Description
Book SynopsisAn informative, fun guide to making your own wine It's estimated that one million North Americans make their own wine. Relatively inexpensive to make (a homemade bottle costs from $2 to $4), a bottle with your own label (and grapes) is a fantasy even someone with modest aspirations can fulfill.
Trade Review"Tim Patterson is one of the best contemporary writers on wine in the United States. His easy-to-read, engaging prose transforms even the most complicated aspect of making wine and makes it comfortable and understandable. Reading Home Winemaking For Dummies -- like having Patterson by your side as a personal mentor-is the absolute best way to tackle the very satisfying process of making your own wine." --Karen MacNeil, Author, The Wine Bible "A thorough, practical, and entertaining guide, this text takes tips from the pros and brings common sense and approachability to the art of winemaking. Mr. Patterson's vast experience and contagious passion for the subject make Home Winemaking For Dummies an enjoyable read while the format makes it an excellent reference and allows the reader to delve as deep into the subject matter as he or she wishes. Whether problem-solving or pursuing stylistic ideals Mr. Patterson holds the reader's hand when needed but still encourages creativity within safe boundaries. From sourcing fruit to healthy fermentation habits straight through aging, bottling, and even enjoying home-made wine this guide has you covered at every step - I even learned a few things myself! This book would be a welcome addition to any wine enthusiast's library and is equally accessible to novice and connoisseur." --Ondine Chattan, Winemaker, Geyser Peak Winery "As a 20-year amateur winemaker with an addiction to winemaking books, I now have a new ‘go-to' book for my first reference! After the excellently accurate coverage of basic winemaking, Tim's tome takes the wonderful turn of emphasizing the subtle, and not-so subtle, differences that make the distinctions between the popular varietals - all in one place! Home Winemaking For Dummies is now prominently on my shelf in front of all the textbooks!" --Dave Lustig, President, Cellarmasters Home Wine Club Los Angeles "Tim Patterson is able to express his knowledge and passion of winemaking in a vey understandable, humorous, and practical way. If you follow the advice in this book, you will be able to produce wine that will likely be better than inexpensive commercial wine, and could be as good as any wine ever made. I applaud Tim's effort and wish this book was around when I started making wine." --Kent Rosenblum, Consultant Winemaker, Rosenblum Cellars, and former home winemaker
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1
Part I: Motivations, Materials, and Methods 7
Chapter 1: Making Great Wine at Home 9
Chapter 2: Finding Good Grapes 21
Chapter 3: Provisioning Your Home Winery 37
Chapter 4: Obsessing over Temperature, Oxygen, and Sanitation 61
Part II: Phases and Stages 71
Chapter 5: Sorting, Crushing, and Pressing 73
Chapter 6: Letting Yeast Do Its Thing: Fermentation 91
Chapter 7: Doing the Post-Fermentation Tango 111
Chapter 8: Aging and Blending 125
Chapter 9: Finishing and Bottling 145
Chapter 10: Storing, Serving, and Starting Over 159
Part III: Deeper Into Reds 169
Chapter 11: What’s Special about Red Wines? 171
Chapter 12: Bold Bordeaux Reds 185
Chapter 13: Ravishing Rhône Reds 199
Chapter 14: Handling the Hard Cases 213
Chapter 15: Up-and-Comers and Off-the-Radars 229
Part IV: Deeper Into Whites 237
Chapter 16: What’s Special about White Wines? 239
Chapter 17: Fruity, Herbal Whites 253
Chapter 18: Aromatic Whites 271
Part V: Beyond Red and White 289
Chapter 19: Thinking and Drinking Pink 291
Chapter 20: Dessert, Fortified, and Sparkling Wines 299
Part VI: The Part of Tens 315
Chapter 21: Ten Mistakes Most Home Winemakers Make at Least Once 317
Chapter 22: Ten Ways To Save Money (and Make Better Wine) 321
Chapter 23: Ten Differences between Wine(makers) and Beer(brewers) 325
Part VII: Appendixes 329
Appendix A: Glossary 331
Appendix B: Conversions 333
Appendix C: Resources 335
Appendix D: Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and pH 339
Index 347
