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Wild Winemaking: Easy & Adventurous Recipes Going Beyond Grapes, Including Apple Champagne, Ginger–Green Tea Sake, Key Lime–Cayenne Wine, and 142 More
These 148 easy and creative home winemaking recipes forgo specialty grapes and instead use a range of readily available fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs to create combinations such as Black Currant Peach, Ginger Green Tea Sak�, and Vanilla Rose Petal.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 21, 2018
About the author
Richard W. Bender
5 books20 followersRichard W. Bender(1953- )was born in St. Louis, MO and grew up in an Ozark rural lifestyle yet with a very large high school less than one hour from downtown St. Louis. The combination of a rural life connected to nature and the cultural advantages of the large high school and city provided a unique perspective that is reflected in his writings for several newspapers and magazines including Horticulture, Field & Stream and The Herbal Companion. After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Management and two years in neuroscience grad school he move to Colorado in 1985 where he operated Bonsai By Bender for more than 20 years, supplying unique bonsai to clients like the Missouri Botanic Gardens, Franklin Park Conservatory(Columbus, OH,) Portland(OR) Classical Chinese Garden and the COMO Park Conservatory in St. Paul, MN. His first book, Herbal Bonsai was in print for 15 years and his newest book, Bountiful Bonsai was released on January 13, 2015. Richard is currently working on several new projects with his agent including a Craft Winemaking book for Story Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 2, 2018
I received a free e-copy of Wild Winemaking by Richard W. Bender from NetGalley for my honest review.
I love the beautiful colors of all the fruits, vegetables and bottles in this book. Wonderful and inviting! This was a very interesting read and a nice starter for someone who is interested in trying to make their own wine and keeping it as simple as possible with expenses. This book breaks down the exact supplies you need, ingredients and cleaners. I enjoyed the sugar breakdown on what to use depending on the type of wine you are interested in making. It even tells you how you should store your wines to keep them at their best. Then the best for last is the recipes for wines from fruit and vegetable wines, apple champagne (yumm), blackberry wine, blackberry-peach, black currant peach, blueberry apple, and these are just a few of the recipes in this bright beautiful Wine making book.
I love the beautiful colors of all the fruits, vegetables and bottles in this book. Wonderful and inviting! This was a very interesting read and a nice starter for someone who is interested in trying to make their own wine and keeping it as simple as possible with expenses. This book breaks down the exact supplies you need, ingredients and cleaners. I enjoyed the sugar breakdown on what to use depending on the type of wine you are interested in making. It even tells you how you should store your wines to keep them at their best. Then the best for last is the recipes for wines from fruit and vegetable wines, apple champagne (yumm), blackberry wine, blackberry-peach, black currant peach, blueberry apple, and these are just a few of the recipes in this bright beautiful Wine making book.
October 2, 2017
Quite interesting book for making different kind of wine. This book definitely will change your perspective of winemaking. Starting with tools and equipment, through the making process, till the final product. Fruit and vegetables wines, flowers and herbs wines, hot peppers wines, cannabis wines, all made in your kitchen. Also great for beginners. And on the end, the real treasure, very interesting and unusual recipes of winemaking, enriched with colorful photographies. Nice!
April 15, 2018
I was able to read a temporary digital copy of this book through Net Galley and it's one of my favorite books I've ever read through them. There is so much I like about this book:
-- It includes oodles of recipes for making wine from ingredients like fruits, greens and flowers. Since our family forages for all kinds of wild fruits and other wild foods, this automatically appealed to me.
-- The author doesn't use additives like campden tablets (sulfites), making a more natural, healthier wine.
-- The instructions are simple. I have experience making wines and hard cider, but even if I didn't I think I would feel comfortable trying these recipes.
-- The recipes are creative. There are standard ones and also ones that use spice and even marijuana.
-- It's colorful, pretty and just makes me happy reading it.
