Response from: Wine Scamp    (11/10/07 6:55am)

So, what kind of wine does your husband make, and do you drink it pretty often, or gift it? My husband brews his own beer, and it mostly gets drunk at parties and at home, though this Xmas we'll bottle some for gifts... Chocolate Stout, yum!

I'm curious about wine enthusiasts who become home winemakers, though, because with all our tasting I find we get more picky, you know? So it's got to be a little disappointing if your home winemaking experiment doesn't come out the way you wish, and then what do you do with all that wine?

Of course, your husband could be making award-winning wine at home, what do I know? Is he? Do tell!

Response from: Carol    (11/10/07 7:18am)

He makes primarily fruit wines, with blueberry consistantly coming out the best. Strawberry is up there too. He's also experimented with plum wine, rhubarb wine, and I think raspberry maybe? Whatever we can get fresh locally. He's also made mead. He got started several years ago when he purchased a couple wine making kits on a whim, and that got him hooked. There have certainly been some disappointments, but you just take it all in stride. Condsider it an experiment, LOL. The downside is all the space the equiment takes up -- the carboy, the fermenting tank, the glass bottle storage. My brother is really into homebrewing, so I'm spoiled on that end too. Nothing like visiting him and pulling a fresh pint from his Kegerator! (By the way, if you need to unload any of that Chocolate Stout, you just let me know! ;-) )

Response from: Wine Scamp    (11/11/07 9:39am)

Oh, see, I love me some fruit wine. And having tried some mead lately, I have been thinking of asking Tom to make some next time he gets his fermentation on... Gear storage is an issue for us too, but I love fresh beer awfully.

I wish we had enough fresh berry fruit in our part of Texas to do fresh fruit wines! Do you find yourself drinking it, or cooking with it more?

Tasted the Chocolate Stout while Tom was racking it yesterday, and it's coming out great! Yay.