Art of Wine Making Business Startup: How to Start a Million Dollar Success from Home 9798653620874

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Art of Wine Making Business Startup How to Start a Million Dollar Success from Home

BY

Alberto Ricci 2 nd Edition

Copyrighted Material Copyright © 2020– Valley of Joy Publishing Press

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the proper written consent of the copyright holder, except brief quotations used in a review.

Published by:

Valley of Joy Publishing Press

Cover & Interior designed By Julia Marks Second Edition

Contents Foreword for the Second Edition Praise for the First Edition of the Art of Wine Making Introduction 4 Reasons to Make Wine It’s Affordable It’s Relaxing It’s a Social Activity It’s Fun to Experiment Part 1: Making Wine Chapter 1: The Legal Issues Concerning Wine Production Who is It For? How Much Can You Prepare? Where are the Resources From? Age Points Avoid Distilling Chapter 2: Wines by Type Specific Red Wines Specific White Wines A Word about Rose Wine Chapter 3: Timing Wine

Storage Plans The Shelf Life of Wine Aging Wine Waiting for Grapes to Grow Chapter 4: First Things First Proper Containers Could a Plastic Fermenter Work? What About Wood? More Container Options Tubs Jugs Tanks Barrels Additional Materials Tubing Airlock and Stopper Stirrer Funnel Turkey Baster Bottles for the Final Product Chapter 5: Sourcing Grapes

Buying Grapes Sourcing Specific Wine Grapes Buying Vines Tips for Buying Grape Vines Maintaining Grapes and Vines Planning Your Vineyard from Scratch Start at the Soil Best Practices for Your Vineyard Gathering the Grapes Chapter 6: The Process of Making Wine Sterilizing Your Equipment Step 1: Cleaning Step 2: Sanitizing Step 3: Drying Preparing the Grapes Step 1: Clean Off the Grapes Step 2: Crushing the Grapes Working with Yeast How Much is Needed? Adding the Yeast Using More Equipment

Keep Everything Sterilized Check the Body of the Equipment Get a Proper Lid The Fermentation Process Cover the Main Jar Stir Regularly Straining the Wine Let it Rest Store at an Optimal Temperature Monitoring the Wine Storing Your Wine Bottle it Allow the Wine to Age Chapter 7: Tips, Tricks, and Pitfalls to Avoid Things don’t always go as planned. Not using the appropriate yeast nutrients. Not topping off your carboys and barrels properly. Having inadequate equipment. Not practicing good hygiene. Using water with poor quality. Not handling your yeast well.

Not having the right temperature control. Not stirring well. Being impatient. Chapter 8: Wine Made with Other Fruit What Fruit Works? Tips for Working with Fruit Recipes for Fruit Wines Blackberry Wine Raspberry Wine Blueberry Wine Banana Wine Cherry Wine Pineapple Wine Strawberry Wine Rhubarb Wine Watermelon Wine Dandelion Wine Part 2: Starting your Wine Making Business Chapter 9: 4 Reasons You Should Start a Wine Making Business The High Demand for Wines Wine Making Isn't Capital Intensive

Wine Making Isn't Labor Intensive A Versatile Business Chapter 10: Before Starting the Business The Legalities of Selling Wine Learn Your Market Demand Know the Process The Business Aspect Know your Target Market Finding the Best Wholesaler for Supplies Chapter 11: The Road to a Wine Making Business Timeline for Starting the Business 4 Things that Must be Done Name Your Business License Your Business Competitive Analysis Creative Pricing Strategy Understanding Penny Profit, Profit Margin, and Markup Penny Profit Profit Margin Markup Incorporating Your Business

Sole Proprietor Partnership Corporation (Inc. or Ltd.) S Corporation Limited Liability Company (LLC) Obtain an EIN Number Open a Commercial Bank Account Chapter 12: Branding and Labeling the Product Choosing a Wine Brand Labeling Requirements Chapter 13: Getting Down to Business: Mistakes and Marketing 5 Mistakes to Avoid Not Finding a Mentor Not Having a Business Plan Not Having a Proper Workspace Not Finding a Niche Not Having a Target Market Promoting and Selling Wine Online Sales A Mailing List Social Networking Sites

PPC Advertising Offline Sales Local Papers and Flyers Community Events Introductory Offers B2B Direct Selling Research Potential Stores Have a Proposal Pitch Your Proposal Go to Trade Shows Selling Wholesale Last Words

Foreword for the Second Edition After gaining some much-needed feedback for this book’s first edition, I decided to take it back to the drawing board and tweak it a bit. I felt that I could do a much better job of delivering the information that I really wanted my readers to know about wine making. This second edition is the result of having more eyes on my work, which is always a good thing. This updated version includes more information about the different containers you need to consider for your wine making process. It will also go into more detail on how to start your backyard vineyard from scratch, as well as on how to be able to harvest your grapes properly to yield the most optimum results for your vineyard. We’ll go into detail about the best practices in storing your wine and on aging them, then we’ll talk about the different pitfalls you need to avoid as a newbie winemaker. Finally, I added a handful of recipes you can try out and experiment with as you explore the different opportunities for wine using other fruits aside from grapes. If you are reading this book, then you are probably thinking about getting into the world of wine making. I can’t say that I blame you. Wine making is a fun activity that is not only affordable to get into but could also be profitable if you just put in your best effort into the process.

Praise for the First Edition of the Art of Wine Making “So wonderful. I had a hard time making wine before, but the book explains it in more ways than one and gives you a variety of options. My business has never been more successful.” – Patricia Thomas “Great resource to start making your own wine and even sell it!” – Chris, 5 Star Rating “Alberto explains wine making and the business of wine in a concise and conversational tone. His writings are a great resource for anyone researching wine making.” – John A. from El Paso, TX

Introduction I started making wine over 15 years ago, but it wasn’t necessarily something that I expected I would be doing for the long haul. I started making my wine out of curiosity. I was curious as to how I could prepare wine myself. I have had one too many bad experiences with wine over the years. It seems as though there are far too many winemakers out there who don’t understand what people want out of their wines. There are just far too many wines out there that are anything but appealing. Some are far too bitter, and others just feel watery or syrupy. Others just have terrible odors that only make them worse. The frustration I have had with wines over the years got me thinking – what if I tried to make wine myself? Surely I could do somewhat better than all those other people who make wine if I just put in a good amount of effort into the process. It was a crazy idea, but I figured that every smart idea in the world starts out of something crazy, right? I also figured it would be fun to see just what types of wine I could produce. I have seen so many brands popping up selling wines of all sorts. I assume they all run their vineyards with separate sections for red and white wine. But what could I do to produce something distinctive and unique? I had to set up a plan for making my wine. I looked around and found as much information as I could about making wine. I focused on how the individual ingredients for wine work while also looking into the proper conditions for making wine. I did not want to spend lots of money in the process either. It is not like I was going to sell that wine to people. I especially had to look for the right materials for making the wine. I didn’t want to use just any containers for storing it. I had to find great items that were sturdy, secure, and easy to use. It took a while for me to get it all right, but after a few months and a few hundred dollars, I finally started making my wine. The results were amazing. I found that making wine is easy by using the right mix of ingredients and planning the fermentation process well. Best of all, that wine could be as

good as or even better than what you would find on the open market. Eventually, I started making even more wine. Today I have my small operation where I sell wines to local businesses and restaurants in my area. I had to go through a few legal points to make it work while getting the word out about your efforts too, but it was worthwhile in the end. I hope to expand my reach a little further down the road. I have even looked into various types of grapes for different wines to see which ones turn out the best. After all, it never hurts to try out a variety of wines. Best of all, this whole thing started without too much of an investment. It is amazing as to how you could make your wine at home without having to throw thousands of dollars into the process like what so many other people tend to do. I decided to write this guide to help you understand how you can make your wine at home. This guide includes all the points you need to know about making wine. The information in this guide is based on my experience with wine. If it can work for me, then surely it will do the same for you. You will learn many of the ins and outs that come with making wine through this guide. These include points like: What you require for making wine Understanding the different types of wine Legal points relating to making wine Getting the equipment for wine making safe and ready for use The fermentation process Storing wine properly Selling your wine, including points on the legal aspects of doing so Best of all, you will find that it is not all that expensive for you to start making wine. It only costs a few hundred dollars when you begin, although your experience might vary.

4 Reasons to Make Wine

Why would you make wine at home? There are plenty of wine stores out there that are selling wine that people make for your enjoyment. There are so many options out there that you are certainly bound to find something interesting and worthy of your time. That is what I thought when I started making wine. I figured that there would not be all that much of a difference between the wine I make and whatever is out there right now. But as it turns out, there are many good reasons why you should make your wine.

It’s Affordable It is not all that expensive for you to produce your wine provided that you have the appropriate materials on hand of the process. If anything, it could cost anywhere from $3 to $5 per bottle after you have the materials on hand and the grapes and other ingredients necessary. The initial investment for your wine making plans will pay off as it does not cost much to make wine when you prepare everything. If anything, you don’t have to spend more than a few hundred dollars to get all the stuff you need for wine making. You do have the option to move on to some more advanced items for your wine making efforts like fancy wooden barrels. That would cost an extra bit of money for you to get through. It would especially be best if you were a little more experienced with your wine making efforts.

It’s Relaxing Wine making is also a very relaxing and rewarding activity to get into. As you make your wine, you will enjoy the leisurely pace that comes with the process. It does take a while for wine to be ready. But as you prepare your wine, you will see that you’re having a fun time enjoying the process. You will marvel at how well grapes grow and how they ferment over time. See how the color of the wine changes based on the skins you use. Notice the appealing scent of the wine as it comes along.

Wine is ideal when you savor it slowly. As you make your wine, you will have the opportunity to try it out and experience some of the tones and scents that come with your production. Experience the beauty of the wine as you taste it; no two glasses are ever truly alike.

It’s a Social Activity Wine making is also fun for how it brings people together. When you make your wine, you are inviting other people to come along and enjoy what you are producing. Bringing other people you know into the fray is always a good idea. You could even find a wine making community in your area to get into. Many communities entail groups that offer support for one another’s wine making needs. People often set up events where they exchange and taste wines or offer tips with one another over how well wines can be made. Just imagine the friendships you can develop when you make wines with other people.

It’s Fun to Experiment As you will notice in this guide, there are many types of wines you could make in your home. The various types of grapes that you might use are varied, for instance. Feel free to test many of them out to see what fits in with your demands for quality wine. If anything, you could probably make your unusual or intriguing flavors when making your wines. Just because people talk all the time about red and white wines and all that stuff doesn’t mean you need to stick with the standards. The guidelines in this book are simply points to look into when figuring out ways to make wine in your home. You have the right to play around with the rules of wine making in any way you see fit.

Part 1: Making Wine Chapter 1: The Legal Issues Concerning Wine Production The thrill surrounding making your wine is certainly something. But since this entails alcohol, you will be subject to specific laws relating to how you can make wine. You must follow all proper rules for making wine, so you will enjoy your experience without being at risk of legal harm. Please note that the following laws are primarily for people in the United States. The laws in your country may vary, although some aspects of American law may carry over to your country.

Who is It For? To start, there are rules over who you can serve your wine to. In most places, you would have the right to serve your wine to people in your household. These include family members and friends who come over, provided they are of the legal drinking age. In most states, you would only be allowed to make wine for your own use without selling it. However, you could apply for a permit to sell your wine to people outside your home. This would work provided that you file the appropriate paperwork and take care of other plans relating to getting your wine ready for sale. You will learn more about how to legally sell your wine later in this guide.

How Much Can You Prepare? There are limits regarding how much wine you can produce and have in your home at a given time. United States law, according to Public Law 95458, established in 1978, says that you can only produce up to 200 gallons of wine in a year if there are two or more adults in the household or up to 100

gallons if there is only one adult. The rules may vary based on where you are. Talk with local government entities, particularly alcohol control boards in your state to learn more about what can be done where you live.

Where are the Resources From? The wines and other ingredients that you use might have to come from a specific place if you are to make your wine legally. For example, in North Carolina, people must use grapes, grain extracts, and other items that come from that particular state. Contact a local government office in your area to get specifics on what you can do to make wine in your home. You might have limits as to what grapes or other edible materials you could use in the process.

Age Points Did you know that in the United States, you could be 18 years of age and brew wine? I know this is pretty interesting to its right. Then again, I am willing to bet you are at least 21 years of age if you are reading this book right now and are interested in wine production. Still, I would strongly encourage people who are from 18 to 21 years of age to avoid brewing wine. You would still be in possession of alcohol or at an increased likelihood of consuming alcohol at that age. Serving to minors is obviously illegal. The best tip is to create a secure space for making wine that people will not easily get into. Keep a series of locks on a door or other storage spot. Do not let just anyone get into your wine making operation.

Avoid Distilling You must allow your grapes to ferment, but that should be it. You cannot engage in distilling in your home.

Distilling refers to a process where fruits and other items that have fermented are distilled. That is, you are vaporizing the fermented liquid and then condensing it by cooling off the vapor. At that point, you would collect the vaporized liquid. This process is used to produce hard liquor. It is a type of liquor much more powerful than wine as its alcohol by volume content is higher. Distilling is completely illegal for you to do in your home. Besides, the distilling process should work through expert liquor companies that have enough experience in handling this setup. Be certain to examine the rules relating to making wine and what you can get out of the process. Do not think just once when getting the most out of your wine. Think carefully about how well your wine may be produced.

Chapter 2: Wines by Type When you read a wine list at a restaurant or go shopping for wine at a local retailer, you might see those wines divided up by kind. One section features white wines while another has red ones. One of the greatest parts of wine is that it is available in a variety of styles. Naturally, the most common types of wines that you could find are red and white wine. Figuring out the type of wine you want can make a real difference. Find a wine that you know you will enjoy making. Choose something that has a good flavor or tone to it. You will be impressed at how good well-made wine can be. On the surface, red and white wine is different in terms of their appearances. But what makes the two of them so different from each other? Such wines are made based on the grapes that you choose. Different types of grapes are responsible for producing wines in various forms. But the individual features of these wines are different from one another. The main point is that red wine has been in contact with the skins of the grapes used in its production. White wine has not been in such contact. The tannins within your wine make a huge impact on what you will get out of it. These compounds typically cause the wine to feel dry. Such tannins are found in the skins, seeds, and stems in your grapes. They will release into your wine as such compounds are stuck inside the juice being fermented. Your wine will have a darker appearance to it when the tannins have been soaking in the wine for a longer period. These tannins often cause your wine to have a bolder taste. This creates something a little more intense, a point that makes red wine better when consuming fleshier and meatier foods. With these points in mind, here are a few points to see regarding what makes red and white wine different from one another:

Red Wine

White Wine

Skins of grapes are in contact with the grape juice as it ferments

Grape skins are removed before the fermentation begins

Feature berry-like flavors or tones

More of a mineral flavor

Herbal or tobacco-like secondary tones can occur

Oily or nutty secondary tones develop

Tannins allow red wines to age longer

Tannins are not a factor

Has more of a smooth texture

Features a crisp and tart-like texture

Fleshier foods pair well with red wine

White wine is ideal for lighter foods with less of a texture

Tannins cause a dry feeling

Fewer tannins keep the wine from feeling too dry

Red and white wines are distinct. Look at what makes each option different, so you have a good idea of what is ideal for your wine making plans.

Specific Red Wines You could start by making one of many kinds of red wine in your home. The type of wine you would produce varies based on the particular grapes you order. A grape farmer should provide you with information on the particular type of grape you have ordered and how well it can support a good wine.

