Making wine - my new hobby

Steve Cain

09 September 2013

I used to think wine-making was some type of scientific experiment conducted by my Dad. I remember his bottles bubbling away on our windowsills like a scene from a Hammer House of Horror movie.

But now I have the bug. And part of the attraction for me is drinking something that's a bit more special than a bottle of mass-produced plonk, with chemical nasties, and a big old carbon footprint. I can make my own wine with seasonal fruits or vegetables.

It started a few years ago when I heard a programme on the radio.

The person being interviewed suggested almost anything could be turned into wine, and often the main ingredient could be collected for free. I like wine. I like free stuff. I was hooked.

The timing was perfect too. I'd been looking for a new hobby where I could create something useful. I enjoy clothes shopping in charity shops, looking for those hidden gems, but I wouldn't say it gives me a thrill.

I've found this is a good time of year to get busy - there are gluts of all sorts of fruit and veg. For anyone thinking of making wine, here's some things I've learned along the way.

Making wine - the basics

You'll need a fair amount of space to make and store your wine.

I got my starter kit for £10 from a car boot sale, which included a mixing bucket, a sealed barrel, glass demi johns, rubber bungs with airlock and corks.

If you keep a few wine bottles from shop-bought wine, that can help you keep costs down. You can also try Ebay, Freecycle, charity shops or ask your friends and neighbours.

If you're really lucky - like me - you might have a specialist wine-making shop near you, or search online if you need to buy some new equipment.

Steve and his carrot wine

Recipes for natural wines

I won't go into the wine-making process as I found half the fun was tinkering around and fumbling this out myself.

Recipes differ slightly from book to book but the way wine is made hasn't changed over the years, so an old book from the 1960's as is good as any newly published one.

Try your local library or search online. There's some great books available, including Making Wines, Liquers & Cordians by Beshlie Grimes.

Winemakers are pretty good eggs and happy to share their wisdom, so you'll find plenty of useful advice and recipes online. Here's a few sites to try:

• Guardian Money Blog
• Frugal Living
• Chickens in the Road

Trial and error is key. Even the professionals don't always get it right. Personally I've found fruit wines trickier as they sometimes double ferment. Here's a few wines I have had success with, and an idea of what they taste like:

• dandelion - sweet
• carrot - sweet
• rosehip - dry
• parsnip - dry
• Brussel sprout (yes, you read that correctly) - dry

The idea for the sprout wine came to me when I listened to that radio programme. A 1970's sitcom called The Rise & Fall of Reginald Perrin, with actor Leonard Rossiter, featured the title character producing sprout wine as a deliberately useless product, as a deliberate gesture of defiance against the world.

Well, I disagree. Making it was admittedly a challenge - my flat emanated a strange aroma. But the result was a pleasant little number, a bit like a dry sherry.

Home-made gift

Wine makes a fantastic - not to mention eco-friendly and cheap - present. I've had great responses when I've given my wine as a Christmas / birthday / wedding present.

Going round to a friend's pad with a bottle of homemade plonk always gets the conversation off to a great start, even if it does ends up a little slurred by the end of the evening.

Steve Cain, Supporter Information Team.

Read more in our blog about biodynamic wine.