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April 2008 |
Now's The Time For Strawberry Wine! April 28, 2008
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Strawberries make an absolutely wonderful wine. The aroma is pleasant and distinct; the flavor is very fruity and elegant, and unlike some fruit wines, it tastes delicious sweet or dry.
Here's a wine recipe that is simple enough that even a first-time winemaker can make it. The recipe is for making 5 gallons of strawberry wine. To |
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get started prepare the strawberries by cutting off the stems and any bad spots and then coarsely chop them up into quarters.
STRAWBERRY WINE
18 lbs. Fresh Strawberries
10 lbs. Cane Sugar
Water as need to make 5 gallons
2 Tablespoons Yeast Nutrient
1 Teaspoon Pectic Enzyme
5 Teaspoons Acid Blend
1 Teaspoon Wine Tannin
5 Campden Tablets (Add 24 hours before the yeast)
1 Packet Wine Yeast (Lalvin ICV-D47 recommended)
5 Campden Tablets (Add right before bottling)
If you've never made wine before . . .
You can find specific procedures for making wine on our website. Take a look at the article, "7 Easy Steps To Making Wine". It explains all the steps you need to make the wine--from beginning to end.
If you do not have any equipment or ingredients of any kind, then a simple solution would be to get our starter kit for making wine from fresh fruits. We call it the "Your Fruit" Necessities Box. Just as the name implies, it has all the necessities for making wine with "your fruit", including each of the ingredients listed in the strawberry wine recipe above.
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How Can I Tell When My Wine's Done? April 21, 2008
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This is an area where some home winemakers can get into trouble. The winemaker assumes that their wine is done fermenting just by looking at the liquid. Then they go on to bottle their wine only to have it ferment in the bottles some time later on. Not good.
When there are no visible signs of fermentation activity you need to be careful about jumping to the conclusion that your wine has completed its fermentation. If you can not see any signs of life in your fermenter, all you |
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really know for sure is that the fermentation has stopped. What you don't know is why. Did the fermentation stop because the yeast has finished its job of eating all the sugars, or did the fermentation temporarily stop because it came upon some unsuspecting problem? (See "Top 10 Reasons For Fermentation Failure" on our website)
Fortunately, there is a simple way to find out. By testing the wine with a hydrometer you can confirm whether or not the fermentation has completed or not. The hydrometer does this by telling you if there are any sugars still left in the wine to be fermented and how much alcohol those sugars will produce when fermented.
Using the hydrometer is very simple. Just put it in the wine. By observing how high or low it floats you can instantly determine if there is more fermenting to be done or not. For more information on how to use the hydrometer take a look at the article "Getting To Know Your Hydrometer" that is listed on our website. |
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Having Fun With Wine Words. . . April 15, 2008
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When it comes to grapes and their various wine styles there are all kinds of funny words, with awkward spellings, originating from languages other than just plain English. I'll be the first to tell you that I--still to this day--can not remember how to say many of them.
Talking with a wine-snob is where these words can get very frightful. A wine-snob can throw these words at you like flying daggers. They enjoy watching you squirm as you are huddled into submission, not by their knowledge of wine necessarily, but by their ability to say words. The intimidation factor can become quite intense.
Well, now you can "sound like" you know what you're talking about too. Below is a list of the more common wines you will run across along with their proper pronunciations. Learn how to say these words and not only will you be the impressive winemaker in the family, but you'll be the wine expert too.
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Amarone
Barbera
Barolo
Beaujolais
Bordeaux
Brise-de-Mer
Brunello
Burgundy
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Sauvignon
Carignane
Chablis
Chardonnay
Chenin Blanc
Chianti
Colombard
Gewurztraminer
Grenache
Lambrusco
Liebfraumilch
Malbec
Merlot
Montepulciano
Mourvedre
Muscat
Musette
Piesporter
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Gris
Pinot Noir
Pinotage
Primo Bianco
Primo Rosso
Riesling
Rioja Tinto
Ruisseau Blanc
Sangiovese
Sauvignon Blanc
Semillon
Shiraz
Soave
Super Tuscan
Syrah
Tempranillo
Valpolicella
Verdicchio
Vieux Chateau du Roi
Vino Blanc
Vino Rosso
Viognier
Zinfandel
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(Ah-ma-ROE-nay)
(Bar-BARE-ah)
(Ba-ROE-loe)
(Boe-zho-lay)
(Bore-DOH)
(Bree-zey du mare)
(Broo-NELL-oh)
(Bur-gun-dee)
(Cab-air-nay FrahN)
(Cab-air-nay So-veen-yawN)
(Cah-reen-yawN)
(Shah-BLEE)
(SHAR-doe-nay)
(Shay-naN BLAHN)
(Ki-AHN-tee)
(COLE-um-bar)
(Geh-VERTZ-trah-mee-nur)
(Gray-NAHSH)
(Lahm-BROOS-coe)
(LEEB-frow-milsh)
(Mahl-bek)
(Mare-low)
(Mont-eh-pull-CHIA-no)
(Moor-VED'rr)
(MOOS-caht)
(myoo-zet)
(PEAS-porter)
(PEE-noe BLAHN)
(PEE-noe GREE-joe)
(PEE-noe GREE)
(Pee-noe Nwahr)
(Pee-noe-tahj)
(Pree-moh Byahn-ko)
(Pree-moh Row-soe)
(REESE-ling)
(Ree-OH-hah TEEN-toe)
(Rue-so BLAHN)
(Sahn-joe-VAY-zeh)
(So-veen-YAWN BLAHN)
(Say-MEE-yoN)
(Shee-rahz)
(SUAVE-eh)
(Soo-per TUSS-can)
(See-rah)
(Temp-rah-NEEL-yo)
(Vahl-poe-lee-CHELL-ah)
(Vehr-DEEK-yo)
(Vyou Shat-o do RWAH)
(Vee-noe BLAHN)
(Vee-noe ROE-soe)
(Vee-OHN-yay)
(Zin-fahn-DELL) |
How Do You Use Sealing Wax? April 4, 2008
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Dear Mr. Kraus,
Did not receive any instructions with Bottle Sealing Wax . What is the best method to melt the wax granules. Have never used wax before. Do you sell some type of melter. If you would please let me know how to use.
Thanks,
Sammy L.
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Dear Sammy, |
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We recommend melting the wax in a soup can or something similar. Sit the can in a pan of water to make sort of a double boiler on the stove. Once the wax is melted it will be in that container permanently, so don't actually put the wax in any good pots or pans themselves.
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Once the wax is melted there are two ways it can be applied to the bottles:
You can dip the whole neck of the bottle into the wax. Not only will the wax be sealing the bottle air-tight, but it also become part of the bottle's decorative decor. This method can use up the wax fairly quickly. One pound of wax will do about 40 to 80 bottles depending on how far you dip the neck into the wax. |
The second way to use the wax is more efficient but not as decorative. You can simply pour the wax directly onto the cork itself. Inset the cork by an eighth to a quarter of an inch into the neck of the bottle. Then pour the wax into the inset. Just like dipping the bottle into the wax, the cork is sealed air-tight, but much less was is used. You will usually get about 150 bottles per pound done with this method.
Best Wishes,
Customer Service at E. C. Kraus
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