I liked this book so much that I am planning to purchase my own copy. I am cheap so this is saying a lot. ;)
-- It includes oodles of recipes for making wine from ingredients like fruits, greens and flowers. Since our family forages for all kinds of wild fruits and other wild foods, this automatically appealed to me.
-- The author doesn't use additives like campden tablets (sulfites), making a more natural, healthier wine.
-- The instructions are simple. I have experience making wines and hard cider, but even if I didn't I think I would feel comfortable trying these recipes.
-- The recipes are creative. There are standard ones and also ones that use spice and even marijuana.
-- It's colorful, pretty and just makes me happy reading it.
I liked this book so much that I am planning to purchase my own copy. I am cheap so this is saying a lot. ;)
October 8, 2019
Everything I've made so far has been good and I love how easy and natural the recipes are. Looking forward to making lots more wine during the cold winter with wild fruits and backyard rhubarb and berries I've frozen for later.
June 9, 2018
#NetGalley
Creative and innovative! The book is a 101 homemade winemaking guide which includes the basic techniques and excellent tips to create marvelous drinks with classic and unthinkable ingredients.
Creative and innovative! The book is a 101 homemade winemaking guide which includes the basic techniques and excellent tips to create marvelous drinks with classic and unthinkable ingredients.
May 11, 2018
Having read a couple of the author's books on bonsai, I was intrigued to read this particular volume on winemaking, figuring it would continue his generally enjoyable writing that I had seen before. I must say that this book is a different volume from those two, although it continues the author's gift for colorful photography, and that you find out things about the author and his attitude towards pot that one would not expect and that this author does not approve of. Perhaps the title should have been a bit of a warning as to how wild this would be, but although I am no oenophile, I enjoy reading about wines [1], and this book was generally enjoyable despite the fact that I am by no means as wild or as boozy as the author or his target audience for this book. If you do like wine and are open to some unusual wine ingredients, to put it most charitably, then this book will likely be enjoyable for you. Quite honestly, it would have never crossed my mind to make alcoholic beverages of the sorts of things this author does, but that is why he wrote the book and not me.
This book of about 250 pages is divided into two parts. The first part is shorter, encouraging the reader to get started in making various wines by having the right equipment and supplies (1) and having an understanding of the author's winemaking process (2). The rest of the book consists of a wide variety of recipes on creating wine. For the record, there are chapters on making wines out of fruit and vegetables (3) arranged in alphabetical order from apple to chokeberry to wild plum, on flower and herb wines (4) including basil, dandelion, and chamomile wine recipes, on hot pepper wines (5) mixed with everything from blood oranges to kumquats to ujukitsu cherries, and finally a few recipes on cannibis wines (6) that can make you drunk and high at the same time, all the better for those living in Colorado, Oregon, and a few other states. Each of the recipes, moreover (and there are a lot of them) include how much the recipe makes (usually a gallon), a story about how the recipe was created by the author, the (usually short) list of ingredients, and a few steps to making the wine including how long it takes for the wine to be ready to drink (which is usually six months to a year or so).
In some ways I am probably not the ideal reader of this book. I am not a particularly big drinker, for one, and I am far less adventurous about my drinking than the average teetotaler, even. That said, I am far more adventurous than the average reader, and that is a benefit when reading a book like this. It is unclear why the author does not like grape wines but appears willing to make wines of nearly everything else, but this book does a good job in portraying the author as someone deeply committed to the organic lifestyle and also someone who has a fine appreciation of herbs and is also probably involved in the weed scene to a considerable degree, seeing as he wrote about working at a dispensary at one point. Despite our shared interest in bonsai, it is clear that the author and I are in separate circles with very different worldviews, but all the same this book is a triumph to the ways that one's gardens (even bonsai gardens) can serve the interests of creating alcohol to drink and to share with one's friends. I suspect this sentiment will be well-appreciated by many readers.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
This book of about 250 pages is divided into two parts. The first part is shorter, encouraging the reader to get started in making various wines by having the right equipment and supplies (1) and having an understanding of the author's winemaking process (2). The rest of the book consists of a wide variety of recipes on creating wine. For the record, there are chapters on making wines out of fruit and vegetables (3) arranged in alphabetical order from apple to chokeberry to wild plum, on flower and herb wines (4) including basil, dandelion, and chamomile wine recipes, on hot pepper wines (5) mixed with everything from blood oranges to kumquats to ujukitsu cherries, and finally a few recipes on cannibis wines (6) that can make you drunk and high at the same time, all the better for those living in Colorado, Oregon, and a few other states. Each of the recipes, moreover (and there are a lot of them) include how much the recipe makes (usually a gallon), a story about how the recipe was created by the author, the (usually short) list of ingredients, and a few steps to making the wine including how long it takes for the wine to be ready to drink (which is usually six months to a year or so).
