How To Make Wine At Home

Gallon Glass Carboy

Planning Your Wedding With Your Own Homemade Wine

Many brides and grooms-to-be are feeling the economic pinch and are carefully considering all their options when it comes to the expenses of their wedding. If you're like many other soon to be married couples, you might be thinking about providing your guests with your own homemade wine. With savings of potentially thousands of dollars from the alcohol portion of the wedding reception bill, making your own might make a lot of sense. And at as low as three dollars a bottle, why not?

If you are considering providing your guests with your own wine to save money on the wedding expense, there are some things you should think about and plan ahead for. Although you can purchase winemaking kits that will be ready to bottle in as little as four weeks, it would be best to not wait until the last month before your wedding to start your kit.

Give Yourself Some Time

Most wines, just like we all hope for your marriage, will improve and become even better with time. Although those four week kits can be ready to bottle in four weeks, it still really ought to age at least another month in the bottle before the subtle characteristics will even begin to show in the aromas and tastes. With a reds, especially if you decide to spend a little more and choose an Ultra-Premium kit, you might want to consider aging it 6 months to more than a year before you serve it at your wedding. Even white wines can benefit from some aging prior to serving out of the bottle.

So one of the very first things you'll need to plan is when to start your home winemaking activities in order to allow it to age to some degree before your big day. But don't worry - making your own  will probably require the least work and time of all the other tasks you will need to do in order to have that beautiful wedding. The amount of time on your part from the start (beginning the fermentation) to the end of the winemaking process (bottling) is about two to three hours for 90 bottles.

Red Or White?

You may know your guests' preferences for either red or white wine and can plan the numbers of bottles of each based on that. However, if you don't know, it's a good idea to have at least one bottle of each for every four people who will be there. You should count on each person consuming about half a bottle at dinner time. Then, have extra bottles of white for those who will insist on that. Some surveys suggest that there are more people that enjoy white wine exclusively than there are that will only drink red. Although many connosiers will recommend either a red or a white depending on the meal being served, most people are not that picky and will drink the type they enjoy the most.

Your Place Or Theirs?

Where are you going to make the wine? Many home winemakers do make their own at home - even if their homes are small and don't have much space. A single batch of five gallons does not take up that much space - all it requires is enough room for a pail and then after the primary fermentation, a five gallon glass carboy. A water supply close by is handy but not necessary. But if you're going to be making enough to serve to a hundred guests or more (the more you guests you have, the more you will save by making your own), you'll likely be needing to purchase at least two kits that will yield 30 bottles each. If you have space restrictions at your home, many local winemaking supply shops also offer the winemaking on their premises for a modest additional fee. They'll even do most of the work for you and assist with the filtering and bottling.

Is This Legal?

Liquor laws are different in every jurisdiction. Some jurisdictions have a limit (but who's actually doing the counting?) on the number of gallons of homemade fermented beverage an individual can make in a year. Some wedding reception venues might not like the idea of you bringing your own alcohol to serve your guests as they mark up the cost considerably and make a huge profit from it. If you have any questions about any restrictions in your area, you may want to have a chat with the proprietor of your local winemaking supply shop. They should have the knowledge and experience to guide you. But generally speaking, you shouldn't have a problem with making your own wine for your wedding. And if serving it at the reception is a problem, you can still consider giving away the bottles to your guests as a thank you gift for their attendance at your big day.

Now, while you are thinking of your guests toasting you with the drink you've made, be sure to look at Part 2 where we'll discuss some other things you will want to think about and perhaps add some extra touches to your efforts.

About the Author

Ian Hugh Scott has been making his own wine for years. As well as wines from commercially available kits, he has discovered the pleasures of experimenting with other ingredients such as black currants, strawberries, blueberries, and even ginger and parsnip! Follow along with Ian's regular home winemaking activities.

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