From March to May for the past 60 years, backyard winemakers have flocked to John Merlino's grape stand at the Sydney Markets in Flemington to select the varieties they hope to be quaffing in a few years time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"I have cabernet sauvignon, merlot, grenache, so many varieties," the 80-year-old says, gesturing to the 15 tonnes of wine grapes stacked behind him. "Shiraz is the most popular."
Across Sydney, thousands of families - mostly from Greece and Italy - have been making their own plonk for more than half a century, buying grapes at the markets, picking the best bunches from vineyards, or growing their own in their backyards.
Many head to the markets, which holds a 10-week wine grape sale each year.
Last year, 500 tonnes of wine grapes were sold, meaning at least half a million bottles of reds and whites were churned out in suburban sheds, cellars and garages.
Opening prices this year hovered between $20 and $25 for a 20-kilogram box, though prices will steadily fall as the season progresses, Mr Merlino said.
About 20 metres away from Mr Merlino sits Alex Kypreos, one of the biggest wine grape sellers at the market.
For 30 years, he has transported hundreds of tonnes of grapes in his semi-trailer from his vineyard in Berri, South Australia, to Sydney.
By the end of the season, he expects to have sold 100 tonnes of his surplus wine grapes.
"For a long time, it was the Greeks and Italians making wine,'' he said. ''Only a small per cent are Australian, but I've noticed recently Chinese customers, too."
In a workshop attached to the side of his Concord West house, Roger Guerin, 65, tends to a line of large demijohns filled with juice from crushed chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot.
He bought 75 kilograms of petit verdot at the markets this year, after he was impressed by the quality of the fruit.
"They were very juicy grapes," he said. "I found the fruit to be very good, with no mildew or raisining."
He hopes to bottle the drop in September or October, and expects to drink it within a couple of years.
But rather than visiting markets, he prefers to travel to wine regions such as the Hunter Valley and Mudgee, stocking up with grapes picked with his own hands.
In his 30 years of making wine, several drops have scooped big prizes at competitions held by the Sydney Amateur Winemakers Club, based in Riverwood.
His 2002 Mudgee shiraz was described as "brilliantly deep-purple coloured and richly fruited … with complexity from good oak" by wine critic and guest judge, Huon Hooke.
