Home Winemaking For Dummies

Tim Patterson writes about wine and makes some of his own in Berkeley, California. He contributes the monthly "Inquiring Winemaker" column for the industry trade magazine Wines & Vines, digging into winemaking theories and techniques, and he covered home winemaking for several years in the pages of WineMaker. He has won dozens of Gold medals, Double Golds, and Best of Shows from amateur winemaking competitions in California.

• Introduction 1Part I: Motivations, Materials, and Methods 7Chapter 1: Making Great Wine at Home 9Chapter 2: Finding Good Grapes 21Chapter 3: Provisioning Your Home Winery 37Chapter 4: Obsessing over Temperature, Oxygen, and Sanitation 61Part II: Phases and Stages 71Chapter 5: Sorting, Crushing, and Pressing 73Chapter 6: Letting Yeast Do Its Thing: Fermentation 91Chapter 7: Doing the Post-Fermentation Tango 111Chapter 8: Aging and Blending 125Chapter 9: Finishing and Bottling 145Chapter 10: Storing, Serving, and Starting Over 159Part III: Deeper Into Reds 169Chapter 11: What’s Special about Red Wines? 171Chapter 12: Bold Bordeaux Reds 185Chapter 13: Ravishing Rhône Reds 199Chapter 14: Handling the Hard Cases 213Chapter 15: Up-and-Comers and Off-the-Radars 229Part IV: Deeper Into Whites 237Chapter 16: What’s Special about White Wines? 239Chapter 17: Fruity, Herbal Whites 253Chapter 18: Aromatic Whites 271Part V: Beyond Red and White 289Chapter 19: Thinking and Drinking Pink 291Chapter 20: Dessert, Fortified, and Sparkling Wines 299Part VI: The Part of Tens 315Chapter 21: Ten Mistakes Most Home Winemakers Make at Least Once 317Chapter 22: Ten Ways To Save Money (and Make Better Wine) 321Chapter 23: Ten Differences between Wine(makers) and Beer(brewers) 325Part VII: Appendixes 329Appendix A: Glossary 331Appendix B: Conversions 333Appendix C: Resources 335Appendix D: Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and pH 339Index 347

"Tim Patterson is one of the best contemporary writers on wine in the United States. His easy-to-read, engaging prose transforms even the most complicated aspect of making wine and makes it comfortable and understandable. Reading Home Winemaking For Dummies -- like having Patterson by your side as a personal mentor-is the absolute best way to tackle the very satisfying process of making your own wine." --Karen MacNeil, Author, The Wine Bible "A thorough, practical, and entertaining guide, this text takes tips from the pros and brings common sense and approachability to the art of winemaking. Mr. Patterson's vast experience and contagious passion for the subject make Home Winemaking For Dummies an enjoyable read while the format makes it an excellent reference and allows the reader to delve as deep into the subject matter as he or she wishes. Whether problem-solving or pursuing stylistic ideals Mr. Patterson holds the reader's hand when needed but still encourages creativity within safe boundaries. From sourcing fruit to healthy fermentation habits straight through aging, bottling, and even enjoying home-made wine this guide has you covered at every step - I even learned a few things myself! This book would be a welcome addition to any wine enthusiast's library and is equally accessible to novice and connoisseur." --Ondine Chattan, Winemaker, Geyser Peak Winery "As a 20-year amateur winemaker with an addiction to winemaking books, I now have a new ‘go-to' book for my first reference! After the excellently accurate coverage of basic winemaking, Tim's tome takes the wonderful turn of emphasizing the subtle, and not-so subtle, differences that make the distinctions between the popular varietals - all in one place! Home Winemaking For Dummies is now prominently on my shelf in front of all the textbooks!" --Dave Lustig, President, Cellarmasters Home Wine Club Los Angeles "Tim Patterson is able to express his knowledge and passion of winemaking in a vey understandable, humorous, and practical way. If you follow the advice in this book, you will be able to produce wine that will likely be better than inexpensive commercial wine, and could be as good as any wine ever made. I applaud Tim's effort and wish this book was around when I started making wine." --Kent Rosenblum, Consultant Winemaker, Rosenblum Cellars, and former home winemaker