The Way to Make Wine : How to Craft Superb Table Wines at Home

Written by a vintner and science editor with twenty-five years experience, The Way to Make Wine is the most readable and reliable handbook among the many winemaking guides. In engaging conversational prose, Sheridan Warrick shows that making your own wine is not only easy, but also fun. Geared to everyday wine lovers who want to drink well, save money, and impress their friends, this book reveals everything needed to make delicious wines―both reds and whites―from start to finish.

Warrick demystifies winemaking by explaining the nuts and bolts and demonstrating that if readers can replace a faucet washer or cook a pasta sauce, they can make food-friendly wines that cost less than the bottles they’re now opening. He enables amateur vintners to equip a home winery, procure top-quality grapes, run a flawless fermentation, and enjoy their wine―its nose, its body, and finish―with renewed awareness and appreciation. At the same time, the author points experienced home vintners to new skills, describing top wineries’ techniques. Rich with insiders’ know-how, this book also divulges the many advances that have been made in the past few decades and makes clear that, with enologists’ innovations, home winemaking is easier than ever. With straightforward illustrations of key steps, this book offers one-stop shopping for anyone who’s ever dreamed of making table wines at home.

* two step-by-step sections: one for beginners, one for experienced home vintners

* sidebars offer quick tips and key elements of winemaking lore

* includes the only clear and comprehensive guide to minimizing the use of sulfites in wine

* section on suppliers and labs provides a wealth of information on sources of fine wine grapes

Sheridan Warrick is a Northern California winemaker. He is a senior editor at VIA magazine and is the former executive editor of Health magazine. He is managing editor of the New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, winner of a 2005 James Beard Foundation Award.