Wine Making: Homemade Wine from Vine or Kit
The dream of many wine connoisseurs is to own a vineyard. Unfortunately, not everyone can establish a full-scale winery. For those interested in making wine on a more manageable scale, the Wine Making Web Guide outlines how to grow grapes in a small garden, or make wine with kits and presses. You’ll also learn about viniculture, including grape growing and harvesting, fermenting and farm financing.
Expand All Guide SectionsHome Wine Making
The process of home wine making is quite involved, requiring numerous tools and ingredients. Use the following resources to get step-by-step guidelines on making wine at home.
Insights for Home Wine Making
- If you’re interested in learning more about making table wine, read “The Way to Make Wine: How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home.”
- For simple homemade wine making without fancy equipment or specialized ingredients, try this table wine recipe.
- If you enjoy home wine making, why not try your hand with hops? The findingDulcinea Beer Web Guide has a section on home brewing.
Top Sites for Home Wine Making
For wine-making instructions…
The Farm at Nanticoke Creek
is a blog maintained by wine-making enthusiasts. This section presents a step-by-step tutorial to making your own wine at home. A printable PDF of the tutorial is also available.
Viticulture & Enology
at the University of California, Davis offers an extensive guide in PDF format on the process of wine making at home. Illustrations of the required tools and techniques accompany the detailed instructions.
For home wine-making tools …
The Home Brewery
sells the equipment and ingredients necessary for wine making. You’ll find basic and advanced equipment as well as kits.
E.C. Kraus
sells home wine making kits and supplies. In addition to offering the necessary tools, this site also provides step-by-step instructions on how to make wine with fruit, grapes or concentrates.
Starting a Vineyard
Whether you have a large amount of land or just a simple garden, these resources are full of worthwhile advice for starting a vineyard and making wine at home.
Insights for Starting a Vineyard
- If you’re unsure of a viniculture term, visit this wine glossary for clarification.
- Climate change has altered the way grapes grow. For a general overview, see “Climate change in the vineyards."
- People interested in starting a vineyard or growing grapes in a garden can benefit from reading “From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine.”
Top Sites for Starting a Vineyard
For a basic look at wine farming and harvesting …
Adopt a Grape
takes you through the grape-harvesting process in a series of video tutorials. Watch the plant bud break, flower and undergo a green harvest. You’ll also see the veraison, harvest, fermentation, pressing and barrel-aging procedures.
For information about vineyard land requirements for starting a vineyard …
Professional Friends of Wine
offers a detailed article on viniculture. Learn about land requirements for grape growing, and which vine families grow best in specific climates.
For information on financing a vineyard …
The Texas Winegrape Network
hosts a number of academic articles on the viniculture process. Visit the Starting a Winery page to learn about viniculture and finance. Although the site focuses on Texas vineyards, much of the information is applicable elsewhere.
The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center
(AgMRC) provides an overview of the wine industry, and business development information on operating an agricultural business.
For step-by-step instructions on starting and managing a vineyard …
The University of California, Davis
details the week-by-week procedures that go into a year of wine planting and harvesting. Although this process is tailored for the California climate, it summarizes the necessary steps that apply universally.
To label your bottles…
Stoney Creek Wine Press
helps home wine makers and large vineyards design labels for their wine. Select from a number of templates or submit your own design.
Wine News
Discover the latest innovations in farming and keep up with trends in the market by reading the wine news sites listed below.
Insights for Wine News
- Wine blogs offer an inside look into the wine market, often illuminating trends, wine news and potential consumer preferences. For some worthwhile sources, try these recommended wine blogs from Food & Wine magazine.
- A new trend in the wine industry makes it possible for you to create your own bottle of wine without owning a vineyard. Visit Crushpad to learn more.
Top Sites for Wine News
Winebusiness.com
aggregates wine industry news, scientific innovations and viniculture tips from across the Web.
WineMaker
magazine is a helpful resource for those with vineyards, as well as for those making wine from kits and presses. You’ll need to subscribe ($25 for six issues) to access all of the stories in full.
Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine
keeps you current on wine news including upcoming viniculture events, conferences, trade shows and competitions. This is a great way to be in touch with other viticulturists or to break into the market.
Selling Wine
If you’re interested in selling the wine you’ve produced, use these resources to learn about selling wine. You’ll find information on the wine industry, the marketing process and branding.
Insights for Selling Wine
- The sites below cover the process of marketing wine and selling wine. There are many Web sites and companies available that offer similar services.
- Pay special attention to the sections dedicated to the laws and regulations of wine selling. States have individual regulations and you must adhere not only to the laws of your home state, but also to the rules of any state where you intend to ship wine.
- Many wine-selling resources are geared toward selling wines that have already been on the market and have recognizable names. Be prepared to describe the process of your wine making, and the flavors that characterize it. If you can, think of a well-known label or variety to which you can compare your wine.
Top Sites for Selling Wine
For marketing and selling wine independently …
WineCommune
is a community that allows you to sell or consign your wine through its site. Register for free to become a member. Don’t miss the section on the laws regarding buying and selling wine.
Wine Marketer
is an organization dedicated to the wine industry. The site offers current news on wine production and wine sales, links to distribution laws and advice on wine marketing.
For services that help you market and sell wine independently …
Bottlenose
helps you build a Web site to market your wine. The company designs your business Web site and monitors the site to optimize traffic month by month.
Intwine Marketing
is an advertising firm with an impressive list of clients in the wine and spirits industry. Have a look at “Services” to see the advertising and marketing strategies involved in selling wine.
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