The Fineries of Home Wineries

Yeasts, temperatures and extended maceration. These are just some of the topics tossed around, as casually as others might discuss a new movie or CD, at an informal gathering of home winemakers. Three men and one woman, ranging from early 30s to late 40s, sat down on a recent afternoon to taste and critique each other’s wines at the Miracle Mile home of photographer Ed Ikuta.

“This one smells like a tire, Clos du Goodyear,” jokes attorney Michael William-son about one of his own wines, a less than successful red. The group also tastes a Chardonnay that, the winemaker explains, didn’t ferment fully, so it has a touch of residual sugar (“You could’ve bumped it up with a little acid,” another winemaker suggests). Scars caused from picking grapes are compared, and the amateur enologists discuss the virtues of frozen versus fresh grape juice and French versus American oak, and the merits of malolactic fermentation.

They meet a few times a year, tasting Pinot Grigios and Rhone-style blends of Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache, Syrah-Cabernet blends and 100% Cabernet Sauvignons, snacking, between sips, on La Brea Bakery breads and Vacherin, aged Gouda and Parmegiano-Reggiano cheeses. They are not allowed to sell their wines, though they do trade among themselves and sometimes with professionals.

Some of their wines come in unmarked bottles, others feature computer-designed labels or professionally printed ones that might be personalized to read, for example, “Vinified in the home cellar of Ed Ikuta.” Most are easily as good as mid-priced store-bought wines, some substantially better, particularly Ikuta’s Cabernet.

“It’s the same kind of pride, the same sense of accomplishment you get from cooking a good meal for family and friends,” Ikuta says of home winemaking. “When you pour the wine, you can say, ‘I made that.’ ”

There’s plenty of swirling of oversized wine glasses, and of shoving noses deep inside. No spitting, though--unlike a typical professional tasting, where no one swallows to keep from getting drunk. At this friendly event, it’s OK to enjoy a taste of the wine without worrying that it will cloud competitive judgment. They sip a little, then dump what’s left into a bucket and rinse the glasses with water before pouring and tasting a new wine.

How seriously do they take their hobby? “If I could make wine like Ed’s,” Williamson says, “I’d stop being a lawyer.”