Home Winemaking For Dummies
Published on 11. November 2010
384 pages
978-0-470-68112-1 (ISBN)
Description
An informative, fun guide to making your own wine
It's estimated that one million North Americans make their ownwine. Relatively inexpensive to make (a homemade bottle costs from$2 to $4), a bottle with your own label (and grapes) is a fantasyeven someone with modest aspirations can fulfill. Author TimPatterson, an award-winning home winemaker, shows how it's possiblefor anyone to create a great wine. In Home Winemaking ForDummies, he discusses the art of winemaking from grape tobottle, including how to get the best grapes (and figure out howmany you need); determine what equipment is required; select theright yeast and figure out if any other additives are needed; andstore, age, and test wine. With detailed tips on creating manyvarieties -- from bold reds and demure whites to enchantingrosés and delightful sparkling wines -- this guide is yourultimate winemaking resource.
Reviews / Votes
"Tim Patterson is one of the best contemporary writers on wine inthe United States. His easy-to-read, engaging prose transforms eventhe most complicated aspect of making wine and makes it comfortableand understandable. Reading Home Winemaking For Dummies --like having Patterson by your side as a personal mentor-is theabsolute best way to tackle the very satisfying process of makingyour own wine." --Karen MacNeil, Author, The Wine Bible "A thorough, practical, and entertaining guide, this text takestips from the pros and brings common sense and approachability tothe art of winemaking. Mr. Patterson's vast experience andcontagious passion for the subject make Home Winemaking ForDummies an enjoyable read while the format makes it anexcellent reference and allows the reader to delve as deep into thesubject matter as he or she wishes. Whether problem-solving orpursuing stylistic ideals Mr. Patterson holds the reader's handwhen needed but still encourages creativity within safe boundaries.From sourcing fruit to healthy fermentation habits straight throughaging, bottling, and even enjoying home-made wine this guide hasyou covered at every step - I even learned a few things myself!This book would be a welcome addition to any wine enthusiast'slibrary and is equally accessible to novice and connoisseur." --Ondine Chattan, Winemaker, Geyser Peak Winery "As a 20-year amateur winemaker with an addiction to winemakingbooks, I now have a new 'go-to' book for my first reference!After the excellently accurate coverage of basic winemaking, Tim'stome takes the wonderful turn of emphasizing the subtle, and not-sosubtle, differences that make the distinctions between the popularvarietals - all in one place! Home Winemaking For Dummies isnow prominently on my shelf in front of all thetextbooks!" --Dave Lustig, President, Cellarmasters Home Wine Club LosAngeles "Tim Patterson is able to express his knowledge and passion ofwinemaking in a vey understandable, humorous, and practical way. Ifyou follow the advice in this book, you will be able to producewine that will likely be better than inexpensive commercial wine,and could be as good as any wine ever made. I applaud Tim's effortand wish this book was around when I started making wine." --Kent Rosenblum, Consultant Winemaker, Rosenblum Cellars,and former home winemakerMore details
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Person
Tim Patterson writes about wine and makes some of his own in Berkeley, California. He contributes the monthly "Inquiring Winemaker" column for the industry trade magazine Wines & Vines, digging into winemaking theories and techniques, and he covered home winemaking for several years in the pages of WineMaker. He has won dozens of Gold medals, Double Golds, and Best of Shows from amateur winemaking competitions in California.
Content
Introduction.
Part I: Motivations, Materials, and Methods.
Chapter 1: Making Great Wine at Home.
Chapter 2: Finding Good Grapes.
Chapter 3: Provisioning Your Home Winery.
Chapter 4: Obsessing over Temperature, Oxygen, andSanitation.
Part II: Phases and Stages.
Chapter 5: Sorting, Crushing, and Pressing.
Chapter 6: Letting Yeast Do Its Thing: Fermentation.
Chapter 7: Doing the Post-Fermentation Tango.
Chapter 8: Aging and Blending.
Chapter 9: Finishing and Bottling.
Chapter 10: Storing, Serving, and Starting Over.
Part III: Deeper Into Reds.
Chapter 11: What's Special about Red Wines?
Chapter 12: Bold Bordeaux Reds.
Chapter 13: Ravishing Rhône Reds.
Chapter 14: Handling the Hard Cases.
Chapter 15: Up-and-Comers and Off-the-Radars.
Part IV: Deeper Into Whites.
Chapter 16: What's Special about White Wines?
Chapter 17: Fruity, Herbal Whites.
Chapter 18: Aromatic Whites.
Part V: Beyond Red and White.
Chapter 19: Thinking and Drinking Pink.
Chapter 20: Dessert, Fortifi ed, and Sparkling Wines.
Part VI: The Part of Tens.
Chapter 21: Ten Mistakes Most Home Winemakers Make at LeastOnce.
Chapter 22: Ten Ways To Save Money (and Make Better Wine).
Chapter 23: Ten Differences between Wine(makers) andBeer(brewers).
Part VII: Appendixes.
Appendix A: Glossary.
Appendix B: Conversions.
Appendix C: Resources.
Appendix D: Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and pH.
Index.
