Grapes into Wine

Ms. Sowed and I took a wine making course this past summer at Willowcroft Vineyards with the goal of learning how to make our own wine. Although the course left us with more questions than answers, it did turn us onto a great book called Grapes into Wine by Philip M. Wagner. This book is essentially the bible for American winemakers and small producers, and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in home wine making. Although we're just getting started in the process, I'm sure this book will be by my side the entire time. Wager provides a step by step guide for producing wine from grape to glass. He delves into the science, the history and the practical needs for the hobby winemaker. It's seriously a worthly investment.

As a side-note for those interested in American wine history, Philip Wager founded a prominent Maryland winery called Boordy Vineyards in 1945 and was responsible for introducing many French-American hybrid grapes to America. He first published Grapes into Wine in 1933 under the title "American Wines and How to Make Them". He pretty much witnessed the death of American wine during prohibition, and then helped spark its rebirth through his many DIY-oriented writings and experiments with hybrid grapes.