It’s such a satisfying hobby – most of us love to crack open, and savour, a great bottle of wine. When the bottle of wine you open is your own, the experience is made even better – you taste all those flavours and aromas that you’ve worked to get into your wine, and you even get a few surprises!

What’s more, bottles of homemade wine make great gifts for friends and family, and if anyone’s allergic to any of the substances in commercial wine, you can make sure that they are left out of your bottle.

You really add just about anything to your wine – that’s what makes it so special. You do, however, need to make sure that the level of acid in your starting “must” is correct – you can measure this with an acid titration kit, and adjust it by using potassium bicarbonate / calcium carbonate to reduce acidity, and acid blend to increase it.

You must also make sure that there is the correct amount of sugar in your wine: this can be measured using a hydrometer, and adjusted by diluting your must or by adding sugar.

Pretty much anything with an aroma can be used to flavour your wine; fruits, flowers, herbs, spices, etc.

Here is a quick list of common wine ingredients:

• Grapes (white or black)
• Elderberries
• Pineapple
• Plums
• Blueberries
• Ginger
• Strawberry
• Dandelion
• Watermelon
• Raspberry

The alcohol in wine is formed by fermentation: yeast is added to the starting must, and this yeast eats up the sugars and turns them into alcohol.

There are a few types of yeast, all used for different purposes, and with different alcohol tolerances. Baker’s yeast is not appropriate for making wine, as it will die when the alcohol in your wine reaches a certain level – you will be left with a sugary wine with little alcohol in it, and a strong yeasty taste.

Winemakers use wine yeast – this has a high alcohol tolerance, and will leave little yeasty flavour in the wine.

The final step in making wine is allowing the clear – this is when all the particles floating in the wine settle, and the wine clears. The wine is then siphoned off and away from this sediment.

Following these basic steps, you will end up with a delicious wine, flavoured just how you like it.