The great thing about red wine is that it has a rich body that takes a bit to consume. This is great as the best wines are ones that take a while for you to enjoy. You should have time to savor the wine you take in and have fun with it. Of course, there is the problem of red wine, creating some huge stains. It is tough to clean out red wine from any surface it gets on. The color of the wine is just too dense. That is just an appealing part of the character surrounding red wine. With this kind of wine, you will have something that looks beautiful and intriguing. Just make sure you watch for how you consume it and that you don’t try drinking it over a fancy rug. Here are a few of the more commonplace red wines that you might find. Each requires its specific growing temperature and goes well with specific foods: Type of Red Wine

Features

Shiraz (Syrah)

Hearty and spicy, deep flavor and tone Easier to drink has a berry-like tone Full-bodied with a

Merlot Cabernet

Growing Temperature (in F) 63-68

What It Pairs With

63-66

No specific; highly versatile Red meat

63-67

Most meats

Sauvignon Malbec

few peppery tones Easier to drink

62-66

Pinot noir

Very smooth

55-60

Zinfandel

Sweet and peppery 64-70

Sangiovese

Light in tone

63-67

Most meatbased entrees Chicken, lamb, and salmon Meats and most Italian foods Various Italian foods

Specific White Wines White wines are worth looking into as well. Some people find them easier to make because they don’t require you to stick the seeds, stems, or skins inside the juice while you are fermenting it. White wine is made with a light taste and goes down with relative ease. This ensures you don’t have any problems with consuming it. You might have an easier time consuming white wine if you aren’t careful. White wine does have kind of a yellowish tint to it when you look at it in the right light. That is just a natural feature of the wine.

Let us look at a few of these wines. As you will notice, these white wines

have grapes that grow based on cooler conditions. Type of White Wine

Features

Chardonnay

Wide-bodied with a sparkling tone Peppery and grassy tone with some smoky effects Fruity and sweet

Sauvignon blanc

Moscato

Growing Temperature (in F) 45-55 50-55

48-52

Pinot Grigio

Aromatic and fruity

50-55

Riesling

Light in tone with an apple-like flavor

48-58

What It Pairs With Fish and chicken Seafood and salads

With some desserts but best on its own Varied; highly versatile Fish and chicken

The boldest wines tend to grow in warmer conditions. Lighter wines are best for cooler climates. Check on how well you can grow grapes for wines where you live.

A Word about Rose Wine It’s also possible to make rose wine. Such wine is right in the middle between red and white. It is distinguished by its light appearance. This would require a bit of effort on your part. You would have to get black-skinned grapes and have skins exposed with the juice for a brief period. One day is typically enough. The color will be more intense if the skins are left in for a longer amount of time.

Some rose wine products might include a few additional fruits added to the mix. Strawberry and raspberry may be added to the wine to create a light pink tone and even a bit of extra flavor. This could be interesting and worth looking into when you’re trying to create something unique. Feel free to experiment with as many types of wine as you want. The great thing about the world of wine is that it is very diverse and appealing. You are bound to find something great when researching and choosing wines that you know will fit in perfectly with your wine making plans.

Chapter 3: Timing Wine You have probably heard that saying about old wine being better. Maybe you recall those old television commercials where Orson Welles tells you to never buy wine before its time…when he isn’t drunk off of the product, that is. Well, it is true that it takes a while for wine to be ready. The fermentation and aging process takes a while. The final product is certainly worthwhile. There are no specific timetables as to how long you have to wait for your grape plants to ferment properly. It takes around 10 to 15 days for wine to ferment at the least. You then need another week for the wine to clear up after it ferments so it will not weaken quickly. The fermentation process should be undisturbed for the most part. The wine has to age properly, while the yeast you apply into the mix moves through well enough. I’ll talk a little more about the yeast later on in this guide.

Storage Plans The wine would have to age for a few weeks for the best results. You could technically consume the wine right then and there, but it is best to wait a month or two for the wine to fully mature and have a bolder and more detailed flavor.

Everything must be fully secured in containers to ensure nothing spoils or ages prematurely. You will learn more about how to use proper containers a little later on in this guide. You don’t need fancy containers for your wines either. Be certain that you look at what is available, so you have materials that are easy to support.

The Shelf Life of Wine Wine can last for a good period if prepared right and stored properly. Here are a few points for how long wine could last for on average: Type of Wine

Average Lifespan

Bottled white wine

1 to 2 years, possibly longer if kept in a cool climate

Bottled red wine

2 to 3 years, longer if kept in the dark

Wine juice box

1 year; it must be insulated properly

Opened bottle of white wine

1 to 3 days

Opened bottle of red wine

1 week

Opened box of wine

6 to 9 months

Additional information on storing your wine so it will last longer will be covered in a later chapter.

Aging Wine It is true that there are lots of old bottles of wine out there. These include bottles that are several years of age. Wine enthusiasts argue that the oldest wines around are the most appealing and valuable because of how they have been aged to perfection. There’s a reason why in 1997, someone paid more than $100,000 to get a Chateau Mouton Rothschild wine bottle from 1945. But your efforts in making such wines will not entail trying to make ones that will last for generations. The truth is that it takes decades for you to make fine wine.

A “fine wine” is one that comes from a professional vineyard that has been around for generations and has an established a series of grape plants and an extensive fermentation center. More importantly, such wine is one heralded by experts in the field who taste them regularly to determine which ones are the most valuable. I would love to make fine wines myself, but those wines probably would not get anywhere near that status until long after I am dead. I bet other people who started famous wineries around the world knew that just as well when they started their operations. But still, the wines that are produced today are made to be just as appealing even if they aren’t going to last as long. The taste of your wine is influenced by not only time but also by the quality of your grapes. In short, don’t stress out and try to make something that would last for years. Be willing just to try and produce something you know is great for now. Besides, practice always makes perfect.

Waiting for Grapes to Grow While you could always use pre-existing grapes to produce your wines, you might also have a desire to get your wine plants ready. It could take a while for you to plant and prepare such plants. Your efforts for planning and ordering vines and getting the soil ready for them will take a while. It could take months for grapes to grow off of a fresh vine. Fortunately, you will have an infinite supply of grapes if you take care of your plants well enough. Those plants will grow quickly and effortlessly when treated right. Create an open space for your plants as well. The plants should be in spots where they can expand while having enough room for growth. Your grape plant is not going to expand in terms of ground cover. It does grow based on how many grapes are produced over time. The plant climbs

upward and becomes a little stronger after a while. This adds a nice design that offers a more relaxed body. Be ready to spend a good amount on your wine. It always takes a while to make wine, but no good thing comes without effort.

Chapter 4: First Things First Now it is time for us to discuss what you would require for getting the most out of your wine making plans. Let us start by looking at what you would require out of the process at the start. The key point about these items is that they will provide you with a cheap solution for preparing wine. I am not asking you to blow loads of money in the process. After all, the title of this book does say that the process is all about working while on a budget.

Proper Containers I want to start by looking at how you will store your wine. You must keep your wine protected and in a secure series of containers. The problem is that you have to get everything sized properly while organizing individual items based on their overall functions. It is not always easy to do this, but you will spend your time wisely when you set up a quality container system. Start by getting the correct containers ready for your wine. Various types of containers can be used in the process, including plastic options. You could even get some wooden barrels if desired. These are often used by professional winemakers who want to add some woodsy tones to their wines. Barrels also ensure that the wine is kept in a dark place as it is being prepared. But for budget purposes, it is best to use glass containers. Glass jars are perfect for how they are easy to clean off and prepare. You would require the following two types of jars: 1. A separate container for mixing grapes with other ingredients. 2. A carboy for securing the wine; this is what your wine will be stored in for weeks on end You could have as many of these two types of jars as you want. The key is to have enough to where you can support the individual materials you wish to

produce.

The cost associated with glass jars can vary. A one-gallon jar or jug may go for about $15 to $20. A five-gallon carboy bottle would go for $30 to $50. A carboy is a great option for wine making. This glass container features a small neck. It keeps the air inside the container under control and supports a stopper to keep excess oxygen from getting in there. This allows the yeast to convert the grape sugar into alcohol, thus giving you the wine you want. But when finding glass, you must look for the following points: The glass materials you get must be completely new. They should not have been used for preparing other foods as some bits from those items could run off into your wine and ruin it. This is especially important if anything salty or sour like pickles were inside the glass container. Each container must be perfectly intact. Anything with even the slightest chip or crack might be risky. Look for something with a darker body. A glass jar with a brownish or blue-tinted body is great as it keeps the light that

might get into the jar from being too strong. Of course, you should keep the jar in a dark place; the tint of the glass just makes it a little easier for the wine to stay protected. Just look at how well glass works for your needs. You might be surprised at how well glass works as it not only insulates the wine well but also offers a safe space for your needs.

Could a Plastic Fermenter Work? A plastic fermenter could be appealing. Such a unit would cost around $30 for a five-gallon size. This should have a secure space with enough room for your wine. But even with that, plastic is not necessarily perfect. The problem with plastic materials is that sometimes they have chemical compounds used to keep their bodies intact. Check the bottom of any plastic container if you wish to go down that route. See that it has a #1 PET or #2 HDPE label on it. These two plastic forms are the only ones safe for wine making. Any other option might allow oxygen to sneak into the wine. A #7 plastic would be even worse as it is more likely to be made with chemical compounds.

What About Wood? Oak barrels and other wooden containers are staples in the massive cellars and brewing stations professional winemakers have today. Such large-scale wineries use wood because the material creates a fully insulated space for fermentation and storage. Wood also produces a more natural-feeling tone into the wine, thus creating a more detailed flavor. However, a wooden barrel is not necessarily the most affordable thing for you to have. It would cost a few hundred dollars for you to get a single wooden barrel. This would entail a new barrel that has not been used for anything else and would be safe to handle. Also, most wooden barrels tend to be relatively large in size. You would

be hard-pressed to find a barrel that features less than ten gallons of room. Simply put, wooden barrels are better suited for more advanced operations when you have gotten used to the process of making wine. Therefore, sticking with glass containers is the best thing to do. Wood is made for professionals and those who are highly successful and have large amounts of money to work with.

More Container Options Now that we have an overview of the different container options available to you, let us dive deeper into more details about the right container to choose. Your fermentation container should be one of the most important decisions you will have to make during wine making, as well as your aging container. There is a wide variety of sizes and materials you can choose from, whether you’re thinking about plastic buckets and bins or stainless steel tanks and kegs. The first factor you need to consider is how much wine you actually plan to make. Second, what kind of wine do you plan to ferment, and are they readily available in your particular location?

Tubs Made from food-grade plastic resins, these plastic tubs include large picking bins as well as food-grade plastic trashcans and buckets. You will likely find polyethylene or polypropylene as the primary component of these tubs. Just make sure that these containers do not contain Bisphenol A (BPA), as you definitely wouldn’t want your wine to contain those harmful chemicals. To make sure you’re on the right track, check the bottom of the container. You should see the seal of the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) to ensure that the certified food-grade status is indicated. You should also see a recycling code of 1, 4, or 5 along with the seal. Keep in mind that the recycling code 7 means that the container has BPA—you’d better steer clear of those.

Fermentation buckets will be easily available at most local homebrew supply shops, with sizes varying from 5 gallons (19 L) to 6.5 gallons (25 L). For food-grade trash cans, you will find them in commercial food production as they are being used as containers for various ingredients. You can pick sizes that include 10 gallons (38 L), 20 gallons (76 L), 32 gallons (121 L), or 44 gallons (167 L) depending on your usage. Fruit-growing regions of the country will have half-ton bins or large picking bins readily available. If you don’t live anywhere near these regions, you will have to shell out a few bucks for shipping via motor freight. They will normally have a size of 1.2 m x 1.2 m x 61 cm. Ideally, if you’re going to be fermenting red wine primarily, these open plastic fermenters can do the job nicely. You should have approximately 12 to 15 gallons of capacity to make room for the must and the cap for every 100 pounds of crushed grapes (1–1.3 L/kg). With this allowance in a 10-gallon (38-L)   bucket, you should be able to ferment approximately 65 lbs. (29 kg). A 32-gallon (121-L)   trash can should give you a nice, hearty yield of over 200 pounds (91 kg), while a half-ton bin should give you about a ton (900 kg). Just make sure that your containers provide a pool for the red wine must. This should be shallow enough such that the cap is just a few inches thick (approximately 7 cm). Here’s a handy tip: a lid or a sheet of plastic can be pretty useful if you want to cover your bin and keep fruit flies at bay. This can also help you contain the fermentation heat to a certain degree. If you’re looking to ferment white wine or you want to perform a little wine aging, tubs probably aren’t your best bet. You will need a tightly fitted lid along with a fermentation lock for that—otherwise, the fermenting juice or the wine will be exposed to too much air due to the large surface area at the top. This further increases the risk of oxidation. Finally, if you want to have a large scale wine production using fresh grapes, any container or tub that is smaller than 20 gallons (76 L)   won’t do you any good. This can only be practical for small trial batches. However, if you have huge bins, you might not be able to move them with ease, either.

For instance, a 44-gallon (176-L)   sized tub won’t likely be moved after you fill it up until pressing day comes, as this weighs over 300 pounds (136 kg). You can use a forklift to move the half-ton (454-kg) bins, but do you honestly have the luxury of that kind of machinery in your start-up home business? I really don’t think so.

Jugs Bottle-shaped containers and glass containers with narrow mouths are included under this type. Be wary of having these shipped, as larger glass containers have a tendency to break. If you can source these containers locally, you will significantly reduce the risk of wasting your investments on broken containers mishandled during the shipping process. You can choose from traditional glass 1-gallon (3.8-L)   jugs, 5-gallon (19-L), 6-gallon (23-L), and 6.5-gallon (25-L) jugs, as well as glass and plastic carboys in 3-gallon (11-L) sizes. There are also larger glass demijohns in 9-gallon (34-L) and 14-gallon (53-L)   variants available in some places. Glass is easy to clean, sturdy, and a fantastic way of barring oxygen transfer. They are pretty durable, but they also shatter upon impact, so handling with care is a must. It also allows light to strike the wine, so cover it up if you must. As for plastic jugs, these carboys are normally made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET for fermentation. While not as impervious as glass, they are free of BPA as well and can perform well as oxygen barriers. Here’s a tip: don’t go for the blue-tinted water jugs that you can readily see at your local hardware store, as they normally contain BPA and aren’t safe for fermented beverages. Whether you’re using plastic or glass, the narrow neck of these jugs makes it easy to install a fermentation lock that has a corresponding drilled rubber stopper. They work best for white wine fermentation and for wine aging. You may also use waterless silicone breather bungs. When you’re performing primary fermentation, make sure that you fill the

carboy up to no more than three-quarters. This will allow your container some room for any foaming. It’s also easy to place these jugs inside a fridge or a chest freezer for your wine cellar, making for easier temperaturecontrolled fermentation. If you’re planning on aging your wine, you should top up the jug with any compatible wine to the bottom of the neck. You can fit the solid stoppers while you are aging, but if you really want to make room for thermal expansion without running the risk of losing the bung, you can use a breather bung or a fermentation lock during aging. This will also help reduce the risk of pressurizing and breaking the bottle. Plastic carboys can set you back by $25 to $35, while a gallon jug can cost as little as $5. Be prepared to shell out approximately $70 for large glass demijohns.

