First Batch

[hotwine]

Welcome to the board, Nick.

Red wine is normally fermented in vats that do not impart any flavorings to the fruit; concrete, stone, glass, stainless steel are all examples of materials used as primary fermenters. The must is then racked off into oak barrels for aging, then bottled. It's all done in an orderly, scientific process that begins with measurements of the sugar content of the grapes to determine harvest time and includes frequent measurements of specific gravity of the must to determine alcohol content, and therefore the progress of fermentation. Control of aging in oak and bottle is based on the winemaker's experience. (That's a very over-simplified description of the process, by the way.)

Suggest you get a home winemaking kit from a retailer associated with BrewKing (see www.brewking.com); their Website shows locations of retailers. If your hometown is Purcellville VA, you'll see several retailers listed in your state where you can obtain winemaking supplies and instruction materials.

[This message has been edited by hotwine (edited 09-03-2005).]