One might get the inaccurate impression from reading this blog that Betty & I are heavy drinkers. Nay, nay! (I doth protest too much. LOL) But we do like to 
pair a fine wine with a fine meal, and my understanding is that doctors claim it is good for our digestion. Well I’m going with that, whether they claim it or not…
When Betty retired for the first time, she informed me that making her own wine was on her bucket list. I inwardly cringed, as I’ve tasted a lot of homemade plonk over the years. But she prevailed and I believe her years of experience as a nurse lead to her overwhelming success: She thoroughly sterilized all components, and she followed the instructions to a T. She hasn’t produced a bad batch yet!
As most people realize, downsizing to a motorhome has its limitations. The custom wine rack I installed only has the capacity for 12 bottles. Another 15 can live under one of the seats, and of course there should always be a few chilling in the fridge. But when you’re used to bottling 60 every couple of months, one can see where our style is somewhat cramped!
While Betty developed expertise in the brewing, my skill in labeling was 
continuously honed. Thanks to a recommendation from our son, Andrew, I invested in a Dymo label maker, and enjoyed customizing the labels for each batch brewed. They involve pictures I took around our home in Winnipeg, or on previous motorhome trips. I’ve attached some of the recent efforts to this post, but the reader must recognize that the Dymo is a thermal printer that doesn’t use ink, so only produces a black & white image. That limits the subject matter, but I think my technique is still improving, if I ever have the chance for more practice.
In any event, now that we are without our home brew supply we must rely on others. Thankfully, we have found wine retailing to be far less regulated in some states south of the 49th. Right now Texas is particularly interesting as Walmart carries a larger selection than most government liquor stores in Manitoba, and with prices under $3 who can go wrong? We call it “Wally Wine”, and much of it isn’t that bad! 
Really! Costco here also has a generous selection, and so do some of the Dollar Stores, but we haven’t been reduced to Dollar Store wine just yet…
OK, so we’re having another great meal with fresh local ingredients tonight. I think its time we follow
the doctor’s orders and liquid(ate) our digestive systems! Cheers!
