Jessica turns to home winemaking to beat the recession (From Northwich Guardian)

Jessica turns to home winemaking to beat the recession

8:20am Sunday 7th February 2010

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AS the country struggles to break free from recession, the Guardian team is on a mission to get back to basics.

Each of our reporters is getting stuck into different aspects of ‘make do and mend’ culture and sharing our experiences – as well as appealing for hints and tips from our readers.

In the first of our ‘making do’ series, reporter Jessica Bell gets to grips saving some pennies by making her own wine.

MAKING my own wine has never been something I thought that I would do, but that all changed this week when I got to work – armed with a five litre plastic demijohn, a fermentation airlock, thermometer and various other bits of equipment.

Phil Smith, owner of brew2bottle, which has a stall in Northwich indoor market, got me going with the starter pack and a seven-day wine kit.

He even let me sample some wine – which was surprisingly very tasty.

My aim is to find out, not only if I am able to make my own wine, but also if it is cheaper than nipping to the local supermarket.

Home brewing’s popularity peaked back in the 70s and 80s, before becoming relatively unheard of.

My dad enjoyed a bit of home brewing back in the early 80s – until my mum got sick of the airing cupboard being full of plastic barrels of beer – and then he, like many people, lost interest.

But Phil, 48, from Rudheath, told me the recession has renewed interest in home brewing, with more people trying to save a bit of cash by making their own drink at home.

I was surprised at how easy it was. Once I’d sterilised all of the equipment, I simply followed the instructions.

I added the concentrate to the sugar, filled the container to the 4.6 litre mark with cold water, and then added yeast and yeast nutrient to get the fermentation process going before fitting a bung and an airlock.

Now all I have to do is wait a week before sampling my first home brew!

l Do you make your own beer and wine? Have you got any stories or tasty wine recipes to share?

If so get in touch on 01606 813620 or you can email jessica.bell@ guardiangrp.co.uk.

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