Wine makes an brilliant gift. It is timeless, classic and tasteful. It works for nearly any occasion and is, perhaps, the perfect adult gift. You will surely find many occasions to give wine as a gift. Of course, you may need a small guidance in figuring out how to give wine as a gift.

Wine is a well loved gift for many reasons. Here are some to reckon about:
-It is simple to give.
-It can fit into nearly any budget.
-It has universal appeal.

Let’s look at these for a minute to help you know why you should give the gift of wine.

It Is Simple To Give

Wine is simple to give because it comes pre-packaged. It is a compact gift, too. People will usually look at wine as a nice gift, too. They realize thought went into it and they appreciate it. Additionally, it is a useable gift, so you know it won’t just be another gift that the recipient can not use.

It Can Fit Into Nearly Any Budget

There are so many options of wine you can choose that you can buy a bottle that fits right into your budget. You can buy some really nice wine without breaking the bank. As long as you a small abut wine you should be able to find one that is not too expensive for you.

It Has Universal Appeal.

The majority of people will be quite pleased with wine as a gift. There are so many types of wine that choosing one that is right for the occasion and the recipient should not be hard, either.

Now that you know why to choose wine as a gift. Here are some thoughts of how to choose excellent wine gifts:

-Choose wine from the recipient favorite restaurant. This will give you a excellent chance of choosing one they like to drink if you do not already know their preference.
-Buy their favorite wine if you know what it is.
-By a wine with a unique name or a name that will mean something to the recipient.
-Choose a wine from a country the recipient has visited or is interested in.
-Buy a collectable wine.
-Choose a wine with a unique bottle.
-Design a custom mark for the wine bottle.
-Buy a wine from a special year.

To give wine as a gift you can try some of these creative thoughts instead of simply handing the bottle over:

-Add a bow to the bottle.
-Place it in a decorative sleeve.
-Make it a part of a nice gift basket of complimentary cheeses.
-Make a gift set and include a couple gorgeous wine glasses.
-Include some reservations to a wine tasting with the bottle.

You should give wine as a gift in a creative manner. Make it something to remember instead of just another bottle of wine. You should place thought into it and really choose the wine carefully and then present it in a meaningful way. Wine makes a perfect gift, but it can be made so much better when it is given with a small thought behind it.

August 8, 2007. Extra Special Bitter

I got my lederhos-on!

If you like wine, why not try to make your own wine? The next question that would come to your mind is, how to make wine at home? Wine making is simple and the best part is that you can make your own wine within the comforts of your home. Early autumn is the best time to try and make wine, as during that time of the year grapes ripen and contain maximum amounts of sugar and other acids, which are required for making the best quality wine.

You can choose from a variety of grapes available in the vineyards in your locality. One of the best varieties of grapes to make your own wine at home is the vitis vinifera, due to its brilliant varietal character and characteristic flavor. But, if you stay in cooler areas or in parts where this particular variety is not available, you can opt for hybrid varieties of the same or Vitis labrusca, another type of grapes which are well loved among wine makers. You may also order grapes through your wholesaler or through your local wine making shop. Irrespective of the grape type, the process, the equipment and the ingredients used are the same. Depending on the variety of grapes you use, you will get different types of red wine or white wine flavors.

The process of making red wine and white wine are similar. The only difference between the two is that if you want to make your own white wine, the skin and the pulp are removed before the wine making process. It is only from the juice of the grapes that white wine is made. Read more on different types of wine.

Equipments Required for Wine Making

Here is a list of the basic equipments required to make your own wine at home. You can find these equipments in a wine making supply shop.

A nylon straining bag
Thermometer
Hydrometer
Food-grade pail which has a lid
Hand corker
Corks
Wine bottles (750 ml)
Fermentation lock
Two glass jugs (1 gallon each)
Plastic tubing (flexible and clear with ½ inch diameter)
Acid titration kit
How to Make Your Own Red Wine

Ingredients RequiredRipe red grapes at least 18 lbs
Wine yeast (1 pack)
Sugar (if required)
Tartaric acid
1 campden tablet
Method

Clean all the equipments with warm water; place the harvested grapes in the nylon bag and place it in the food-grade pail. Now crush the grapes using a potato masher. Break down the campden tablet and sprinkle it over the crushed grapes. With a cheesecloth, cover the pail and let it be still for an hour. Measure the temperature of the crushed grapes, also called the ‘must’. Ideally the temperature should be around 70 to 75 °F. Ensure that you measure the acid levels with the titration kit. Dissolve the yeast in warm water and keep the water until it starts bubbling.

Once the water starts bubbling, pour the yeast solution into the nylon bag in the pail and mix it well. Within the next 24 hours, the fermentation process would start. Keep monitoring the temperature and progress of fermentation till the whole process is complete. When the must reaches 0.5° Brix, the nylon bag needs to be removed. Keep the must in the pail for the next 3-4 weeks. Depending on the flavor you need, you may keep it for 6 months to a year or even 2 years. Bottle the wine in clean bottles of 750 ml each and make sure that you have corked them properly. If you want sweet red wine, the nylon bag containing the skin and the pulp should be removed within 24 hours. It is the skin which after fermentation gives the wine its characteristic flavor and color. More on dry red wine.

Make Your own Wine at Home – Things to Remember

The first thing you need to keep in mind while making red wine is the quality of grapes. The grapes should be ripe enough and ready to be plucked. The sugars and acids available in grapes should be at the right levels when you pluck, so make sure that you not only harvest them at the right time in their life cycle, but also at the proper time during the day. The best way to ensure that the grapes are ripe enough is to take a handful of grapes, crush them and measure the levels of sugar with the help of a hydrometer. The right percentage of sugar which you should look for is at least 22 Brix. Ensure that the grapes are clean and free of insects.

A hygienic environment is required for wine making. You should thoroughly wash your equipments with boiling water or sulfite solution. To make a sulfite solution, mix 3 tbs of potassium metabisulfite in a gallon of water.

Acid content in the juice should be measured before you start making the wine. With the help of a titration kit, the acid content can be easily measured. Ideally, the acid levels should not be more than 7 gms for a liter of red wine and 7.5 gms for a liter of white wine. While raking, i.e., when you transfer the fermented wine from the sediment, make sure that you seal the two jugs with a fermentation lock.

Though bottling may seem complicated, it is simple. Practice with a few empty bottles before you start bottling wine made at home. While bottling you simply need to siphon the fermented wine into the bottle; in a hand corker tuck a cork and pull the lever. If you are not too familiar with the corking, practice will help. You may like to know more on home wine making instructions.

Read more on:

Grape Wine Making at Home
How to Make Homemade Wine
Information on Wine Making

So you see how simple it is to make your own wine at home. Wine making can be fun and you can take it as a leisure activity. But, it should be noted that wine being an alcoholic drink, you can make your own wine for personal consumption but not for commercial purposes. So go ahead and delight in the experience of wine making!

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