In the dark, crowded space under a suburban brick home in Melbourne's north lies a collection of bottles, vats, pipes and liquids.

Four 50-litre demijohns — narrow-necked bottles encased in a wicker cover — hold this year's bounty.

Tarcisio 'Taz' Meneghetti has been making wine at home for 46 years.

He learnt the art from his father when he was eight years old at their home in north-east Italy and brought those skills to Australia.

Mr Meneghetti said the tools of the trade had changed over time.

"We squashed it with our foot at that time so you've got to wash your foot first," he said.

"There's no machinery in that day. You get a big barrel and two or three men go in the barrel and squash it with their feet.

"When it starts to ferment it makes a lot of gas and you can't breath it in; some people have died in the barrel.

"You've got to squash it and keep your head out of the big container."

These days he has a machine to crush the grapes and separate the juice, skin and stalks.

Nothing goes to waste and what isn't used for wine gets dug into the garden as compost or used to make vinegar.

Depending on the weather, the wine can take seven to 10 days to ferment before it is transferred into the demijohns.

Guidance from above

Every month or so the wine is transferred to a new container to remove the sediment but Mr Meneghetti said there's an important consideration to make first.

"I look at the moon. Some people don't believe it but I do. The moon does a lot of things," he said.

"On the full moon it moves. It's the same when I put the seeds on the garden, I look at the moon."

Mr Meneghetti has been passing on his knowledge to young winemakers through the Darebin Homemade Wine Mentor program.

It is a collaboration between Darebin City Council and the Italian Senior Citizens Club of Preston, designed to sustain the local winemaking traditions of Italian migrants in the area.

Tacy Lowe, 29, was part of the program and was mentored by Vince Vincitori, who has been making wine at home for 55 years.

"I'm trying to be more sustainable and eco-friendly, and in doing that I found that you have to create a lot of your own food to minimise waste," she said.

Vince Vincitori was a mentor in the Darebin Homemade Wine Mentor program. ( Supplied: Tacy Lowe )

"The one thing I learnt from doing it at home is it's a really simple process."

Ms Lowe said she would definitely be making her own wine next year, having already missed the 2018 grape season.

She said the mentor program had been a great experience.

"I've never done anything like this before.

"It was really good spending the morning with Vince and connecting with someone I otherwise probably wouldn't talk to."

The winemakers will be at the Darebin Homemade Food and Wine Festival's Meet the Makers showcase this weekend.

You can taste the homemade wine and even join an introduction to home winemaking class during the festival which runs from May 26 to June 3.