How To Make Wine With Fruit

Photo by: Joe Washing

When beginning the home wine making process, you will be faced with many
options. Do you want a fruit-based wine, or do you want to produce wine from
concentrate? Would you rather use homegrown grapes or store-bought? On of
the most rewarding and interesting aspects of the home wine making process is
the ability and freedom to develop your own flavor profiles and signature wines.
Creating wine from fruit (especially if it’s homegrown!) allows for experimentation
and exotic flavor development. Wine developed from fruit can take on a variety of
forms and flavors, and can be created using anything from bananas to blackberries!


Once you pick a fruit of your choice, find a reputable recipe for your creation. You
can find many recipe options in wine making books, as well as on the internet
under wine making resources. However, be careful that you chose a recipe from a
dependable source, to ensure that your wine turns out well. If you are stumped on
where to find a good recipe, check out our wine recipe chart that breaks down wine
recipes by fruit type. These recipes have been tested time and time again, and are
proven to make excellent batches of wine (5 gallons of wine per recipe).


Once you have successfully chosen a recipe, pull out your wine making checklist and
ensure that you have all the following ingredients:


Yeast Nutrient. This is necessary energy for the yeast that guarantees that your
yeast will ferment and produce alcohol.


Yeast Energizer. This is used when fruit lacks the nutrients required to ensure that
yeast ferments. It has a wider breadth of nutrients that yeast nutrient doesn’t offer.


Acid Blend. This is what gives your wine a specific edge or sharpness. It adds acid
that natural wine may be lacking.


Pectic Enzyme. This produces clear wine and breaks down the fruit to extract
maximum flavor.


Yeast. Yeast takes sugar and produces alcohol! It’s a vital part of the wine making
process.


Wine Tannin. This brings clarity to the wine as well as increases flavor profiles in
the wine. It also helps the wine flavor develop during the aging process.


Campden Tablets. These tablets are crucial to ensuring that your wine doesn’t
spoil. They are added prior to fermentation as well as the bottling process.


Once you have all these ingredients in place, creating a distinct flavorful wine will
depend on successfully balancing the fruit, sugars, water, and further ingredients.


The wine making process itself is relatively easy. Combine all ingredients and
add some patience. After a few days have passed, it is necessary to remove any
extraneous pulp and siphon the wine off the sediment that develops.


The wine making process is fairly straightforward. With a few simple ingredients
and sturdy wine making equipment, you can produce numerous batches of wine
that will last over time. Once you become familiar with the wine making process,
experimenting and developing unique flavor profiles becomes an enjoyable part of
developing a final creation. For more tips on getting started with the wine making
process, visit www.eckraus.com.


Guest Post from E.C. Kraus

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Pruning Grapes The Correct Way

By Danie Wium

First things first: It is important to understand that a grape vine only produce grapes on one-year-old canes and spurs. Older parts of the vine will not produce grapes.

In other words, pruning a grape vine the incorrect way, or removing the incorrect wood from a grape vine, will result in lower yield and even total crop loss. This article on how to prune grapes, will show you some basic tips on how to prune a grape vine the correct way, to ensure your vines will produce enough grapes for you and your family to enjoy.

During the dormant season of the grape vine (normally winter), the shoots from the previous year's growth will become a dark brown color - we grape growers speak of the "ripening of the wood". Grape vines are pruned early spring, after the chances of frost damage is over. It is important to not prune grapes too early, as the pruning of the vine will stimulate new growth and if new shoots develop too early, the chances of frost damage is much higher. After you have looked at the history of frost occurrence in your area, you will have a good idea of when the right time to prune is.

Before you prune your vine, you should understand the difference between a spur pruning and cane pruning on grapes. Spur pruning is when you prune the cane back to 2 to 4 buds and cane pruning is when a cane is pruned of 8 to 12 buds long. This article covers the most widely used method of pruning grapes: spur pruning.

A spur that was pruned during the previous pruning season (last winter - while the grape vine was dormant) will develop new shoots from the 3 to 4 buds. These two shoots will be the bearers during this year's harvest.

If you understand what I am explaining to you, it will make sense that spur I this dormant season, will become an old spur next year, and during dormancy, after next year's growing season and so the process will go on and on. In other words a shoot that will develop for a spur pruned during dormancy, will become next year's spur.

Danie

The Grape Guy

For even more grape growing tips, you can visit My Grape Vine and if you would like to become a member of The Grape CoachingProgram where you will learn how to grow grapes by means of video and mp3's, visit The Grape CoachingProgram - get your 10 day FREE training right now!

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Building a Grape Trellis.

Oklahoma Gardening's Kim Rebek begins preparation for planting grapes in the small fruits garden by constructing a grape trellis system to support the weight of the grape vine.

Very good video for learning the basics of building a grape trellis.

