How to Make Wine

Summary: Suspected to have been in production as early as 6000 B.C., wine is an ancient alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of the grape. Its modern name is derived from the Latin vinum , which refers to the vine of the grape. The early Greeks and Romans celebrated wine’s properties of health and intoxication; they even had a god of wine named Bacchus (a.k.a. Dionysus) who was the administrator over feasts and drinking revels. Since the last supper of Jesus with his disciples, Christians have used wine to celebrate the Eucharist in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. Needless to say then, wine is one of the most important foodstuffs of the human race, used for multiple purposes over thousands of years.

Wine is a beverage almost as varied and unique as the people who drink it. This is largely due to the fact that the finished wine product has a memory that preserves minute influences of flavor, color, and acidity. The individual complexities of a wine can be determined by such factors as soil mixture, temperature variation, grape variety, vintage, natural flavoring, yeast and the fermentation process, aging, choice of wood barrel, and the list goes on. There is a large subculture built around wine and winemaking because there’s something in it for just about everyone.

If you want to learn more about the winemaking process, watch this step-by-step video series on how wine is made. A real winemaker will guide you through his winery and show you how it’s done. Santé!