Tanks Home winemakers usually use cylindrical stainless steel tanks. These are normally fitted with an internal lid that is held in place securely by an inflatable vinyl gasket. This allows the lid to be held properly in place regardless of the height in the tank. Tanks will likely have a port low on one side for proper draining, with a flat bottom and a need to be placed on a shelf or a stand to let gravity do its work. Some will have welded legs, while some will have a cone-shaped bottom with a center drain. You can choose from 50 L (13 gallons) to 1,000 L (260 gallons) sizes. If you choose one of the larger-sized tanks, you will probably notice that there may be a stainless steel jacket that is welded around the middle. This belt is used for cooling. You may also find a separate glycol chiller unit that is properly connected to ports on the jacket. These variants will inevitably cost you more than those types without cooling jackets, with prices ranging from $300 to $1,000 depending on the size. Because these tanks are made from stainless steel, they are completely safe for beverages. They are also incredibly easy to clean when you remove

the lid. The weight of an 800-L-sized tank is manageable by a single individual—of course, if they’re full, the tanks are not portable, either. When you’re cleaning these stainless steel tanks, keep in mind that you shouldn’t use bleach in order to avoid any pitting. You can use these tanks as either open or closed fermenters because there is a port in the lid of a variable capacity tank. You can fit a fermentation lock in these ports for convenience. Since we’re talking about stainless steel tanks, I might as well mention commercial draft beer kegs or half barrels. With a volume of 15.5 gallons (59 L), these have a mechanism at the top that helps to facilitate dispensing the draft beer. You can use it for white or rosé primary fermentation as well as for general wine aging. You simply need a special silicone breather bung that is particularly made for a beer keg. This custom breather bung should accommodate the depth of the neck to help you ferment and seal properly during aging. Expect to shell out about $50 to $100 for kegs—they’re definitely more affordable than variable capacity tanks. Cleaning is a bit of a challenge, though, as the narrow necks need a brush or a scrub for thorough cleaning. You also won’t be able to use them for conventional red wine primary fermentation, either.

Barrels Made from chestnut or oak, these wine barrels have been used for ages in wine storage, and for a good reason—they seal incredibly well and can retain wine just as superbly. Sizes range from 1 gallon (3.8 L) to 60 gallons (225 L). They also guard against any excessive oxidation because of the narrow bung opening. Because these barrels have slightly porous material, oxygen is transported slowly and gently to the wine. They also have the ability to provide a wealth of flavors to the wine itself, along with a certain type of rich sweetness that comes from toasted oak wood. You have the option of buying a brand new barrel, or you may also buy a

reconditioned barrel, with a specified toasting level of light toast, medium, dark, or charred. The barrel can last from four to six years, and the oak contribution can get used up as well. When this happens, the price for used barrels drops. You can expect to shell out about $1,000 for a new 60 gallon (225 L) barrel, or you may also find used barrels for as little as $50, all depending on size. Barrels are especially effective for wine aging, but this will also depend on size as well. Commercial barrels go for about 60-gallon (225-L) sizes, but if you go smaller than that, the ratio of oak surface area to wine volume increases. A smaller barrel will give you a faster oak flavor contribution compared to a larger barrel. For new barrels, you should try to follow this rule of thumb: for every gallon of capacity that your barrel has, you should allow one week of aging. You can also make good use of your barrels through fermentation and malolactic fermentation (MLF). Chardonnay and other white wines can ferment well in barrels. You can also convert your barrel to a red wine fermenter, but be careful not to use a red-wine fermenter as a white-wine barrel—this should help you prevent any kind of color carryover. To convert a neutral barrel into a red wine fermenter, simply stand the barrel on end and cut out the top using a reciprocating saw. Make sure to leave approximately two inches or about 5cm of the top to make it stronger. Then, drive a bung into the bunghole for your red wine. The oak should provide a unique mouthfeel. Always clean your containers no matter what they are made of. To clean a barrel, you can use a percarbonate or sodium carbonate solution and let it soak overnight. Afterward, rinse it out thoroughly using a citric acid solution. This should be able to neutralize the alkaline cleaning agent. You can add a sulfite solution inside if you’re going to store the barrel for a little while. You can burn disks or sulfur sticks inside the barrel for dry storage over a longer period of time, once every couple of weeks.

Additional Materials

You will need much more than just a jug. Here are some more materials that you will need to invest in.

Tubing A siphoning tube must be applied in the next part. This tube transfers the wine from the main mixing jar into the carboy bottle. The tube may come with a slight filter or strainer. Such a piece keeps the pulp or skins from your original mixing jar from getting into the carboy. Your final product will be smooth and crisp without any chunks or bits in the way provided you secure it well enough. Such a tube requires a simple process for it to work: 1. You would have to place the carboy at a spot lower than the mixing jar. 2. As you insert the tube into the mixing jar, you must move it up and down. This draws out the wine. 3. The pressure generated causes the wine to move into the carboy provided that the tube has been positioned there.

This is a simple process that keeps the wine moving between containers. It is simple and easy to follow. A siphon tube can be acquired for around $10. Such a tube will go for

about five to eight feet. Make sure that tube is thick and flexible. See that you have a cap that allows you to stick a tube into the main bottle so it can move the wine into the carboy. It must be flexible enough to move through well while still allowing the wine to move through without having lots of excess air get in the way. On a related note, you could find an automatic siphon tube that produces an up-and-down motion. The plastic material uses a small switch that triggers the function. The convenience of such a tool does cost you a little extra, though, as you would have to spend a few dollars more for such a model.

Airlock and Stopper An airlock is the next part to go into the mix. An airlock is responsible for keeping air from getting in and out of your wine.

The airlock applies alongside a stopper that fits through the bottle’s neck. The airlock keeps the stopper in the neck and ensures there is enough pressure applied. A #8 or #9 stopper should be good enough.

The airlock and stopper are available through most retailers for less than $10. Each part should be flexible enough to fit into the bottle and force itself into the neck to keep air from being a threat.

Stirrer A stirrer is required to mix the wine. A plastic handle is often good enough, although a metal unit might work better. It does not have lots of pores in its body.

You should find a stirrer for just a few dollars. Get several stirrers on hand so that you won’t use the same one too many times. You do not want to use the same one several times over, as it might be hard to support after a while. Some stirrers may be marketed as models designed for preparing fine cocktails. These might sound attractive and fancy, but just make sure the stirrer you get is long enough for your containers. The stirrer should reach deep into your wine, so it mixes everything up without your hands getting in direct contact with the wine.

Funnel

A funnel is to be added at the top of a bottle or carboy to pour the liquid into that vessel. This keeps the liquid in the vessel without it spilling all around. You should not spend more than just a few dollars on a funnel. The funnel does not have to be overly large. Just make the funnel large enough to where the siphon tube gets into the middle space. Do not waste too much space with getting it secured.

Turkey Baster A basic turkey baster should be added for sampling purposes. With a turkey baster, you will gently take out some of your wine from the carboy for sampling. This is to be done after fermentation, so you get a clear idea of how well your wine is being made.

This is another tool that only costs a few dollars. It is indispensable for when you are checking on the individual wine samples you are producing.

Bottles for the Final Product Two-liter bottles and jugs of wine are available through some retailers. These cost a few dollars each and feature dark tones to keep light from getting into your wine. You have the option to take your old bottles from your home and use them for storage purposes. You would have to sterilize all your bottles to make them suitable for storage needs. All of these items should be prepared properly for the wine making process. Get everything you need as soon as possible, so it will not be tough to prepare your wines.

Chapter 5: Sourcing Grapes The next part of getting wine ready is to get the grapes needed to make it. Grapes are important for how they produce the juices needed for great wines.

Grapes are found in many forms, as you noticed earlier. Any kind of grape will do the trick. But when picking your grapes, you have to look at how well they are made. You have the option to buy grapes or to order grapevines that you could grow your grapes on. The grapes you have must be ready for consumption. They should be fully ripe and ready for fermentation. Your grape must also be easy to press and crush. Review how well your grapes are prepared, and you will find that it is not hard to get the most out of them.

Buying Grapes It might be a challenge for you to grow grapevines. Fortunately, you do have the option to buy grapes from your local grocery store if desired. But you must look for organic grapes when possible.

The problem with finding grapes at supermarkets is that you never know if they are safe to use for your wine making needs. Some of these grapes might be treated with chemical compounds. Too many farms these days use such compounds to make it easier for them to grow and survive against various diseases. There are many organic grocery stores out there that offer grapes that have not been treated with chemicals. Local farmer’s markets often have grapes that are made without any pesticides or other chemicals. See if any farmers who grow these grapes are on-site while a market is open. Ask questions about the grapes and how they are made. Various major grocery store chains have begun to offer organic sections. Kroger, Harris Teeter, and Publix have been expanding upon the number of organic products around. The selection of options available for your organic needs may vary based on where you go. Places that focus on organic and natural foods are popular too. Spots like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have spread out around the entire country. Meanwhile, regional grocers like Pathmark in the Mid-Atlantic and Hannaford in the northeast have become popular for focusing primarily on organics. Look for grapes that are truly organic. Do not stick with anything that was processed or modified in any way.

Sourcing Specific Wine Grapes The grapes you would find at a local market are typically basic ones or “table grapes.” Those fruits are designed to be consumed on their own or mixed with salads, among other everyday entrees. But where can you find the ones that are made specifically with certain types of wine in mind? What can you do to get your hands on the fancy grapes that people engineer solely for wine making purposes? You should not just ask for any ordinary grapes. You need ones that stand out and offer some appealing textures. You need wine grapes. It is much easier to find those fancy wine grapes in places where they are commonly used. You might have a better shot at finding them in California or New Mexico, among other places where wines are commonly grown. You have the option to buy wines that come from vineyards around the country. This is provided that you are in a place where you can legally get specific grapes for wine making purposes. Remember, there are rules in some parts of the country with regards to where you can legally get grapes to make your wine. It has never been easier to buy grapes for wine making than it is now. You could buy grapes online from one of the various retailers.

Buying Vines You have the option to buy vines that allow you to grow grapes. Various vines are available from a variety of great wineries. These places offer vines that can be planted into your soil and then monitored regularly. This is to give you great grapes that will stick around for years to come. This is intriguing to see, but it helps to look at how well these plants may work.

Vines are similar to what you would find at a much larger vineyard. These are made with tall bodies that stand out from the soil and produce various grapes. Think about these as miniature trees of sorts. There are a few things to look for when buying vines: Look at how well the grapes grow off of a vine plant. They should be rather full-bodied. See how long a vine will last for. With proper care and regular maintenance, you could get a vine to last for two to four years. See when someone will ship out your vine to you. A vineyard might have to wait until a certain time of the year to get your shipment out. This is to ensure that a proper base for your vine is ready. This is also so the wine can be harvested at only the best possible time. Check on whether your plant can grow in soil where you are. Some plants do better in spots where the soil is a little warmer.

Tips for Buying Grape Vines

It is true that many live grapes can be sent out to your property as soon as possible. But when ordering such grapes, you must keep a few things in mind: Think about the specific type of grape plant you are getting. Are the grapes you are ordering appropriate for a certain type of wine, or could they be suited for practically anything you want? See when the grape plant is being shipped out to you. Sometimes you might get the grape plant in a few days after you order it. In other cases, you would have to wait until a specific time period when the farmer can get it harvested. The window of delivery would be massive at that point. Review the standards the grape farmer uses for getting a particular shipment ready. Sometimes the farmer might use properly insulated materials to keep the grapes from being too warm while preventing them from shifting around during the shipping process. Your grapes must be ready for consumption while being safe to use. You need to see how well those grapes are made, so whatever you have is easy to make and use.

Maintaining Grapes and Vines After getting a vine, look at how well you will maintain your plants. Keep the temperature comfortable while nourishing your plants properly so they can last long enough. There are several points you must follow as you maintain your grape plants and vines: Plant your vines in the spring. This is around the time when they can start growing grapes. Soak the roots for a few hours before planting them. Let the

roots feel stimulated. Find a space with enough sun. Natural light is required for triggering the vine’s natural ability to produce grapes. Review the soil you add your plant into. It needs to be properly circulated and aerated. It must offer enough drainage so the vines will not be at risk of flooding. Check on the temperatures in your area as you are growing your plants. The best conditions are in the spring when the weather is relatively cool even as the vines get enough sunlight for stimulation. Refer to the earlier section for details on the best weather conditions for individual grape plants. Review the fertilization standards needed for a plant. All grape plants have their needs for fertilizer or other growth compounds. Some might not require anything extra as they feature self-fertile bodies. The group that sells you a vine should give you information on how to use fertilizer and what needs to be in it (provided fertilizer is required in the process). Create a support beam like a trellis around your vine before you plant it. A grapevine must be trained to stand upright if it is young. This not only strengthens the plant but also prevents diseases from developing. All these plans for growing a vine must be used carefully. You have to keep your plant steady and active if you want to get the most grapes out of it.

Planning Your Vineyard from Scratch Now, the previous section is all about buying grapes or maintaining the vines that you bought, but what about planting your own vineyard from scratch? If the thought of planting your very own vineyard seems like an

intimidating or gargantuan task, don’t worry—you can always start small. After all, you won’t be able to make quality wine if you don’t have quality ingredients in the first place. Start with a small backyard vineyard. Make sure you plan everything before winter comes, as it will be easier for you to place your vines in the ground when the warmer weather rolls around. If you still find the whole idea intimidating, why not reach out to other grape growers in your area? Find out what and when they planted, how they managed the roots of the vines, if they used special rootstock, or how their watering routine looks like.

Start at the Soil Start at the root of the plant, literally. Begin with preparing the soil. Are you sure that you’ve done due diligence on making soil samples? Have you checked for what nutrients are available, and have you prepped yourself for potential soil issues that may arise? To check your soil quality, dig a deep hole of about three feet using a shovel, and sample your subsoil. Scrape about an inch to 12 inches of soil and keep them in labeled Ziploc bags. Make sure you separate the soil that you scrape off from two feet deeper into another bag and label it. Normally, your local Agriculture Extension Office will have a laboratory that can help evaluate the soil for you. Your soil samples from different layers of the soil will help them determine whether or not you have enough nutrients for wine grapes. They will also help determine if your soil has a desirable neutral pH of around 7 (any lower and your soil will be considered acidic). Ideally, you should try to steer clear of clay soil and aim for welldrained sandy loam. Now, the weather in your area will be a huge factor in the type of grapevines you can grow. Producing mature Vitis vinifera fruit will require between 150 to 200 frost-free days, and will help you make wines such as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. If you have more unpredictable weather, you can try to stay safe with hardier variants from the North American Vitis labrusca. Hybrid vines can help you produce Norton, Baco Noir, Chardonnel, or Chancellor.

In general, if you live in the West and Northwest, your Vitis vinifera will likely thrive, as in the Southwest, Midwest, and Northeast regions. However, it’s important to remember that vinifera grapevines will die under very cold temperatures as anything below 20° Fahrenheit may kill the buds and canes. On the other hand, higher temperatures can scorch the plants and dry the grapes. As for pests, your local Agricultural Extension office will once again play an important role in helping your brace against these nuisances. If you have no netting or fencing around you and you live in an area that is populated with rabbits, deer, starlings, and wild pigs, then your vineyard will simply serve as food for the wildlife around you. Insects may also carry various diseases and affect your plants. There are, however, good bugs like praying mantises, spiders, lacewings, and lady beetles to help kill off pests for you. Now that you know how to plant your vines in good soil under ideal temperatures, it’s time to see how you can water them. Your hose water will generally be good enough for irrigation. To make things more efficient, you can water your vines using drip irrigation. You can have these installed professionally to reduce water wastage and to make sure that you don’t overwater your vines. To set up your own irrigation system, use a perforated hose, and set it up along the base of your grapevines. You can also set it up underground (hire a professional to do this, so you don’t end up messing with your soil). Good drip irrigation systems can help keep fungal diseases at bay due to excess moisture. When do you water your vines, then? Keep the soil moist consistently when your vines are in their first growing season as they start out from cuttings. When they grow into larger vines, you should only water them about once every two or three weeks. Of course, make sure you adjust the water amounts based on the weather in your area. For instance, if you live in a hot and dry region, you need about 8 to 10 gallons of water every day for each vine.

