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Back in the days of the Roman Empire ‘amateur’ meant ‘lover’ and referred to an individual who engaged in something from a love of doing it, and not for any monetary gain. These individuals were considered to be the highest of experts because they honed their craft motivated by simple joy for their work.

Despite the fact that wine professionals continue to fill their work with both passion and skill, amateurs, helped by modern technology and knowledge passed down over hundreds of years, can often now produce similar results.

The chemistry of fermentation was poorly understood until the start of the 20th century but, nevertheless, the basic process of fermentation has been used for over 5,000 years. Left unattended a wine grape will ripen until its skin splits and the juice naturally ferments by itself. Today, however, this process is guided by a combination of both science and art.

Grapes are placed in a press where they are turned into must which is a mixture of juice, pulp and skin. Natural yeast (which is found on the skin near the stem) and added yeast interacts with the sugars in the wine juice to produce ethanol (alcohol), carbon dioxide and heat. This process continues until either the sugars are depleted or the yeast is killed by the products of the reaction.

As a result of work carried out by Pasteur and others we are now able to control the process to produce exactly the result we desire. For those people who are not fortunate enough to have their own vineyard close to hand, wine juice concentrates can now be purchased reasonably cheaply.

Simply add acids, sugars, yeasts and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a suitable container such as a carboy or other jug and allow the mixture to sit for a few days at around 75 degrees fahrenheit (24 degrees centigrade). Specific recipes are usually provided with the concentrated wine juice giving specific amounts and fermentation details.

After a few days, siphon the liquid from the pulp and permit it to ferment at about 65 degrees fahrenheit (18 degrees centigrade) for several weeks until gas production (bubbling) stops. Then, siphon the wine off the sediments (lees) and store the wine bottles on their sides at 55 degrees fahrenheit (13 degrees centigrade) for six months in the case of white wine and up to twelve months for red wine before tasting.

Of course, it sounds easier than it is in reality but it is most certainly not beyond the dedicated amateur’s ability. Today, the process is closely monitored and often adjusted daily and, thanks to cheap refractometers to measure the concentration of sugar, hydrometers, thermometers, temperature controlled cabinets and a host of other items the job is a lot simpler than it used to be.

Of course things sometimes go wrong as nature takes its course. Fermentation may not begin, it may begin and then mysteriously stop for no apparent reason, the resulting wine might be too sweet or cloudy or filled with sediments. The wine may contain excess pectin, too many bacteria, taste sulphurous or flat or even moldy. Crystals might form if the temperature is not high enough or secondary fermentation might result from keeping the wine at too high a temperature.

Even so, in no small measure thanks to the Internet, today there are a number of websites devoted to assisting the amateur winemaker to produce wines that can rival those made by the masters of wine. All it takes is a little bit of practice.

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Wine For Dummies

Wine for Dummies

If the world of wines is a mystery to you and you don’t know one type of wine from the next then Wine for Dummies is the perfect book on wine for dummy drinkers.

Mary Ewing-Mulligan, who is the first female Master of Wines in the United States and one of only 250 Masters of Wine worldwide, teams up with her husband Ed McCarthy to write this easy to read and comprehensive guide to making sense of wine.

The book covers everything the wine dummy needs to know and, after starting with an introduction to different types of wine and how wine is made, the book gets down to specifics and covers a host of topics including:

• The four main white wine types.
• The four main red wine types.
• How to smell and taste a wine.
• How to read wine labels.
• How to read a restaurant wine menu.
• How to handle ‘snooty’ wine waiters.
• ‘Old World’ wines from countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany.
• ‘New World’ wines from countries like Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa.
• Wines from the United States including the wines of California, Oregon, Washington, and New York.
• Detailed information on a variety of vintage wines.
• And much more?€?

Now in its fourth edition Wine for Dummies is without doubt the best book available today on wine for dummy wine drinkers.

But there’s more. In addition to Wine for Dummies the authors have also written:

French Wine for Dummies

French Wine For Dummies

Not only is France one of the world’s oldest wine producing regions, but it is also one of the most diverse and this book provides a truly excellent road-map to the wine regions of France.

In the pages of this easy to read publication you’ll find a history of winemaking in France and learn why French wine came to dominate the world of wine. You’ll also discover such interesting facts as how and why the French label their wine bottles as they do.

