I read the reviews on Amazon prior to buying this book but mainly I bought because it seemed to be modeled after it's home brewing counter part, (The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing). I've been brewing beer for sometime and have spoken with several wine makers aboout making a transition to wine.

The first thing I noticed when I started reading this book is that it's poorly written. I'll provide some examples. There is a chapter in the beginning for making your first gallon of wine. The author starts with a list of equipment and then goes into instruction. She forgets to mention that you need 2 jugs, she gives you easy to follow steps but never explains why you need to do it. One part she tangents off of her destilled instruction to give you detailed syphoning (racking) instructions. Even the technique she gives you is horrible. She tells you to sanitize your mouth with alcohol and suck the wine to then of the tube then quickly stick in the jug. Gimme a break! If she wanted to offer a good technique there are plenty of better ones like an auto-syphon for $10 or to cap the jug and blow through a seperate hose.

Her poor writing style continues where she speaks goes off on other tangents about her husband, then suddenly starts using his name but never links the two things.

In later chapters she refers back to things she justified in the beginning like using PA (potential alcohol) instead of SG (specific gravity) readings. If you actually go back she doesn't ever offer a good explanation as to why.

Some of her instructions are just dumb. As I stated she tells you not to use gravity reading on a hydrometer because you don't need it. She says to use PA. The she gives you methods for adjusting your reading for temperature by using SG. Huh!? Her rationale is that the only way to adjust the reading is by using SG then re-converting. This is idiotic. Both scales are completely linear. Even the adjustments she gives you are wrong. She says add .9 instead of .009. This is fine for us experienced brewers and wine makers but this is in the beginners chapter of her book. Someone could be very confused by this.

Lastly the book seems to completely wrip off the title, format, etc... of Charlie Papazian's book but is nothing like it. It leaves critical steps out, never gets passed being a beginners book, barely touches on grape wine making and is generally a poor instructional guide to wine making.

Charlie has a motto in his book, "relax, have a homebrew". She tries to offer a couple of her own but they're obviously just poor ripoffs from his.

Her index is missing several terms she uses frequently such as "PA".

In summary you can learn everything this book has to offer by reading online "how to" articles. I suggest then going to some wine making forums and meeting people. Either that or find a better book.

As a novice winemaker, I was looking for something to help guide me in making wine from something other than the premade kit. There are lots of great ideas and seem to be easy to follow.

Shipping was quick. This was a great purchase!

I have to admit that I stood at the book store for a long time looking over a small selection of books for winemaking. If you are looking for a book that deals just with grape wines, put this back on the shelf. But for me I fell in love. I flip through the start and then check out the back index, references, and everything else in the appendix. It has the conversions (metric, and general volumes which makes it easy to know how many cups are in a pound) The index has by subject, recipe, and ingredients.
The recipes are fun which makes it all the more exciting to finally find out how your wine will taste after those 6 months. I started to read this book a couple days ago and it is already bookmarked by information and recipes I want to try.
The chapter with info on the hydrometer is so much less complex than other papers I have read.
You can't have just one winemaking book, that would be unwise. Add this one to your collection.

I bought this book when I got started making wine and I still use it. I have recommended it to several friends who want to start making their own wine. It goes into what the chemicals do so you know why you are doing things, and it explains the equipment. There are several levels of various recipes to try out also. This is a great all around wine book!

This book tought me a lot about winemakeing, I would recomend it to any one trying to self teach winemakeing.

I think that Ms. Garey could have written a book on anything and it would be fun to read. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. And it's PACKED with useful information based on personal experience. Very highly recommended!

I think that Ms. Garey could have written a book on anything and it would be fun to read. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. And it's PACKED with useful information based on personal experience. Very highly recommended!

I found this book to be very imformative and written with a personal touch that lets you into the authors home. The recipes are complete and produce a very nice fruit wine. Recommended reading for the beginer.

This book is entertaining and filled with a lot of useful recipes if you don't particularly care about what the final product tastes like--that is, if you aren't interested in trying to make a reasonably serious wine. If making something possibly drinkable out of a variety of fruits and vegetables interests you, this will be useful. If you want to make what most people think of as "wine" (i.e., fermented grape juice) the book is not of much interest.

This book does a good job at giving basic techniques and recipes for making fruit wines. Don't use there mead recipe though. Also, they mention boiling the corks to serilize then which is a no-no that will give you crumbly corks.