On average, you will need 250 vines to make 60 gallons of wine or about 20 pounds of fresh fruit for each gallon. That sounds like a lot, but if you care for your vines well, you should have no problem. For example, make sure that you trellis your vines using either a vertical shoot system with wires shooting straight up a wall or sprawling on a common wire trellis in ample spaces. Allot less than eight feet between rows. Between the plants, allot less than 4 feet.

Best Practices for Your Vineyard In order to maximize your vines, break up the soil before winter arrives. Making sure that your soil is loose only ensures that the roots of the vies will take deeper root into the soil. If you have soil that has poor drainage, you can dig the soil about three feet deep and scatter small stones throughout to encourage better drainage. If you have the luxury to do so, you can also stack a couple of lightcolored rocks under your grapevines. These will reflect the light into the canopy, which will, in turn, keep your soil nice and warm when night falls. While not necessary, it can also help the fruit mature. Try to plant a cover crop depending on your soil. For instance, you can boost the nitrogen content of your soil if you plant some clovers and vetch. You can prevent erosion during rains with crops like barley, rye, and other grass types. You can also boost your pest control capabilities with flowers like marigolds to attract beneficial insects in your vineyard. It’s important to protect your vineyard from moles, gophers, rabbits, and deer. Fence your vineyard well using underground chicken wire of about ¾ inches sunk about two feet deep. Make sure to enclose your whole vineyard around the perimeter to keep the gophers away. You may also want to consider keeping a pet dog or cat to serve as a deterrent for pigs, rabbits, and deer. When your fruits begin to ripen, you will also need to be wary of birds, so a bird netting is also a good idea. Spacing is very important in a vineyard. Believe it or not, closer spacing is ideal these days, because when the vines are spaced close together, they tend

to compete more vigorously for nutrients. As the root systems compete for water and other essentials, the vines get smaller and produce more intense fruit because of the lack of issues with sprawl and fruit shading. If you have a small backyard space, you can space your plants three feet between rows and three feet between plants. Spray and tend to your vines by hand. Don’t underestimate the value of amendments to your soil. Your soil should have a neutral pH of 7, with the right balance of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Grapevines should have NPK levels of 4 to 8 ppm, 30 to 75 ppm, and 81 to 500 ppm, respectively. When you add your amendments, mix them into the top two feet of your soil, allowing the water to carry them to the roots downward. Have you ever heard of mycorrhizae fungus? You can inoculate your baby vines with this (check www.vamtech.com or other online farm suppliers) to boost the ability of the vines to uptake water and nutrients. Simply sprinkle mycorrhizae powder on the roots to inoculate the vines.

Gathering the Grapes After all of your hard work on growing your grapevines, now comes the rewarding part—harvesting them. Grapes begin to ripen with the growth period known as veraison. This is when the fruit starts to transform into grapes from hard green berries. It should take your vines approximately 30 to 70 days before they reach this stage after the fertilized flowers fall off and turn into bunches of tiny grapes. This normally occurs around July or August in the north and around January or February in the south. During this stage, you will see how the grapes turn greenish-yellow or red and purple, depending on the grape variety. They start to soften and increase in size, mainly as sugar gets pumped into the fruits and acidity wanes. Take note: there is a higher potential alcohol level for the wine if there is more sugar. If this stage doesn’t occur in all of your vines at the same time, don’t worry—that’s perfectly normal. Shadier and cooler areas tend to go slower

when it comes to veraison compared to vines exposed to more sunlight. If you notice that a particular vine has too many leaves that hinder sunlight and promote mildew on the bunches, don’t hesitate to remove the leaves around the grapes to help encourage air circulation and ripening. As the color of the grapes darkens, and the tannins soften, you may decide that it’s time to harvest your grapes. You can always test them out first to see if they’re ready—eventually, you’ll get the hang of determining whether or not your own plants are ripe enough without needing any samples. It’s always best to harvest your grapes by hand whenever you can—after all, you took so much care in growing them, so you should also exercise the same TLC when harvesting them. Just in case the skin of the grapes breaks accidentally during harvest, they can start to ferment prematurely under the heat. As such, it may be a better idea to harvest during dawn or at night just to be on the safer side. When you’re happy with your grape harvest, you need to crush them to get the fermentation process going with your yeast. Traditionally, people used to use the classic foot-stomping method for a variety of reasons. Some say that the foot provides more control over the flavor profile of the wine, while others say that it adds more complexity to the taste. For others, it’s just plain good ol’ fun—and no, the wine doesn’t end up tasting like feet, of course. Today, you can always use automated crusher-destemmers to break the skins open. Of course, not all backyard vineyards will have heavy machinery and equipment available, so you can always do these by hand, which I’ll talk about later in the book. Here’s a quick recap on harvesting your grapes: You should be ready to get your grapes for the wine once they have become fully grown. After a while, the grapes should appear ripe and fullbodied in color and appearance. The harvesting process should take place during the summer or fall season. The warmer temperatures of the summer allow for the grapes to grow and mature. The cooler temperatures are simply there to make it easier for the plants to germinate and produce new buds.

Sample a few grapes from your vines as needed. See that they taste well. Do not use them just yet if you cannot identify a flavor or if the grapes feel too rough. You can store your grapes for up to six weeks at a time in a cellar. Keep them separate from other foods, so nothing gets in the way of their textures. You should start preparing your wine as soon as possible. The wine plants should be prepared well, so the wine will taste its best in the end. Regardless of whether you buy your grapes or plant them yourself, you should see that the grapes you get are suitable for your wine plans. Look for ones that are easy to work with and do not require too much stress on your part to make them ready for use.

Chapter 6: The Process of Making Wine Now that we know what type of wine we want to make, have sourced the materials, grapes, and have a space to create wine, we can finally get down to the real business of wine making. While we will examine the process in greater detail, the basic, simplified overview for making wine includes: 1. Sterilizing everything you are planning on using. 2. Clean and prep the grapes. 3. Squish the juice from the grapes. 4. Add sugar and yeast according to the packet directions. 5. Mix the entire thing together thoroughly for about two minutes using your sterilized stirrer. 6. Once the ingredients are properly mixed, and your airlock is attached, it is time to allow the wine to ferment. 7. Test for sugar content and taste preference. 8. Move the wine to bottles for aging. Seems simple enough, right? Well, we are only halfway through this guide and are just now getting to the good part!

Sterilizing Your Equipment Sterilization is a practice that entails getting rid of bacteria off of any surface. Very sensitive materials are always sterilized to keep people from being at risk of getting in contact with harmful compounds. When was the last time you went to a hospital? You might have noticed some of the extensive materials used by a hospital to clean off utensils.

Sometimes you might see individual items that are wrapped for single use because they have been fully sterilized beforehand. The general point is that sterilization is necessary for keeping items protected and at less of a risk of harming someone. This is a point that especially works for when you are trying to consume foods. Companies that make food products always sterilize their machines and utensils, so anything they prepare is safe for consumption. You must put in your own sterilization effort into the process of making wine. But to make this work, you have to use the proper materials for cleaning off items the right way. Before you get started with making wine, you have to sterilize your equipment. On the surface, you might think that your equipment is clean. A clear surface and no visible traces of dirt might suggest everything is good to go. But even the smallest things could be stuck inside your containers and other bits of equipment. Even the minutest forms of bacteria could get around your equipment. Every piece of equipment you use should be sterilized. This means that every surface is cleaned down with all bits of bacteria killed off in the process. I know this does not sound like a very fun part of the process. But it is the most important part when it is all considered. The goal is to create a smooth and strong surface for wine making. A quick note: The sterilization process must work even if you have completely new materials for your wine making plans. Just because something has never been used in the past does not mean it could have some bacteria. You never know what something might collect while in transit or storage.

Step 1: Cleaning

Before you sterilize your equipment, you have to clean each piece out. The basic cleaning process is done before the sterilization occurs. As you clean your surfaces, you get rid of old dirt and bacteria compounds. These include some of the more visible materials you might find around your utensils. Any kind of soap may be utilized, but do try and find something a little stronger if possible. Here are two of the more commonplace compounds you may use for cleaning off your equipment. Percarbonates Look for percarbonates for your cleaning needs. These contain hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate. These remove dirt and other deposits from all around. Percarbonates use a mix of active oxygen and an alkali agent to lift off bacteria and dirt. Hydrogen peroxide offers a slight bit of cleansing. These are ideal for cleaning off difficult stains. The use of oxygen especially does well for taking care of your surface. Do keep percarbonates from being stuck on your materials for too long, though. Chlorine Chlorine is traditionally used in swimming pools, but it also fits in well with wine making. Chlorine is a bleach-like compound that has been slightly diluted to where it is safe to process. That is, the substance is not as toxic as straightforward bleach. Add around two and a half tablespoons of chlorine for every five gallons of water. Let this soak for around 30 minutes. Rinse off the chlorine and water mix with clean water, so any residue that might be stuck to the surface is properly removed. Chlorine works best if you have glass materials. It will not work on plastic or stainless steel surfaces. Chlorine could break through those materials. Watch for how well the chlorine is washed off. See that any streaks produced are cleared off properly. Any streaks that persist might be signs of

chlorine deposits that are still stuck on a surface. Wash off those materials as soon as possible, so everything is treated right.

Step 2: Sanitizing The sanitization process focuses heavily on ensuring that all compounds are sealed and secured without outside problems getting in the way. To sanitize a surface, add one of the following options with water. The solution you produce should soak for about five to ten minutes on average and then be rinsed off with clean water. Some solutions require you to rinse them off sooner. Chlorine (Again!) While chlorine does indeed help with the cleansing process, it also works as a sanitizer. You would have to add a quarter of a teaspoon of chlorine with each gallon of water. Allow it to soak for a few minutes and then rinse it off. You could always add chlorine to your wine making items even if you already used chlorine to clean them off a few minutes earlier. The first chlorine application must be fully washed off before the second one can be added. Iodine Iodine is another attractive sanitizing agent for your use. Add 2 to 4 mL of iodine for every gallon of water. Do not let this stick around for too long, though. Iodine is poisonous if kept around for a while or if you add too much. Rinse off the iodine with clean water after a minute. Campden Tablets with Potassium Campden tablets have been used in the wine making industry for generations. Such tablets contain potassium metabisulfite. This inhibits the production of bacteria.

Such tablets are properly measured to fit into most wine making vessels. A single tablet typically features 67 mg of potassium metabisulfite for every liter per gallon. You do not even require any water for rinsing. These tablets are available in packets through many wine making resource websites. Such items are tried and true for being easy to use and mix. In fact, you could get one of these tablets added into your carboy after you open it up following weeks of fermentation. The process keeps bacteria from getting into the wine right away. You will learn a little more about that later in another chapter. B-Brite B-Brite is a powder compound designed with wine making functions in mind. It works alongside active oxygen to clean off surfaces. It has no chlorine or bisulfites. This even removes old residues from prior fermentation processes. Only one tablespoon of B-Brite is needed for every gallon of water used. Rinse the material off after soaking it for about five to ten minutes.

The general point about these sanitizing agents is that they are all easy to apply and will clean off numerous surfaces. Look at each option and figure out the one that you know works best for your plans. This includes something easy to wash off and apply without problems. In summary, here are a few standards to follow for each of these sanitizing items: Sanitizing Agent

Mixing Rules

Benefits

Concerns

Chlorine

¼ teaspoon for every gallon of water for about 5 to 15 minutes

Easy to find

Tough to remove from porous surfaces

Iodine

2 to 4 mL for every gallon of water for 60 seconds

Simple and easy to use

Do not use too much; it is toxic in high quantities

Campden Tablets with Potassium

Crush 14 tablets and dissolve them in about a gallon of water

Last for a while Contains some and do not sulfites require any additional rinsing

B-Brite

Add one tablespoon for every gallon of

Works with oxygen; it may also work as a

A little more expensive to find

water and soak for 5 to 10 minutes

cleanser in addition to being a sanitizer

Sodium-based Campden Tablets Campden tablets that contain sodium can be found in some places, but it is becoming harder to get them these days. This comes as these tablets might be risky. The sodium inside these tablets makes it harder for you to make it work right. These contain sodium metabisulfite, a compound that has long been used in the cleaning process for generations. Winemakers all around the world have used these tablets to clear out stubborn deposits within vats and other surfaces. Such tablets are not as common as there are concerns over how these tablets might cause the flavors in wines to change. Also, there are worries about adding more sodium to wine. The quality of wine might be compromised slightly when sodium is added. As a result, it is nowhere near as easy for you to find sodium-based Campden tablets today as it was in the past. You are better off using potassium-based tablets instead. These tablets are easier to prepare and use without problems. Boiling You always have the option to simply boil your wine making materials if you prefer. Boiling is always worthwhile as it produces heat through the water to kill off various surfaces. No chemicals are needed in the process. As you boil something, the water that you wash things in becomes fully cleaned off. More importantly, it becomes harder for bacteria to survive. As the bacteria are burned off, the surfaces become cleaner and safer.

You would have to boil your materials in water that is at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit for around five to ten minutes. You would require plenty of heat and a large vessel for you to wash your materials off in. Be cautious when boiling, as well as the process can be very risky if not controlled well enough.

Step 3: Drying Any materials you use for drying off a surface must be checked well. All drying agents must be clean and safe to use. While you could use a towel to dry off a surface, it needs to be soft and completely clean. If anything, using warm air to dry off a surface might be your best bet. This is just to keep it from coming in contact with any outside surfaces that might actually be harmful. All of these options for taking care of the sterilization process should make a real difference. You must look at how strong the process works, so everything you use for making wine will be clean.

Preparing the Grapes The efforts you put into getting your grapes ready to be made into wine should be taken just as seriously as the efforts used for acquiring them. Originally, I thought all you had to do was just crush the grapes and place them in a reservoir. But as it turns out, there are lots of things that have to be done to ensure that grapes are treated right. You must prepare your grapes correctly, so they are ready for use. Look at how well you can get them ready, so the juices from those grapes work to your benefit.

Step 1: Clean Off the Grapes Now it is time to look at how well you can prepare your grapes. You have to look at how well the grapes are made, so they are suitable for wine

making. To make it all work, start by cleaning off your grapes. This is a necessity for getting the natural flavors of the grapes out: 1. Remove the stems and leaves. 2. Look for bits of dirt on the grapes. Get as many of those bits scraped off as possible without damaging the grapes. 3. Add the grapes to a clean colander or another drainer. 4. Use cool water to rinse them off. Use filtered water as tap water might contain additives that influence the taste of your wine. 5. Place the grapes in a proper crock or another vessel. You do have the option to peel off the skins from your grapes if desired. This will produce a lighter wine if you do this. Keeping the skins on creates a deeper flavor. Of course, it also produces a detailed red tone that you might expect out of some wines. Also, some winemakers like to prepare their wines without washing them off. They do this with the belief that the unwashed skins can produce yeast when they are in contact with air during the fermentation process. For our example, I would recommend you wash off the grapes anyway. It is best to use a safe process for your first time preparing wine.

