Francesco can you talk a little about the differences in wine bought from the store and ones made by the consumer. I’m not really talking about the ones that older generations made in the bath tubs but more those wine making locations that people go and make their wine. I’ve heard that there aren’t preservatives put in the wine you make and that it is less likely to give you a hangover? What other noticeable characteristics and differences could you enlighten me with? Is there such thing as a high class homemade? Are the grapes imported or are they grown in the area you live?
There are many differences between home made wines and the wines you’ll find in a wine shop, but there are also a couple of similarities.
Some winemakers do not grow their own grapes, they simply buy them from a grape producer. This is not an uncommon practice used in California as well as other parts of the world. Sometimes the wine makers feel that they should leave the growing to someone who specializes in that area. They then take these grapes and make their wine.
Usually, grape juice is also bought to make these home made wines. The juice can be sourced from all over the world. I have seen juice from Nebbiolo grapes(Italy) as well as juice from Cabernet, Merlot and some other varieties. This juice is then fermented in your wine making location to producewine. The quality of most of these is very poor. The only way to make good wine is to grow good grapes. The juices used are probably not the highest quality and the vessels for aging are not top notch either. Here’s the equation:
bad grapes + sub-prime facilities + unskilled wine maker = poor wine
I hate to knock these wines because many people take pride in doing this, but I’ve never tasted blockbuster home made wine. Some are OK, but most dangle in that below average category. While it may be marginally cheaper to produce such wines, the resulting ratio between quality and price can be very low. However, I do not denounce the practice. Making your wine and sharing it with your friends and family is exactly the point. Dont make your wine with intentions of it being the next Chateau Margaux. Learning and experiencing part of the wine making process is important in understanding some of the steps involved. This will also help you to develop an appreciation for what it means to produce quality wine on a large scale. As for the added preservatives, I’m not sure. I’ve never made my own wine in this fashion, feel free to chime in if you have.
In my earlier days of “wine-ing” and dining it seemed fashionable, trendy and cool to let wine breathe in a decanter for a couple of hours. I read about it in virtually every wine periodical and most deemed it a necessary process in order to fully enjoy a wine, whether young or old. For new wines, decanting and breathing is meant to soften and loosen the aromas in tightly wound, young, and tannic wines. In older wines, decanting is a legitimate way to separate the clear wine from the precipitated sediment as well as to let the wine “breathe” from all of those years trapped inside the bottle.
Most people think that a comparison between apples and oranges is unfair, I but would like to argue this point. Ask yourself this question, “Which is better a Bordeaux or a Muscadet from Nantais?” We constantly see first growth Bordeauxs getting scores of 100, but why don’t we ever see a Muscadet receiving a score of 100? Scoring systems aim to be as objective as possible, but invariably, they are not! The first growths of Bordeaax are an expression of the finest wines the regions have to offer, so in that respect they should receive a high score, but why can’t the best Muscadet or Cabernet Franc achieve a score of 100 if they are the best their class? Scoring should be expressed in terms of “varietal” or “regional” expression if you will. 
Organic: The word organic literally means, ” of, relating to, or derived from living organisms” or “of, relating to, or containing carbon compounds”. This is not really an entirely descriptive word, however. There are different standards in different countries for what “organic” means, so you don’t really know what your getting. In simplest terms it means that the grapes were farmed without the use of man made chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Wines labeled “organic” are not always sulfite free. Sulfites occur naturally in wine and the addition of sulfites might be allowed under some laws . In America, added sulfites are not allowed if you want your product to be organically made.
of 2 years and some for over 20. The quality and balance of tannin can make all of the difference, but be careful. A wine that seems exceedingly tannic is also not good. Like I’ve said in other posts, it is not the strength of one particular characteristic that makes a wine, but how all of these components are meshed together.
A neat little story before we go. There is a reason for everything that exists in our world, including tannins. Remember that grape vines are wild plants and existed long before humans and WILL continue to exist long after we are gone. Plants have a myriad of biochemical, physical, and evolutionary processes that have helped them survive for this long. One of the main goals of the grape vine is to survive and reproduce. When the fruits of the vine are young they are green, acidic, bitter and very TANNIC. This is to insure that the berries make it to their full ripeness. Would you like to eat something that tasted like that? Well , neither would any animal that also might be hungry. During the maturation of the berry, they change to a beautiful color, become less tannic, sweeter, and less acidic. Now they are ready to be consumed by an array of different animals so that they can eat,digest, and scatter the seeds all over the world.
This is the last article that covers the “round” and “smooth” qualities of wine. We just went over 
