Wine Bottling Day

It's wine bottling day today. I love the process of making wine, even from the kits. The first blending of juice and yeast, the smell of the ferment, the racking and re-racking, and then the bottling. Back in BC you can have someone do all this for you; the government of BC, in its wisdom, has decided that making wine all devolves down the the simple act of putting in yeast. You can pay someone to do the other parts. Here in Alberta, the government says "If you want to make wine, then you make it"; in other words you cannot pay someone to do the work, you have to do it yourself.

So I do. I buy good quality kits, the expensive ones. That's the basis for good wine, starting with good ingredients. I am a stickler for cleanliness in the process; that helps make good wine. I am not in a rush; that helps make good wine. Perhaps the best part of the whole process is that I have learned to make it group event. At each key stage of the process, I ask my friends to come over and help.

In other words, making wine means having a party no matter what stage we are in at the time. Today is no exception. I started out thinking about 4 or 5 people would come over. My last count was 10 but I am not sure if that has grown or shrunk in the last couple of weeks. It's that way with all my parties; I throw out an invitation and whomever comes, comes.

Today's party will undoubtedly be a great success. We have a great group of friends and there will be lots of food and drink. I am making two kinds of lasagna for today, a moose meat lasagna and an Italian sausage meat lasagne. I plan on putting together a great mixed salad and may even head over to Lina's today for large Bocconcini balls and Hot Capicollo Sausage from whence will arise, along with a ripe tomato or two, a Caprese Salad. Dessert? Perhaps Butter Rum Pears, or maybe nothing. It depends on how we do with dinner. And there will be a few martinis made too, probably Lemon and Chocolate.

Oh, and somehow during this Bacchanal we will bottle somewhere around 90 bottles of wine, less a few for tasting purposes and shrinkage due to gifting. At least that's the plan.