In some ways I am probably not the ideal reader of this book. I am not a particularly big drinker, for one, and I am far less adventurous about my drinking than the average teetotaler, even. That said, I am far more adventurous than the average reader, and that is a benefit when reading a book like this. It is unclear why the author does not like grape wines but appears willing to make wines of nearly everything else, but this book does a good job in portraying the author as someone deeply committed to the organic lifestyle and also someone who has a fine appreciation of herbs and is also probably involved in the weed scene to a considerable degree, seeing as he wrote about working at a dispensary at one point. Despite our shared interest in bonsai, it is clear that the author and I are in separate circles with very different worldviews, but all the same this book is a triumph to the ways that one's gardens (even bonsai gardens) can serve the interests of creating alcohol to drink and to share with one's friends. I suspect this sentiment will be well-appreciated by many readers.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
September 27, 2017
Being a winemaking hobbyist, I was looking forward to reading Wild Winemaking by Richard W. Bender. The book’s cover indicated that it contained fruit and herbal wine making recipes. I found those in the book as well as several unexpected recipes like the ones for cannabis wines. The author is brave as the latter will surely land him on some government list.
The book is logically laid out starting with the basics of winemaking. It then goes on to include a listing of the equipment and supplies needed. Although the author makes an initial point that you don’t need a lot of equipment to make local produce wines, his long listing of equipment, its use, and why it is useful seems to contradict this. Although I already have all of the equipment and supplies listed, I would have found this list a little frightening if I were new to the hobby.
One thing that I noted is that fruit winemaking is not as complicated as I thought. The recipes provided can be shortened to four ingredients, fruit, sugar, water, and yeast. Some of the recipes also call for a pectic enzyme to break down the fruit pulp. You start by mashing or squeezing the fruit, then you add the remaining ingredients, and let the yeast do its magic. Fruit pulp and dead yeast cells will settle after a few days, according to Bender, at which time you rack the wine, a winemaking term meaning that you transfer the wine off the sediment, into a clean container and continue to let it ferment. Bender doesn’t add sulfites to his wines but allows them to clarify slowly in a carboy with a fermentation lock attached to protect it against oxygenation. This allows the wine ingredients to further settle and naturally degas before bottling.
There is a chapter at the end of the book on pairing wines with food. While you can find pairing suggestions in many wine appreciation websites, Bender also provided wine party ideas in this chapter. I intend to use one of them for a new year’s party at the end of this year.
While the layout of the book looks like it may have been written for young adults, the subject matter is definitely at a majority drinking age level. I think that the format was probably chosen as a means to demystify winemaking.
The book was interesting to me since I never made fruit wines and have a growing interest in doing so. The recipes given can easily be adapted to any locally available produce. While not a defining book, Wild Winemaking is enjoyable and will give the reader who has an interest in winemaking from local produce the guidance he or she needs to get started in the hobby.
The book is logically laid out starting with the basics of winemaking. It then goes on to include a listing of the equipment and supplies needed. Although the author makes an initial point that you don’t need a lot of equipment to make local produce wines, his long listing of equipment, its use, and why it is useful seems to contradict this. Although I already have all of the equipment and supplies listed, I would have found this list a little frightening if I were new to the hobby.
