For beginners, I would rate the book 2 stars. For more experienced winemakers, this would be a fantastic reference book.



After reading the reviews here, I purchased this book, to be our very first book to tell us how to make wine. At the same time, I was trying to purchase winemaking equipment as a Christmas gift for my husband and was hoping this book would help me know what to buy. The book has a lot of recipes and great details, but not a really simple step-by-step "how-to" for the person who knows nothing at all about winemaking. The 10 minute free video that came with the equipment I bought showed more step-by-step than this book.



There is no index.



I think my husband would take one look at this book and say "Wow, I don't have the time to read this and figure it all out!" It leaves me with the impression that winemaking is difficult, tricky, and time-consuming.



Example: When I was trying to figure out what corks to buy, it does tell to use 1 1/3 inch corks for wines you intend to drink within 12-18 months and 1 3/4 inch ones for those to be aged longer. But that's all it tells. It doesn't tell me whether to buy straight ones or tapered ones, #7, #8, #9, etc.



I am now going to buy First Steps in Winemaking, hoping that will have some simpler answers.

For beginners, I would rate the book 2 stars. For more experienced winemakers, this would be a fantastic reference book.

After reading the reviews here, I purchased this book, to be our very first book to tell us how to make wine. At the same time, I was trying to purchase winemaking equipment as a Christmas gift for my husband and was hoping this book would help me know what to buy. The book has a lot of recipes and great details, but not a really simple step-by-step "how-to" for the person who knows nothing at all about winemaking. The 10 minute free video that came with the equipment I bought showed more step-by-step than this book.

There is no index.

I think my husband would take one look at this book and say "Wow, I don't have the time to read this and figure it all out!" It leaves me with the impression that winemaking is difficult, tricky, and time-consuming.

Example: When I was trying to figure out what corks to buy, it does tell to use 1 1/3 inch corks for wines you intend to drink within 12-18 months and 1 3/4 inch ones for those to be aged longer. But that's all it tells. It doesn't tell me whether to buy straight ones or tapered ones, #7, #8, #9, etc.

I am now going to buy First Steps in Winemaking, hoping that will have some simpler answers.

A friend over seas, living in a country where one must make their own, recommended this gem to me last year. Since then, although possessed of no previous knowledge or experience, I succeeded rather easily in making good wines. I also compared the wine from the recipes in Anderson book with highly recommended kits from Vino Del Vida. Although much easier and quicker, the kit product, while very satisfactory according to those who have tasted it, did not measure up to the superior wine made from Anderson's recipes.

Practical suggestions for equipment, where to purchase it and techniques are explained in a straightforward fashion. With a relative small cash outlay and this book, you can be well on your way to an interesting hobby.

A friend over seas, living in a country where one must make their own, recommended this gem to me last year. Since then, although possessed of no previous knowledge or experience, I succeeded rather easily in making good wines. I also compared the wine from the recipes in Anderson book with highly recommended kits from Vino Del Vida. Although much easier and quicker, the kit product, while very satisfactory according to those who have tasted it, did not measure up to the superior wine made from Anderson's recipes.

Practical suggestions for equipment, where to purchase it and techniques are explained in a straightforward fashion. With a relative small cash outlay and this book, you can be well on your way to an interesting hobby.

Some books are meant to be read, and others are meant to be used. This one definitely falls into the second category. Spiral bound, this falls neatly open to whichever wine recipe you are currently working on. There are recipes for apricot wine, kiwi fruit wine, ruby port, sparkling wine, and everything in between.

There are also photos and descriptions of winemaking equipment, explanations of how to fortify wine, troubleshooting techniques, and much more.

True, not all ingredients are readily available everywhere. Many recipes require trial and error before they become perfect for your palate. That's the same for any recipe, though. Find out what raw materials you have available, open the book to the recipes which match your fruits, and have at it. You'll find that using this book as a springboard, you'll soon be amazing your friends and pleasing your palate with a product made right in your own basement.

I'd like to clarify by suggesting 4 stars for a beginner interested in beginning home winemaking and 3 stars for an amateur home winemaker. Regarding beginners interested in winemaking, this is a good starter book with explanations for the ingredients you're using without too much science getting in the way. I feel that this book should be used in conjunction with other books (perhaps Joy of Home Winemaking) to give potential hobbyists a better feel for winemaking. There are numerous recipes for fruits, berries, vinifera & hybrid grapes, and straight concentrates. The reservations I hold against the book is that I suspect it was written more for the west coast hobbyist with better access to some ingredients (ie. certain grape concentrates, brands of yeasts and acids), but that shouldn't prevent anyone from producing wine with this book. (3 stars) Amateurs already familiar with a couple of batches should find this a useful reference because of the variety of recipes and equipement techniques & usage.

I've been studying the book now for a couple months and am both impressed with the detail and dissapointed in the inaccuracies. The apple and pear recipies I've tried were way off on volumes and the scrumpy recipe was literally impossibe. You may need some experience to know how to change some of the recipes to make them workable. Other- wise there is wealth of good info and I recommend the book very much in spite of its weaknesses.

Having a mentor to teach you the ropes sure makes mastering a new subject a lot easier. If you want to start the rewarding hobby of winemaking and a mentor is not available, the the Anderson book is the next best thing. I've now bought six books on the subject, but it is "Winemaking" that I turn to time and again. The Anderson book is the one that's dog-earred, marked up and stained with errant grape juice and young wine. Indispensible for the beginner

You should know right up front that I am one of those individuals that with every visit to the California wine country orders an application from the UC Davis School of Enology (winemaking). But, my departure from the heady Napa or Sonoma valley air usually brings reality back to bare upon me and I am relegated to merely enjoying the bottles I bought. Well, such disappointment is no longer necessary with this spectacular book on do-it-yourself winemaking. The Andersons begin by assuring the prospective alchemist that he or she does not need a sprawling vineyard after all; just a few (ten to be exact) kitchen-grade items and, where applicable, your spouse's indulgence. The recepies read with the ease of a Betty Crocker cookbook and the tantalizing descriptions of the finished products had me conjuring up images of breaking out my holiday bottle of Blackberry Port or a summer Chardonnay. Whatever your poison, the recipies are there as well as the Anderson's assurance that home winemaking need'nt require a total lifestyle change. You may have to read the recipie a couple of times to get it straight but what a small price to pay for your own vintage!