Step 2: Crushing the Grapes After washing off your grapes (and peeling off their skins, if you wish), you must crush them. You could use your hands to do this, although a cleaned-off masher might be good enough. As you crush the grapes, you will release their natural juices. Here are some specific steps for the crushing process: Use a firm masher to crush your grapes.

Keep crushing them until the fruit juice level inside your content is within one and a half inches of the top of your container. Filtered water may be utilized to get you closer to the top if necessary. Add a potassium-based Campden tablet to kill off any wild bacteria or yeast. This step is completely optional, but it might help to preserve the quality of the grapes. You also have the option to add two cups of boiling water over the grapes to kill off the bacteria. These steps should provide you with a good base to start with. But after that, you need to get a bit of yeast added into the mix. The next chapter focuses on what you can do with yeast.

This masher is a good example of what you could find for taking care of your grapes. Anything that crushes your grapes well and offers enough coverage is worthwhile.

(If you are making large quantity or for business, use this type of masher.) The interesting thing about mashing grapes is that people have used all sorts of processes for doing so over the years. Some people crushed their grapes by foot in the past. Others would use hammers or just massive weights. Today wine making has evolved to where you just need a good masher material to cut your grapes down. Some people like to use fruit juices for their wines. People often use grape juice instead of actual grapes when trying to make wines. I get that this is an appealing and quick solution for making wine. But I would not recommend using fruit juice instead of actual grapes.

The problem with so many grape juices is that they are augmented with excess sugars and compounds. These include additives that go beyond ascorbic acid or vitamin C, the only compound that your grapes should have. These additions often come about regardless of the type of juice you order. Just because one company says that it offers 100-percent pure grape juice doesn’t mean it consists of nothing but the juices that come out of grapes. Some additives might have been included in the mix just to preserve the grape juice or to add a bit of flavor to it. Such items would only compromise the quality of the wine you would try to produce. Many fruit juices are packaged in a series of plastic bottles. The plastic compounds in those bottles might be an issue. They could shed off and get into your juice over time. This only keeps the juice from being pure. Also, the added sugars that come with grape juices could overwhelm the final product. A greater amount of sugar produces a higher amount of alcoholic content within your wine, thus making it dangerous. Sticking with the natural sugars that come with actual grapes is always worthwhile. I am not saying that you should avoid using grape juices or other fruit juices. You have the right to use these when trying to make wine for the first time. Just don’t expect the results to be anywhere near as great as what you would get out of actual grapes in the wine making process.

Working with Yeast

Yeast is a necessity for getting your wine to grow. Yeast is applied to the wine to help bolster the fermentation process. Yeast is by far the most critical ingredient to add to the wine making process. Yeast converts the sugars in your wine into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This works as oxygen is harder to come across while preparing your wine. The fermentation process should be reviewed properly. The wine must be secured in a sealed area with yeast added to ensure the alcoholic content is produced. You can find yeast in many places, including your local supermarket. Baker’s yeast works well enough for your wine making demands.

How Much is Needed? The good news is that yeast for wine making is typically sold in packets. A single packet may be good enough for one to five gallons of wine. Feel free to use the entire singular yeast packet for your wine provided it is within the range of coverage listed on the package.

The fermentation process will probably go a little faster if you have a smaller amount of wine to work with. This should be useful, but at the same time, you have to be cautious. You must test the wine regularly to see that it is responding well to the yeast .

Adding the Yeast The process of adding yeast to the wine should be rather simple. Just add the yeast to the crushed grapes and then use a long-handled spoon. Stick with a fully sanitized spoon. Watch as the yeast and grapes create a slight foamy surface. This surface is known as a must. One good idea to use is to add honey while you apply yeast. Honey is ideal for how it supports the yeast. It becomes easier for the yeast to develop and spread around the wine. Although this is indeed an appealing option for making the yeast work, you must be careful when adding honey. The amount of honey you add could influence the overall flavor of your wine. Honey might make the wine a little sweeter. It is completely optional for you to add honey to your wine. This is great for managing yeast, but it is not always required. You could add about a cup of honey into the mixture if desired. That total should provide your yeast with enough support for developing and growing. Do watch for the particular flavor you want to establish out of your wine, though. Be certain when getting your wine ready that you are careful with it and that you understand what you want to make out of it in general.

Using More Equipment After you have gotten the grapes and yeast prepared, you need to get the equipment for the rest of the process ready. This is to ensure the fermentation process can start well.

Keep Everything Sterilized I already discussed how the sterilization process works in an earlier shaper in this guide. Refer back to that chapter if necessary. I cannot emphasize it

enough though – sterilization is critical, so your wine will ferment in a spot where outside materials will not influence your win.

Check the Body of the Equipment In addition to your equipment being fully sterilized, you have to check on how the bodies of each piece you use are made. See that your storage vessels contain no cracks, chips, or other imperfections. You have to keep them cleaned off are ready for use. A good idea would be to look at the tinting on your glass. While clear glass is often useful, it helps to keep the clear glass in a spot where there isn’t much light in a spot. You do not want the excess light to get in the way of your wine and cause it to weaken.

Don’t worry if you cannot find anything with a tint on it, though. Tinting is optional but still recommended with regards to keeping light from being an issue. Then again, storing the glass in a dark space is always the right thing to do just to keep it safe and secure from outside issues. Anything that does not fully close up or support your bits of equipment should be discarded. Be ready to trash anything that might be tough to use or incapable of giving you a comfortable space for preparing wine.

Get a Proper Lid A lid should be added over the large container used for fermenting your win. The huge container needs something that keeps bugs and other outside items from getting into the wine but still allows for a bit of air to move through. Look for a crock lid that offers a slight bit of air to move through. This should be enough to offer a comfortable space for the wine to be made ready in. The lid must also offer a secure fit that does not slip off easily. The lid has to be strong and sturdy enough but still easy to support. Now that you have all the materials on hand, you can start the fermentation process. The wine that you produced should be ready to get into proper containers.

The Fermentation Process The fermentation process must be followed carefully. It takes a few days and requires effort on your part to monitor the wine and stir it regularly. You must especially watch for the bubbling motion that comes along when the yeast gets in full control with the grapes. Here are some steps to use to get the most out of it.

Cover the Main Jar After the wine grapes have been crushed and yeast has been added, stir everything and then secure a cover over the main jar. Keep the cover tight and sealed, but make sure a small opening can be found in one part of the jar just to allow air to move through. Keep the jar in a spot set at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit overnight. Keep the area slightly warm so the yeast will grow. Do not keep it too hot, or else the yeast will die off.

Stir Regularly Stir the wine frequently as the fermentation starts. Do this one every four hours at the start. Following that, stir the mixture a few times more every day for the next three to four days. Notice the bubbling motion in the wine. The yeast is working at this point. It is converting the sugar into alcohol. Keep your stirrer cleaned off after each use. Having multiple stirrers always helps.

Straining the Wine Move the wine from your larger jar to the carboy for storage after the bubbling dies down. It takes about three to five days for the bubbling to stop. At this point, the wine should be kept in secure storage. It needs to be sealed off, so the gases produced by the yeast interacting with the grapes produce the alcohol content and detailed flavors you would expect to get out of your wine. Take your tubing and siphon the wine out from the jar to the carboy. Refer to the instructions listed a few chapters ago on how a siphoning tube works. Look at how well the wine is being strained at this point. The tube should be narrow enough to take in the wine while leaving any old wineskins or other pulp materials behind. You could also use a strainer at the very top end of the carboy to keep some of the pulp materials out. Use the funnel to secure the wine into the carboy, so it does not spill off onto the side. After that, apply the airlock and stopper onto the carboy. This should create a secure barrier where air will not get into the bottle.

Let it Rest

Allow the wine to age for a while. Although you could enjoy your wine about a month after you make it, you might be better off waiting a few extra months. Give it around six months if possible. That should be enough to allow the flavor to mature. Add a few extra months if you used honey like what was mentioned earlier. Your wine might be too sweet if the honey has not aged. Be free to let your wine rest for as long as you want, but do let it age well enough to at least improve the taste of your wine. Look at how well you can get your wine ready, so you do not struggle with anything unusual.

Store at an Optimal Temperature The most important thing for fermenting your wine is ensuring it is kept at a consistent temperature. Do not allow the temperature to keep going up or down. Instead, give yourself time to let the temperature stay secure and consistent. Keep the temperature at around 68 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit as you ferment the wine. It takes less time for the wine to ferment when you use this standard. There are a few things you can use when getting the temperature set up properly: A brewing or heating belt could be applied to your wine storage tank. This is an electric cable that goes around the container and offers a slight amount of heat. A heat tray could go under the fermentation space. The flat tray adds plenty of heat, although you would have to watch for how much wine such a tray can handle at a given time. A heat tray may handle up to five gallons of wine at a time. An immersion heater goes into a heater and directly gets in contact with the wine. This is like what you’d see in a fish tank. It adds direct heat, but it is not always recommended due to

some of the added compounds that might be around the body of the heater. This plan for fermenting your wine takes a while, but it is critical for giving you the best flavor possible.

Monitoring the Wine Keep tabs on your wine as it matures. Check on how the wine looks inside its carboy as it ferments. See that the wine’s color looks consistent. Stir the wine if you see any bubbling motions. This might be a sign of some bits of yeast getting late into the game. Use a turkey baster after a few weeks or months to get a quick taste of the wine. A small amount is enough to give you an idea of whether it is ready for consumption or if you need it to mature a little longer. No matter what happens, be sure you look at how well the wine tastes and that it is developing properly. Check around to see how well it looks.

Storing Your Wine After you have finished fermenting your wine, you can get it stored. But you must watch for how the wine is secured, so it doesn’t age prematurely or wear out. Your wine is especially vulnerable right as you open it up. Keeping it secured with the right protective measures makes a real difference. Keep the wine secure after you open up your carboy. Add a Campden tablet into the wine and allow it to dissolve. The tablet keeps the wine from reacting with any bacteria that might come about after the carboy opens. You must use this tablet so the wine will not become vinegar. Your wine is very vulnerable as you get the carboy opened up. Using a tablet keeps the wine safe.

Bottle it Next, gather the siphoning tube again and move the wine from the carboy

into your bottles. Do this with as many bottles as you have. Fill each bottle to the near top and then use a cork to secure each one immediately. Keep a firm plug on each bottle with your corks. Allow them to move deep into each bottle. For the best results, use dark-colored wine bottles. These keep the wines from oxidation issues related to light exposure. Dark bottles do well for red wines as they preserve the wine’s natural color.

Allow the Wine to Age Give your wine a bit of extra time to age. While the fermentation process should have done well for getting the yeast to mix perfectly with the wine, you should still give it an extra bit. Allow the wine to stay inside a bottle and let it relax for a bit. Give some time for the wine to age and stay strong. Keep the wine stored in a climate-controlled area as well. Keeping your wine at room temperature helps, but there are a few points to look into when getting such a storage area arranged: Wines can typically handle conditions of up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit without suffering serious problems. A wine chiller is ideal for storage. Keep your wines at conditions from 52 to 60 degrees inside such a small cooler. Keep your wine bottles stored on their sides. That is, place a bottle on its side instead of upright. The wine stays moist at this point. Also, the wine is smoother when stored this way. Racks or coolers should have surfaces that let you store your bottles on their sides. Avoid putting your bottles out in the light even if they are tan or dark in color. The risk of light causing your wines to age quickly is a real problem. By using these steps, it becomes easy for you to get more out of your wine. Be careful when storing your wine, so you have an extra bit of control over how it works and what you are getting off of it. When we say that you need to age your wine, what does it actually mean? Also known as cellaring, aging means storing your wine for a number of

years in a cool and dark place. By letting the wine sit in the bottle, you effectively increase the quality of the wine. Still, not all wines can be aged. Despite the romantic allure of aging wine —not to mention all of the really cool events you can celebrate by opening up a bottle of the finest “old wine” in your cellar—it’s important to remember that only a handful of wines should be aged. In fact, only 1% of all the wine in the world is meant to be cellared. The rest need to be consumed while they are fresh, which means within five years. After that time period, the wine will actually deteriorate in quality, and it will start to lose many of its defining qualities. When you want to age your wine, you do so after crushing and fermentation. Some wineries store the wine in underground wine cellars to ensure that the product stays cool. Others store the wine in stainless steel tanks above ground, making sure that they are epoxy-lined. These tanks are normally temperature-controlled by water. The water circulates inside the tank shell’s lining. Red wine can also be crushed a second time and pumped into a different fermentation tank after fermentation. This is where the red wine will stay for about three to seven days, after which, the shelf life of the wine gets extended with better clarity and color stability. Then, red wine is pumped into settling ("racking") vats or tanks where it will stay for another month or two. For red wine, you can do the racking at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 16 degrees Celsius). For white wine, it should be at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). Some wines need about two to three more months in another setting tank or vat. You will notice that during settling, the heavier, weightier, and unwanted debris like stem pieces and the like will effectively settle at the bottom of the tank, eliminating them when you pump the wine into another container. For this reason, you may want to repeat the settling process a few times to create smoother wine. After all the settling and filtering, you can age your wine either in wooden vats or in stainless steel tanks. You may age white and rose wines for 12

months to up to four years. For red wine, you may age them for seven to ten years. Just because you’re aging your wine or storing them away for a long time doesn’t mean that you should neglect your packaging—this will come into play, especially when you’re already selling your wine. If you have the funds to invest in automated bottling machines, then, by all means, go ahead. You may also use special corks that are lined with a plastic seal or special peel-off aluminum foil. You can ship them in wooden crates for some extra fanciness, or just use cardboard boxes if you’re a little bit short on the budget. Wine can also spoil easily if you don’t store it properly. Make sure the temperature of your storage area does not exceed 70 degrees if you don’t want your wine to get cooked and ruined. How can you tell if your wine has been boiled and spoiled? If it smells like raisins and stewed fruit, then your luck has run out. As such, it’s important to keep bottles away from heat sources like radiators and the like. Make sure that you have a cooling source, at the very least, and ample ventilation. That said, you should always keep your wine bottles on their side and not upright. Sure, the cork can protect your wine from oxygen, but having the bottle stand upright means that the cork doesn’t stay in constant contact with the wine. This eventually loosens the seal on the bottle, letting oxygen creep in.

Chapter 7: Tips, Tricks, and Pitfalls to Avoid After all of the ins and outs of the actual wine making process and what you should do, let me talk about what you shouldn’t do. While wine making is an incredibly rewarding endeavor, not everything is going to go smoothly, especially for a beginner. Here are the most common issues that newbie winemakers do and how you can avoid them.

Things don’t always go as planned. Letting the yeast stall out too early or altering the color of your precious drink can be frustrating. Often, you may fall into the trap of deviating from the volume indicated in your wine kit. Using less water or watering down a certain mix is inevitable when you’re starting out. To make sure you don’t mess up the mix, make sure that you follow the instructions from your manufacturer in case you do have a wine kit. With too much sugar, you put extra stress on the yeast. However, with too much alcohol content, you can cause the yeast to fail prematurely. Be patient, and it’ll all pay off eventually.

Not using the appropriate yeast nutrients. In order to get a clean fermentation, you need to make sure that your yeast health is well taken care of. Just like you add fertilizers to your vines, you should also boost the nutrient content of your yeast by adding di-ammonium phosphate (DAP). This effectively helps the yeast perform even better during the wine making process. Of course, it’s important to test different yeasts trains as well for the optimum nutrient content.

Not topping off your carboys and barrels properly. Make sure that the wine reaches around the curve of the carboy. The wine

is properly topped off if it reaches into the narrow neck. This prevents your wine from picking up oxygen when it shouldn’t. And, as I mentioned previously, if you’re storing your wine in bottles, make sure that you store them on their side to keep the cork in contact with the wine, and not upright.

