Back when I first started drinking wine I had the vision every other person had, Lucy stomping grapes. As a kid, I though how nasty can that be, all the stuff on your feet in the wine? But by the time I was old enough to start trying wine I had been told the whole wine making process that creates alcohol will kill the germs, and that is called fermentation.

I also had been told wine and urine are the two things that are safe to drink if water was not available and I was stranded on an island. I was not thrilled with the prospects of the second choice so I was interested knowing more about these process of wine making.

My best friend Sara gave me a wine making kit for Christmas years ago. I quickly understood she gave me this gift for her. She loves wine and I had not drank any wine since the TJ Swan Easy Nights on a Senior trip to Daytona Beach Florida. She bought the kit through Wine Art. It came with all the gadgets and equipment and in a box came a bag with concentrated juice and some packets of “stuff” to add when the time was right.

First batch ever was Merlot. I got all the stuff sanitized, from the fermentation tank (trash can looking thing) a big 6 gallon carboy, all the hoses and the big spoon (Mixing device, hahaha). And then I poured in the concentrate, next came the water and they said stir until they are blended together and add the yeast. The yeast looks really similar to what you bake bread with. Then it says to cover the tank. No cover came with the kit so I took a garbage bag and covered the little pail and then I ran to the garage and got a bungee cord to keep it in place so I wrapped the bungee around the pail to keep the bag from falling into the wine.

Next It said wait a day or two and you will begin to witness the fermentation. It was making a hissing sound the next day and I could see bubbles and I was thrilled but confused. What the heck was causing this reaction.

Well after a few minutes of research I found out the yeast is eating the sugar and when it eats the sugar that turns in to alcohol. Ta Da!

Well, I have learned a lot since the first batch but since I had no real science or biology glasses in college (totally different degree). I made the connection and had my AH HA moment.