The Backyard Vintner: An Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine at Home [Paperback]

Jim Law (Author)

Book Description

Series: Backyard | Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Anyone who ever wanted to have homemade wine and never thought they had the space or ability to make it will love this book. The Backyard Vintner is a handy guide to at-home wine making that teaches readers the tips and tricks of the trade. It is perfect for those who want to bring the feeling of wine country right into their own backyard.

The Backyard Vintner teaches readers how to start and maintain a vineyard, providing vital information on topics such as planting, trellising, and proper pruning techniques for grapes; which grape varieties will grow best in every climate or region; and the wines that can be made from each variety. Basic recipes for wines, and advice on topics such as bottling, storing, and serving wines, are also provided.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Lay is the award-winning, small-batch vintner and owner of Linden Vineyards in Linden, Virginia. He also writes, lectures, and teaches classes on wine making.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592531989
• ISBN-13: 978-1592531981
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Touches on the important points, July 26, 2007

By 

Andre and Victoria "v & a" (napa, ca) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Backyard Vintner: An Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine at Home (Paperback)

I've purchased several "how to" wine books and this one is good, but not great. I would not rely on it as my only reference. Rather, it makes a very good companion for "From Vines to Wines."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice pictures, March 15, 2009

By 

O.O. Lake - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Backyard Vintner: An Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine at Home (Paperback)

This book is divided into two parts: The first explains how to grow grapes while the second part focuses on how to make the wine. Very beautiful pictures are presented along the book and make it very enjoyable for reading. However, the amount of information is rather limited. For instance, the explanations about diseases in grapes or the pruning procedure are rather telegraphic, and unsatisfactory. Much better explanations may be found in "The Grape Grower" by Rombough or "From Vines to Wines" by Cox. I find the second part of the book somewhat better. I especially liked the "homework assignments" which supposedly help to develop the organoleptic senses.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Growing grapes made easy, July 28, 2007

By 

Baron Von Mason "Ash" (Temecula, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Backyard Vintner: An Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine at Home (Paperback)

This book provides usefull and pertinent information all the way from the grape planting process to the wine making process. He walks you through every step carefully, but does not suggest a robotic structure for making wine, he leaves open oppertunies to show your own creativity.