About the Casual Winemaker

Hi, my name is Danielle and I’m a casual winemaker. That’s my dog Jinji, she assists 🙂 So what do I mean by casual? 

Home winemakers run the gamut from beginners to highly advanced. I started making wine a few years ago using Brewsy – a company that offers ready-to-use yeast packets, equipment and instructions for beginning winemakers. After some time, I joined a few Facebook groups and learned enough to move off Brewsy to buying my yeast and equipment directly (and in bulk, which is much cheaper). But even still, I kept things casual.

I generally make wine for myself to drink. Occasionally I’ll give a bottle to a friend or family member (I even made a special mead for my brother’s wedding). But I’m typically not one for expensive ingredients or long periods of aging. I make wine that I enjoy, I bottle it and then I tend to drink it within a few months. I think the longest I’ve aged a wine is 8 months.

I use basic equipment and supplies, mostly easy-to-come-by ingredients and stick to basic home winemaking techniques. None of that is to say that you can’t do things differently. My recipes reflect wines that I’ve typically made more than once because I liked the way they came out. You are welcome to change them, add to them, age them for years – whatever makes you happy!

Please note that my recipes are for one, two or three gallon batches. If you want to make larger batches, you’ll need to do some calculations.