PAGE 14, WEDNE-SI)AY, AUGUST 20, 1980, WIIITBY FREE-PRESS The first îhing anyone needs 10 know about makîng good wine at home is that it's simpler than broiling a steak or baking a cake. W iîh wine il jusît akes a little longer. You need some basic equipmenî; you need quali- îy ingredients; and you need a recipe wihich puts ail the operations in the righî se- quence. A cake takes a few hours; wine - a pleasant, r resentable wine - takes a few1 monîhs. So let's dive right in and make a batch, ight in your home, aparîment, collag e - anyw here you can de- vole a few square feet of space to the equipment. A good sized cupboard or the lower section of a closet is aIl you really need t0 gel started. There's absolutely nothing overwhelming about the basic equipment. You'll need a prima ry fermentation con- tainer o f well oven *five gal- Ions capacity; a secondary fermentation vessel on fer- mentor of five gallons wiîh a neck that can be stoppered, a small sheet of plastic that will amply cover the prima- ry fermentor; and a length MIAKE YOUR OWN WINES AT HOME )Wonderful wine you can cati your own of plastic tubing. But before you start look- ing around the house - or worse still, the garage - for odds and ends **thaî will do" as winemaking equip- ment, keep these points tn mind. Wine must neyer be made in a metal container (or even chipped enamel- ware) because the acids ini the wine react with the metal and give the wine a bad taste. Alil wine-making equipment must be kept scrupulousiy cdean (a future article will deal wiîh sterili- zation), which means you have to get il dlean in the first place, often difficult with old stuff. And experi- ence shows that îhere's bound to be some short- coming with a piece of "make do" tequip ment (il isn'î the right sîze, shape, etc.). Rather than running the big isk with their first ef- fort at winemaking, most home winemakers sensibly go out and gel the special gear from a winemaken's supply store. The primary fermentor is a white plastic tub (usually 8-10 gallon); the secondary fermentor is a glassjug (carboy) with a narrow neck. At the same lime you can pick up a fer- mentation lock for the -sec- ondary" jar, clear plastic tubing for the "racking" operation, a "J tube to make racking easier, and sheet of plastic to cover the ..primary" tub. And a hy- drometer set puts you in control of the action!! That's it 'for the basic items. Probable cost is less than $40. But before you can make wine you have to assemble the ingredients. Top priori- ty here is the grape juice, of course, and in keeping wiîh our simplified approach to winemaking, it is recom- mended you buy juice in concentrated form (most of the water removed, similar to concentrated frozen or- ange juice except that the grape juice isn't frozen). Many varieties of grape j uice concentrate are available in most winemnaker's stores, each one with special char- acteristics. For your first batch it is suggested you select a white wine from one of the fine Australian concentrates which will ma- ture in a few months. The recipe on the con- centrate container will spell Dut ail the other ingredients available from the same ïhop. They will inelude: sugar (ordinary cane sugar s okay. but most winemakers prefer corn sugar): some .icid and tannin: proper veast and yeast nutrient. You wvill aiso need sorene etabisul- phite which, when dissolved ini water, wviIl be your sieni- lizing agent for ail equip- nie nt. With this organized, you are ready to start the wine- making process. N'ix togeth- er in the primary fermentor grape concentrate with the proper amouint of warmi tap wvater. adding in the sugar. acid. tannin and yeast nu- trient, as directed ini the recipe. Allow the mixture t*'must"*) to cool. Now you can add the yeast and stir for good distribution with a non-metallic spoon. Then cover the primary fermentor with a plastic sheet to keep out ail the unwanted "wild" yeasts that float about in the air, fasten it on with a piece of cord, and wait about five to seven days whilethe bubbling, frothing mixture settles back into slower activity. When primary fermenta- tion subsides you transier (or "rack") the wine to the "secondary" jar by siphoning with plastic tubing. A use- fui gadget here is the *J" tube which has a crook in one end; this helps you to leave behind the sediment (or lees) which seules tu the bottoni of the primary fer- mentor tub. When the sec- ondary jar is fuli (you should leave 1 1/2 inches of air space at the neck) top up with boiled water, if necessary. Stopper it securely with the fermentation lock, and put the required amount of sul- phite solution in the lock. Now it's simply a matter of waîching the developing wine during the next couple of weeks and noting the ne- duced rate of bubbling (car- bon dioxide gas) through the stem of the lock. Fur- ther racking of the wine at roughly two week intervals will be necessary to get rid of the lees according to in- struchions ini the recipe an- other secondary fermenta- tion jar %vould be useful ai this point for raeking pur- poses. Atten a totail of, satv, ten weeks ini the secondarv, vou'lI have five gallons of wîine reaidy for bottling; an- other three mionths ini bot- tdes and it will be readv fon ilrinkig. Delicieus!!! fInter- estii!!! A pleaisure to serve to frienids!!! Every bit the equal of wines sell[nig for S-4 a botule, and vouns' eost tinder a doýllatr!!! Later colunîns in this se- ries %vill tell about several wines and the details oif the wiinenîaý.kinig proeess, but if NouI Wan t tO ge l involved rgh lt awav . buv the book, TIîv Art o! Nla in c. A profit -making hobby can become a business In these days of inflation, anything that might bring in a little extra *money is worth looking into. If you make pottery or do wood- working, if you sew or paint pictures -- or any one of a hundred other things -- a source of extra income may be at your fingertips. It's wise to remember that any income from your hobby is of interest to the tax department and must be* reported on your income tax return as part of your income. On the other hand, the costs of making that money are legitimate business expenses, to be deducted from your taxable income. If your main souroe of income is a salary, you may flot think of this. To keep yourself straight with the tax people and, at the same time. To take advantage of ail the deduct- ions available to you, you should: . Set up a simple record- keeping system to keep track of ail income and expenditures related to your hobby/business. A pad of standard invoice forms can record your sales; envelopes or file folders can hold your paid invoices for supplies, equipment, etc. Claim a deduction for office -or studio expenses, if part of your bouse is set aside for your hobby act- ivity. You can also dlaim a portion of your mortgage payments or rent, utility costs, and insurance premiurns. However, to keep your residence free from capital gains tax when you sell il, don't dlaim a capital cost allowanoe (dep- reciation)' for your work spaoe. .List costs of equipment for your hobby/business (typewriter, kiln, power tools, etc.) for a capital cost allowance of 20 per oent on a decreasing balance. Supplies costing less than $100 are treated as expenses. Determine what percent- age of your total mileage can be attributed to your hobby/business. The same percentage of your car costis -- including gas, CONT'D ON PG. 22