Ok, so it's my first bottle of wine I'm giving away. It's to my parents for their anniversary.
They don't know I'm making wine, so when they come out tomorrow and get a bottle of "my" wine with the familyname on the labelit will be pretty special.
A little background-when I was growing up my paternal grandfather made wine in the cellar of the farmhouse. My dad and 2 uncles would help each fall. I remember 15 or so large wooden barrels filled with wine. For years after my grandfather died my dad had the wine press in the garage. I remember helping out as much as a 4 year old could (grandpa died when I was 6). Grandpa came to America in April of 1911 on the Carpathia-exactly one year before the Carpathia rescued the Titanic survivors. Grandma and the 3 oldest kids came over on the America a couple years later. I think grandpa brought his wine making skills from the old country.
Dad brought a barrel home one year and it sat in the basement of our house for what seemed like forever. I remember helping dad deliver produce to the local grocery stores (we were vegetable gardeners) and having several gallons of wine in the cab of the truck to pass out to the produce managers. Can't remember anyone turning the wine down....(grin).
I think they used concord grapes, but don't remember for sure (everyone and everything are gone now except for my dad). They always called it Italian (insert slang in place of Italian) Red and it had quite the reputation around the Italian community in Des Moines.
So being the first person to "resurrect" winemaking in the family should be pretty special to my dad. He's 80 and I'm sure he doesn't have all that much time left. I hope it brings back some good memories for him.
They don't know I'm making wine, so when they come out tomorrow and get a bottle of "my" wine with the familyname on the labelit will be pretty special.
A little background-when I was growing up my paternal grandfather made wine in the cellar of the farmhouse. My dad and 2 uncles would help each fall. I remember 15 or so large wooden barrels filled with wine. For years after my grandfather died my dad had the wine press in the garage. I remember helping out as much as a 4 year old could (grandpa died when I was 6). Grandpa came to America in April of 1911 on the Carpathia-exactly one year before the Carpathia rescued the Titanic survivors. Grandma and the 3 oldest kids came over on the America a couple years later. I think grandpa brought his wine making skills from the old country.
Dad brought a barrel home one year and it sat in the basement of our house for what seemed like forever. I remember helping dad deliver produce to the local grocery stores (we were vegetable gardeners) and having several gallons of wine in the cab of the truck to pass out to the produce managers. Can't remember anyone turning the wine down....(grin).
I think they used concord grapes, but don't remember for sure (everyone and everything are gone now except for my dad). They always called it Italian (insert slang in place of Italian) Red and it had quite the reputation around the Italian community in Des Moines.
So being the first person to "resurrect" winemaking in the family should be pretty special to my dad. He's 80 and I'm sure he doesn't have all that much time left. I hope it brings back some good memories for him.
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