In the days of Ancient Rome the word 'amateur' meant 'lover' and referred to somebody who engaged in something out of the love of doing it, instead of for any financial gain. These people were considered to be the finest of experts because they perfected their craft motivated by simple joy for their work.

Although wine professionals continue to imbue their work with both passion and skill, amateurs, helped by knowledge passed down over hundreds of years and modern technology, can sometimes now produce similar results.

The chemistry behind fermentation was not well understood until the beginning of the 20th century but, nevertheless, the process of fermentation has been used for over 5,000 years. Left unattended a wine grape will ripen until the skin splits and the juice ferments naturally. Today, however, this process is controlled by a combination of both art and science.

Harvested grapes are put into a press in which they are turned into must which is a mixture of skin, juice and pulp. Natural yeast (which is found on the skin near the stem) and additional yeast reacts with the sugars in the wine juice and produces ethanol (alcohol), carbon dioxide and heat. This process will continue until either the sugars are exhausted or the yeast is killed off by the reaction.

As a result of the work of Pasteur and other scientists we can now tightly control the process to produce precisely the result we want. For people who are not lucky enough to have their own vineyard handy, concentrated wine juice can now be purchased relatively cheaply.

Just add sugar, acids, yeast and nutrients (to feed the yeast) to a container such as a carboy or other jug and allow the mixture to sit for a few days at around 75 degrees fahrenheit (24 degrees centigrade). Specific recipes are normally provided with the wine juice concentrate giving specific quantities and fermentation details.

In several days, strain the liquid off the pulp and permit it to ferment at about 65 degrees fahrenheit (18 degrees centigrade) for several weeks until bubbling (gas production) ceases. Then, siphon the wine from the sediments (lees) and store the wine bottles on their sides at 55 degrees fahrenheit (13 degrees centigrade) for six months in the case of white wine and up to twelve months for red wine before tasting.

Of course, it sounds simpler than it is in reality but it is most certainly not beyond the ability of the amateur. Nowadays, the process is closely monitored and often adjusted on a daily basis and, thanks to inexpensive refractometers to measure the concentration of sugar, hydrometers, thermometers, temperature controlled cabinets and many other items the job is a lot simpler than it used to be.

Not surprisingly things sometimes go wrong as nature takes its own course. Fermentation might not begin, it may begin and then stop prematurely, the resulting wine might be excessively sweet or cloudy or filled with sediments. The wine may contain too much pectin, too many bacteria, taste sulphurous or flat or even moldy. Crystals can form if the temperature is too low or secondary fermentation can result from keeping the wine at too high a temperature.

Nevertheless, thanks in no small measure to the Internet, today there are a number of websites devoted to helping the amateur winemaker to produce wines which can rival those made by the wine masters. The only thing that it takes is a bit of practice.

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