I’ve occasionally been asked why I make my own wine when there’s an abundance of reasonably priced, decent quality wine so readily available. I admit, I frequently dip into that well (I’m sipping a hearty California Zinfandel right now). But making your own wine gives you possibilities and a perspective that you’ll never get from merely making a purchase.
Homemade wine can be made from almost anything. I have a 1920’s book on making wine that includes recipes for turnip, onion, and cock wine (“get a cock, the older the better”). But there are many fruits and berries that can make excellent wine, and by making it yourself you can create wine in a style suited to your own tastes. These types of wines are not as readily available commercially, so you have the opportunity to make something unique. In a given year I make red raspberry, wild black raspberry, red currant, pear, and apple wine. I’ll also make batches of other types depending on what I have available. For the most part, I make my wines semi-dry, and have suprised many experienced wine drinkers who expect homemade wine to be a sugar bomb.
Homemade wine can be cheaper than purchased wine; true if you grow or have access to free fruit and use recycled bottles (let me know if you need help recycling some). Of course that doesn’t include the cost of your labor and you have to be willing to deal with the bugs, heat, thorns, etc. if you’re harvesting your own fruit.
But one of the most rewarding aspects is the creative process. Making wine involves knowing your fruit, understanding fermenting, knowing how to shape the wine to your tastes, and enjoying the end results. Priceless!