Primary Fermentation

[winecollector]

Let me start by simply saying that personally, I refuse to make a whole batch of wine from juice or juice concentrate. This is based on personal preference, because of being a wine collector prior to being a wine maker. Not knowing who grew the grapes, not knowing what area they came from (other than general), not knowing how they were handled, if the were sprayed and with what, there are just too many unknowns for me to personally put my name on a bottle of anything like that.

Being a "wine collector" now for close to twenty years, I staunchly feel that all of these things make a big difference in the quality of the wine that you end up with. You can taste two different types of Bordeaux, two different types of California Cabernet, two different types of Chardonnay- and they are going to be different due not only to the skill of the winemaker, but also to the "terrior", as the French call it, or overall heritage of the grapes. The "terrior" includes the amount of rainfall, the composition of the soil, the care given the vines, the overall growing conditions- all these things play a major part in what ends up in the bottle.

This is why I now plant and raise my own grapes. I know exactly what I can expect from personally selecting the site for them. The site I selected was based on soil composition, degree of slope of the hillside not only for rain run off, but also for the south-south east direction. It is also right on the edge of the upper bowl part of a forested valley, and retains a higher average temperature because of this and it's elevation, in relation to other locations where grapes are also being grown only about a half a mile away. If you want high quality wine, it can get very scientific.

I think that's a question you need to ask yourself- to what extent are you willing to go to make wine? If your looking to do this as a hobby, which is what most people do it as, then you'll likely make wine that you'll be proud of from grape juice or juice concentrate. No doubt, you'll enjoy sharing it with your friends and family. If however, your used to drinking the more sought after California Cabs, or the Premier Cru Class wines, and you were expecting to make a wine of that caliber from purchased grape juice, then your going to be in for a disappointment. You will not only taste the difference, but you will also probably not care for what you made.

Since your just getting ready to make your first batch of homemade wine, my suggestion to you is to keep it as simple as possible, and have fun with it. It's going to be a long term learning process, and over time you'll continue to get more knowledgeable and better at it.

Good Luck!