From spring s first delicate blossoms to the last clinging berries of autumn, hobb y winemakers can cash in on nature

s bounty to rack up an exciting array of distin ctive wines that ll do justice to any cellar. I have been winemaking for years and not only have I bottled up some blue ribbon winners, but have accumulated a treasured stash of well-aged wines that complim ent any meal. Nothing makes a better toast to good health than a glass of sparkl ing gooseberry wine or celebrates a special occasion like a bottle of prized blu eberry fondly known by its ribbon as Berry Blue. Contrary to what some folks believe, making wine is not difficult to master. Nor is it an expensive hobby to get started in. Truth is, if one enjoys being outdo ors, foraging goods for the wine barrel will open up a whole new world of recrea tional fun. And once you ve rounded up the equipment needed, you ll be delightfully surprised at what fine wines you can enjoy at so little expense. Equipment needed With home winemakers growing in numbers across the country it is easy to locate hobby brewing shops that carry everything you ll need. There are huge barrels for those who purchase large amounts of commercial fruits for winemaking, but for th e beginner looking at making wine from wilderness offerings that are gathered in far less quantity, the fermenting vat can be a smaller container such as a five -gallon crock or any food grade plastic bucket or tub. It s a good idea to have tw o or three small vats so several batches of wine can be fermenting at the same t ime. You ll need a large kettle. I use an open canning kettle which holds about fi ve gallons. Add to your list some tube for siphoning, cheesecloth, wine bottles, and corks. Further down the road, as expertise grows, you might want to buy a fermentation jar with lock water-seal, fruit press, and corker. You ll also hear mention of str ange supplements like campden tablets (stabilizer made out of sulfite powder), s terilizing powders, pectic enzymes, and other additives that can instill fear in the heart of a beginner winemaker. So I have chosen simple, old-fashioned recip es to share, ones that do not call for unfamiliar items. Historically, wines hav e been successfully made without the addition of chemicals, and can still be mad e today in the way of our forefathers. However, if you re interested in more moder n techniques, talk to experts where the items are sold. Getting started The number one rule to top quality wine is cleanliness. All pickings must be gat hered away from roadsides and other areas where they may be contaminated with he rbicides and pesticides. Once home with your wilderness harvest, wash well under cold running water to remove insects, dust, and other undesirables. Keep your equipment clean. Sterilize bottles by boiling in water for five minute s before bottling. Boil and cool water before adding to fermentation vat. The ha rdest part of all is allowing wine proper time to age. The biggest fault of begi nner winemakers is serving their creations far too soon. It s hard to resist tempt ation but I assure you, when it comes to wine, time is worth the wait. Yeast is used to prompt fermenting or working. The recipes below call for one pa cket (eight grams) or ounce of dry yeast. For each recipe you will need one piec e of toast. To add the yeast: Place the toast on the juice in fermentation crock and sprinkle it with yeast. Even though all recipes below can be halved, double d, or tripled, the amount of yeast will remain the same. A bit about sugar. You can always increase sugar amounts in any recipe to produc e sweeter wines. However, unless recommended, do not decrease sugar or you might end up with vinegar. When a recipe calls for straining juice, use clean cheesecloth and be sure to tw ist and wring it well in order to get out all the pulp and juice before discardi ng skins, seeds, and pits. Juice ferments best at room temperature. Always cover the crock with clean cloth while fermenting is taking place. After the wine is done working (bubbling has ceased), finish it off by siphoning into bottles, corking, and labeling. When si phoning, leave sediments in vat and discard. Store wine on its side in a cool, d ark place.