Having inadequate equipment. While items like carboys, spoons, pails, and other equipment may seem like they’re readily available in your home, most of the wine making tools are actually made from specialized materials. Thinking that you can make do with what you have is not very practical. Utensils that are not specifically made for wine making can greatly influence the quality of your finished product. You shouldn’t re-use plastic pails like buckets that you have already used before with other food products. Most of the time, the odors of the food that the bucket previously held will sink into the plastic. This will taint your wine and influence its quality and taste. Moreover, different plastic materials have different uses, and not all are ideal for wine making. Various factors like pigments, plastic chemicals, and UV protectants will leak into the wine. This is very detrimental to your health, as these chemicals are used to keep the plastic materials from being brittle.

Not practicing good hygiene. Sanitation is extremely important during the whole wine making process. You should diligently remove any visible residue or dirt from all of your equipment to protect the quality of the wine. When you sanitize, you should do so with everything from the carboy to the thermometer to keep from failures in your wine batch.

Using water with poor quality. Normally, you can use water that you usually use to drink. But if your water has a high mineral content or it has a lot of hardness, it can cause a lot of haze in your wine. If you have high iron content, this may also affect your wine’s flavor. Take note: you also can’t use the water from a salt-exchange

water softener.

Not handling your yeast well. There can be different ways to handle your yeast. If you check your wine kit, it will likely tell you to sprinkle the yeast on the must directly. However, for the yeast package and other wine making textbooks, they might instruct you to rehydrate the yeast. If you want to have the optimum level of yeast cells, rehydrating should yield the highest number of live cell counts. It will also give you the most thorough and quickest fermentation.

Not having the right temperature control. The recommended temperature for fermenting your wine should be 20 – 25°C (70°F to 77°F). Within this range, the yeast will thrive even better. If your fermentation happens very slowly, you may end up with an excess of CO2 gas (fizz) in your batch.

Not stirring well. The concentrate and the juices are normally very viscous. As such, they don’t mix well with water as easily as you would hope. You definitely wouldn’t want the juice to lie at the bottom of the pail and to have the water layer sit idly on top. This will distort any gravity readings, as well as impose undue pressure on your yeast. You need to stir the mixture vigorously in order to stabilize and drive off the CO2 that the wine batch accumulated while it was fermenting. Keep stirring until the wine foams, then continue stirring until the foam eventually disappears. By then, the fining agents can do their job once the gas is driven off.

Being impatient. Finally, it doesn’t do well to think you can get everything done in a jiffy.

You should wait a minimum of two weeks at the very least before anything is ready to drink. With this amount of time, your wine should be able to get over the shock of bottling. Then, it will open up and release a wealth of flavors and aromas for you. You should ideally wait for three months to allow the wine to show off its unique character. Plenty of whites and reds need six months to mature, but some heavy reds can keep smoothing out and improving its taste for a year or so! Patience is truly a virtue, and the reward for a good long wait is worth it.

Chapter 8: Wine Made with Other Fruit You have read all about making wines through grapes in this guide. It is only sensible that we focus on grapes as those are the things that make wine distinct. But did you know that you could also make wines with fruits? Fruit wine is a form of wine that is made from a fruit other than the grape. This form of wine has been popular in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia, where plum wine is commonly found.

What Fruit Works? You could get juices from various fruits. Cherries, apples, plums, oranges, and pineapples are among the most popular fruits that you could use. But no matter what you choose, you must look at how well you add yeast to the fruit wine. You must measure the yeast carefully so only the right amount can be added to the wine, thus allowing it to ferment properly. Also, any pits, seeds, or other items inside the fruit must be removed. Some pits and cores in various fruits might be dangerous. They will typically not produce any added flavors either. You do have the option to keep the peels and skins inside your wine reservoir during the fermentation process. This could add an extra bit of flavor to your fruit.

Tips for Working with Fruit As you utilize fruits, it helps to look for a few points. Many of these relate to specific fruits you could apply to your wine: Raisins often add a bit of sweetness to your wine. The body of the wine may be a little bolder too. Bananas add an extra bit of body to your wine.

You still have the option to add grapes to your fruit wine. The grape concentrate is best, though, as it adds a bit of extra character without overwhelming the fruity tones of the wine you are making. Adding sugar to your fruit wine also keeps it preserved. Organic fruits are clearly better for how they are healthy and safe to consume. They do not have any potentially harmful chemicals and should have their natural flavors fully intact without any threats added. The process for making fruit wine should be identical to the process used for making more traditional wines with grapes in them. Look around to see what can work, though. Be willing to experiment with different kinds of wines if you wish.

Recipes for Fruit Wines Talking about different fruits, it’s exciting to try out just what you can whip up in the kitchen if you set your mind to it. Just a little bit of creativity (and a sense of adventure) can go a long way. Drinking wine to relax after a long, hard day’s work is the perfect excuse to sit back and shake all of your stress away. While grapes are the most common wine types out there, you can also try different fruits to mix it and up and keep things interesting.

Blackberry Wine Ingredients: 4.5 lbs. blackberries 1 tbs yeast nutrient Red wine yeast 1 tbs pectic enzyme 3 lbs. granulated sugar

Instructions: 1. Using a sterilized brew, chuck the blackberries in and gently crush them. Then, simply pour in two pints of boiling water and stir. Make sure that you let the mixture cool before you add in the pectic enzyme. Keep stirring, then cover the bin. Leave it as it is for approximately 12 hours. 2. Dissolve the sugar by boiling 2.5 pints of water, then pour the dissolved mixture over the blackberries. Wait for it to cool down, then add the red wine yeast as well as the yeast nutrient. Stir well, then allow it to settle in a dark place. Wait for about 45 days, making sure to keep stirring the mixture every day. 3. Next, strain your blackberry mixture into a different sterilized bin. Afterward, pour the mixture into a demijohn, tapping it and allowing the liquid to ferment. Leave this to ferment for approximately six weeks in a dark place. Again, rack the liquid into a different sterilized demijohn, leaving it for two to eight weeks more. When you’re ready to bottle the wine, make sure you use cork taps to seal it and leave it to mature for a few more weeks. Your patience will definitely pay off!

Raspberry Wine Ingredients: White wine yeast Yeast nutrient 3-4 lbs. raspberries 1 cup Lemon juice 2 lbs. granulated sugar Instructions:

1. Prepare a gallon of water and boil it. Then, dissolve the sugar into the boiled water and leave the resulting syrup to cool down. Wait for approximately half an hour, then pour the mixture into a sterilized basin. By then, you can throw in the raspberries and leave the syrup to macerate. Wait for approximately an hour. 2. Add the yeast nutrient and the lemon juice into the mix. Stir it well, then leave it be overnight for a full 24 hours. Add the white wine yeast into the mixture, then leave it again for another 24 hours. 3. Using another sterilized basin, strain your raspberry mixture into it. Afterward, pour the liquid into a sterilized demijohn, making sure to leave it for another five days up to seven days. This should make sure that the wine has already stopped fizzing. 4. Once the fizzing has stopped, rack the wine into a different sterilized demijohn. Let it be for two months, then repeat the process whenever you deem it necessary. This should be repeated to remove all the sediments in the wine. Then, when you’re ready and satisfied with the clarity of your mixture, pour your prized batch into sterilized bottles, and tap them with corks.

Blueberry Wine Ingredients: Potassium sorbate 3-4 lbs. blueberries Yeast nutrient Red wine yeast 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid 2 1/2 lbs. granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon of pectic enzyme Instructions:

1. Place your fresh blueberries into a sterilized basin. Then, gently crush them with your hands, or you can also use a potato masher if you wish. Then, pour the sugar over your blueberries. Make sure that you dissolve it properly by stirring well. 2. Afterward, mix in a gallon of filtered water along with the pectic enzyme. Add in the citric acid and yeast nutrient as well, and let the mix sit for 48 hours. Make sure to stir it every day. Then, read the gravity using a hydrometer and keep adding more sugar until the reading reaches 1.090. 3. Leave the mixture for 24 more hours. When the blueberry mix starts to transform into a blue-purple colored liquid, you can add the red wine yeast. Then, leave the basin for approximately one week in a dark place. When the wine stops bubbling, stop the fermentation process with the potassium sorbate. 4. When you’re done, strain your liquid into a sterilized demijohn. Leave this for approximately a whole month until the fizzing stops. Then, rack the wine into a separately sterilized demijohn and repeat the process until you are satisfied with the resulting taste. When you’re satisfied with how the flavor is released, bottle the wine and tap with cork taps. Leave for another three months before you enjoy it.

Banana Wine Ingredients: White wine yeast Yeast nutrient 3 lbs. organic bananas 2 lbs. sugar (white or brown) 1/2 oz. citric acid 8 oz. golden raisins 1 cup of strong black tea

Instructions: 1. It might sound a bit odd, but banana wine tastes amazing and can be a unique addition to your wine collection. Simply chop the fresh bananas along with the peels. In a pot, throw in your chopped fruits and mix in some sugar. Stir the mixture and add a gallon of hot water into the mix. 2. At low intensity, cook your mixture. Keep cooking for approximately 45 minutes, then use a potato masher to crush the fruit. 3. Chop raisins in a metal brewing bin and strain the banana mixture into it after it cools down for approximately ten minutes. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and leave it to settle for approximately five days. Make sure that you stir the mixture every day. 4. Use another sterilized bin and strain the liquid into it. Then, pour it into a demijohn and leave for at least a month. Make sure that you leave your mixture in a cool, dark place. Then, rack the wine into a separately sterilized demijohn. Leave it be for three more months and repeat as you see fit. Bottle the wine when you’re happy with your mix and enjoy the wine!

Cherry Wine Ingredients: Wine yeast Yeast nutrient 6 lbs. of cherries without pits (remove the stems as well) Potassium sorbate 2 ½ lbs. granulated sugar 1 teaspoon citric acid Instructions:

1. In a brewing bin, place your cherries and crush them gently. Dissolve your sugar into a gallon of boiling water. Then, pour the syrup over your crushed cherries. Leave this for about 12 hours. 2. Afterward, mix in your wine yeast, yeast nutrient, and citric acid. Leave this mixture for another 24 hours. Now, you should check to see whether the wine is bubbling—if it isn’t, then you should try to use a different yeast nutrient. If the mixture is bubbling, you can leave it for approximately one week. Leave it in a dark place, making sure to stir it twice every day. 3. You can strain the liquid into a sterilized demijohn once the bubbling stops. Take about a month to leave it in a cool and dark place. When you’re happy with the quality of the wine, you can rack it into a demijohn for two months and keep repeating as necessary before you bottle it to enjoy your exquisite wine.

Pineapple Wine Ingredients: White wine yeast Yeast nutrient 3 lbs. pineapple (no peel and core) 1 lb. golden raisins 2 lbs. granulated sugar Instructions: 1. Chop your pineapple and your raisins well, then add them both into a brewing bin. After you dissolve your sugar in hot water, make sure to wait approximately ten minutes to let the mixture cool down. Then, pour the syrup mixture over your chopped fruits. Stir well, then let it be for approximately 12 hours.

2. Next up, you should add the citric acid, the wine yeast, and the yeast nutrient. Stir the mixture properly, then again, leave it be. This time wait for about 24 hours. If your wine is making bubbles, leave it for seven days. Make sure that you stir your mixture every day. 3. After waiting, strain the liquid mixture into a sterilized demijohn and leave it in a cool, dark place. Wait for approximately a month, making sure to check your mixture every week. Then, rack your wine into a separately sterilized demijohn. Leave it for another two more months and keep repeating the process about two to three more times until you achieve a desirable result of clear and beautifully colored wine.

Strawberry Wine Ingredients: White wine or champagne yeast Yeast nutrient 5 lbs. strawberries 1/2 oz. citric acid 2 lbs. granulated sugar Instructions: 1. Dissolve your sugar by boiling a gallon of water and adding the sugar into it. Once it becomes a sugary syrup, add the strawberries into the mixture. Pour it into a brewing bin and leave it for about 12 hours. 2. Make sure that you mash the strawberry mix properly, then let it be for a whole day more. Then, strain the strawberry mix into a sterilized bin. Afterward, add the yeast, citric acid, and the yeast nutrient, then let it be for approximately one week in a dark place.

3. Once the liquid ceases to bubble, strain the mixture into a sterilized demijohn. Make sure that you leave it and keep it in a cool, dark place. Wait for three weeks at the very least. Once the fizzing stops, you can now rack it into another sterilized demijohn. 4. Leave this mixture for about three more weeks and keep repeating the process until you are satisfied with the results. When you’re happy with the outcome, bottle the wine and let it mature, then serve!

Rhubarb Wine Ingredients: Yeast nutrient Potassium sorbate White wine yeast 1/2 oz. citric acid 3 lbs. rhubarb stalks 1 inch of ginger root 2 ½ lbs. granulated sugar Instructions: 1. Chop your rhubarb properly, then mix the citric acid and the sugar into the fruit mixture. Add the finely grated ginger as well, then leave it to macerate for approximately three days. Make sure that you mash up the fruit as much as you can. 2. Boil a gallon of water. After it cools down, pour it over your fruit mixture and stir well. Then, strain the juice mixture into a separate sterilized brewing bin. You need to make sure that you reach one gallon, so add more water until you do. Then, add in the yeast nutrient and the wine yeast, and let it be for approximately five to seven days.

3. Once the mixture stops bubbling, strain your liquid into a separate sterilized demijohn. Afterward, leave it for about a month, at the very least, in a dark place. When you’re done, rack your wine into a separate sterilized demijohn once more. In order to stop the fermentation, use your potassium sorbate. Then, keep it for about another month in a cool, dark place. Bottle and serve when you’re ready!

Watermelon Wine Ingredients: Champagne yeast Yeast nutrient A large watermelon (if you can buy the red variant, please do) 3 lbs. sugar 1 tsp citric acid Instructions: 1. Take your watermelon and chop the red portions of the fruit into little pieces. Then, pour them into your brewing bin and mash the watermelon using a potato masher. Add in the sugar and keep stirring until the sugar mixture is good and dissolved. 2. When you’re done, throw in the yeast, the yeast nutrient, and the citric acid. Let it be so that the mixture can ferment properly, then leave it for about 12 hours in a cool and dark place. 3. Using a hydrometer, read the gravity of your mixture. The result should give you a good yield of around 1.100. When you reach that number, leave the wine in a cool, dark place. Be sure to read the gravity of the mix every day until you reach the desired reading of 1.050. 4. Afterward, strain the liquid mixture into a sterilized demijohn. Leave the wine for approximately three months in a cool, dark

place. Then, rack the wine into a separate sterilized demijohn. Leave this again for another two more months, then again for another month. Bottle the wine after and wait for another six months to a whole year (it’ll be worth it!).

Dandelion Wine Ingredients: Dandelion petals (about half a gallon) 1 lb. golden raisins White wine yeast Yeast nutrient 2 lbs. granulated sugar Juice and zest (about a lemon and two oranges) Ingredients: 1. Who would have thought you could use dandelion petals to make wine? Gather your petals into a large pot, then boil water and pour it over the petals. Soak the petals properly for approximately two days, then add in the orange zest and the lemon zest. Throw in the sugar as well and bring the mixture to a simmer. Make sure that the sugar is dissolved completely. 2. Wait until the mixture is cooled completely, then add your raisins. Stir the mixture and leave it for about 30 minutes. Add your lemon and orange juice and transfer the mix into your brewing bin. Mix in the other ingredients, then let it be for about five to seven days in a dark place. 3. Strain the liquid mixture into a sterilized demijohn. Leave it in a cool and dark place for approximately four weeks. Then, rack your wine in a separate sterilized demijohn, and leave it again for a month. Repeat the process as necessary. 4. Once you bottle the wine, it should mature in about three months

to a whole year before you enjoy it chilled!

