I never thought I would ever be a vintner... wine connoisseur, perhaps but vintner, no. That all changed November 3 when I bottled my first batch of wine. Actually, the whole process started 45 days earlier. My friend, Julie who also shares the same birthday with me, and I decided to split a batch of wine and bottle it as part of our birthday celebration. We went to a place called Water2Wine where we learned how wine is made.
Interestingly, wine starts out as purified water that is muddied with clay. You beat the mud into the clay, add the grape juice, sprinkle on yeast, place it in a special plastic container and wait for 45 days. During that time, our friends at Water2Winetook care of our fermenting grape juice. They kept the bottle watered. This means that they added water to the valve which allowed air to escape from the fermentation process.
Bottling the wine took more effort than I realized. First we had to design a label that would suit the wine and the vendor. To bottle the wine first you wash the bottles. Next the bottles had to be disinfected and dried. A specialized pump filled the bottles and then another piece of machinery easily put the corks in the bottle. finally the label had to be applied and the foil was heat sealed on to the top of the bottle similar to a Shrinky Dink.
We called our wine Two Doctors Since my friend and I are both doctors. We chose a pomegranate zinfandel because it wasn't too sweet and it wasn't too dry. It was a nice moderate wine that everyone could enjoy.
If you ever get the chance to make your own wine, I would highly encourage it. It is a fun process, and having your own perfectly made wine is such a treat.
Interestingly, wine starts out as purified water that is muddied with clay. You beat the mud into the clay, add the grape juice, sprinkle on yeast, place it in a special plastic container and wait for 45 days. During that time, our friends at Water2Winetook care of our fermenting grape juice. They kept the bottle watered. This means that they added water to the valve which allowed air to escape from the fermentation process.
Bottling the wine took more effort than I realized. First we had to design a label that would suit the wine and the vendor. To bottle the wine first you wash the bottles. Next the bottles had to be disinfected and dried. A specialized pump filled the bottles and then another piece of machinery easily put the corks in the bottle. finally the label had to be applied and the foil was heat sealed on to the top of the bottle similar to a Shrinky Dink.
We called our wine Two Doctors Since my friend and I are both doctors. We chose a pomegranate zinfandel because it wasn't too sweet and it wasn't too dry. It was a nice moderate wine that everyone could enjoy.
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