The history of growing grapes and making wine is almost as old as humans themselves. It is a process that was seen all over the world in all of the major civilizations. In today's society, growing grapes and making wine is just as rewarding and is well worth the effort.
The Growing Process
Before enjoying your very first self-made wine bottle, growing the grapes is the initial step to complete. Before planting, you will have to select the type of grape to grow between two common kinds.
Picking the Right Grape Cultivar
Whether you choose to harvest red or white grapes, you will pick between European grape varieties and Hybrid grape varieties. European grape varieties are most often used in traditional wine growing areas such as Napa and Sonoma Valley, in California. These places have characteristic warm climates, with extended growing seasons. In those places where growing seasons are shorter-lived due to cooler weather, hybrid grape varieties are the more efficient to grow. In addition to a higher resistance to cold weather, hybrid grapes also offer great tolerance to disease.
which kinds of grapes to grow
The most significant thing to remember about growing grapes is they are evergreen plants, and therefore, it will be about 3 years before you are able to crop your first crop. But, some good news is the quality doesn't think about the winemaker but on the grapevines.
Establish Optimum Growing Conditions
Providing your grapevines with enough sunlight and a nutrient deficient soil is vital to obtaining a good harvest for your wine making. Enough sunlight will ensure you get sweet grapes that are good for fermenting, while a nutrient-poor soil will stress the vine so that the fruit is small and appetizing. A smaller fruit equals more skin, the essence of the grapes color and flavor.
Determine the Prime Harvesting Time
Time will come to harvest your grapes, and you have to ensure that they have fully ripened. A hydrometer will help you measure the sugar content of the fruit to determine its ripeness. In addition, before proceeding to the fermentation step, you will need to stabilize the acidity levels with special chemicals that can be purchased at your local wine making supply store. There you will also find other handy supplies such as bottles, corks, hydrometers and more. Acidity-wise, you will need to pay special attention to hybrid grape harvests, since these generally offer fruits with higher amounts of acidity than the European grape varieties.
Fermentation, Clarification & Bottling
When you are ready to ferment the grapes you will have to add yeast. There are different yeasts available for your wine. They will add subtle flavors or characteristics to the wine. Fermentation takes about a week, and then it is ready to age. Ageing can take several months to a few years to complete. Once the wine is crystal clear you can bottle it and the wine then sits again for a few months aging during this step also. It is also common knowledge that the longer you allow your wine to age, the better it will be. Corks and wine bottles can also be purchased from your local wine store.
When the wine turns clear, its time to bottle. Then a second, and final, ageing is done to prepare the wine before its consumption. When it comes to ageing, be patient and remember the popular saying: the longer the ageing, the better the wine. In time, you will taste the difference.
Pierre Duponte is a wine making enthusiast. He spends his time teaching others how to make fine wines. For more great tips on How To Grow Grapes or you can get his free 10 part mini course on grape growing and how to make wine visit http://www.grapegrowingwinemakingtips.com/.
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