# Wine Makers: Got any tips? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-makers-got-any-tips/345494 "2006-02-21T17:17:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-makers-got-any-tips/345494/1 "2006-02-21T17:17:40Z")
I’m thinking about starting a little home wine making operation, and would appreciate any tips our resident wine makers would like to share. Besides your own personal stories or advice, I’m also very interested in: 1. Recommendations for some good reference books. 2. Suggestions on sources for grapes. I live near San Jose in CA, so it’s easy for me to make a day trip to any number of good wine growing regions, and I’d be game for trying some vinyards that allow you to pick your own grapes. 3. Batch sizes: I want to start reasonably small, so is there any minimum size bellow which you don’t want to go? Ideally I’d like to have two batches going, if that’s reasonable. Either a Cab, a Pinot, or a Zin and a Chardonnay. I have a basement I can keep at a pretty even temperature, and am game to making some minor modifications if needed. Thanks in advance for your help! ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-makers-got-any-tips/345494/2 "2006-02-21T23:29:59Z")
I’ve yet to make my own wine. My husband and I have brewed our own beer, and we have talked about making or own wine, but it just hasn’t happened yet. I’ve never heard of a vineyard that allows you to go in and pick your own grapes, but that certainly doesn’t mean they don’t exist. As for grapes (or bulk juice/wine) check out [winebusiness.com](http://www.winebusiness.com/Grapesbulkwine/) or [Turrentine Brokerage](http://web.turrentinebrokerage.com/turrentine/New_Home.asp?T=HOME), although I don’t know how many you are looking to buy and I don’t know the smallest amount any grower would be willing to sell. Or you can try out [Crushpad](http://www.crushpadwine.com/index.html) in San Francisco. They already have grape sources available, and take care of all materials, etc. Probably not as fun or involved as creating your own, but it seems like a nice idea for someone wanting to start a small brand without investing time and money in all the equipment, legal requirements, etc. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-makers-got-any-tips/345494/3 "2006-02-21T23:55:31Z")
BTW, in case my OP was unclear. When I say “home wine making operation”, I’m talking strictly for personal consumption and to share with friends. If I ever decide to go pro (and the chance of that is slim to none), it won’t be out of my home.