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No Wrong Door

There are a lot of ways to become a home winemaker.  Many of us were brewers first. I don’t think there is a wrong way to get started. In different areas of my life, I have always been a "try everything" kind of guy.  I want to see what is on the other side of the hill or taste the new item on the menu.  Maybe more to the point, I believe that solving problems is as easy as trying the right solutions and they aren't always the first you find. I have made wine (red, white, rose' and ora

Blusco

Blusco in Making wine

Winemakers' choice

Be careful what you wish for.  You hear it all the time.  In my case, it was winning a winemaking contest that fostered in me the delusion that I was actually good at a hobby that has consumed the last 15 years.  And with the hobby come dozens of choices. Let’s look at a couple: Natural wine?  Wild fermentation? These may not be what you think.  There is a certain romance in letting the Universe choose the yeast that will convert the sugar in your grape juice or grapes into alcohol.  I coul

Blusco

Blusco in Making wine

Half Measures

The old business adage is true.  If you have experience, you make good decisions. How do you get experience? By making bad decisions. We’ve adopted some steps that many home winemakers avoid in response to problems. Most of the time we bottle wine without incident but from time to time, the wine that seemed perfectly clear will throw a sediment a month or so later. Now we rack from carboys into gallon jugs and rack five bottles at a time as I need them.  Since I make wine at least twic

Blusco

Blusco

Look to Local Grapes

Maybe this is the year to try local grapes? You can make some new friends and possibly help out your neighbors if you are willing to take a look at grapes that grow in your area. We get grapes from all over: Chile, Argentina and South Africa in the late spring and Europe, California and the Finger Lakes in the fall. There are so many choices, you can feel like a kid in a candy store. To be completely candid, although the grapes have been to some exotic places, I get them through a dist

Blusco

Blusco

Making the Adjustment

My ability to make wine at home is not a central issue in our current times just as this blog post is neither “Journal of the Plague Year” or “Love in the Time of Cholera.”  It did make me realize how closely related are my excitement about making wine and the social activity around it.  Often, I will rack and bottle wine by myself, but I almost always have company for crushing and pressing and there is usually a crowd around and a meal.  The first wine I made, from a kit if I remember cor

Blusco

Blusco

Beyond the First Wine

Don’t be discouraged by a bad batch of wine. As an amateur winemaker, I may have learned more from my mistakes than from my successes. My first wine was from juice fermented in the same 6-gallon bucket it came in.  A little yeast, a new lid with an airlock and winemaking was underway. It was palatable and red and dry and alcoholic but not outstanding.  Then I discovered that the local Homebrew Emporium carried Winexpert kits that made a very drinkable Chardonnay and it extended my

Blusco

Blusco

Happiness is a Crushed Grape

"Lucy, I'm home!" Ricky Ricardo used to call to his wife on the show, "I Love Lucy."  Few younger folk remember that show from the 50's but  they remember Lucille Ball stomping grapes. Many people have grape stomping on their bucket lists.  My winemaking partner Lucas and I produce a public grape stomping at the Hill at Muza a beer garden in Troy, NY once a year. Just as the winemaking hobby takes on a life of its own and threatens to grow to absurd dimensions so has this event. This has gr

Blusco

Blusco

Oak Barrels

Barrels make good servants but poor masters. Several times over the last ten years of winemaking, the size and availability of barrels influenced my winemaking decisions. When I empty a barrel, I rinse it and fill it with a new batch of wine. I make extra just to make sure there isn't an empty barrel. Not everyone I know agrees.   Wayne is one of the best home winemakers I know. He and I met with a group of Old World style winemakers and one of them advised his colleagues to empty the bar

Blusco

Blusco

The Winemakers' Fellowship

Once you're comfortable with your ability as a home winemaker, consider contacting wineries and tasting rooms before you visit. Nobody appreciates how much effort winemaking can be more than another winemaker. If they know you'll be coming, you may get tours, barrel tastings and offers not available to tourists. In return, the commercial vintner gets a knowledgeable customer who can talk the language. A year or so ago, a winemaker in Paso Robles invited a couple of us to go behind the tasting

Blusco

Blusco

Winemaking That Moves

My wife and I have been fortunate to make some award winning wines from a variety of sources (upstate New York, California and Chile) and we enjoy traveling to winemaking regions to talk with professional winemakers. We've found them to be very gracious and generous with their time, wine and advice. So far, we have been to Bordeaux, Champagne, Provence and Lanquedoc in France; Tuscany, Umbria and Campania in Italy and Sonoma, Paso Robles, Napa and (our new favorite) Suisun Valley in California

Blusco

Blusco

Champagne And Sparkling Wine, Two Confusing Beverages

Champagne and sparkling wine are two different beverages even though they are both wine and contain fine bubbles. They both could be served only during special occasions. Ordinary people can have a hard time distinguishing the difference between those two beverages.   Sparkling wines   Sparkling wines are different kinds of wine produced by using a specific fermentation method which stimulates the forming of bubbles. Sparkling wines are also different from one another depending on the techni

jul31

jul31

Wine And Dish Matching: The Secret For A Good Meal

It could be quite difficult for someone to find a perfect wine and dish matching unless one is a sommelier, wine expert or has an extended experience in catering service. If you do not belong to any of these groups of people and yet you are planning to impress your guests, it would be wise to purchase a wine guidebook in order to avoid any unpleasant surprises.   Meals, cuisine and wine: a good “ménage à trois”   Wine is one of the beverages used to accompany a meal. It is a we

jul31

jul31

Using A Reflectometer During Fermentation. Is There A Formula?

