Wine making
Over the past week I was able to get into my own wine making. This is something that my brother has done over the years but I as able to get into it this year. I was interested into the legality of this due to the fact that Ontario can be pretty stingy on alcohol rules. From what I was able to muster up, technically it is legal as long as it's for your own personal consumption or you are giving it away free of charge. Awesome, I don't have to worry about the swat team breaking down my door at 3am in the morning....
On the note of knowing what I am doing....I don't have a clue. Luckily a few of the guys are experienced, so over the years I will be able to learn the art of wine making, types of grapes, blends etc.
There is something amazingly comforting putting in the work to make this happen. I don't think I have been so intrigued about something like this in a while. The best part will be tasting and bottling the finished product.
For some wine making basics, head over to this site for some help:
http://www.drinkwine.com/wine_guide/winemaking_basics.html
I chose to make 2 different types of wine. The first is a straight Merlot, and the second is a mixture of Grenache and Black grape. The mixture has been made by my brother and his group for many years and it turns out well every year, so it was a no brainer to make the mixture.
As far as pricing, I am looking at an end product that costs roughly $2.25 per bottle. You really can't beat the price. If you are willing to put in a little bit of elbow grease, you really can't go wrong. Granted I am lucky because they already have the barrels, the grape crusher, the presses, and proper storage containers. You aren't using any preservatives or powders like in the store made wine (Which can lead to bad headaches to the consumer) Wheres the fun in that?
The next step will be to transfer the wine that is currently in barrels into the carboys, also referred to as Demijohn's in about a weeks time. Then from there it will sit and will be ready for bottling in April.
April can't come soon enough!
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