Most people who buy a bottle of wine, often make their purchase at the neighborhood grocery store with the same analytical selection process given to a jar of mustard. This group includes a bottle of wine in the same sentence with bread, milk, a dozen eggs and a large package of extra soft toilet paper. Others raise the business of wine drinking to a level of linen napkins, elevator music and white tablecloths. They belong to clubs that consider the aroma, body and clarity of wine long before their taste buds spring into action. Then there is the ever popular "buy it now" option on line where you can pay over $300 for a single bottle of wine. Finally, there is that unique group of wine connoisseurs who prefer to mix and measure the right ingredients in a lengthy painstaking process to produce their own wine at home. This is the group that Bob Maslowski has belonged to for over 20 years.

Making homemade wine isn't anything new. It's been going on for well over 6,000 years. Some of the ingredients used over those millennia have been elderberries, various grapes, blackberries, apples, peaches, flowers, pumpkins and a few others. While there still may be a few small European wineries that continue to mash their grapes in a large vat with bare feet while dancing the polka, the modern wine press is the preferred choice today.

Maslowski is a 63-year-old retired archeologist who enjoys the hobby of producing homemade wine for his personal consumption. He firmly believes when wine is properly made and cared for through each step, the end result is far superior to anything that can be purchased from a store.

"I also tried making beer for a while," said Maslowski. "The process is a little more complicated than wine because of the low alcohol content. The lower the alcohol content, the greater the chance of bacteria. Another problem with beer is that it doesn't last very long once it's ready to drink."

According to Maslowski, the process of wine making is something you get better at with time. Knowing which grapes need more sugar, which type of yeast to use for a specific wine, understanding the fermentation process, and making sure you don't mash the seeds. Even knowing when it's time to siphon off the wine from the larger glass carboy containers into the wine bottles for corking is an important process. He also offers a few ideas in the handling of homemade wine.

"It's important to try and store all wines where the temperature is consistent. The ideal location is a cellar because the temperature doesn't change that much with the seasons," he said. "Keeping wine in a garage where the temperature fluctuates will affect the quality. Many who make homemade wine suggest that the ideal temperature is around 55 degrees Fahrenheit. The other reason for storing wine in the cellar it to protect it from light, especially fluorescent lights. Wine in clear glass bottles sitting on a shelf exposed to light, will begin to sour in six or eight months."

It's interesting to note that Maslowski said if you're drinking red wine just for health reasons, you can get the same benefit from eating red grapes.

Anyone wishing to get involved with the process of making their own wine can do so for less than $100. That amount of money will get you enough containers, all your chemicals, and that all important set of personal instructions to guide you through each step. Anyone wishing to get started in this hobby, or those needing additional materials and supplies for both wine and beer should call Maslowski at the Wine Cellar, 304 743 -5665. It's important to know that the operating hours of the Wine Cellar are by appointment only. If you get a recording, leave your number, and your call will be returned.

When Maslowski isn't taking care of the farm, or making wine, he is busy teaching Appalachian Archaeology classes during the evening at Marshall University Graduate College in South Charleston -- a position he has enjoyed for 10 years. Kind of makes you wonder how he finds enough time in the day. Especially when you consider the three days a week he goes to exercise at the Milton Athletic Club.

Bob isn't the only busy member of the Maslowski household. His wife, Susan, operates her own pottery business and continues to produce tableware and other household items for resale. Her work has been shipped around the world. She has also been teaching short-term pottery classes at West Teays Elementary School in Putnam County for more than 20 years.

So there you have it, everything you wanted to know about the ABCs of sipping your own homemade wine. A simple process when not followed correctly, can and has transformed into some pretty good vinegar. If this ever happens to you, add a few herbs and bottle it. Red and white wine vinegars are expensive, and the good news about vinegar is that no one will show up to help you drink it.

Clyde Beal is an area freelance writer looking for people who volunteer their time. Write him at archie350@verizon.net.

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Bob Maslowski