One thing that I noted is that fruit winemaking is not as complicated as I thought. The recipes provided can be shortened to four ingredients, fruit, sugar, water, and yeast. Some of the recipes also call for a pectic enzyme to break down the fruit pulp. You start by mashing or squeezing the fruit, then you add the remaining ingredients, and let the yeast do its magic. Fruit pulp and dead yeast cells will settle after a few days, according to Bender, at which time you rack the wine, a winemaking term meaning that you transfer the wine off the sediment, into a clean container and continue to let it ferment. Bender doesn’t add sulfites to his wines but allows them to clarify slowly in a carboy with a fermentation lock attached to protect it against oxygenation. This allows the wine ingredients to further settle and naturally degas before bottling.
There is a chapter at the end of the book on pairing wines with food. While you can find pairing suggestions in many wine appreciation websites, Bender also provided wine party ideas in this chapter. I intend to use one of them for a new year’s party at the end of this year.
While the layout of the book looks like it may have been written for young adults, the subject matter is definitely at a majority drinking age level. I think that the format was probably chosen as a means to demystify winemaking.
The book was interesting to me since I never made fruit wines and have a growing interest in doing so. The recipes given can easily be adapted to any locally available produce. While not a defining book, Wild Winemaking is enjoyable and will give the reader who has an interest in winemaking from local produce the guidance he or she needs to get started in the hobby.
January 18, 2018
Well written, excellent photographs and I learned a lot to boot! Recipes as written are ideal for the brewer who wants to make fruit/berry wines and to avoid additives and sulfites to 14% or more alcohol by volume.
(My personal brewing has been mead rather than wine, but I’ve been reading a variety of fermentation books to get more background on how and why fermentation works.)
The first part covers the background of winemaking, including discussion of additives. Even as someone who has fermented alcohol in the past, there were things to learn, and it is well and clearly written, very easy to understand.
The second part is recipes galore! A huge number of fruit wines, followed by herb and flower based wines, hot pepper wines, and a selection of cannabis wines (for those who can brew them according to local laws). The recipe times given are assuming that the brewer is not using sulfites to stop fermentation, and give ranges for leaving your wine to age in carboy before bottling to avoid exploding bottles or popped corks.
All in all, a great book for anyone interesting in brewing wine-like beverages without grapes. Although as a hint for anyone starting out: stick with sterilizing your equipment. I suspect the author has managed to cultivate beneficial yeasts in his winemaking environment through years of brewing, to the point where he mentions using only hot water to clean his equipment and soap if hot peppers have been used.
(My personal brewing has been mead rather than wine, but I’ve been reading a variety of fermentation books to get more background on how and why fermentation works.)
The first part covers the background of winemaking, including discussion of additives. Even as someone who has fermented alcohol in the past, there were things to learn, and it is well and clearly written, very easy to understand.
The second part is recipes galore! A huge number of fruit wines, followed by herb and flower based wines, hot pepper wines, and a selection of cannabis wines (for those who can brew them according to local laws). The recipe times given are assuming that the brewer is not using sulfites to stop fermentation, and give ranges for leaving your wine to age in carboy before bottling to avoid exploding bottles or popped corks.
All in all, a great book for anyone interesting in brewing wine-like beverages without grapes. Although as a hint for anyone starting out: stick with sterilizing your equipment. I suspect the author has managed to cultivate beneficial yeasts in his winemaking environment through years of brewing, to the point where he mentions using only hot water to clean his equipment and soap if hot peppers have been used.
November 5, 2017
Wild Winemaking is a book about making wine out of the most interesting items. Richard Bender explains the winemaking process thoroughly along with easy-to-understand lists for how to get started. I really appreciated the fact that he tells you what you need, and what you can do without, ie a PH meter. The recipes all looked delicious and while I never considered making my own wine, the flavor combinations in this book make me want to. On top of that, the book itself is absolutely gorgeous. The color photos and design layout are beautiful and enjoyable to look at. I recommend this book even if you've never considered making wine. Just the pictures are worth it.
