Yes it's true, brewer's have style. oh ok we have styles, not the same thing I know. So let me tell you how and what I like to brew. In a nutshell I'll try anything but with a very strong leaning towards traditional homebrewing using foraged ingredients.
In detail then ....
My favourite brews are country wines, especially if they involve some foraging - for example Blackberry, Elderberry, Elderflower etc. Tho I will also buy fruit, veg, cartons of juice and I've done some kits. I've brewed on and off for about 20 years, each time being active for around 2 years or so. This time I've been active for about 2 years and my production volume is rising year on year. There are about 20 something full DJ's floating about the house at present and probably a similar number have been bottled and dispatched in the last year. Lots of which were Xmas gifts for friends.
My method of choice is to let time take care of most things; patience is one of the most important ingredients in a bottle of wine. I like a slow, cool ferment, months to condition and clear (racking when needed of course). I will use finings if there's no sign of wine clearing unaided. I've never filtered, tho I was recently passed an old style filter with 100's of papers and 10 pads so I may have a go if needed. I've recently started experimenting with yeasts and acids and I've also blending wines - for example Orange/Citrus wines with Flower wines.
Best wine ever is 2008's Blackberry, made with Sauternes yeast, a big rosé with plenty of berry grabbing your attention. Most satisfying wine is possibly Tanglefoot as it was one I avoided due to it's notoriety for not clearing. Mine cleared fast with neither fining nor filtering. It is clean, crisp, dry and the flavour lingers. It has hints of root ginger, citrus fruit and zest. The flavour that comes through from the parsnip is subtle, very subtle, but is a bit earthy, grassy and a bit radish! It's a quaffable white that goes down well in company. Having said that the Elderflower wine is just spectacular, especially the nose on it which promises so much and the drink itself delivers!
My signature wine due to getting most positive feedback, is Orange, a sweet, strong, dessert type wine best served chilled, it has loads of zest and mouth feel. While partying with friends recently a bottle was opened and the friend's Italian neighbour tried some, zipped off, and returned with a bottle of Limoncello. Now I'm not saying that my wine is the same, but I am saying these two share enough qualities for him to see the chance for a cultural exchange. And I'm glad he did so, 'cos these two drinks are cousins and I never knew my Orange wine had a cousin!
The Beaverdale Shiraz kit is uber, something comparable in the supermarket would cost £5-10 a bottle. So I'm very chuffed with that and it would count as a favourite/most satisfying were it not for my country wine bias. And having mentioned that I can't fail to mention being encouraged to try using the lees with cartons of grape juice ... the result was a delicious rosé that I call "Cheapskate".
I like a little experimentation, so while I take inspiration from recipes (always turning to C.J.J. Berry first and then surfing the www for recipes) I eventually make my own version of it. Usually that means getting OG right for our tastes, sometimes adding a little whole spice, loading up on the major flavour giving ingredient (elderflowers for example), my yeast preference and so on. No big deals just trying to get mastery of the basics. Sometimes, as with Green Tea & Ginger wine, I simply get inspired by what foods etc my better half likes and then I make a wine for her!
And there are times that I want to understand wine making better and I'll design an experiment to inform me. Making wines from 2 litres of fruit juice per gallon, and a little sugar to OG 1080 ish, makes a light wine that is ready to drink in 6-8 weeks. This makes it an excellent choice for experiments that inform what different acid types or yeast strains do. But it doesn't stop there, as it's ready to drink so soon it also informs about aging, and I have plans to try out oak and tannin additions too. Once that is done I'll start mixing up the combinations!
Somewhere I have to say (hmmm boast) that I have never had a stuck ferment. Some may say that this is luck, my response to that is that the more I brew the luckier I get! My preferred yeast is largely a consequence of the conditions I ferment under. That and a love of esters. Oh and a hassle free, clean ferment. Ok I did some homework before I stopped using general purpose wine yeast. While I may not have had a stuck ferment a friend has and I saved the brew (I'm a hero I know!) A Campden stun, followed 24 hours later by the addition of Sauternes yeast and hey presto ferment under way!
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