Looks like nobody has been talking about this. What gives? Has anybody here actually made wine?

I've almost given up on finding a drinkable wine. I'd like to try making some myself and thought I'd check in here first.

I like the people here, so... can anybody give me any input?

Welcome - at the previous home of this forum there were a few people who made wine at home, but they've been rather quiet here.

I made wine a couple of times, but I prefer to buy professionally made wine from around the world. There is just so many good wines at all price levels I am astonished by your difficulty in "finding a drinkable wine".

If you go ahead with making your own wine, you'll find Jack Keller has a great resource site at http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp

And come back and update us with your progress.

I too must say that I am taken aback that you've "almost given up on finding a drinkable wine."

I have to wonder, how have you attempted to find a drinkable wine? How many attempts have you made?

Not only are there thousands of wines available, but there are numerous styles of wines ranging from totally dry and acidic sparkling wines to thick and unctuous wines suitable for pouring on ice cream. This includes everything in between.

What do you find undrinkable about the wines you have tried?

'Course, you just plain may not like wine, but then why would you want to make it?

I have to say also that I think that you will likely not like any wine you make yourself. The best homemade wines I have had were drinkable and not as bad as the worst commercial wines I have had - but that's it. Those were the best,; nobody makes their best the first batch.

Look at it this way - if you have been to a couple of dozen restaurants and ordered soft-shelled crab at every one and each time found it to be an unpalateable dish, would the think the solution would be for you to prepare it yourself?

Thanks for the resource, Peter May.

Brom - You bring up some good questions. In attempt to answer them, I shall do some rambling.

My roomate and I have spent over $100 in wines varying from $5 to about $20 (we're trying to keep it an affordable hobby), and that was just in one months time. It's taken us awhile to learn what we like and don't like.

We want a sipping wine, something that doesn't encourage physically spewing it because it tastes so terrible. We've tried combining a few different foods and trying them at different temperatures, to nearly no avail.

I think the only promising wine has been (pardon me if this is wrong, I am shamed to say we haven't been recording our adventure), Early Muskat. I've had it at parties a couple different times. I really enjoyed it the 2nd time with chocolate covered grapes, it seems they were made for each other. So this I consider a success, but just barely. It's still got that rather... I don't know, "bitter" taste to it.

One other one that I like is Amontillado sherry. I liked it because it tasted different and it wasn't dry. Its a little strong, taste wise, as a sipping wine, so I need to find something I can eat with it.

What I don't like is dry, or fruity. We had a "fruity" organic wine that was very good compared to the rest, but it did have that dry grape peel taste to it. It went bad very quickly, however.

The reason why I'd like to take a stab at making my own wine (far, far in the future if I do it at all) is perhaps I can make something to our taste, because we just can't find anything that fits. I think I already mentioned that we're trying to figure out what all the wine "termonology" means. If I can figure out what fits in our vocabulary, we'll have a winner for wine.

My town is having a Wine Stroll here pretty soon, and I hope to try some wines then, but I weary about it. The last time someone insisted that one particular wine was really good, I had to turn my back and spew it into a cup.

Judging by my experiences so far, I'm quite sure there is a wine for me, even if I have to make it myself.

That said, I shall have to continue trying out wines just so I can say from experience that I gave them a fair shot. I'm usually not one to say I don't like something when I haven't tried it.

It's late, but we ought to talk, I think I can make some suggestions. I'll post again.

Spent over $100 so far on wine? Well, if you haven't found anything yet... "that was just in one months time. It's taken us awhile to learn what we like and don't like."

I know - Your diligence in keeping at it for a month is commendable.

Please understand I am just poking fun - ribbing you, joking, but not at your expense, since it costs you nothing

A couple of coments first; I will come back later and make a couple of recommendations (or I might ask another question or two)

"Amontillado sherry. I liked it because it tasted different and it wasn't dry"

Actually, this is a little unusual for an Amontilado. These wines are most often finished dry, although not always.

What is a plain truth is that sherries are different. All the styles of sherry are similar to each other in a their own singular fashion that makes them different from all other wines.

The Early Muscat, indeed most Muscat based wines (there are several Muscat family grapes) I am assuming was also sweet finished. Is this true?

You may prefer sweet wines, and there is nothing wrong with that. Some of the finest wines in the world are sweet.

"What I don't like is dry, or fruity." This is a tough one. We discussed (lightly) elswhere on this board the distinctions between dry and fruity and other tasting terms. Among the semi-conclusions was that people who don't like dry wines, like "fruity" wines.

You note you don't like "grapey". That's alright, when people are looking for fruity wines, they do not mean grapey.

Oddly enough, Muscats are known as making more "grapey" tasting wines.

You're a ball of contradictions here.

My initial conclusion is that you prefer sweet or at least sweeter wines, without an astringent aftertaste. Is this correct?

Does it seem that you prefer white wines to red? Both Muscat and sherry are made from white grapes (unless the Early is related to the black Muscat)

I supposed it is safe to say that I like sweet wines, but I'm not a ball of contradictions.

The Amontillado was not dry, and what I meant by "grapey" was the taste I've recognised from eating more than a few grapes. Actually it's not so much of a taste as it is a dry texture that builds up on my tonge.

I have only tasted one sherry so far, the Amontillado, so I can't say that it tasted different from other sherrys, but it does taste different from every other wine I have had. There's something very unique about it.

And the early Muscat was a white wine, but it didn't have that "grapey" taste. Perhaps I should look more for white wines. Both the Amontillado and Sherry didn't taste very dry to me. The bottle said the Amontillado was medium-dry, but I've certainly tasted drier.

Oh, and why I say I don't like "fruity" is because a lady reccomended this very fruity wine, which was so-so, but it didn't taste fruity at all, or at least not that I could recognise. The only thing we could contribute the "fruity" to was the dry "grapey" taste I just mentioned, because that was the first wine we had that was supposed to be fruity.

So if it seems I'm full of contridictions, it's only my lack of proper wine terms to use.

And you are right in thinking I don't like the astringent aftertaste. That is what we have found in nearly every bottle we have picked up.

Okay - (not oaky) we are moving right along. I will have some wines to name for you that I am sure you will tolerate if not like if not loooove.

Quick term up - what you are referring to as "grapey" seems to be what is referred to as tannic. Tannins are a substance found in grape skins and threfore to varying degrees in wines that causes that drying sensation.

Bacl to you soon.

Just one to start - look for a German-made Riesling that is designated "Spatlese"

These are widely available at a variety of prices. You can find something satisfactory spending as little as $10 (even a little less than that - I think you will find something for from $6.99-9.99).

Don't worry about finding any specific producer or wine from any specific region. Just ask your local store for a German Riesling (reese-ling) Spatlese (Spayt-layza) for the money you want to spend.

These wines are mildly (or more) sweet and when made properly have a balanced acidity (I think you don't like acidity either) that makes them a very refreshing drink - seriously, these can be wonderful wines.

Think of balanced acidity as in lemonade. Sugar water is flat and unappealing. Lemon water is acidic and unappealing. When made right, lemonade has a balance of acidity and sweetness that makes it refreshing.

If you try one and like it, we can go to other suggestions.

Again, maybe it is just me, but I do not think you will be able to make your own wine that you will like. I think the odds are very heavy against you having any success in such an endeavor, particularly in light of your announced preferences in what you have tried.

Thank you very much for your help and suggestion. I may be able to pick up something tonight or this weekend. I'll post up my review when I can.