How did I get into wine-brewing? My parents and most of my family don't drink, and if they do, nothing stronger than beer. Of all the friends I know who brew, they brew beer. Unless they do it professionally, people my age just aren't interested in wine making. So why, and how, did I get into it?
I had graduated from UC Irvine with a Bachelor's in Philosophy. I wanted to write something that would open people's eyes, ideas they would carry with them in their daily lives. But I had two problems: I didn't have enough ideas and I knew that inspiration takes time. To speed up the process, I occasionally took to drinking alcohol.
In the second year of my unsuccessful writing career, I was drinking some wine, and in my haze I wondered why some wines were good, why some were terrible. The different kinds, the different producers...there are whole aisles in the supermarkets dedicated just to the hundreds of wine-types out there. You can read a phony description on the back, see all the medals it's earned, but the actual quality is always a toss-up. They can be so different from maker to maker, year to year.
So I decided to make my own wine.
My father is a well-known rare-fruits agriculturist, always coming home with all kinds of strange, exotic fruits, to share with his family and friends. Usually, I was not impressed. Bananas that looked like Chaquita rejects, unenhanced fruit that can't compete with those genetically improved fruits you find in the market. But then he introduced me to a cactus-fruit that tasted just like a grape... better than a grape. I thought that the wine made from this fruit would be phenomenal.
That was it, that was the one. I told him how much I liked it, and next thing I know, we've got 10+ plants in the backyard. Then one day he tells me, this season we're going to have 30 of these fruit.
I had to take this opportunity. I ordered a start-up wine kit online (which I find out later was a little bit over-priced and under-supplied), and prepared myself for the brew by reading and taking notes on everything I could get my hands on. I had to respect the fruit and do my absolute best.
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| Racking my first wine. |
2 months later the end came, and I tested it. It worked. I mean, it really worked. Best wine I've ever had. My tests told me it was too acidic though, so in my slightly drunken stupor I added water to it. Worst Mistake I Ever Made. It diluted the wine and went from 11% alcohol to 2%. My parents liked the 2%, but they don't care for alcohol, so there you go. From then on I promised myself I would never drink and brew.
It would be a whole year until I could make another batch, but I had the itch. I couldn't wait a whole year until I fermented again! Some of the books I read had wine recipes using other kinds of ingredients: apricots, plums, persimmons, apples, flowers, honey, and so on. When I was buying my supplemental equipment, my dealer told me about honey wine and how easy it is to make. So I tried that out. Very good. A little too spicy, but still better than store-bought.
Then I tried another recipe, and another. The bottles began to pile up, so I decided to start giving them away. I got a good response, and so now I wasn't make my wine just for the thrill of it, but to share the happiness it gives. People want to buy it, but I can't accept the money, I think the wine just tastes better when you don't think about its financial value.
So now, 40+ batches later, I want to take the next step and make it professionally. I've been reading up on the laws, trying to get a business plan together, and learning different skills that would make my business grow and succeed. As of now I'm worried about the location, some small details about the methods of bottling, any unexpected costs, and whether I'll be able to get a business loan (that is, if I really need it). I thinking, hopefully, I'll have something in a year.
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