Wine enthusiast Don Harris planted a vineyard in his yard to combine his hobbies--gardening and wine. Through much hard work, Don, now retired, converted a barren hillside into a vineyard featuring 55 grapevines in nine varieties, including Chenin Blanc. He built the trellises and designed the watering system himself. Grapes require intensive maintenance at certain times of year. In winter, proper pruning is crucial: the way it's done determines how the crop will be 2 years hence. Harvest time depends on the grapes' sugar content. The key to successful wine making, Don says, is having the right kind of weather, although grapes will grow in any type of soil and almost any climate. To get started in this hobby, join a club, read books and contact nearby universities. Don started his vineyard after reading the book From Vines to Wines (Storey Books, 1999) by Jeff Cox. His vineyard is patterned after the book's instructions. Don has his own small winery too. The wine-making process begins with the manually operated combination crusher and destemmer in his basement. Crushed grapes fall into one receptacle and stems into another. The device saves the home vintner a great deal of time by eliminating the task of plucking the grapes from the stems by hand. The winemaking process is messy and involves a lot of hand work, including picking, crushing and pressing the grapes. A winepress separates juice from pulp. After pressing the grapes, some winemakers use the pulp as compost to enrich the soil surrounding the vines.
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