Dandelion wine: 4 quarts dandelion flowers 1 gallon water 1/2 pound chopped golden raisins (raisins can be added to any wine for extra bod y. Use golden raisins for white wines and dark raisins or currants for reds.) 2 oranges l lemon 4 pounds sugar yeast preparation Gather dandelion flowers on a dry day when they are fully open. Remove the stalk s but leave the green sepals on. Wash the flowers and put them in a large bowl. Cover with 1/2 gallon of boiling water. Cover with a cloth and let the flowers s teep 24 hours or overnight. Pour into a kettle with raisins, grated rind, and th e pulp and juice of the oranges and lemon. Bring to a boil, add the sugar, stirr ing until dissolved. Simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool and pour into a crock. Add 1/2 gallon of water, then add the yeast. Cover and let ferment for two to three weeks or until the wine stops working. Finish off by siphoning into bottles, cor king, and labeling. Billy s Blackberry wine: Wild blackberries make superb, full-bodied distinctive wine. We pick blackberrie s for wine from the hedges that surround our friend, Billy s, farm. Thus our black berry bears his name. If you can t harvest from the wild, commercial blackberries are well worth the investment for this robust wine. 1 gallon blackberries 1 gallon water sugar (as needed see the instructions below) yeast preparation Put the berries in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 24 hours or ov ernight. Put in kettle, bring to boil. Simmer 10 minutes. Strain. Measure the ju ice. Add one cup sugar to two parts juice for dessert wine, or one part sugar to three parts juice for less sweet wine. Empty into the crock, add the yeast, and ferment for two to three weeks. Finish off. Try to resist temptation for at lea st nine months. This is a very fine wine. Variation: Substitute raspberries for a lighter, red wine that has a rich fruity flavor. A mix of blackberry and raspberry can be used for a unique cellar treat . Berry Blue wine: I love picking blueberries and since they are so plentiful, it s easy to keep the cellar well-stocked with this full-bodied wine. 2 gallons blueberries 2 gallons water 2 oranges, rinds grated, pulp and juice reserved 6 pounds sugar yeast preparation Mash the berries and set aside. Bring one gallon water to a boil. Add the sugar and prepared oranges and boil five minutes. Pour over the berries. Let stand 24 hours or overnight. Mash again. Pour into a crock. Add one gallon of water and y east. Ferment for two to three weeks, stirring occasionally, until the wine stop s working. Strain. Put back into the crock and let it settle for three days. Fin ish off. Pin Cherry wine: Pin cherries are tiny but bursting with flavor. The trick to getting enough for the crock is beating birds to trees when fruit is ripe. If you can t harvest enoug h for a batch of wine, make up the difference with tame cherries. Or substitute chokecherries, which are often more plentiful, for a deeper wine. And keep in mi nd that you can mix and match to create unique wines. 1 gallon pin cherries (or chokecherries) 2 cups chopped maraschino cherries, with juice (only if using pin cherries) 1 gallon water 5 pounds sugar

yeast preparation Put the cherries in a kettle with one quart of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce th e heat and simmer, mashing until pulpy. Remove from heat and let stand 24 hours or overnight. Strain. Put the juice in the kettle and add three quarts of water and the sugar. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool. Pour into a crock and add the yeast. Ferment for two to three weeks. Finish off. Old World Gooseberry wine: This medium-dry wine was used as an Old World curative for all kinds of common c omplaints. Today it s drunk for sheer pleasure. If you can t get enough gooseberries for a batch, make up the difference with wild currants, which usually grow in t he same woodlands. Or tame garden gooseberries can be used. A quart of wild or t ame frozen strawberries or raspberries adds pink color and flair to this delight ful wine. 4 quarts gooseberries 1 pound golden raisins 1-1/2 gallons water 4 pounds sugar 1 quart liquid honey yeast preparation Bring one gallon of water to a boil and drop in the gooseberries and raisins. Si mmer an hour. Let stand 24 hours or overnight. Empty the mixture back into the k ettle. Bring to a boil. Add the sugar and honey, boil five minutes. Cool. Strain juice into crock and add yeast. Ferment for two to three weeks. Finish off. Wai t at least eight months or longer if you can before decanting. This one improves gre atly with age.