April 2009 Newsletter
April 2009
News from: Winemakers Depot
Customer Appreciation Sale – 10% Off on Purchases Over $100.00
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE:
- Tips, Topics, & Factoids
- New Products
- Featured Products/Seasonal Products
- Promotions (CUSTOMER APPRECIATION SALE) – Read Below for Details
- What’s New at Winemakers Depot
- Industry News
- Drop us a Line
- Recipes from Our Friends
TIPS, TOPICS, & Factoids:
Which Wine Yeast Do I Use? - We get a lot of calls about a lot of different topics, but one of the most common question is about which yeast to use. As you all know wine making is part science and part art so there is no one yeast for any one specific wine. However, there are preferred yeasts for certain goals for particular fruits. However, to help you decide which wine yeast to use we have created the following reference chart for Red Star and Lalvin wine yeasts applications. You can also find it on our website at
www.winemakersdepot.com/Wine-Yeast-Quick-Reference-Chart-W27C11.aspx
Lalvin Wine Yeast Quick Reference Chart
LALVIN | ICV D-47 | RC212 | 71B-1122 | K1V-1116 | EC-1118 |
Dry Whites | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Blush or R.S. Whites | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Nouveau | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Young Reds | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Aged Reds | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Champagne Base | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Secondary Ferment | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Stuck Fermentations | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
Late Harvest | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Sensory Effect | EVC | EVC | Esters | Neutral | Neutral |
Temp. Range (°F) | 50 - 86 | 59 - 86 | 59 - 86 | 59 - 86 | 45 - 95 |
Fermentation Speed | Moderate | Moderate | Fast | Fast | Very Fast |
Competitive Factor | Yes | Neutral | Sensitive | Yes | Yes |
Alcohol Tolerance | 12 - 14% | 12 - 14% | 12-14% | 18% | 18% |
Low Foaming | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
Guide:
4 Strongest Recommendation
EVC = Enhanced Varietal Character |
Red Star Wine Yeast Quick Reference Chart
RED STAR | Cotes des
Blancs | Pasture
Red | Premier
Cuvee | Montrachet | Pasture
Champagne |
Dry Whites | 4 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
Non-Dry Whites | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Blushes | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Nouveau | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Young Reds | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Aged Reds | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Champagne | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Dark Berries | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Light Berries | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
Orchard Fruits | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Citrus Fruits | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
Melons | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
Roots | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Botanicals | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Secondary Fermentation | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Stuck Fermentation | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Late Harvest | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Fermentation Speed | Moderate | Moderate | Very Fast | Fast | Fast |
Temperature Range | 64-86 | 64-86 | 45-95 | 59-86 | 59-86 |
Alcohol Tolerance | 12-14% | 13-15% | 18% | 13% | 13-15% |
Sensory Effects | | | | | |
Fruity Esters | Y | | | | |
Full Bodied | | Y | | Y | |
Neutral | | | Y | | Y |
Other Characteristics | | | | | |
Ferment to Dryness | | Y | Y | Y | Y |
SO2 Tolerant | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Low Foaming | Y | | Y | | Y |
*NOTE – Cote des Blancs is suitable only for cuvees (not secondary in-bottle fermentations)
4 = Strongest Recommendation
NEW PRODUTS:
We have a lot of new products at Winemakers Depot this month. Since our last Newsletter we have added the following:
FEATURED PRODUCTS:
Fruit Flavoring Concentrates – Whether you want to add flavor to your wine or beer or did not get the taste you were looking for from your wine or beer, you can use these natural syrup flavorings to enhance your final product. Go to
www.winemakersdepot.com/Fruit-Flavor-C42.aspx
PROMOTIONS:
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION SALE! - During the month of April receive a 10% discount on orders over $100.00, does not apply to glass products (wine bottles, beer bottles, glass carboys, and glass jugs) or shipping.
