I started making my own wines a few years ago.
I was introduced to it by a few friends who bottled a few batches of wine every year and made the most delicious mulled wine. Since then I have been mostly impressed with homemade bottles that I have tasted.
Wines that you brew yourself are great for the second or third bottle of the night wines. Hosting a dinner party or even a kind of casual dinner at home usually means opening a bottle or two of wine; sometimes after the food is finished the wine sipping still continues – after a few glasses of wine anyone’s discerning palate becomes a little tired and a little tipsy, good wine gets wasted at this point.
There is not much benefit to opening up a bottle of full retail vino when your palate is too sloshed to appreciate it. Homemade wine is great in this circumstance – it is affordable and less complex than commercially produced wines; making them easy drinking and simple. It also doesn’t make you feel like you’re wasting $30 on a wine that no one will notice.
Locally the U-Brew is a great place to educate yourself about making your own wine. There are very affordable wine kits and equipment that you can purchase to get yourself started. You can also brew your own wines right in the store – they look after the process for you, and have everything you need to do the bottling.
The quality of the juice in available wine kits is very high and usually a combination of Canadian and international grapes. You can also look to secure yourself some real grapes to press on your own or even buy juice from a regional winery if you want to dabble in your own home.
This week I have chosen a few wines that were introduced at a U-Brew wine dinner here in Prince Rupert.
These wines were chosen to mimic the flavour and style of limited edition batches that will be available for sale later this
year.
Wines of the week
Gruner Veltliner – Grooner Niederoesterrich 2008 [Austria]
Crisp acidity that leads into a dry style wine with a tart lemon finish. Mild scents of pear and some green herbs are also present. Competes nicely with buttery dishes and mild spices. A nice minerality alongside the light flavours. 89/100 (October 22, 2010)
Gemtree Vineyards Bloodstone Shiraz/Viognier 2008 [McLaren Vale, Australia]
A lovely nose of black pepper, turned earth and strawberries – a nice perfumey nose that also shows hints of violets. Nice fruit forward flavours, a bit of heat, raspberries, strawberries and some peppermint flavours. A deep rich colour with a medium body. 83/100 (October 23,
2010)