Often referred to as the nectar of the gods wine has been around for centuries. Recent discoveries have shown that wine was being produced as early as 6000 BC in the European grape growing areas. Today wine is one of the most popular drinks mainly due to the variety of available grapes and blends being produced by the wineries around the world.

Unlike liquors such as whiskey, scotch or vodka for example, wine is completely legal to make at home. This combined with the ever rising prices for wine at your local retailer has given rise to making homemade wine. For this person the price of wine can be reduce to approximately $3.00 per bottle which is a lot cheaper than buying it from a store.

When it comes to making your own wine there are several ways in which this can be accomplished. Each one has its’ pros and cons which I will discuss in the following paragraphs.

Making Your Own from Grapes

This method is probably the hardest and could very well be the most expensive. By  going this route you have to be prepared to make a lot of wine and you will need a lot of equipment to get the job done. The equipment required is a crusher to crush the grapes and a press to squeeze all the juices from the grapes and finally a barrel to store the wine while it is fermenting and aging.

Depending of the number of grapes that were purchased or grown at home the number of gallons will vary. I must say that it is best to leave this method to the professional as the investment far outweighs the results.

Making Wine from a Kit

This is one of the most popular ways to make wine at home. With this method you will be required to invest in a bucket which is used in the primary fermentation process, a carboy used in the secondary fermentation process, bottles, a siphon, an airlock and a corker. These are all onetime purchases and can be used over and over again. You will need to get the concentrated grape juice and initial ingredients such yeast from either a wine store or over the internet.

The basic process is to mix the wine concentrate, water and yeast in a large bucket (at least 8 Gal) add the yeast, cover and let it ferment for a few days. When the bubbling has slowed down siphon the juice into a carboy, install the airlock and let it sit until the bubbles stop coming through the airlock. You are now ready to bottle and cork the wine.

Be sure to store the wine bottles on their side to keep the cork moist in a cool dry place.

Making Wine at a Wine Making Store

This is the easiest method. The process is much like above except that the wine store does a lot of the work for you. Usually you are only required to bottle it up when it is done and the best part, drink it. You will pay a little more as the wine store provides the equipment and looks after the fermentation process.