Kare Wils photo Ripe raspberries ready for wine making.

ESCANABA — Wine time is a special time.

The fruits of summer are tinged with frost and ripe and ready for fermentation. Grapes and apples, choke cherries and blackberries make for wonderful wine.

Wine has been around for thousands of years. Many jars of it were found in the tomb of King Tut (Tutankhamun).

Jesus’ first miracle concerned wine making.

About 700 grapes or two-and-a-half pounds of grapes go into one bottle of wine.

Red wines contain a lot of antioxidants, which can help maintain good health by preventing cell damage.

The resveratrol in red wine may reduce the risk of cancer (but eating the fresh fruit is even better). Resveratrol is available in pill form at pharmacies these days.

The harvest is on throughout the orchards and the vineyards of the Northwoods.

Several years ago my Aunt Sandy gave me a wine-making kit for my birthday.

A nice mellow sip of wine on a Saturday night was something I occasionally enjoyed, and something that the doctor approved.

But with my busy schedule the wine starter kit did not get used right away.

Then my husband spotted it. A neighbor had just given him a batch of perfect purple Concord grapes.

So the challenge began. David became the family vintner.

The sweet aroma of the fruit, sugar and yeast became a fall-time tradition at our house. Over the years he has made wine from grapes, strawberries, apples, elderberries and my favorite, pear wine.

About ten years ago, I decided to try growing ever-bearing raspberries in our backyard garden. I had read that they were high in antioxidants, made great pies, jams and wine. They truly thrive in the northern climate because now we harvest tons of them and raspberry wine is great.

Back in my younger days I remember seeing orchards, vineyards and wineries in Door County, Wis. on our way to Washington Island each fall. The fruits did well growing close to the lake where they were frost free for a few extra weeks of the year.

Now it is nice to see several wineries right here in Delta County.

Nothing tastes better than organic, homegrown, homemade wine. Wine is not for everyone, but if you’re able to enjoy a glass of locally harvested wine, relax. Put your feet up by the warm woodstove and have a sip while the cold north wind begins to blow.

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.