The book houses a wealth of information including:

• France’s wine regions including Alsace, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire Valley and others.
• How to match French wines with food.
• How to translate wine labels.
• How to identify great wine bargains.
• And much more?€?

Italian Wine for Dummies

Italian Wine For Dummies

Italian wines are gaining rapidly in popularity as the range of high quality Italian wines that are available outside of Italy has grown in the past few years.

Understanding Italian wine is especially challenging for the beginner, and even for some wine experts, as many of Italy’s best wines are made from obscure grape varieties and using very complex blending processes.

Italian Wine For Dummies will however, like the other books in the series from the same authors, guide you easily and entertainingly through Italian wine and, along with such things as translating wine labels and matching Italian wines with food, covers:

• Italian wine types and the grape varieties used in their fermentation.
• How Italian wines are named.
• The complicated laws governing Italian wine and the meanings of some common terminology used on wine labels.
• Italy’s important wine regions, including regional surveys identifying the best vineyards and their finest wines.
• And a good deal more?€?

Red Wine for Dummies

Red Wine For Dummies

If you are particularly fond of red wine the Red Wine For Dummies is a must for any wine dummy.

After a brief introduction covering the classic types of red wine and red wine grape varieties (such as Merlot, Pinot Noir and Cabernet), wine connoisseurs Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan take you on a tasting of red wines from France, the United States, Australia, South America and South Africa.

In addition, this excellent book includes such things as:

• More than 1,000 red wine recommendations.
• How to pair red wine with food.
• A comprehensive glossary of wine jargon.
• A helpful chart of wine vintages.
• And a great deal more?€?

If you enjoy red wine then this is the perfect book on red wine for dummy wine drinkers

White Wine for Dummies

White Wine For Dummies

White Wine For Dummies is an easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable introduction to the world of white wine and is essential reading for all white wine dummies.

There is a huge range of white wine available today from countries such as France, the United States, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and South Africa and if you don’t know the difference between a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc then prepare to be both educated and entertained.

In this comprehensive wine for dummies guide to the white wines of the world you’ll discover:

If you like a glass of white wine then this is a great book on white wine for dummy wine drinkers

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Although many people associate Germany with the production of beer and conjure up pictures of the annual Munich festival, Germany is also one of the world’s major wine producing countries and boasts many world famous vineyards.

In this short introduction to the wines of Germany we will take a look at the five major wine producing areas of the country.

Baden

Baden is the third largest wine growing area of Germany but it is perhaps the most renowned. It also leads the other regions in terms of consumption with the national figure for per-capita consumption of wine coming in at 32 bottles a year and Baden recording 53 bottles per year.

Baden is the southernmost wine growing area of Germany and is a thin strip of land lying close to the Black Forest and extending south from Heidelberg down to Lake Constance.

The soil in this region ranges widely from a mix of gravel and limestone to clay and volcanic stone and the grapes grown here are largely the Pinot Gris, Gew?rztraminer and Riesling as well as the lesser known Gutedel and M?ller-Thurgau.

Mittelrhein

Mittelrhein, which translates as ‘middle Rhein’, is a relatively small wine producing area but the area around the village of Bacharach, which is named after Bacchus who was the Greek god of wine, has been one of Germany’s premier wine producing areas since the Middle Ages.

The area stretches south of Bonn for a distance of approximately 100 kilometers along the banks of the Rhine and the vineyards of the area are often found on the steep, rocky slopes that enclose the river and are home to several wonderful medieval castles.

The grapes of this region, which are grown on a clay-like slate soil, are predominantly Riesling, M?ller-Thurgau and Kerner with a delightful acidity which ferment into a sparkling wine which is second to none.

Rheingau

Rheingau is one of the oldest of Germany’s wine regions and is situated close to the Mittlerhein between Lorch and Hochheim on the Main River. The hillsides of this region are topped by the forests of the Taunus Hills.

This region support both Riesling grapes (it is said that Botrytis was first used here to enhance the world famous Rieslings of this region) and the Pinot Noir, which lends itself perfectly to full-bodied and spicy Sp?tburgunder.

