way).