Homemade wine, beer put to test

WAPAKONETA - Homebrewers and winemakers converged at the Auglaize County Fair on Wednesday night to determine who concocts the best adult beverages in the area.

The homemade wine contest debuted at the fair in 2015, with numerous vino enthusiasts presenting their best fare to the discerning palates of judges. This year, beer was added to the contest.

Donovan Widney of St. Marys, who works for Heidelberg Distribution, served as the wine judge this year. He explained how he was evaluating the 30 wine entries.

"Personally I'm looking for balance of the wines, that the wines would have a nice color, a nice nose (aroma)," he said.

He also assessed clarity of the white, red, dry and sweet wines.

"After the taste you're really kind of looking for things like balance, intensity of the wine," he said. An ideal wine, he said, is seamless, with no aspect overshadowing other elements. A good wine should also go down with a smooth, silky finish, not biting, he said.

Widney developed a taste for wine more than 20 years ago when he returned from the Air Force to bartend at his parent's upscale catering business, Allisten Manor.

"I had to hit the ground running pretty quickly," he said, noting clients demanded high-quality wines.

Today, he works for Heidelberg Distribution, selling wine, beer and low-proof liquor.

Many local people make homemade wine, he said.

"It's amazing how many people do this on just a small scale because they just have a passion for it and that's what you find in our industry," he said. "These people have a real passion for what they do and also I take the judging very seriously and want to make sure I do a quality job as they do a quality job of making wines."
Some local winemakers have their own groups and travel to California's Napa Valley Wine Region, he said.
"One group in particular, their challenge every month is to get the best-tasting wine for the cheapest amount of money," he said.
Steve Hullinger of St. Marys entered four different wines this year, including cinnamon honey and blackberry honey. He said he's been making his own wine since 1999.

"Because I couldn't find anything in the grocery store I liked to drink," he said. "I just make my wine so it's drinkable for me. So, I can actually make it out of anything, but I flavor it for my own taste."

It takes Hullinger about 17 weeks to make a 5-gallon batch of wine, the equivalent of two cases, he said. He tries to use local, fresh ingredients.

"Most of the local honey around here is clover and everybody else's could be a combination of who knows what," he said.

Rita Heitkamp of New Bremen has been making her own wine for 16 years, she said. She entered four wines, including rasberry and peach.

"We get together with our friends on New Year's Eve and guess who brings the wine," she quipped.

While Widney evaluated the wines, Nick Moeller of Moeller Brew Barn, Maria Stein, judged the six beer submissions. He appraised the appearance, flavor, aroma, mouthfeel (how the beer feels in the mouth) and overall impression of the three categories of beer - light ale, dark ale and light lager.

Asked how long it takes a homebrewer to develop a singular, good-tasting beer, Moeller said it all depends on the person's dedication. Typically, homebrewers can get a good feel for the process after their first three or four batches when they learn how to convert starches into sugars. It's paramount that brewers facilitate healthy fermentation and good yeast pitch rates, he said.

"Once you have healthy fermentation, then the sky is the limit for the homebrewer," he said.

Specialty craft beers are all the rage today and some people such as Widney believes the market will continue to expand.

"It's amazing how many craft beers are out there," he said, noting 2,000 of the 14,000 alcohol products he sells today are craft beers.

Many craft beer drinkers are not loyal to any specific brand or type. Instead, they're always on the lookout for newer and better products, forcing manufacturers to continually to improve and enhance their products, such as offering watermelon or pumpkin beers, he said.

Hullinger, who also entered two beers in Wednesday night's contest, said the craft beer boom has significantly increased products for consumers.

"I think it's great," he said. "I think what it's done is it's taken all these big (companies) and made them take another step back (to) think of what kind of beer they want to make now."

Auglaize County Fair schedule:
Today (Veterans Day)

• 6 p.m. - 4-H Cloverbud presentations; veterans' program

• 6:30 p.m. - horseshoe pitch doubles tournament

• 7 p.m. - showmanship sweepstakes; Tim Kuenning and Son, woodcarvers

• 7:30 p.m. - demolition derby; The Browns

• 8 p.m. - The Earthquakers
Friday

• 9 a.m. - junior fair horse roping show followed by horse fun show; junior fair livestock sale-sheep and hogs

• 10 a.m. - craft demonstration

• noon - junior fair board meeting; Minster Historical Society displays and demonstrations

• 1 p.m. - craft demonstration

• 3:30-4:30 p.m. - weigh-in sheep and goats

• 5:30 p.m. - open born and bred market goat show

• 6:15 p.m. - jackpot market lamb

• 6:30 p.m. - horseshoe pitch-Class B Invitational

• 7 p.m. - Mike Bishop; Tim Kuenning and Son, woodcarvers

• 7:30 p.m. - Soul'd Out Quartet

• 8 p.m. - New Song; Naked Karate Girls