I bet you’ve seen Bordeaux written on dozens of bottles. It’s synonymous with some of the best wines and worst hangovers. I am no stranger to the intricacies of winemaking. In fact, I do have a makeshift fermentation operation in my garage. Almost anything sweet can be turned into booze. The magic happens when yeast feeds on sugar and “poops” alcohol. That’s why any kind of fruit works; berries, apples, pineapple, you name it. So why grapes? What makes them so special that grape wine became so mainstream? It’s hard to screw up, fool proof. Grapes are naturally sweet and have a layer of yeast on their skin. Just mash them and they’re good to go. It’s so easy that the Chinese supposedly figured it all out around 3000 BC. However, it’s the French that turned it into an art f...