Part 2: Starting your Wine Making Business

Chapter 9: 4 Reasons You Should Start a Wine Making Business To me, wine making is a great at home business. There are so many varieties of wines, and the types of wines you can make are only limited by your imagination. Consider the following reasons why you should start a wine making business of your own.

The High Demand for Wines Since wines have so many varieties, you are getting into a market that has a high demand. When there is a high demand for a product, it is easier to make your business successful. The sales of wines particularly increase

during festive times such as Easter, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Wine Making Isn't Capital Intensive There is little investment to start a wine making business. The cost to make wines is also low with a healthy profit margin. This makes it favorable to start a wine making business.

Wine Making Isn't Labor Intensive To get started with wine making you don't need to have a huge business with ten employees. You can make a few bottles of wines a day on your own without needing any extra help. Again this makes it easy to start your business, and you only have to expand when you're ready and have the money to do so. Remember, you don’t need to make 100 or 1000 bottles a day to have a business, start slow, maybe supply to just one or two local wine shops at first and see how the customers respond to your creation.

A Versatile Business Perhaps the best aspect of starting a wine making business is that it can be very versatile. There is little investment needed, and you can choose to make anything from simple to elaborate wines, while still finding a great market.

Chapter 10: Before Starting the Business When I first started making wine, I did not initially enter into creating a business. Making wine became a passion, and I later decided to turn that passion into a thriving business. In this section, we’ll talk about what you need to know before you dive into selling your sweet nectar. Now that we know why to start a wine making business let's look at what you need to do to start your own wine making business. There are some essential aspects you need to know about starting a wine making business.

The Legalities of Selling Wine Currently, laws around the United States say that you can only provide your homemade wine to people without charging anything and that you cannot just give it away to the public. But did you know that you can sell wine without getting into trouble if you put in enough effort into it? The process involved in selling your wine to the public will require you to go through a few legal points. But once you get through them all, it becomes easy for you to sell your wine. Please note all points listed here are for United States residents only. Check with your local alcohol control bureau or government office to learn about what can be done in your country with regards to selling wine. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is an operation of the United States Department of the Treasury. This group provides licenses and approvals to those looking to make wines. You must file an application with the TTB if you want to sell wine for commercial purposes. Your entity qualifies as a bonded winery when registered with the TTB. But the TTB does require you to fill out numerous forms. These are produced by the TTB National Revenue Center and entail applications for

establishing a wine business, getting a wine bond, and listing information on environmental and water quality standards where you are. Such documents identify the legal nature of your work, what you are doing, and where it is taking place. Points on the safety of the grapes and other items inside your locality must be added as well. Visit https://www.ttb.gov/wine/federal_app.shtml to learn more about the applications you would have to complete. Read all the instructions carefully as it entails not only what you have to include but also points on taxes and other charges involved.

Learn Your Market Demand There are two things you need to know about the wines you plan to make. First, you want to know what type of wines you are interested in making. Second, you want to know what kind of wines you'll be able to sell to target customers. In other words, it is best to find out what your customers want rather than telling or offering them what you think they want. If you spend a little time talking to local people and ask them what they like in wines, you may be surprised at what you find out. This is what I call mini-market research. A lot of people make the mistake of making a certain type of wines that they like thinking everyone else would love them too, but in reality, you may have a very different taste or choice than the mainstream folks, so it is best to do the market research and find out what people really like. Most wine makers enjoy working with this hobby because it is something they like to do. You will get your most pleasure out of working with what you enjoy: the type of grapes you work with, the colors you choose, the fragrances you prefer, and the flavors you find attractive. Your personal preferences matter a lot when it comes to making wines and doing a hobby you enjoy. It is important to enjoy what you are going to do if you are going to make it a full-time business. However, this might be different when it comes to your target market. Different people looking for different things are going to buy different wines.

For example, some food fairs can be a great way to sell wines. Although you may do better selling simple wines rather than fine wines at these fairs. So like I just said earlier, it is important to do market research when starting your wine making business to make sure you are not only making what you enjoy but also making wine that is going to make your business profitable.

Know the Process To be successful in the wine making business, you need to have a great product. The wines you make need to make your customers happy. Even if you are making simple table wines for everyday consumption, they should still taste great and be priced appropriately. If you are going to sell finely aged wines, you want to be well-practiced at making them age properly, so the flavor is not lost. The more you know and learn about making wines, the better your products will be. The better your wines, the more profitable your business becomes. One word of advice I want to offer here, try not to make or market wines that will retail for over $20, at first try making something simple with a price point that is under $20 per bottle. When you are well versed in the wine making process, you will also be better able to experiment with different packaging, colors, and bottle sizes so you can increase your range of products. Learning as much as you can about wine making also allows you to make wines efficiently with as little wastage as possible. This is important to your business’s bottom line and keeps the cost of your business low. This means an increased profit margin for each wine bottle you sell. So take the time to learn as much as you can about wine making.

The Business Aspect When starting a business, no matter how small, there are a number of rules and regulations you need to follow. Since wine is alcohol, it comes with some extra regulations and requirements, so doing your research for your own city, state, and country would be an important first step. It is important you

research what rules there are for small business start-ups in your local area. Then make sure you follow these rules. It is important to have a legal and official business entity if you are looking to grow your business into a larger business eventually. When starting your own business, you also want to give careful consideration to things such as branding, packaging, and the business plan. Doing all of this will ensure your business becomes a success. Some of these don’t need to be done at the beginning, but you should definitely start with a business plan. This will help you outline the steps that need to be followed. Your business plan will tell you when you need to create a brand and when is the best time to start an online store. The business plan is the roadmap for a small business. It will keep you going and make sure you don't miss any important steps and avoid any mistakes. The business plan doesn't need to be anything elaborate; just a few pages can be sufficient. You can visit Bplans.com as they are one of the top companies to provide customized business plans. Remember, to create a brand, a logo, and a beautiful packaging design does not cost as much as they used to. How, may you ask? Well, there are many online talent sites where you can hire talented graphic designers for very little money and have them create some awesome logo, brand, and packaging designs for you that are trendy, attractive, and easy to produce. I hired my graphic designer for 99dessign.com, and I believe I paid $250 for all three designs. But if you are on a tighter budget, try Fiverr.com, here you can find and hire designers for $5 to do each task. You will be amazed at how talented some of these designers truly are. At this site, you can find talents that can help you with your social media and other marketing needs, too. You can find talent that will do your flyer design to business cards, all for $5 each. I am finding different ways to use Fiverr every day.

Know your Target Market

Before you start your business, you also want to make sure you know where and how you're going to sell your wines. Determine who your customers are going to before you start to make your wines. The market research I just spoke about can also tell you who your potential customers will be. Just make a note of every group and every venue you think you can sell your wines to. Then approach them with samples, flyers, or even just your business cards and introduce yourself.

Finding the Best Wholesaler for Supplies You should also consider your supply sources. This will have a direct impact on the cost of your wines and the bottom-line profit margin of your business. Depending on where you live, you may have a few local wholesalers that are offering good pricing on grapes and other raw material. One advice here, if you can source your grapes locally instead of online, do it since grapes are perishable and tend to be heavy when buying in bulk, it will save you a lot of money in shipping expenses. As for most of the other nonperishable supplies, try to find a couple of reputable online retailers and always cross-check prices and quality between them before buying. I don’t buy from one or two online wholesalers, but I buy from many. This way, I am always cross-checking who has the best price and quality as they tend to vary widely. As a small business owner, you are going to have to wear a few hats. Therefore it is important that you learn business skills such as accounting, budgeting, design, etc. Let's take a look at a general timeline for what you need to do to start your wine making business.

Chapter 11: The Road to a Wine Making Business It may seem like after conducting the research for market and legalities that you should be ready to jump right into your new business venture. Not so fast! You are going to want to conduct your due diligence and make sure that all of the bases are covered.

Timeline for Starting the Business 1. Learn how to make wines through a class or by reading about making wines. (Buying this book was a great start!) 2. Determine/identify a niche market for your business. 3. Develop a business plan to guide your business. 4. Obtain the necessary documentation required in your city/county/state to start a business. 5. Find which venues you want to use to sell your wines (your target market). 6. Buy wholesale wine making supplies. 7. Join a winemakers association or a mastermind group. 8. Promote your wine making business through various promotions and marketing campaigns Now that we've discussed the basics, I want to go a little more in-depth. From my own experience, I've learned four important things you should do when starting a wine making business and five mistakes you need to avoid.

4 Things that Must be Done

As I've said, getting started with a wine making business is easy and doesn't require much. However, I've learned from experience and from talking to others in the industry that there are four specific things you need to do to get your business off to a good start.

Name Your Business You need to get customers to distinguish your product from others in the same industry. This means you are going to need a business name; and not just any name. You want a short name that is easy to remember while also being catchy. You need to make sure the name you choose isn't being used by any other company. If you want to know about business names, you need to contact the Patent and Trade Mark Office. One good way to search is by searching the name you picked on Google to see if anyone else is using it for the same purpose. My advice is if you find a good name, go ahead and buy the domain name of the name you just picked, this way, in the future if you ever want to grow, you can have a website under that name. You can go to Godaddy.com or name.com or any other domain name seller’s site and just type the name you picked; they will tell you if that name is available for purchase with.com or .net. Typically most domain names cost around $10/year, which in my opinion is a great investment.

License Your Business All businesses need proper licenses to operate. This shows that you are running a legal business. However, before you are allowed to license a business, you need to determine a structure for your business. If you know an accountant or an attorney, ask them to file a legal business entity (like an LLC, S Corp, or LLP) on your behalf; this way, you are legally protected from most business liabilities. You can also go on websites like leaglzoom.com and have them draw up the document for less than what an attorney would charge you to do the same.

Once you file you file the article to incorporate your business, the next step is to file and obtain an EIN (Employer’s Identification Number) from the IRS. This is similar to social security number but for business. Your accountant can file this for you, or you can do it yourself. Once you have these two documents, you can then open a commercial bank account at any local bank. I will touch more on various business entities and how to open a bank account in the next chapter. The next step would be to go to your local city office and find out what type of business and regulatory licenses you are required to have. It should take a day or two to get your licenses and permits in place, and then you are finally and officially in business. Once you have a business license and a trademark name, customers will trust your products and be more likely to buy them.

Competitive Analysis This is key to having a successful business. When you have a competitive analysis, you know your business's current position within the wine making industry. The competitive analysis allows you to get the information you need on your competitors, market share, market strategies, growth, and other important factors. When you have all this information, you will be able to change or improve your business in key areas so you can increase profits and sales. Here is a simple way you can do a competitive analysis. On a piece of paper, write down the following: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Number of local competitors you have What is their niche/what type of wines they sell Where they sell What is their pricing

Once you have that list, take a look and see where you would fit in that list, how can you stand out from the crowd, what can you do differently that

would make customers pay attention to your products. In my business experience, I believe there are three ways you can always stand above the crowd. I always have tried to stand above the crowd by trying one of these three strategies. 1. By making superior products than my competitors make 2. By offering 100% customer satisfaction guarantee 3. By creative pricing strategy Let me explain what I mean by employing a creative pricing strategy.

Creative Pricing Strategy Pricing is the most important factor in your business. A carefully thoughtout pricing strategy can make you very successful but a pricing strategy that places you above your market can literally put you out of business and on the other hand pricing below the market can wipe your bottom line profit completely clean, and before you know it, you are out of business and in debt. That was the risky part; now, the tricky part is if you stay with the market, then you are not standing out in the crowd; instead, you are standing in the crowd. To make yourself more visible and unique and to stand tall among other competitors, you have to be really very creative when it comes to your pricing strategy, and that is where the tricky part comes in. My goal is to teach you how to implement a carefully thought out pricing strategy that can make you stand out and make you successful. Here are a few ideas I often use: 1. Always run one special where you offer a discount on one particular type of wine each month, but never the same type of wines every month. 2. Run a BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) promotion every few months on select wines, usually the ones that are not selling fast.

3. Never try to be the low-price leader. It is a slippery slope, don’t try to reduce your price just to stay competitive. 4. Run various package promotions during holidays. I usually make baskets with a few wines, one bottle of aromatherapy essential oil, one soap, and a wine holder all nicely wrapped together. Remember, when it comes to pricing or marketing ideas, there is no “one size fits all,” not every idea works for everyone. Some strategies may work better for you than others and vice versa. So, it is a good idea to test each idea separately and document the results, then analyze and see which one worked the best.

Understanding Penny Profit, Profit Margin, and Markup In business, these are the three most common terms we hear every day, but what do they all mean and how they are different from each other, is a question many of you have. I know this because I often get emails asking about this very topic.

Penny Profit Penny profit is essentially the actual cash profit you make by selling any items in your store. For example, say you just sold a bottle of 20 oz. Coke $1.75, what is the penny profit from that sale? To find the answer first, we need to see how much you paid to buy that bottle of Coke. Looking at your invoice from Coke shows you paid $1.00 for that bottle of Coke, and you sold it for $1.75. So your penny profit is $1.75-1.00 = 75 cents. Penny profit is the difference between the selling price and actual costs.

Profit Margin Profit margin the term most widely used and understood in almost every business as it is what we all use to figure out if we are making enough profit

from our businesses by selling the products and services. Profit margin is essentially the percentage of profit you make or earn when you sell a product. Confusing? Let’s take a look at the same example of that bottle of Coke we just used earlier. We already know the penny profit from that sale was 75 cents. Now the profit margin is done little differently; to find out the exact margin, we will have to take the penny profit and divide that number by the selling price. So it will be $1.75-$1.00=0.75, then we divide that penny profit by the selling price 0.75/$1.75 = 43% profit margin.

Markup The markup, on the other hand, is somewhat similar to profit margin, but instead of dividing the penny profit by the selling price, you would have to divide the penny profit by the actual cost. Let’s take a look at the same example once again. Remember our penny profit from that bottle of Coke? It was 75 cents; now we just need to divide that by the actual cost, which was $1.00, right? Let’s do this, 0.75/$1.00 = 75% markup for that same bottle of Coke.

Incorporating Your Business When you choose a legal entity for your wine business, there are two main factors to consider: 1. What you want 2. The type of business model you intend to build Often you have the option of choosing to file as a limited liability company or LLC, general partnership, or even sole proprietorship. A sole proprietorship is the ideal business structure for someone starting a wine making business, especially if it is a moderate start from your home. However, most prefer the benefits of an LLC. If you plan to eventually expand your wine business to other locations or

potentially online, then you definitely don't want to file as a sole proprietor. In this instance, you should definitely file as an LLC. When you file as an LLC, you will be able to protect yourself from personal liability. This means that if anything goes wrong while operating your business, then only the money you invested in the company is at risk. This isn't the case if you file as a sole proprietor or a general partnership. LLCs are simple and flexible to operate since you won't need a board of directors, shareholder meetings, or other managerial formalities in order to run your business. Here are all the legal business structures you can choose from. It is best to get some advice from your CPA or accountant or an attorney. When starting a business, there are five different business structures you can choose from: Sole Proprietor Partnership Corporation (Inc. or Ltd.) S Corporation Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Sole Proprietor This is not the safest structure for starting a wine making business. It is used for a business owned by a single person or a married couple. Under this structure, the owner is personally liable for all business debts and may file on their personal income tax.

