Written by a vintner and science editor with twenty-five years experience, The Way to Make Wine is the most readable and reliable handbook among the many winemaking guides. In engaging conversational prose, Sheridan Warrick shows that making your own wine is not only easy, but also fun. Geared to everyday wine lovers who want to drink well, save money, and impress their friends, this book reveals everything needed to make delicious wines—both reds and whites—from start to finish.

Warrick demystifies winemaking by explaining the nuts and bolts and demonstrating that if readers can replace a faucet washer or cook a pasta sauce, they can make food-friendly wines that cost less than the bottles they’re now opening. He enables amateur vintners to equip a home winery, procure top-quality grapes, run a flawless fermentation, and enjoy their wine—its nose, its body, and finish—with renewed awareness and appreciation. At the same time, the author points experienced home vintners to new skills, describing top wineries’ techniques. Rich with insiders’ know-how, this book also divulges the many advances that have been made in the past few decades and makes clear that, with enologists’ innovations, home winemaking is easier than ever. With straightforward illustrations of key steps, this book offers one-stop shopping for anyone who’s ever dreamed of making table wines at home.

* two step-by-step sections: one for beginners, one for experienced home vintners

* sidebars offer quick tips and key elements of winemaking lore

* includes the only clear and comprehensive guide to minimizing the use of sulfites in wine

* section on suppliers and labs provides a wealth of information on sources of fine wine grapes

List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction. Real Wine, Real Enjoyment

PART I. SUCCESS WITH REDS AND WHITES
1. Grapes and Other Ingredients
2. The Ins and Outs of a Home Winery
3. When Red Means Go
4. Then a Miracle Happens
5. A Pressing Engagement
6. The Quiet Stage
7. Watchful Waiting
8. Bottling and Beyond
9. Vive la Différence!
10. Clear and Clean
Part I Recap. Winemaking Step-by-Step

PART II. MAKING EVEN BETTER WINE
11. Getting a Grip on Your Grapes
12. Testing, Testing
13. Taking Control
14. Mastering Sulfur Dioxide
15. Making the Wine You Wish You’d Made

Suppliers and Laboratories
Further Reading
Index

Sheridan Warrick is a Northern California winemaker. He is a senior editor at VIA magazine and is the former executive editor of Health magazine. He is managing editor of the New Mayo Clinic Cookbook, winner of a 2005 James Beard Foundation Award.

“Eminently readable. . . . Highly recommended to anyone eager to discover the thrills and delights of making wine at home.”—Gastronomica: Jrnl of Food & Culture

“Can you change a tire? Then you can make wine. This according to Sheridan Warrick, Berkeley author of "The Way to Make Wine," a step-by-step guide for home vintners. Warrick walks readers through each step of the process, explaining in plain English crushing, the Brix scale, fermentation, racking and bottling. The second part of the book is a how-to on fine-tuning the process. Along the way Warrick includes tips, sidebars and sources for grapes and other supplies. And even if you never bottle a drop, you'll come away with a greater appreciation of what goes into your glass.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Demystifies winemaking for the amateur vintner.”—Library Journal

"An essential reference that takes you step-by-step through techniques used by professionals to create quality small-lot wines. A book like this would have been a huge help for me when I first started making wine! Both easy to read and serious enough so that the reader doesn't feel talked down to as an amateur, The Way to Make Wine is a much needed guide to the basics of modern winemaking."—Michael Dashe, owner and winemaker, Dashe Cellars

"This book is a terrific resource. Warrick clearly knows his stuff and conveys the sometimes technical information in a truly palatable manner."—Lynn Alley, frequent contributor to Wine Spectator and author of Lost Arts: A Celebration of Culinary Tradition