The wines of this region have been developed over centuries by the inhabitants of the area’s cloisters and monasteries and wines from Rheingau once graced the table of Queen Victoria. That knowledge built up in this region over the years has also meant that the oenological institutes of the region are recognized as being among the finest in the world.

Rheinhessen

Rheinhessen, which is bordered on the west by the Nahe River and to the north and east by the Rhine, is the second largest wine growing region in Germany.

The region benefit from a variety of different soil types and micro-climates and boast several wine making communities such as Bingen, Mainz and others. The area is also famed for a Portugieser red of great distinction and the ancient Silvaner which has long been the pride of the region’s vintners.

Pfalz

Pfalz is Germany’s largest wine growing area which is bordered by France to the south and east and by Rheinhessen to the north. The chalk, marl, and clay soils of the region support a large number of grape varieties including M?ller-Thurgau, Kerner, Silvaner, Morio-Muskat and relatively new red from the Dornfelder which produces a complex, full-bodied wine.

Viticulture in the Pfalz region has been developed to a very fine point and the area rightfully takes it’s place at the pinnacle of winemaking.

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Are you completely lost when trying to decide which French wine will suit your needs best when it comes to choosing that perfect wine gift?

France boasts a number of wine producing regions and each specializes in producing a particular type of wine with a flavor very much of its own.

Burgundy

The wines of Burgundy are fermented from the black Gamay and Pinot Noir grapes and from the white Chardonnay grape.

The Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varieties and can be extremely difficult to grow. Nevertheless, it produce some of our best wines which are full-bodied and rich and which can also be light, soft and velvety at the same time. Wines made from the Pinot noir grape often have an aroma of cherries together with a spiciness that is reminiscent of either mint or cinnamon.

The Chardonnay grape is also a very popular grape which makes light, delicate dry wines with a distinctive aroma which can be difficult to describe but which brings to mind peaches, apples or lemons.

Bordeaux

Bordeaux wines are fermented from the related black Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes, found especially in the Medoc district of Bordeaux, as well as from the black Merlot grape.

Cabernet Sauvignon wines improve considerably with age and are frequently seen in a list of the world?€?s great wines. With age the distinctive blackcurrant aroma develops overtones of violets, cedar and leather and theses characteristically deep flavored wines frequently become soft and smooth.

Merlot grape wines are similar to those produced from the Cabernet Sauvignon grape although the aroma and flavor are less distinctive.

Although it may seem odd that white wines should be produced from black grapes, it should be remembered that the juice from both black and white grapes is colorless and it is the skin of the black grape which gives the wine its color.

Rhone

The most commonly seen grape varieties in the Rhone valley are the black Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and the white Muscat grape.

Syrah grapes ferment into intensely rich wines which are almost black in color and which have a spicy aroma. The Rhone Syrah grape is used in many blended wines including Chateauneuf du Pape

The Muscat grape produces intense, sweet wines with a strong aroma which is easily recognizable. Additionally, wines from the Muscat really do taste of grapes – something which is surprisingly rare in a wine.

Loire

Loire grapes include the black Pinot Noir and the white Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

The Sauvignon Blanc grape is grown throughout the world today and it is used very widely in blending. In the Loire region itself however it is used to produce a distinctive unblended dry white wine with a characteristically aggressive smell.

Pinot Gris wines frequently produce a floral and lightly lemon flavor and, depending upon how ripe the grapes are when they are harvested, wines which are either light and tangy or rich and full bodied. The Pinot Gris grape makes one of the very few white wines which can be said to age well.

Alsace

The grapes of the Alsace region are similar to those used in the Loire, but growing conditions in this region tend to lead to wines bearing the characteristics of many German rather that French wines.

Wines from the Alsace region are similar to Riesling and the sweeter German wines. Some ros? wines are also made in Alsace.

Champagne

The principle grapes of the Champagne region are the black Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir and the white Chardonnay.

Champagne wines are best described as thin and tart and they provide the perfect base for what most people believe are the world?€?s finest sparkling wines.

Beaujolais

The wines of Beaujolais are fermented from the black Gamay and white Chardonnay grapes.

Beaujolais wines are usually light in nature, fresh tasting and have a slightly fruity flavor. A number of Beaujolais wines are also slightly fizzy in nature.

French wines are some of the world’s finest wines and can provide the perfect wine gift.

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