June 2009
News from: Winemakers Depot
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE:
- Tips, Topics, & Factoids
- New Products
- Featured Products/Seasonal Products
- Promotions
- Industry News
- Drop us a Line
- Recipes from Our Friends
TIPS, TOPICS, & Factoids:
Here are a few questions we get asked quite often… What exactly is Brix? What is Chaptalization? What is Degassing and Why? What is the Difference between Campden Tablets and Granular Potassium Metabisulfite? How long are Wine Kits good for?
Here are the Answers:
Brix – Short but simple it is the amount of sugar by weight as a percentage. For example 25 Brix means 25% of your wine juice or wine must is sugar.
Chapitalization – Another short but simple answer is the process of adding sugar to juice or wine must to increase potential alcohol content in your finished wine.
Degassing Wine - Degassing is the process of stirring wine vigorously to drive out dissolved carbon dioxide gas. This step is common with most wine kits due to the shortened cycle of time between fermentation and bottling whereas wine made from grapes is not typically bottled for at least 11 months after fermentation which allows for the slow and natural release of these gases without the added influence of mechanical degassing.
Campden Tablet Conversion – 1 Campden tablet per gallon or 5 tablets per 5 gallons of wine adds approximately 75 ppm of Free SO2. Using granular form of Potassium Metabisulfite requires 3/8 of a teaspoon to 5 gallons of wine to add the same approximate 75 ppm of Free SO2.
How long are Wine Kits good for? In the worst conditions, hot, damp climate 12 months, in good conditions minimum of 18 months. I have heard plenty of success stories of making wine from kits that were two, three and even four years old. How do you know if the ingredients are still good? Smell the juice… if it still smells like grape juice and sweet it should be fine. However, you might need to replace the yeast. Most yeast packets have an expiration date on them, if it does not, be safe and replace it anyway.
Why do I have Mold on Top of My Wine? Fortunately a not so often asked question is… If it is mold it can probably be treated, but if it is “Flowers of Wine” or Mycoderma it may be more difficult as it may have eaten up most if not all of the alcohol in your wine and the wine should be disposed of if not caught early. If caught early enough while there is minimal growth, before the entire surface of your wine is covered you can treat Flowers of Wine with 1-2 Campden Tablets per gallon of wine (50 to 100 ppm SO2) and taste it in a few days. If it tastes fine you can proceed to age or bottle. Flowers of Wine will not grow in wine with an alcohol content in excess of 10.5%, so if you alcohol level is higher than this it is probably mold.
Assuming you have mold and want to try to salvage your wine here is what to do. Start by carefully and without disturbing/mixing the mold in with the wine siphon your wine out from under the floating mold such that you do not transferring any of the mold to the new carboy or fermenter. Add 2 Campden Tablets per gallon and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice per gallon to your wine. After a few days taste your wine. If it tastes okay it probably is. The only way to know for sure if it is free of mold is to have a microbiological test run on your wine. Whether or not to drink the wine without doing this test is up to you.
Both Mold and Flowers of Wine are preventable. Sanitization of your equipment, especially your racking equipment as it can be difficult to dry creating a prime location for mold growth, maintain proper SO2 levels 30 to 50 ppm at all times, keep proper acid levels as high PH low acid wines are far more susceptible . Alcohol is a terrific preservative. If you produce a wine that has 12% or better alcohol levels you can prevent mold. Exposure to air during secondary fermentation should be eliminated by keeping your carboy/vessel full and using an airlock, an added measure is to use a 10% Metabisulfite solution in your airlock.
NEW PRODUTS:
Wow, what a month at Winemakers Depot. It has been a long time since we added this many products in a single month. We added so many new products this past month we still have some new products we have brought in but we have not found time to add them to our website. We will add these remaining items during the next week or so and let you know what they are in our next newsletter. Since our last Newsletter we have added the following:
FEATURED PRODUCTS:
- Just in time for Father’s Day – Winemakers Depot has custom assembled 8 New Wine Making Equipment Kits each with the option of 3/8 Inch or 1/2 Inch Racking & Bottling Equipment
- We’ve received special pricing on RJ Spagnol’s Cellar Classic Italian Pinot Grigio Wine Kit and sharing the savings with you, $100 per Wine Kit, and remember our Shipping of $14 or Less.
- Orchard Breezin Mist Wine Kits - Summer is just around the corner, which means it is time for a batch or two of “Orchard Breezin” - Easy to make and easy to drink, these Mist Wine Kits provide a refreshing alternative to wine coolers.
PROMOTIONS:
Here are a few of the items we have on special right now.
We will also add items during the month. For more information on current promotions Click the Following Link: PROMOTIONS
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Last Month Winemaker Magazine held its second annual Winemaker’s Conference in Napa California. The conference included two days of informational seminars and classes put on by industry experts. The 2-Day event was culminated by the presentation of the results from the 2009 International Amateur Winemaker’s Competition which had been held in Manchester Vermont in April. The competition of 4,474 wines was judged and here are the RESULTS. Worth checking out as many of the Wine Kits we sell were medal winners in the competition.
· 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