The blood of the grape

After talking about making wine for quite awhile--probably as long as I have been making beer-- in January of 2013 I put it in my goals for the year to start a batch of wine.  I met my goal-- barely.  On December 27 I started a wine kit by putting three gallons of juice into a big bucket and pitching in some yeast.  On February 27 of this year I bottled my first batch--15 bottles of port I named Grey Havens Port.  You LotR fans will recognize the reference.  It turned out pretty well-- tasting similar to a commercial bottle I opened for comparison.  I chose port for my first batch because I figured it would be more forgiving than a table wine.  I also thought it could be a communion wine, but the kit cost the same as what we use at church, so it definitely is not worth the hassle.  My next batch, which I just started on March 19, is a Riesling Ice wine style.  I expect that will be another sweeter wine with a high probability of turning out well.