What Wine is

Just 4 u

TRUE wine is the product of the grape, we are often reminded, but any winemaker of
experience will assure you that we have no cause to feel in any way ashamed of the "country
wines" which can be produced from our native fruits, berries and flowers. Many of these sound
wines, robust or delicate according to character, dry or sweet according to one's taste, are truly
wines in their own right, quite capable of standing comparison with many which can be obtained
commercially. You may find this difficult to believe, but, when you have produced what you
think is a good wine, compare it with a commercial wine of similar type, and we guarantee you

will be pleasantly surprised.
And once one understands the basic principles, it is by no means difficult to make wine at
home. True, the more you make, the more discerning and critical your palate will become, and
the more you will find yourself seeking to capture in your own wines those elusive qualities
which go to make a great wine. Even the complete beginner, however, can by following a recipe
produce a sound and satisfying wine—often without knowing how or why! It is, however,
infinitely better to understand the principles of the craft.
Our country wines, one might say, have four main ingredients initially: (1) Yeast,
(2) Sugar, (3) Flavouring and (4) Water. There are others which play their parts, notably acids,
tannin, and substances which nourish the yeast, but for simplicity's sake we will ignore them for
the moment, and deal with them later. Time, the time required for maturation, also plays an
important part.
Of these main ingredients undoubtedly the most important is YEAST. Yeast is a minute
living organism which brings about the fermentation, and if the fermentation is to be successful
the yeast must be given ideal conditions in which to work. Those conditions are found in a 

sugary, slightly acid solution such as a fruit juice, when certain other yeast nutrients are present
and when the temperature is favourable, say 65° to 75° F, (18-24° C.).