Wine is probably one of the first man-made beverages. While most people consider true wine to be made only from grapes, it can be made from almost any vegetable product, including weeds (such as dandelions) or potatoes (Dan Quail, please note).
Wine is produced when certain yeasts reproduce in a sugar-rich liquid. To make wine, the unpredictable, naturally-occurring yeasts are killed by the addition of a chemical that quickly decomposes. A day or so later, a special wine yeast is introduced into the liquid and allowed to multiply, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. After a period of time (during which the fermenting liquid is checked for taste), the wine is racked (decanted) once or more times to remove any solid residues. Then it is bottled.
When home winemaking was legalized about twenty years ago, making your own wine was difficult and chancy, but modern kits have taken the bother and luck out of the process. With a little common sense and good sanitation, you can soon be making first-class wines at about half the cost of what you would pay for comparable quality in a store.