Hello fellow Vintners.   I purchased a reflectometer with the hope of using it throughout the primary fermentation period. Of course, as many have stated that the reflectometer cannot be used to replace a hydrometer. However, I have also noticed that there seems to be a linear relationship between the reduced brix as measured by the reflectometer and the hydrometer through the fermentation process.   for example, immediately after crushing both devices showed a brix of 26. a few days later

pdmq

pdmq

A Few Bartending Facts That You Should Know.

Bartenders are the persons who create alcoholic beverages for customers and serve drinks from behind the bar. Each and every cocktail has its own composition and look and hence, each bartender is required to join bartering schools for being a bartender. A bartender apart from serving drinks is also required to listen and talk to customers.   Function: Bartending is also about mixing drinks, creating cocktails and serving them to the customers and keeping the business in the tavern or bar area

janetwillson213

janetwillson213

Introductions

Hello all, I have been reading the wine press forums for a year, lurking in the darkness, learning all I can. So now I feel I should introduce myself. Over a year ago I bought my wife and I a farm in northern Kentucky. She is a horse person and we will eventually have horses a few years from now. I, on the other hand, am not. Nor am I a farmer, or ever lived on a farm. What am I going to do with a farm? I am a busy professional ( as is my wife ), but it would be a waste to not do anything. I hav

tddmd66

tddmd66

The Stomp

Hello,   I am extremly new to the grape growing and wine pressing hobby and I am looking for others in my area for some guidence and maybe some pratical hands on training. So far I have two year old plants I am training in the ground and looking to produce grapes next year. I am trying to get smart on the pick, crush, de-stem, press and cure process. Any and all help is greatly appriciated. We are located near Pottsville, PA and looking for local help. Attached are a few pics of our very sm

Pahuntin

Pahuntin

Zinfandel Rootstocks For Sale Below Cost

I have a total of 573 certified Zinfandel rootstocks that need a home or homes. My husband and I had planned to start a small vineyard but due to personal reasons, we won't be able to make it happen. I ordered and paid $3.50/rootstock, but willing to sell them below cost at $3.00 a piece. Please call me at 408-691-6974 or email at chieusayshi@aol.com if you are interested in buying some or all of them. Much appreciated!

Chieu

Chieu

Mead Me In The Middle...

Yesterday afternoon I, Jeremy James Moreau, had an epiphany: I should make mead! Specifically Joe’s Ancient Orange Mead. For those of you unsure as to what exactly mead is. Mead also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained after fermentation. Depending on local traditions and specific recipes, it may be flavored with spices,

The Jay

The Jay

Tapener Gun Tying And Trellising Replacement Pusher Unit (max Ht10027)

Zenport ZLT15 Tapener Support Plate (MAX HT11202)   Zenport® ZLT15 Tapener Support Plate (EQ MAX® HT11202) Package of 1 x ZLT15 Tapener Support Plate (EQ MAX® HT11202) Tapener Parts Diagram Zenport®... ZLT15 $0.58 Zenport ZLT10 Tapener Pusher Unit (MAX HT10027)   Zenport® ZLT10 Tapener Pusher Unit (MAX® HT10027)Package of 1 x ZLT10 Tapener Pusher Unit (MAX® HT10027). Tapener Parts

DuroKon

DuroKon

Tapener Gun Tying And Trellising Replacement Parts (max 3704 Ht-b2)

Zenport ZLT10 Tapener Pusher Unit (MAX HT10027)   Zenport® ZLT10 Tapener Pusher Unit (MAX® HT10027)Package of 1 x ZLT10 Tapener Pusher Unit (MAX® HT10027). Tapener Parts Diagram ZLT10 $3.95 Zenport ZLT13 Tapener Tension Spring (MAX KK13001)   Zenport® ZLT13 Tapener Tension Spring (EQ MAX® KK13001)Package of 1 x ZLT13 Tapener Tension Spring (EQ MAX® KK13001) Tapener Parts Diagram

DuroKon

DuroKon

Zenport Zl100 Small Tying And Trellising Tapener Gun (max 3704 Ht-b)

Zenport ZL99 (10pk) Small Tapener Gun (MAX 3702 HT-   (Box of 10 Discount!) Whether your task is in a nursery securing high value standards, or in a vineyard ensuring security for valuable vines and... ZL99 $319.99 Zenport ZL99 Small Tapener Gun (MAX 3702 HT-   Whether your task is in a nursery securing high value standards, or in a vineyard ensuring security for valuable vines and

DuroKon

DuroKon

Zenport Zl100 Large Tying And Trellising Tapener Gun (max 3704 Ht-b2)

Zenport ZL100 (10pk) Large Tapener Gun (MAX 3704 HT-B2)   Whether your task is in a nursery securing high value standards, or in a vineyard ensuring security for valuable vines and trees, Zenport® ... ZL100 $374.22 Zenport ZL100 Large Tapener Gun (MAX 3704 HT-B2)   Whether your task is in a nursery securing high value standards, or in a vineyard ensuring security for valuable vines

DuroKon

DuroKon

Zenport Mv20 20 Inch Forged Head Professional Vine And Light Tree Lopper

Zenport MV20 20 inch Professional Vine and Light Tree Lopper   Zenport® MV20 Vine and Light Tree Lopper 20" Handles (Compare to Hickok® #620M). The blade and hook in these 20" loppers are designed... MV20 $43.91 Zenport MV145 (12pk) 20 inch Pro Vine & Light Tree Lopper (P14)   Zenport® MV145 (Box of 12) Vine and light Tree Lopper 20" (Bahco® P14-50 Clone). 20-inch California s

DuroKon

DuroKon

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