Off to a Rocky Start

I am off to a rocky start in my wine-making endeavours.

A number of months ago, I joined a small wine-making collective, for fun, frolic, and of course, homemade wine. Recently, it was my turn to go and buy the wine kit. "Red", they said. Off I went to the winemaking supply store.

On a whim - and with visions of eighteenth century romantic tete-a-tetes in dim parlours festooned with curtains - I purchased a blackberry red wine kit. 'Cassis!', I thought.

The minute I arrived home thrilled with my find, my food snob husband said, "What did you buy THAT for?" Humphh! Thou shalt not rain on my new hobby parade, ruffian.

Making the wine seemed to go fine, and it sat in the carboy for a very long time. We bottled it a month ago, and tasting it at the time, I thought it had a very sharp, zippy bite. Oh well.

Taking it to a party and letting people taste it resulted in comments such as, "It's...um...like drinking warm jam..." Sigh...

And the pinnacle of my success was achieved last week, when bottles popped open on their own in four different houses across the city, spilling purple wine everywhere, because somehow the wine was carbonated like champagne. What a mess.

I'm drinking from the remaining bottles, because it makes an excellent summer sangria, but perhaps I should sit back and let other people pick the kits for a while.