The Homebuilt Winery

May 21, 2012
This isn’t so much about technique, formula, or protocol, but about building—literally—a winery in your home, right down to installing drywall and finishing a floor for the chosen area, which can be the garage, basement, or an empty-nest bedroom. Hughes, a building designer, contractor, and winemaker, starts with equipment lists so beginners can make up to 30 gallons per year, including everything from the eight-gallon fermenter to felt-tip marker. A one-to-five–bottle scale signals the degree of difficulty for each project. The reader is hand-held from backyard grape growing to glass tipping, so this might be suitable for beginning winemakers but not beginning woodworkers. Some knowledge of the latter craft and its tools are pretty much a prerequisite for those considering home vinting the Hughes way, which is also the frugal way. Additional steps, with plenty of diagrams, show how to make white wines into sparkling ones, how to build your own wine rack, and even how to construct the “winedirondack’’ chair for sipping the fermented fruits of one’s labors.

May 1, 2012

Wine making at home can be an expensive pursuit; equipment and supplies can cost hundreds of dollars. Hughes, a winemaker and contractor, attempts to assist home winemakers in building their own equipment and storage. After a general introduction to the hobby, the varied projects cover, e.g., fruit processing and storage. Although Hughes includes lengthy lists of materials, he omits information on tools needed to do the projects. Illustrations are minimal, lack good measurements, and do not show construction details. VERDICT This specialized book is for advanced hobbyists. Purchase only where there is demand.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.