July 14, 2017
I've always been intrigued by wine-making at home, as I know a few people who do it and haven't got a clue where you would start with it. However, this book tells you absolutely everything you need to know, with brilliantly clear instructions and accompanying images. The book is an explosion of colour and really is the bible of wine-making!
June 5, 2020
One of my most referenced books. Brews the casual, regular person way, without tons of extra equipment and unnecessary additives. Most other books on brewing, I gotta read through the recipe and suss out what's actually needed. This one is much easier to reference.
January 6, 2018
Get your cannabis wine recipes here!
April 29, 2018
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Wild Winemaking , due out 06 Mar, 2018 from author Richard W. Bender and Storey Publishing is an interesting addition to the recent surge of niche winecrafting books. Beautifully photographed, it shows the fruits, vegetables, herbs, vegetables (?!) and other ingredients used to make these very unusual wines as well as appealing pics of the finished products.
The book doesn't presuppose any knowledge on the part of the would-be winemaker and begins at the very beginning, with an introduction of supplies, equipment, sterilization and basic techniques.
Chapter two goes through the author's own techniques and tips for getting from ingredients to finished wines. The introductory chapters cover the basics and take up about 20% of the total content. The author has a chatty and informal writing style which lends a calm and friendly vibe.
By far the lion's share of the content is given over to the recipes, and boy, howdy, are they wild and interesting. The recipes start out with relatively tame and simple recipes, apple, apricot, banana, plum, and so forth. It's not long until the recipes start pulling in flowers (the staid elderberry cordial is joined by jasmine, jonquil, lavender, lilac and others) and herbs. There are nearly 150 recipes with scope for almost infinite blending and combinations. Additionally, and uniquely in my experience, the author also includes wines which include citrus in combination with hot peppers (pink grapefruit - kung pao and others) and cannabis wines (the legalities and information regarding cannabis are covered in the book, basically make sure that you can legally acquire the ingredients, and please don't travel with the resultant wine).
I've not yet tried any of the recipes, though I fully intend to, since I have dried and fresh pesticide free herbs and fruit. I'm looking forward to trying the chocolate mint wine and basil wine. After those, cherry, plum and apple wines seem quite tame.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
Wild Winemaking , due out 06 Mar, 2018 from author Richard W. Bender and Storey Publishing is an interesting addition to the recent surge of niche winecrafting books. Beautifully photographed, it shows the fruits, vegetables, herbs, vegetables (?!) and other ingredients used to make these very unusual wines as well as appealing pics of the finished products.
The book doesn't presuppose any knowledge on the part of the would-be winemaker and begins at the very beginning, with an introduction of supplies, equipment, sterilization and basic techniques.
Chapter two goes through the author's own techniques and tips for getting from ingredients to finished wines. The introductory chapters cover the basics and take up about 20% of the total content. The author has a chatty and informal writing style which lends a calm and friendly vibe.
By far the lion's share of the content is given over to the recipes, and boy, howdy, are they wild and interesting. The recipes start out with relatively tame and simple recipes, apple, apricot, banana, plum, and so forth. It's not long until the recipes start pulling in flowers (the staid elderberry cordial is joined by jasmine, jonquil, lavender, lilac and others) and herbs. There are nearly 150 recipes with scope for almost infinite blending and combinations. Additionally, and uniquely in my experience, the author also includes wines which include citrus in combination with hot peppers (pink grapefruit - kung pao and others) and cannabis wines (the legalities and information regarding cannabis are covered in the book, basically make sure that you can legally acquire the ingredients, and please don't travel with the resultant wine).
I've not yet tried any of the recipes, though I fully intend to, since I have dried and fresh pesticide free herbs and fruit. I'm looking forward to trying the chocolate mint wine and basil wine. After those, cherry, plum and apple wines seem quite tame.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
March 28, 2021
Got this book from the library and liked it so much I bought a copy.
