There are many different takes on what makes wine, wine. In some countries and localities, wine is only those drinks that are fermented with grapes. Others only consider wines to be those products that produced from a fermentation process where yeast and sugar get together to form alcohol. The only exception to this rule of thumb would be beer which is brewed and has a slightly different process from wine making. This is going to focus on those wines that are not based on the grape.

Mead – In some areas, and historically, mead is not considered to be a wine while many feel that it is simply a honey based wine. The same fermentation process is used in mead as in other wines so many modern wine makers are including this type of wine in their arsenal. The honey simply substitutes the sugar in the fermenting process and offers its own unique flavor. There can also be fruits added to create a different flavor in the wine.

Sake – Sake is also a wine that some do not consider being akin to grape based wines. Again, there is a difference in the fermenting process and many feel that sake is closer to beer than it is to wine. Making sake at home can be more difficult than making any other form of wine or beer. It is going to take a very patient and talented person to make sake from home. There are also many ingredients that may not be easy to acquire in the rice wine fermenting and brewing stages.

Fruit Wines – These are probably the most common of all of the non grape wine types and the ones that we a most familiar with. There is probably not one prison in our system that does not have a problem with inmates making their own versions of fruit wines from simply ingredients that they are offered every day. With this ease, many free people also experiment with many different types of fruits to come up with unique and tasty fruit wine flavors.

There are many more different types of wines that are made without grapes. Even worms and marijuana is used to make some wines. There is probably not much of a market for wine made with worms although there may be a market for the marijuana wine. It should be noted that marijuana is an illegal substance and should not be used for wine making purposes until it has be legalized by the government.

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If this is the first time you have ever decided to become involved in winemaking, then you should know that winemaking isn’t an art that started some years ago, the art of winemaking has been around for millennia. History has it that the making of wine started in the area formerly known as Mesopotamia which is in present day Iran. Currently the largest and the best winemakers are in France and Italy. It was the Greeks who brought the art of winemaking as well as the recipes for some of the best wine to Italy. These Greeks stayed in Italy to make their wines because the grapes in Italy were much better than the quality of grapes that the Greeks were formerly used to. As time progressed the Romans took over the winemaking process from the Greeks and started making wine that tasted better than ever before.

As time passed, Romans started consuming much more wine than before. Everyone from slaves to noblemen started drinking. As long as there was food to be had, there was also wine to be drunk. However, because the content of alcohol in the wine was quite high, it had to be diluted with water in order to prevent the people from being drunk all the time. In those periods, the popular wine which everybody drank was of the white wine variety.

Wine tastes were experimented with to a great extent; different additions would be made to the wine in order to create different flavors. You had people mixing honey with their wine in order to create what was called mulsum. At other times people added, herb, spices and a number of additives to create different kinds of wine. One idea which wasn’t very smart was the addition of salt to the wine; it created a bitter wine which no one even liked. Some went as far as adding chalk to their wine, thinking that it would help reduce acid levels.

As time progressed, great efforts were made to improve the different methods involved in the winemaking process. Vines were no longer simply allowed to trail the ground and trellises were built for these vines to grow upwards. What this also achieved is that fewer grapes got wasted by getting rotten or mashed up on the wet ground. The Romans also studied about which grapes grew better in what territories and all this helped create a much better yield.

As things improved, the Romans learnt what vintage wines were all about. Wines that were left longer tended to taste a whole lot better. They started making wines that were from a decade old to two to three decades old. These wines were widely sought after. A number of other advances were made in the field of winemaking and they were the ones who introduced storing of wine in barrels and the putting of wine in glass bottles which were tightly corked. Certain people also believe that they were the first to make use of corks in their efforts.

However in the 1800s and 1900s, the quality of Italian wine reduced and a number of occurrences hampered the growth of the industry. It was until the Italian government stepped in and changed the whole face of the wine industry that things turned around for the better.

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Wine has been around for thousands of years.  It has been reported that Noah discovered wine making after his ordeal with the flood.

From ancient civilizations to modern times, wine has been produced and enjoyed by many people of all walks of life.  The first evidence of wine produced dates back to 6000BC during the Mesopotamian culture.  It has been shown that the Mesopotamians were the first people to cultivate grapes.

Although not the first to produce wine, the ancient Egyptians were the first people to record the wine making process.  They recorded the harvest of grapes on stone tablets and on the walls of their tombs.  It has been reported that their love of wine, forced them to import the grapes that they were unable to grow themselves.  It has been recorded that many Pharaohs were buried with bottles of wine with them to assure their journey to the next world be more enjoyable.  Just as in modern times, wine was a very social drink in Ancient Egypt.

Wine also played a major role in the religion of Ancient Greece.  It was associated with the god Dionysus and was praised by Greek poets, historians and artists.  Much like the ancient Egyptians, wine was considered a privilege and only the upper class were permitted to consume it.

During the time of the Roman Empire, the production of wine spread throughout Europe.  It was at this time that wine became available to the common citizens.  It has been found that the consumption of wine became so popular that some cities built bars on nearly every street just for the purpose of drinking and celebrating wine.  Pure red or white wines were unheard of in ancient Rome, instead the Romans believed that adding flavor to their wine was more important than to taste the original flavor of the wine.  They began to add flavors such as garlic and onion to their wines.

During the Dark Ages, wine production was made by the efforts of monasteries.  As the church expanded, so did their wine production.  It was at this time that some of the finest vineyards in Europe began to develop.  Due to the fact that Europe lacked a source for clean, safe drinking water, wine was considered to be an important part of everyday life.

During the 17th century, the wine industry saw a brief decline.  A supply of clean drinking water was now available so wine was no longer needed as a major part of the daily diet.  Politics and religion did not help matters by doing very little to promote drinking wine for pleasure.  During the 18th century, wine went through many changes.  Because of England’s strained relationship with France, they were without a major source of wine and had to look to Portugal, Holland and South Africa for their wine.  Even with having bad relations with England, the wines of Bordeaux began to flourish during the 18th century.  Merchants traveled from all over Europe just to get a chance of obtaining Bordeaux wines.  As a result Bordeaux made trades for coffee and other sought after items.  This cemented their place in the wine making world.

Although the 19th century is considered the golden age of wines, it has been found that many of the French grapevines began to suffer from a mysterious disease at this time.  For this reason, some French winemakers moved to the Rioja region of Spain and taught their people the process of wine making.

In modern times, wine is as popular as ever.  The process of wine making has developed greatly.  After the development of refrigeration, it was easier for wineries to control the temperature of their fermentation process.  This enabled high quality wines to be produced anywhere, regardless of the climate.

More countries are producing wine at greater varieties more than ever before.  Although the art of wine making has essentially remained the same, every new recipe allows a more unique take on wine and its varieties.

There are many benefits to home wine making.  Aside from the health benefits you can get from moderate consumption of wine, home wine making can be quite fulfilling.  Home wine making is an enjoyable, educational and satisfying hobby.  The process of making wine at home has become more and more popular with the ease of home wine making kits that are now available.  Recipes and instructions make the process easy and successful for anyone interested.  For wine enthusiasts around the world, creating wine at home provides a sense of fulfillment that for many can be unmatched.

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Product Description
Home winemaking is an appealing hobby for a new generation of wine lovers lured by the promise of a great payoff — small batches of handmade wine. It’s the perfect opportunity to experiment with flavors, have fun playing with chemistry, and share a few tasty bottles with friends and family. But safely fermenting, bottling, and aging wine is a demanding process requiring special equipment, impeccable sanitation, an understanding of chemical reactions, and the pat… More >>

The Wine Maker’s Answer Book