One of the things that makes wine irresistible is the endless variety: every grape, every region, every vintage, every bottle tastes a little different from the last. And so while there is no crime in getting better and better at making one wine or one style, there is much to be learned — and much pleasure to be had — in playing the field. This article is a little like those books you can get about “20 Great Trips to Take Before You Die,” or “The 100 Novels Every Literate Person Has to Read.” These are the 15 wines you should make before you die. Any home winemaker who covers all these bases, or a similar list, surely deserves the Winemaker First Class merit badge. Every one of these fifteen winemaking projects will teach you something — about finding good grapes, about techniques and technology, about when to intervene and when to get out of the way. And you will avoid ending up with nothing to drink but 64 cases of your own Syrah. One apology: The only reason no
Technique