Partnership This is another inexpensive business structure to form. It often requires an agreement between two or more individuals who are going to jointly own and operate a business. The partners will share all aspects of the business in accordance with the agreement. Partnerships don't pay taxes, but they need to file an informational

return. Individual partners then report their share of profits and losses on their personal tax returns.

Corporation (Inc. or Ltd.) This is one of the more complex business structures and has the most startup costs of any business structure. It isn't a very common structure among small wine making businesses since there are shares of stocks involved. Profits are taxed both at the corporate level and again when distributed to shareholders. When you structure a business at this level, there are often lawyers involved.

S Corporation This is one of the most popular types of business entity people forms to avoid double taxation. It is taxed similarly to a partnership entity. But an S Corp. needs to be approved to be classified as such, so it isn't very common among home-based businesses

Limited Liability Company (LLC) This is the most common business structure among most small and or home-based businesses. It offers benefits for small businesses since it reduces the risk of losing all your personal assets in case you are faced with a lawsuit. It provides a clear separation between business and personal assets. You can also elect to be taxed as a corporation, which saves you money come tax time. If you are unsure which specific business structure you should choose then, you can discuss it with an accountant. They will direct you in the best possible option for what your business goals are.

Obtain an EIN Number EIN or Employer Identification Number is essentially a social security or

tax identification number but for your business. The IRS and many other governmental agencies can identify your business via this unique 9 digit number. Remember, you will not need this number if you choose to be a sole proprietorship for your business. It is simple to apply, either you can do it yourself or get your accountant to apply for you, but the process is simple, you fill out the form SS-4, which can be filed online, via fax, or via mail. Here is a link to the IRS website where you can download or fill out the form online. https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/how-toapply-for-an-ein

Open a Commercial Bank Account This is one important step, but it can only be done after you have a fully executed article of incorporation which has been approved by the state, and you have an EIN number assigned by the IRS. Once you have these two documents, you should be able to go to a bank and open your first commercial bank account. But remember to check and understand various types of commercial checking account fees, you want to find a bank that offers free or almost free commercial checking account because some larger banks can charge you hundreds of dollars each month depending on how many transactions you do. Make sure to ask and shop around before you sign on the dotted line.

Chapter 12: Branding and Labeling the Product You may have an idea of what you want your wine business to be named, but you can also choose names for different products that you make. A brand defines who your wine appeals to in terms of demographic and your target market. You may want to choose a different feel or approach to different types of wine that you make. For example, your traditional table white wine might be branded as fancy, formal, or feels like family. The dandelion wine might be seen as fun, natureloving, and carefree.

Choosing a Wine Brand Do a search on the TTB’s Public COLAs website (https://www.ttbonline.gov/colasonline/publicSearchColasBasic.do ). This is a public website that can be searched by anyone wanting to look up label approval information, or in this case, do a fast and easy search to see if a brand name is already in use by a winery or wine business. Also, do a trademark search using the US Patent and Trademark’s Office website. At this point, if you’re really getting serious about your business (as you should), you could consult an attorney to be sure that your brand name won’t infringe upon someone else’s. It would be very inconvenient to roll a brand to production only to be presented with a trademark violation lawsuit. A brand name is a required item for all wine labels and is required to appear on the brand (front) label. If you’re certain that your chosen brand name is unique, you can register the brand with the TTB and then place the name on your label. We will examine labeling provisions next. The TTB does not require informing them of all brand names you plan to use on wines you bottle, but it does require informing them of all the trade names you plan to use on wines you bottle. The brand name and trade name on a bottle of wine may or may not be the same.

Labeling Requirements By law, bottles of United States wine must be marked with a brand name, wine type, alcohol content, bottle volume, sulfite content, and the producer's name and address. 1. Brand Name. This is the name that you just decided upon. 2. Wine type. This can be the varietal statement or the listing of what type of wine it is such as table wine, dessert wine, or sparkling wine. This section can be the AVA of origin, too. 3. Alcohol content. This lists the ABV percentage. 4. Bottle volume. This is self-explanatory of the size of the liquid content in the bottle. 5. Sulfite content. This statement declares “contains sulfites” as a declaration of the sulfur dioxide content. 6. Name and address. The name and address of your company. 7. Government health statement. Specifically, any product containing alcohol should state, “GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery and may cause health problems.” Here is an example wine label with all of the necessary components:

Chapter 13: Getting Down to Business: Mistakes and Marketing In this chapter, we’re moving past the initial set up of the business and getting down to the nitty-gritty of selling wine and making real money.

5 Mistakes to Avoid Just as it is important to do the right things, it is just as important to learn from other’s mistakes and know what to avoid when starting a wine making business. Consider five of the most common mistakes new wine making business owners make.

Not Finding a Mentor As with any small business, it is important that you have at least some experience before you get started. This means at least having experience doing it as a hobby or for personal wine giving. If you don't have any experience, take the time to take a class or read a book such as this, then practice for a while to see if you are getting good at it. If you try to start a business with no experience, then you are going to be taking a greater risk than you need to. You should enlist a mentor. This could even be a renowned business guru that you admire. Even if you don’t speak directly to this mentor, you can read everything they produce, follow their business on social media, and read every article they are involved in. Most big-time business successes will have written books, produce podcasts, or have resources you can get your hands on.

Not Having a Business Plan A solid business plan built on lots of research is essential to any business success. Making wines as a hobby and selling a few is just a start, to turn it into a business you need to do some careful planning. You need to research

bulk supplies and other business aspects. You need to choose a name and register your business. There are a number of practical steps you need to take to start your business, and having a thoroughly researched business plan will make sure you don't miss any of them.

Not Having a Proper Workspace If you are going to start a business from your home, you need to make sure you have the appropriate workspace available to accommodate the size of the business you plan on running. For a wine making business, this means room to make and store the wine, enough storage for keeping all your supplies as well as some office space for your bookkeeping and sales. The more room you have and the better organized you will be, and that would also mean your business will be more efficient and productive.

Not Finding a Niche If you are going to start a wine making business, you need to have a niche. If there is a particular type of wine you enjoy making and you're efficient in producing them, then you should place your focus there. There are a number of wine options, but you want to find one that not only sells well but will also be easy for you to mass-produce. You must find a way to stand out among the vast crowd of wine makers. Find what makes you different and rely on that. Is it that your wine is fun or fancy? Is your wine perfect for a summer picnic or a candlelight dinner? Are your wines all-natural, organic, or sustainably sourced? Figure out what need you fill in the market and stick to that.

Not Having a Target Market It is important that you know where and how you plan to sell your wines once you get your business started. Many wine makers choose to use a website as a way to market and sell products, but there are other options as

well. Let's actually take a look at some ways to promote and sell your wines to help you get some ideas.

Promoting and Selling Wine You can't expect to sell wines and make a profit unless people know that your wines exist. There are many ways you can choose to promote your wines, and you don't need to use all of them. Rather, you want to choose the best methods that will make people aware of your wines and be the friendliest option for your business budget. Let's take a look at your options.

Online Sales In today's electronic focused society, perhaps the best option is to have an online presence. Having a website will allow you to appear on search engines and get attention from potential customers around the world who otherwise may not get a chance to find out about your wines. If you are going to set up an online presence, the first thing you need to do is find a web host and create an account. For more professionalism, you should consider purchasing your own domain name before building your website (as I mentioned earlier). Even without HTML knowledge, you can still create a decent website with the templates most web hosts offer, or you can hire a freelancer designer to put one together for you. Once you have your website up, you should make sure you provide information on the wines you offer and include a portfolio of your wines so people can get a good idea of what you have to offer. Then you'll be ready to set up for accepting online sales. Here are few online freelance hire sites you can hire from: 99designs.com Fiverr.com Freelancer.com Guru.com

Upwork.com With marketplace websites such as eBay, it is easier than ever to sell handmade wines online. However, many of these options will deduct a percentage of the total sales, so you may have to raise your prices. Another option is to set up an online store on your website and sell directly to customers. The issue with selling online direct to customers is navigating the individual state regulations for shipping. Not every state allows wine shipments direct from wineries. For a listing of state regulations, visit https://www.winespectator.com/articles/us-wine-shipping-laws-state-bystate-50258 .

A Mailing List Once you have a website and start developing an online presence, you may want to consider starting a mailing list. This is a great way to get repeat customers since interested individuals can sign up for a mailing list. About once a month, you can send out a newsletter showing your newest products and potentially a special discount to increase the incentive to purchase. A recurring subscription service of a “wine of the month” club is a great way to get repeat customers. If you produce many types of wine, this might be a good way to let your customers try new wines.

Social Networking Sites In my humble opinion, this is by far the best way to market your products. Before you build websites or even a domain name, you should focus on marketing on sites like Facebook. For me, Facebook provided the best results, and I believe it can do the same for you too. If you are like me and don’t know how social media marketing works, then hire someone from one of those sites I mentioned and let them help you. Once you see some success, then you should want to invest and get a website ready where you can display all your products and have shopping

carts installed so people can buy directly from your site. Customers want a way to contact sellers directly as well as a place where they can publicly express their shopping experiences. If you provide this, you will not only draw attention to your business, but you can also potentially increase sales. Keep in contact with your customers through networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Just remember to always include a link back to your website so people can find you easily.

PPC Advertising If simply having your items listed for sale online isn't doing enough, you can consider increasing some attention by buying PPC or pay per click advertising. You can do this through Google or other search engines. As it sounds, this type of advertising means you only pay when someone actually comes to your website through a PPC link. You can often determine how much you pay and set a daily limit. This option isn't for everyone, but it is another online advertising option.

Offline Sales Just because we live in an electronic and connected society, doesn't mean offline methods are no longer effective. Sometimes the best sales come from local areas and not worldwide sales. So be sure also to consider some offline methods of promotion to get your wines noticed. Have some nice business cards printed that you could include with each purchase or simply to give out to people you meet every day. This can be an excellent way to get both new and repeat sales. It may be a good idea to have a logo designed to increase your promotions and have things look more professional.

Local Papers and Flyers If you can afford it, consider taking out an ad in the local newspaper. Another option that can be a little cheaper is to print some flyers and place

them out around town in heavily frequented areas such as the local coffee shop, hair salons, grocery stores, beauty salons, etc. Anything you print should include your contact information and the web address (URL) of your online store.

Community Events The best way to get local exposure is to sponsor events within the community. Offer to supply wines for events in exchange for a mention. This is a great place to start for a small wine making business. Getting involved in various social gatherings that is how I got started and saw a great result. You could partner with a local catering company to provide wines to them for events for a bulk discount. Find a caterer that deals with adult events like weddings and would need supplies for a bar. Make sure to include everything in writing in a contract if you’re partnering with another business in this manner.

Introductory Offers There are a lot of options when it comes to wines, and you need to give people a reason to choose yours over others. Competitive pricing is one option, but you can also offer special deals. Give a discount to first-time customers, holiday specials, or clearance events for older stock. This way, you get people interested, and you don't have to affect your profits long term by lowering your prices. These are just some of the main options for promoting your wines. The methods of promotion are limited only by your imagination. Think of the various ways that may work for your company. Let's now take a look at some ways to sell your wines.

B2B Direct Selling One excellent way to both make a profit for your wine making business and increase your business exposure is to sell your wines to local wine stores. In addition to wine shops, you can also include liquor and beer stores and

grocery stores that may specialize in locally made beer and wine.

Research Potential Stores Before you approach any store, make sure you do your research to ensure you are targeting the right locations and setting the right price point. Wine shops will often specialize in certain products, so you want to choose one that features merchandise that compliments your wines rather than detracts from them. You also want to make sure that you are choosing wine shops with price points similar to what you expect to get for your wines.

Have a Proposal Before approaching wine shops, make sure you have prepared a sales proposal. A great proposal is one that includes an overview of your wines, including how they are made, what ingredients you use, and the sizes, shapes, and flavors you create. Provide a description of how your wines are different from others. Have a breakdown of price points for each size and outline how much inventory you have on hand or how quickly you can produce new bottles. You should have some samples and ask to meet with the shop owner or manager to discuss your product.

Pitch Your Proposal If possible, you want to visit wine stores in person so potential buyers can meet you. If you want to expand regionally, then consider an eye-catching sales brochure with professional photos of your wines and have a website ready to show what you have to offer. Before spreading out, be sure to do your research on a larger scale area and find wine shops that meet your criteria in areas you are looking to expand. Offer to send samples and sales materials, so the store has a chance to get a first-hand look at what you have to offer.

Go to Trade Shows Another good option is to consider setting up a vendor booth at a trade show. This can help provide you with exposure and allow you to meet with buyers from different retail outlets. If you can't afford a booth, you can at least attend a trade show and participate in networking events. This can help you develop new contacts that can eventually develop into new wine sales. One thing that is sure to come up at some point is selling wholesale. Whether you are selling significant amounts to a single store or you get a larger contract to sell to a major retailer, you may eventually be asked to wholesale. Let's consider how you can do this to have the best potential outcome for your business.

Selling Wholesale Before you get asked to sell your wines wholesale, it is important that you do some research on the wholesale wine market. You can choose to sell wholesale directly to a buyer or through a wholesale distributor on a commission basis. When you work with a distributor, they will attend trade shows and make sales calls on your behalf so you can focus more of your time on the important part of making wines and efficiently running your company. Start your research by considering the competition in retail stores. Take note of the price, shape, type, and size of the competition wines. Determine what makes your wines unique. Perhaps you use only organic ingredients, or your wines have an unusual color or design. There are a number of things that can make your wines stand out from the competition. When it comes to pricing your wines for wholesale, you want to price them at half retail price. Stores will often mark up their inventory by 100 percent over cost. For example, if you sell wholesale at $4 a bottle, the retail store will likely charge $8 a bottle. It is important to consider exactly what it costs to produce your wines. You don't want the cost of making a bottle of wine to exceed 50 percent of

your wholesale price. If it goes over 50 percent, then you need to either adjust your wholesale price higher or determine ways you can decrease your production costs. Once you have a good idea of the appropriate wholesale price, you know what to quote a potential buyer. Now that you have a good overview of making wines and starting your business, you can choose to jump in and get some of the experience you need to get started. I've included some useful projects to help you get started. As you gain experience, you can expand on these projects or simply start experimenting on your own.

Last Words The exciting world of wine making is something worth looking into. You will be impressed at how well you can make wine when you put in a strong effort into the process. I hope that this guide has helped you understand everything you need to do when getting started with wine making on a budget. As you have noticed, it does not cost as much money to start making wine as you might think it would. The process is not all that hard to handle, either. It takes a while for your wine to be ready, but after a while, you will notice that your wine will stand out if prepared right. Good luck with your efforts in making the best wines possible. You will be pleasantly surprised when you see just how well you can get a quality wine made in the comfort of your home. I wanted to thank you for buying my book; I am not a professional writer by trade. I’m just a person who always had a passion for making wine at home. In this book, I wanted to share my knowledge with you, as I know there are many people who share the same passion and drive as I do. So, this book is entirely dedicated to you. Despite my best effort to make this book error free, if you happen to find any errors, I want to ask for your forgiveness ahead of time. Just remember, my writing skills may not be best, but the knowledge I share here is pure and honest. If you thought I added some value and shared some valuable information that you can use, please take a minute and post a review wherever you bought this book. This will mean the world to me. Thank you so much! Lastly, I wanted to thank my wife, Jessica, and my son Jacob for all their help and support throughout this book. Without them, this book would not have been possible.

Thank you once again. Cheers!