November 23, 2017
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book. I am a novice winemaker and was looking for up todate ideas to try. This fulfilled all I wanted.. Who knew you could add chocolate to wine! it actually works.
We have fruit trees and spinach in our garden, now I see them as wine. The process is quite simple, equipment easy to find and the waiting time not too long. Making in small batches is easy, and you soon learn which will become favourites. Neighbours will love to try them too and even give you herbs, fruit, vegetables they have an excess off. Since reading the book I now look at wine making in a fresher way, have tried quite unusual things together but have yet to try many. Plum champagne is wonderful, we are even considering buying a plum tree, just for wine making.
I am really delighted to have discovered a new approach, do consider reading it.
We have fruit trees and spinach in our garden, now I see them as wine. The process is quite simple, equipment easy to find and the waiting time not too long. Making in small batches is easy, and you soon learn which will become favourites. Neighbours will love to try them too and even give you herbs, fruit, vegetables they have an excess off. Since reading the book I now look at wine making in a fresher way, have tried quite unusual things together but have yet to try many. Plum champagne is wonderful, we are even considering buying a plum tree, just for wine making.
I am really delighted to have discovered a new approach, do consider reading it.
December 8, 2017
As an aspiring home-winemaker, this is a beautiful book to have! I received a galley on NetGalley in exchange for a review, but this will be a must purchase for me. The recipes are simple to follow and the process is broken down into manageable chunks. I appreciate the simplicity of the language in the book--as some winemakers can get unnecessarily technical due to their love of the craft.
August 20, 2018
This book is beautifully presented and very informative. The information is easy to understand and the recipes look fabulous. I love the Hot pepper wine section and the herb wines look like they can made with the ingredients from the garden.. I will certainly be having a try at some of the recipes. These are the sort of wines I remember my parents and friends making when I was a child (stamping on grapes and all), they were delicious, and I have never tasted anything to match them - maybe I can
February 15, 2018
Wow! This book had tons of tips and information for many different skill levels.
There were a bunch of recipes and I am looking forward to trying several of them. I have never made wine before and reading through this book made me feel confident that I have the information needed to try it. The pictures were also wonderful.
* Thank you to Richard Bender, Storey Publishing and Netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
There were a bunch of recipes and I am looking forward to trying several of them. I have never made wine before and reading through this book made me feel confident that I have the information needed to try it. The pictures were also wonderful.
* Thank you to Richard Bender, Storey Publishing and Netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 21, 2018
I am always looking for new recipes for food or drinks and this book is like no other drink book I've ever read. The cover does not do justice to all the amazing photos inside. They are bright and colorful and make even the oddest sounding wine look tasty. We have dabbled in homebrewing n the past so lucky for me we already have all the equipment needed to make wine. I haven't tried any of the recipes in the book yet but only because I couldn't decide which one to start with.
The book is split up by the types of ingredients used to make the wine. The first section contains all the fruit and vegetable based wines. I was not very interested in a few of these but the apple champagne and the cherry-chocolate-almond ones sounded the best. Then you have the flower and herb wines which all sounded delicious. Last but not least are the hot pepper wines and the cannabis wines. I am sure you can imagine how cool those recipes are....like Mary Jane's Grapes...I'm just saying.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and feel like my Spring and Summer months are about to get a whole lot livelier!
The book is split up by the types of ingredients used to make the wine. The first section contains all the fruit and vegetable based wines. I was not very interested in a few of these but the apple champagne and the cherry-chocolate-almond ones sounded the best. Then you have the flower and herb wines which all sounded delicious. Last but not least are the hot pepper wines and the cannabis wines. I am sure you can imagine how cool those recipes are....like Mary Jane's Grapes...I'm just saying.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and feel like my Spring and Summer months are about to get a whole lot livelier!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews