Topic: Home Winemaking Stories

Fifty years ago, a group of home winemakers in the Sacramento, California, area decided to make an official club dedicated to their hobby. In 2023, they celebrate their golden anniversary and want to raise a toast to mark the occasion.

When an amateur winemaker notices that his 6-year-old daughter is taking a keen interest in his hobby, he happily opens the door to his winery. Join in on a family winemaking adventure.

When a home winemaker moves to Finland and finds that the grape winemaking he has come to know and love isn’t feasible there, he turns to the next best thing . . . berry winemaking. Now he is making waves on a global scale.

We saw a lot of cool looking amateur wine labels in our 2023 label contest but nothing quite as unique as these. Check out these labels from Chateau Hetsakais.

WineMaker’s Associate Publisher Kiev Rattee traveled to a friend’s vineyard to help with the most recent harvest. There is something magical about being part of a team helping pick the grapes that will become our treasured vinous beverage.

October 2022, a team of four super wine-tasting women (who are also amateur winemakers) traveled to Champagne, France, along with their coach to compete against over 30 teams from various countries in order to find out who the best wine tasters are.

Considered one of the great wine regions back in the days when Phoenicians ruled the Mediterranean Sea, Israel is seeing a big comeback in recent decades. Get the scoop on the burgeoning commercial and hobby scene in this holy land.

When a young hobby winemaker finds out it is illegal to make wine at home in her city and county, she takes the next obvious step: She gets laws changed and starts her own commercial winery.

A winemaker and his brother team up to create a boysenberry wine. Join along on their adventure to crafting the perfect summer sipper.

A group of wine lovers in Kenya turned to traditional winemaking when the world around them slowed to a crawl and imports of wines from Europe and the U.S. nearly stopped. Check out the story of muratina wine — a wine made from a potentially poisonous fruit.

Fifty years ago a hobby winemaker decided to “go pro” by opening his own home winemaking supply shop. To attract customers, he started a winemaking club. The Purple Foot Wine Club is still going strong and wants to raise a toast to mark the occasion.

One reader who is also a medical doctor discusses the potential health benefits of wine tasters who swish and spit their wines. It may be one of the healthiest things you can do . . . but that doesn’t mean he abides by the spitting aspect.

There is so much more you can do with wine than simply drinking it. Bob Peak walks readers through several side projects winemakers can perform starting with their homemade wines to create other items of interest.

In our annual Reader Survey, hobby winemakers looking to go pro usually account for about 1 in 5 readers. Here is the story of one couple who made the leap and some of the details about how they’re making it work.

Winemakers are known to sacrifice a lot in their pursuit to craft a quality wine. One winemaker found herself faced with an endurance challenge worthy of the show “Survivor” in order to save her babies (wines).

A common sight in the coastal communities throughout the northeastern part of the U.S. and Canada, rugosa roses produce a rosehip that is commonly made into jam. One adventurous spirit opted to try making wine with it.

Everyone misses in-person wine events and club meetings. However, the rise of virtual event and gathering platforms comes with some unique benefits. One winemaking club offers advice to other clubs after a year of hosting virtual events and fun, virtual get-togethers.

Twenty years ago his dad was featured here in the pages of WineMaker magazine. But now that he has joined the ranks of home winemakers it’s his turn to talk about his drive to make his own wine.

Port wines are famous for being able to last for decades, even centuries. But what about a failing country fruit wine that a winemaker tries to save by fortifying it? Here is a story of being reunited with such a wine 36 years later.

Having your wines judged at a competition can provide meaningful feedback, although it may not always make you feel great about your skills when the comments are critical. One man polled his winemaking club to get their feedback about entering wine competitions.

Shelter-in-place orders have been a challenge for many folks. But one winemaking club has found a way to keep their meetings going while being socially responsible. Welcome to the age of the virtual club.

What would you do if your kids brought home Juicy Juice boxes every day, but never drank them? One man decided to ferment it all!

Many of us in the Western Hemisphere can take wine and winemaking for granted. But for those folks living under extreme Islamic law, the consequences of being caught with it can be dire. But one Iranian man isn’t going to be deterred.

Featured in the February-March 2023 issue: Kent Nienaber • Ham Lake, Minnesota Our Love Sick Marquette label was born out of a difficult situation that arose during COVID. In early September of 2021,

When hundreds of people with a similar passion converge in one place, it’s not surprising that new friendships are forged. Such was the case with several winemakers finding each other at the annual WineMaker Conference.