Home Winemakers by Ed Reyes
“Learning the ropes” is an old nautical term for someone learning how to handle ropes and rigging on a sailing ship. It’s an apt term for someone learning a new skill, like winemaking.
The newest OCWS winemaker, John Kienstra, sat down in his living room with his wife and two guests. They were all there to taste the results of his first batch of wine. After popping the cork and dutifully inspecting it, he poured four glasses.
John’s journey into winemaking wasn’t at the forefront when he and his wife, Mary Dee, joined the Orange County Wine Society in July 2023. Like most members, they joined the organization at The Courtyard at the OC Fair.
They wanted to “expand their wine horizon” and thought the social aspect of the group would be fun. As John and Mary Dee began attending OCWS events, they heard about the Winemakers Group and how winemakers started the organization. John thought winemaking would be a unique way of learning about wine. Though not winemakers, they were impressed by the “warm welcome” they received at winemaker events. John’s interest was piqued and he was about to take the first steps on his winemaking journey.
He took a kit winemaking class, taught by OCWS winemaker, John Lane, in June 2024. A wine kit is a package containing concentrated grape juice, all the necessary ingredients, and instructions to make wine at home. Class participants got hands-on experience as they went through the process of making wine that day.
Participants also learned about the Winemakers Group mentor program where experienced winemakers offer help to new winemakers. Mentors are experienced in white, rose and red winemaking techniques. They can help those who want to make wine from fresh grapes, frozen grapes, fruit (other than grapes), or a kit.
John, the aspiring winemaker, asked Ed Reyes to be his mentor, partly because of Ed’s experience but also because they literally live around the block from each other. “You don’t have to live around the block from your mentor,” says Ed. “Most of the time, help is just a text or phone call away.”
Ed has helped a few other winemakers get started over the years. He describes mentoring as being part teacher and part coach. “I want to instruct and encourage new winemakers. I also want to pass along winemaking tricks that come from experience, things that someone wouldn’t normally pick up from a book or a class.”
After the kit class, John said he “could imagine himself doing it.” He looked at some winemaking videos on the OCWS website and gained more confidence. He was ready to jump in.
entire unit is stored in a cool area.
From the videos and the class, he knew he needed to order an assortment of winemaking equipment and tools to get started. He also ordered a “Cabernet Sauvignon style” wine kit from Amazon, which included everything he had seen in the kit class.
Before start day in late December, John had prepared a 10’ x 12’ area which was plenty of space to work in. He sanitized working surfaces and tools in advance so everything was ready to go when Ed arrived to supervise. After going over the kit instructions and double checking that everything was sanitized, it was time to begin.
John simply followed the instructions. He added the grape juice concentrate from the kit into a 7.5-gallon fermentation bucket. Then he added purified water to get to six gallons of liquid in the bucket. The oak packet was added next followed by the yeast to begin fermentation.
Starting the kit took less than two hours. John had some questions but Ed could see he already knew what to do. Sometimes a first-time winemaker just needs verification that he or she is on the right track.
A few days later John reported seeing bubbles on the top of the fermentation bucket, evidence of the yeast at work. Wine fermentation happens in an open container. When the yeast converts grape sugar to alcohol it produces CO2 bubbles which give off a wonderful fermentation smell. You really get the sense being in a winery. “You can even hear it,” said John. A few days later, the sugar level was zero. The yeast had done their job.
The next day, John racked the wine into a six-gallon carboy on his own. Racking is transferring the wine to another container to leave any sediment behind. He degassed the wine and added sulfite to protect the wine, sorbate to prevent fermentation from restarting, and fining agents to help clear particulate matter from the wine. These chemicals were all included in the wine kit. At this point the carboy was completely full and sealed with an air lock to keep oxygen out.
Two weeks later, in mid-January, John and Ed got together to taste the wine. They determined the wine was doing well. It was getting close to bottling time and January 28 was circled on the calendar as bottling day.
Ed arrived on that day with his bottle corker. John had prepared an area outside with tools, hoses, equipment, corks and bottles all sanitized and ready. This time Mary Dee was there to help. With three people it took less than an hour to fill and cork 26 bottles. Some extra wine remained in the carboy but it didn’t go to waste. It was the celebratory drink for a job well done by a first-time winemaker.
About six weeks later, John, Mary Dee, Ed and his wife, Debbie, got together to officially sample the wine and see if it was as good as remembered on bottling day. After sniffing and swirling the wine, everyone tasted it and pronounced it a success. It had been 12 weeks from start to tasting day.
John is already planning his next wine, maybe another red but Mary Dee likes whites. He may even try making wine from frozen grapes. “It would be nice to get some more experience before getting grapes in the fall.”
John is thinking about expanding too. He’s eyeing the extra space in his three-car garage for winemaking equipment. John says Mary Dee is OK with that.
A new winemaker has learned the ropes.