Why I Winemake

Vindiva
I am a lot of things, but also a Winemaker. ​

​Winemaking is a Science. It’s Art. It’s Therapy. It’s Companionship. It’s Diverse.
 
Simply stated, winemaking is the process of turning grapes, fruits, vegetables, and more, with the help of yeast, into a tasty alcoholic beverage. That process can be tweaked in many different ways to produce something very different. Not only does process play its part in the diversity, but every winemaker’s personality, habits, space, time, location, makes a difference in the final product. Even then, the end point hasn’t been reached. Aging of wine is a process that in itself is full of variables that can be filled in by nature or man. 
 
It’s personal too. Naming and creating the wine’s personality is like giving birth and having to name the baby. Creating labels for our wine allows me to stamp on the character and tells the wine’s story, which are usually based on major events in our lives. 
 
I really began to drink a lot of wine in graduate school. I felt like an adult finally and needed an adult drink. I was tired of the rum and cokes, never really got into Vodka and the Tequila was really not good for me. A friend of mine who I knew from school introduced me to wine’s diversity. Wine then began for me as a celebration. We imbibed when we finished classes, as a toast to completion. I looked forward to these wine celebrations so much so, I started to buy my own bottles, which is very difficult for the novice wine drinker. 
 
One day several years into my introduction and several visits to local/regional wineries later, I came up with the crazy idea to open my own winery. I wrote an entire business plan on it and was serious about it for a minute there. It wasn’t time spent wasted however, as my husband said to me one day, “don’t you want to know what it’s like to make wine first before you start a winery?” I didn’t think about this at first, as I was all caught up in the cultural experience from drinking it. Thankfully my husband fills in the parts of my brain that are no longer functioning or never did. 
 
Then our first wine kit was delivered to our house. From that point on, my husband and I were hooked. Making our own wine turned out to be more affordable, fun, experimental and full of anticipation. My husband enjoys the transformation of wine, of turning one thing into something completely different. We especially like making fruit wines (no grapes). When making a merlot, you have an expectation of how it will turn out. The same goes for a Chardonnay or Shiraz or any other major grape. However with the fruit wines you never know what the outcome will be until it is almost completely ready. I guess it is the closest to "mad scientists" we will get to. I get enthusiastic as I feel like I get to use my Biochemistry degree in some fashion. 
 
The chemistry, the art, the swirl of the glass, the flavor on your palate, and everything that comes after opening a bottle of wine, is why I make wine. Cheers to those who too get to have their own personal experience with its making.