A nice-looking bunch of grapes.: Geri Druckman For most of us winos, a nice bottle of wine, a plate of charcuterie with some cheese and fruit, and great company is usually good enough. But for some, the smell of yeasty fermenting grape juice, the measuring of sugar and alcohol, and the excitement of turning grapes to wine is what it’s all about.

It was about a 10 or 15 minute drive to the Heights, in a building tucked away amongst the other warehouses on 12th Street, where I came upon Vintners Own. After I parked my car and got out, the first thing that hit my nose was the smell of fermenting grapes. The smell grew stronger as I walked into the building, and was greeted by Silvano Payne, the wine maker, and Shannon Paige, the director of sales at this urban winery.

Shannon proceeded to show me around and explain how Vintner’s Own can help you make your own wine, right here in Houston.

The journey starts once you decide what kind of wine you’d like to make, be it a Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel etc. The grapes arrive from different vineyards in Napa or Sonoma after being chilled to 37 degrees and transported to Houston in large bins. With guidance from Silvano and the team, you will then take charge of your wine from grape to bottle.

The process starts by sorting the grapes with a machine that gently vibrates and separates the grape bunches. The machine drops them onto a conveyor belt where you, and hopefully some of your friends, will sort out the bad grapes or bunches that, if left around, may ruin the delicate taste of your future wine.

The sorting process.: Geri Druckman
Once you discard the unwanted grapes, the lucky survivors are dropped into a destemmer- crusher that first removes the grapes from the stems and then gently breaks the skin of the grape -- just enough to get some juice, but not crack the seeds. Those semi-crushed grapes then go back into a clean bin and the stems are discarded.

Destemming and crushing,: Geri Druckman
Once the sorting is done, an initial fermentation is started in the bins, usually by adding some yeast to the grapes and grape juice. This entire time the must is in the process of fermenting with the grape skins and seeds. The skin will give the wine its color, and the longer we leave the skins in the deeper the color will be. Also the longer we leave the skin and seeds in, the more tannin the wine will have.

After this first phase the grapes are ready to be pressed, and all the juice will be squeezed out.
The press.: Geri Druckman
Inside the press there is a balloon-like bladder that, using air pressure, will inflate and press all the juice out of the grapes without cracking the seeds. The seeds are bitter, and you want to avoid that bitterness in your wine. The must is collected and pumped into temporary plastic barrels, and the skins and seeds are removed from the press.

Geri Druckman
This is only the first couple of weeks of your wine’s journey; there is still a long road ahead -- from six months to two years depending on the wine -- before it will be bottled. The Vintners Own team will even help you design your own labels.

Before you can share a bottle with your friends, there is an initial investment of at least $6000 per barrel, which may be challenging to most of us. But for those up to the challenge (or willing to get a group of generous friends and family to invest), this could be a fun introduction to winemaking.