There is a common thread with many owners of our local craft wineries and distilleries. They are in business today because they started home brewing as a hobby. Whether they had a long-time interest in home brew, or received a beer making kit as a gift, the hobby ultimately led to opening a business.
Home brewing helped to launch an entire industry of craft breweries, with Colorado being one of the biggest craft beer producers in the United States. Craft wine has made similar advancements as well, with the same level of popularity. Today Colorado ranks 3rd in craft breweries in the US and is equally as high in craft wineries and distilleries.
If you have an interest in making wine but don’t want to invest in the equipment to make it, some of the local wineries will provide a winemaking experience that is fun, educational and convenient. Providing everything you need, including the equipment, ingredients and know-how, your local winemaker is ready to help produce a batch of your own unique wine.
Water 2 Wine, a craft winery in Centennial, Colorado, offers a winemaking experience that is super-simple and affordable. We recently made a batch of Water 2 Wine’s Diablo Rojo, one of our favorite wines they produce. With the help of owner Malissa Nugent we made two cases of our favorite wine.
The winemaking process you will go through is essentially two steps. On the first visit you will blend your ingredients. The winery will provide the Must, or “grape juice” that will be the base of your wine. The must is typically a pre-packaged concentrate of the grapes used for your specific variety of wine.
Pouring the juice into a fermenting bucket or sometimes a 5 gallon, clear bottle called a carboy, water and botanicals are added, then mixed together. The botanicals may include herbs, spices and clarifiers that help create the specific wine you are making. Once mixed, a special strain of yeast, again one that is specific to the type of wine you are making, is added in.
Step one in your winemaking experience is complete! The winemaker will seal your fresh batch of wine in the fermenting bucket and let the wine begin to ferment. Over the next 4 to 6 weeks as your wine ferments and develops, the winemaker will re-rack, or transfer your wine once or twice to a different bucket to clarify and remove sediments.
During the waiting period as the wine develops, it is time to create a label. Water 2 Wine will help you create the label, or you can find a designer who will create your custom art. Either way, the winery will print your labels for you so they are ready when you bottle.
Step two comes when the wine has fermented and clarified, and is ready to drink. There are several steps to the bottling process. The Water 2 Wine production setup provides plenty of room to work and is incredibly easy to do.
The winery provides the bottles you will need for your wine. Although they are brand new bottles, they need a quick wash followed by a sanitizer. Although you are putting alcohol into the bottle that would kill any bacteria, this step removes any dust and other elements that could potentially sour the wine.
With clean bottles, it’s time to fill them with wine. Water 2 Wine set up their filling machine that automatically fills the bottle to the right level and stops automatically. Taking the full bottle from there, a different apparatus inserts a cork. Finally, choose the color of the foil wrapper for the top of the bottle and seal. The foil top is a heat-shrinking plastic that conforms to the shape of the bottle.
If you’re thinking that sounds really simple, it is! The process Malissa has in place is straightforward and a lot of fun.
Many of the craft wineries in Colorado offer batches for sale and give you the opportunity to assist in the production. InVINtions, a Creative Winery and The Wine Barrel are just two of the local wineries offering wine making opportunities.
The typical cost will run from $250 to $500 depending on the winery and wine you are making. The cost will include all of the materials, ingredients, bottles and expertise, resulting in 24 to 30 bottles of wine for you to take home and share with friends.
You can certainly set up your own winemaking experience at home. All of the equipment and supplies are available at local home brew suppliers. The Brew Hut, located in Aurora, Colorado, is one of the oldest suppliers in the area and offer winemaking classes. Winemaking at home allows you to experiment with ingredients and depending on the equipment you have, you can create multiple batches at the same time.
The winemaking experience is a great way to have a hand in the production and come away with a couple of cases of good, drinkable wine. Contact your local wineries and ask about making your own batch.