- During Checkout enter the Coupon Code "Appreciate 0409"
- Make sure your purchase total, excluding glass products is $100.00 or more
- Why are glass products not included?
- Our glass products are very competitively priced and glass products are incredibly fragile resulting in extra-ordinary packaging costs that we already absorb. We have yet to have any glass product delivered to a customer damaged and we really want to keep it that way by not skimping on packaging in order to offer a discount. When you are ready to bottle and have ordered bottles from us it would be awfully disappointing to have your bottling time planned only to find that your bottles arrived damaged.
- Due to the heavy weights of glass products we already subsidize shipping costs
WHAT’S NEW AT WINEMAKERS DEPOT:
· PayPal is now working – After months of technical problems our PayPal feature is now working as a payment method at Checkout
· New Discounted Shipping Rates to the Midwest, Southeast, and East Coast
· RJ Spagnols has updated us with the awards and recognition their wine kits received in 2008. We have added this information on our website for each wine kit.
· WineMaker Magazine Ad - Check out our brand new ad in WineMaker Magazine on page 67 of the April-May 2009 issue. The folks at WineMaker Magazine have done a terrific job. They did make one typo, can you find it? We forgive them as they did a beautiful job with the rest.
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Taste of Washington Ultimate Wine Experience – Saturday and Sunday April 4th and 5th
· This might be a little bit short notice for our friends outside of the Pacific Northwest but it is always nice to know the excitement for wine is alive and growing.
· At The Ultimate Wine Experience in Seattle on Sunday meet Washington winemakers, sip hundreds of Washington wines and taste foods from throughout the state of Washington at the 12th annual Grand Tasting. Or on Saturday pick a quality seminar to attend.
· If your interested there will be a similar event in Spokane Washington on June 21st followed by one in Denver Colorado with its date TBA
Why are Glass Carboys getting more expensive?
- Most suppliers to most retailers have been getting their glass carboys from a plant in Mexico. This plant in Mexico no longer makes glass carboys leaving us to get them from Italy which has higher transportation costs to the United States if nothing else.
· Have a question about a product
· If there is a product you need but can’t find on our website
· If there is there is a topic you would like to see covered in our next or future Newsletter
· If you have a recipe you want to share
RECIPE of the MONTH: (Sent in by Phil)
Strawberry Wine Recipe – Fresh Strawberries
- 3 lbs. fresh strawberries
- 2-1/2 lbs. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. citric acid
- water to make 1 gallon
- wine yeast & nutrient
Place all ingredients except yeast in crock. Crush fruit with hands and cover with 5 pints boiling water. Stir with wooden paddle to dissolve sugar and simultaneously mash the strawberries. When cooled to 85 degrees F., add yeast. Cover and stir daily. Strain on 7th day, transfer to secondary fermentation vessel, top up to one gallon, fit fermentation trap, and set aside. Rack after 30 days and again after additional 30 days. Bottle when clear. Allow to age at least 6 months. Will improve to one year.
Strawberry Wine – Wild Strawberries
- 3 1/2 lbs. fresh wild strawberries
- 2-1/2 lbs. granulated sugar
- 1 gal. water
- 1 tsp. acid blend
- 1 tsp. pectic enzyme
- 1/4 tsp. grape tannin
- 1 crushed Campden tablet
- Champagne yeast and nutrient
Place fruit in nylon jelly bag and tie. In crock, crush fruit with hands. Add all other ingredients except Campden tablet, pectic enzyme and yeast in crock and cover with 3 quarts boiling water. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Cover and add crushed Campden tablet when tepid (about 2 hours). After additional 10 hours add pectic enzyme and 12 hours later add yeast. Cover and stir daily. On 7th day remove jelly bag and hang over bowl to collect juice. Allow to drain thoroughly without squeezing (about two hours). Pour all liquids into secondary fermentation vessel, top up to one gallon, fit fermentation trap, and set aside. Rack every 30 days until wine clears (3-6 months). When wine clears, bottle. Allow to age at least 1 year.