What a fun and easy to read book, if you are just getting started in fruit wines or thinking of giving a (fruit wine) making kit to some one as a present I highly recommend this book to be give as a companion with that kit. I mention FRUIT WINE KIT because this book is geared towards wines made from fruit (strawberries, apples, berries watermelon etc.) As opposed to wines made from grapes and grape concentrates. The recipient will quickly wish to try the many wonderful recipes that are listed throughout the book ( I want to try the carrot wine next) I gave it 5 stars. If your budget is small the book by it's self would stand alone as a wonderful gift or stocking stuffer for both the new comer and seasoned veteran who wishes to expand there knowledge and tastes into country wines.
Terry talks you through a simple first timers batch of apple wine made from grocery store concentrate that any one who can read and follow directions can make. As your confidence level and interest grows Terry bumps you up a notch to the next level. Before long you find yourself planning your first exotic batch of country fruit/flower Wine, (and you thought dandelions were just a weed.) It doesn't end there a down to earth explanation of the basics of wine making shortly has you knowledgeable about the vocabulary, steps start to finish, including bottling. The basic and inexpensive ingredients needed to get started and the few inexpensive but necessary tools needed to produce consistent results. This is an excellent starter book that you will refer to often.

The title should be "The Joy of Home Fruit Winemaking" as it's really not about Grape wine... it's really focused almost completely on fruit wines. However, most of it applies to grape wine as well. I only give it 4 stars because the title and cover are misleading, but the book is excellent. I would recommend it to anyone interested in home winemaking whether you're interested in grape wine or fruit wine. It's well written in casual style that is very accessible and actually quite entertaining. I felt as though a friend was giving me a lesson in something new and providing insight and tips you probably wouldn't get in a more formal winemaking book or education. Highly highly recommended.

This book is not only very interesting and informative (with lots of recipes I really want to try), but it's laugh-out-loud funny. I'd enjoy reading it even if I wasn't a beginning winemaker.

This is the first book I have read on winemaking. Not only is it extremely easy to read it is a finely written book. The author injects some humor, pictures, and easy to use lists. I think this would be a best buy for anyone looking for a beginning to intermediate book for wimemaking. Excellent book.

Only reason I am giving two stars is i bought this on the premise i was going to learn about making wine with grapes which is popular in the New York/Ontario area where i live. The author is more in love with wine from fruit. I have to admit it intriqued me, but, I think the title should be Making Fruit wine or something like it. Out side of that good book on basic wine making tips, I learned alot, just not about making wine from grapes.
This is more of a book for apple wine or berry wine, than for
Merlot or Cabernet...

This book has become my bible for making home-made wine. I've worn the pages so much, I ordered another one just to keep around. Terry's dry, humorous wit and casual style for making wines is what every novice needs to get started in this fun and relaxing hobby. She begins with a little history lesson and a simple recipe to make a one-gallon batch of apple wine from concentrate. From there you learn more and more as each chapter progresses into more challenging (and rewarding) recipes and techniques. From fermentation to bottling, Terry makes learning how to make wine simple and fun without all the stuffiness and intimidation I've seen in other beginner's books. Again, though, this book is designed for someone starting at 'ground zero' and wanting a fun way to learn about making wine at home. If you've already gotten your feet wet or want a reference manual, find something else. But if you've always wanted to try making wine and don't know where to begin, then THIS is the book for you. Enjoy!

I've read more than a dozen books on making wine. I usually start by checking them out from the library then purchasing the books that I will use as a reference. I read this book when I checked it out then I bought it and read it again. I recommended it to another and they bought it as well. I have also given it as a gift. For the beginning wine maker this book is a tremendous benefit. It is easy to read. Terry does a great job explaining the principles from beginning to end. I have used the following recipies: Apple, Concorde Grape, Blueberry, Peach and Strawberry. Without exception, every batch has turned out great. Terry includes a little science but if you want to know more there will always be more out there. If on the other hand you want to make a very good bottle of wine and keep your costs down, this is the book you need. You may not be replicating Chateau Lafitte in your garage but I have yet to have a complaint about my wines when following Terry's examples. Start with this book then add to your library when you want to go further.

Terry Garey takes a very casual, fun approach to making wine with various fruits. Her recipes are tried and true. (I won a gold medal with her strawberry wine recipe) The book is easy to read and informative. Best of all, it is easy to understand and follow for the person new to winemaking. Wine purist probably won't care for the book due to the casual and varied approach to making excellent wines from many different sources.

This is a great book. I started making wine about 5 years ago and this book has all the instruction I needed. Garey takes the mystery out of wine making. I have bought several books since, but find myself returning again and again to this one. Everything you need to know to get started is here and there are enough recipes to keep you going for a long time. If you are a beginning wine maker, this is the book for you.