Back in the days of the Roman Empire the word 'amateur' meant 'lover' and referred to a person who did something out of the love of doing it, and not for any financial gain. These individuals were considered to be the highest of experts because they perfected their craft motivated by simple joy for their work. Despite the fact that professional winemakers still imbue their work with passion and skill, amateurs, assisted by knowledge passed down over hundreds of years and modern technology, can sometimes now produce similar results. The chemistry of fermentation was poorly understood until the start of the 20th century but, even so, the process of fermentation has been in use for over 5,000 years. Left alone a wine grape will ripen until the skin splits and the juice ferments naturally. Now, however, this process is guided with a mixture of art and science. Grapes are placed in a press where they are turned into must which is a mixture of pulp, skin and juice. Natural yeast (which is found on the skin close to the stem) and additional yeast interacts with the sugars in the wine juice and produces ethanol (alcohol), carbon dioxide and heat. This process will continue until either the sugars are exhausted or the yeast is killed by the products of the reaction. As a result of work carried out by Pasteur and other scientists we are now able to control the process so that we get exactly the result we want. For people who are not lucky enough to have a vineyard close to hand, concentrated wine juice can now be purchased fairly cheaply. Just add yeasts, acids, sugars and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a suitable container like a carboy or other jug and let the mixture sit for several at around 75 degrees fahrenheit (24 degrees centigrade). Specific recipes are usually provided with the concentrated wine juice giving specific amounts and details of how to ferment the wine. After several days, siphon the liquid from the pulp and allow it to ferment at about 65 degrees fahrenheit (18 degrees centigrade) for several weeks until gas production (bubbling) stops. Then, siphon the wine from the sediments (lees) and store the wine bottles on their sides at 55 degrees fahrenheit (13 degrees centigrade) for six months for white wine and up to a year for red wine before tasting. Naturally, it sounds simpler than it is in reality but it is certainly not beyond the dedicated ability of the amateur. Today, the process is monitored and sometimes adjusted daily and, thanks to inexpensive refractometers to measure sugar concentrations, thermometers, hydrometers, temperature controlled cabinets and many other items the job is far simpler than it used to be. Of course things can and do go wrong as nature takes its course. Fermentation may not start, it may start and then stop for no apparent reason, the wine may be excessively sweet or cloudy or filled with sediments. The wine may have too much pectin, too many bacteria, taste sulphurous or flat or even moldy. Crystals can form if the temperature is too low or secondary fermentation can result from keeping the wine at too high a temperature. Nevertheless, in no small measure thanks to the Internet, today there are several websites devoted to assisting the amateur winemaker to produce a wine which can rival those produced by the masters of wine. All it needs is a little bit of practice.
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