GREAT HOMEMADE WINE

For the last three years I have teamed up with my nephew to make homemade wine from grapes. The grapes are fermented, pressed and transferred to demijohns with the extra going into gallon jugs. All this process takes place at his house and then I bring my share home.  

Now the purpose of sharing this information about where we made the wine is important because for the last couple of years after I brought the wine home there has been a large number of fruit flies in my house. The fact that the whole process was not done at my home there shouldn’t be any or just a few fruit flies flying about. Fortunately this wine season the flies were not as bad as the last one. However, in the previous year my wife and I would be having dinner with a glass of wine and when we went to have a sip there would be a fly or two floating in the wine and or flying around the glass trying to dive in. These flies became very annoying. How do I get rid of these little monsters was the question that kept running through my mind. Then the idea came to me – make a homemade wine fruit fly trap. 

I set up the trap and to my astonishment it worked fantastically. Every day the number of flies floating in the wine increased. As this was my first time doing this, I didn’t know how long to leave the wine before replacing it with fresh wine. To my surprise, after three or four days they had turned the wine into vinegar. I had heard this was possible and was one of the big reasons to keep fermenting wine covered. From that point on I would change the wine every two or three days. By end of the first week the number of flies that were being caught in the trap was decreasing and within two weeks they were gone. So this wine season just past I was all ready for these little pests. 

To make a homemade wine fruit fly trap all you need is a short wide rimmed glass, plastic food wrap and of course homemade wine. Pour wine into the glass to a level of a quarter inch and tightly cover with plastic food wrap. Then puncture small holes (just big enough for the flies to enter inside the glass) in the plastic wrap in the center of the glass away from the rim of the glass. The reason for keeping the holes away from the rim is once the fruit flies are inside the glass they will walk on the plastic wrap staying close to the rim and you certainly do not want to give them a chance to escape. 

For free step by step instructions to learn how to make homemade wine from fresh juice or grapes please visit http://www.greathomemadewine.ca

The question I’ve heard asked many times, “is homemade wine as good as store bought wine” deserves the answer of a resounding YES. This doesn’t mean that all homemade wine is good. I have personally tasted homemade wine that to me the only just thing to do was pour it down the sink. However, with good grapes and following the proper steps (that are at my Great Homemade Wine site) excellent wine can be made at home.

About a year and nine months ago I made Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes which gives the wine more body and colour. I have now started drinking the wine and I am very pleased with the quality of the wine. Family and friends that have tasted the wine gave it a two thumbs up.

Now this brings me back to the question, ” is homemade wine as good as store bought wine?”.

I have an Italian neighbour who also makes homemade wine and a pretty good one too. Each year he’ll pass a glass of his wine over the fence for me to try and I’ll do the same. We then chat about the wine and type of grapes used to make it. Just recently I gave him a glass of the Cabernet to try. He thought the wine was excellent and wanted to know where I purchased my grapes. He then called to his wife to come and try the wine. His wife took the glass to taste the wine and this is where I received one of the greatest compliments about my homemade wine. As she finished sampling the wine, she then said to husband “wow this tastes like store bought wine“.

So there you have it. Yes, homemade wine can be as good as store bought wine and sometimes better.

As St. Patrick’s Day aproaches, I thought what better way to celebrate than with this delicious recipe for lamb. I found this recipe for rack of lamb in a red wine sauce and thought I’d pass it along. It sounds so good I’m trying it tonight. This delicious recipe is by Michael White who is an executive chef.

Ingredients:

For the Rack 

• 1/4 cup lightly toasted bread crumbs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 well-trimmed, Frenched racks of lamb with the chine bone (part of the spine) removed (about 1 1/2 lbs trimmed weight without the chine bone)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Sauce

• 4 teaspoons extra virgin-oil
• 2 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti or Barbera
• 2 cups veal stock or chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cold butter

Lamb Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and oil and stir to blend.

Brush the lamb racks all over with a little oil. Heat a roasting pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the racks, flesh side does, and sear them for 3 to 4 minutes until nicely browned.

Turn the racks over and season liberally with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes to cool slightly, then pat the bread crumb mixture on the flesh side. Cover the tips of the bones with aluminum foil to prevent charring, if desired, and roast the rack, flesh side up, for 12 to 15 minutes for medium-rare to medium. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the roast should measure 125 F for medium-rare and 130 F for medium.

Once the lamb is done, remove the racks from the oven and let them rest for 10 minutes before carving.

For the sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the red wine and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir the veal stock, thyme, and rosemary. Return the liquid to a boil and reduce it over high heat until it reaches a sauce consistency, 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce through a fine strainer into a small pan. Whisk in the cold butter and keep warm over low heat.

To serve, cut the racks into individual chops and place 4 chops on each dinner plate. Spoon sauce over the lamb and serve.

I’d pair it with a homemade Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Bordeaux (a blend of cabernet and merlot). Lamb is a hearty meat and needs a full bodied and equally strong wine to complement it.

So there you have it. Enjoy!

Update:

This recipe turned out great. However, the preparation did take longer than I had anticipated.