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The Art of Winemaking

Inside look at a winery in Fraser, Colorado. Informational Segment.




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Basic Tips For The Home Grape Growing Gardener

By Matt Granger


One of the things that I always found to be beautiful when I was young was to see a trellis covered with clusters of grapes hanging from the vines. Not only did the vines have a function but they brought beauty as well. I always found backyard grape growing to be fun even as a child and I would like to share with you some of my experiences.


Grape growing is actually something that is not too hard to do. For thousands of years people have been growing grapes and perfecting the art of pruning and caring for them. Now there are many modern twists to make it even easier. We don't have to haul water from a creek that is a mile away and we don't have to keep the soil nice with a hoe in the bright summer sun.


The art of grape growing is one that should be showed to our younger generation so that they realize that not all produce has to come from a grocery store. They can grow them right in their own backyard and be overjoyed when they see the first clusters begin to form on the vines. So often the younger generations have no idea where things really come from and grape growing would be a wonderful way to show them.


When you decide that grape growing is something that you want to do, all you will need is some soil that has been fertilized and some patience. I say patience because these vines will need love and attention for a few months before you are able to reap the fruits of your labor, pardon the pun. Gardening of any type takes patience and grape growing is no exception.


To achieve the best soil possible for grape growing you will of course need to fertilize the soil. There are many types of fertilizer available from organic to a chemical fertilizer, all able to help you achieve a beautiful grape vine.


Organic fertilizers such as manure are great because they have been around since time began and have been able to still keep this world green. Seems to me that most of the chemical fertilizers can't say that about themselves. But there are many people who would rather not spread manure as they think it's gross and so if you are one of those people, the store bought fertilizers might be for you. They will achieve the same goal, just with a different ingredient.


If possible, try to fertilize the soil before you go planting. I know that many, like myself, are terrible at planning ahead. So if you are one that didn't plan ahead, then you are always able to spread fertilizer once the vine roots have been placed in the ground.


The last thing to remember about grape growing is that these grapes do need to be watered. On average a grape vine needs to get an inch of rain a week to grow properly. When you are going through a dry spell you will of course need to water the plant yourself. If you fertilize appropriately and water when needed, you should get some super growth on your vine the first year. Growth on the vine the first year is very important for the future of your plants.


So remember, with grape growing you mainly need some patience, water and a little manure and you'll be set.


Matt Granger has been growing grapes for over 30 years and is an expert in backyard grape growing and grapevine farming. For a bundle of free tips and advice on how to grow grapes, visit his personal grape growing website here: www.grapegrowingsecrets.com


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3 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Growing Grapes

By Matt Granger

Growing Grapes is one the few overlooked yet most promising and exciting outdoor hobbies one can become involved in. It is fun, challenging, and best of all rewarding in the sense that once you have a fully grown grape farm or grape garden, you will enjoy the benefits of having fresh wine grapes to eat at your convenience. Plus, since growing grapes is an outdoor hobby, it will force you to get out of the lazy chair and out into the open and truly become one with nature.

Growing Grapes while appealing to most because of the delicious home grown wine grapes can be quite challenging at times. There are a few common mistakes that many new grape growers commit. I would like to cover them briefly with you now.

Growing Grapes Common Mistake #1:
One of the most common grape growing mistake new grape gardeners commit involves purchasing already grown grapevines and planting them in their garden. Here is the problem that lies with this situation. Your local nursery will buy grapevines in bulk for a low price and will put them on sale. They will look all nice and pretty at the nursery since they just brought them in. However, what you the customer doesn't know is that these grapevines have come from different parts of the country, places where in fact the grapevines were growing really healthy and strong.

You see, climate and atmosphere plays a key role in successful grape growing. When growing grapes in different parts of the country, you can expect totally different results with your grapevines. Different in climate alone will affect the types of disease your grapevines might get plagued with or when they will fruit better, if at all. Therefore, do not be fooled by what is being sold to you at the nursery. It is best to verse yourself on how to grow grapes from an expert and understand how the climate in your area will affect your vines.

Growing Grapes Common Mistake #2:
The second most common mistake committed when growing grapes is the eagerness for spraying.
I understand it is frustrating to see a few insects on your vines and can become quite irresistible to hold back from spraying your grapevines clean. Well, don't go too trigger happy. There are plenty of other procedures that you can use to keep your grapevines under pest control. Spraying should only be used when it is truly needed because you can risk killing off everything else in the area that normally would've controlled those pesky pests.

Growing Grapes Common Mistake #3:
Finally we come to the third most common mistake of growing grapes. This one involves planting grapevines without learning how to train grapevines first. That's like buying a car without knowing how to drive. Grapevines require proper training and pruning in order for them to grow successfully and most rookie grape gardeners just do not understand that growing grapes takes more than just planting a few grapevine seeds and watering them everyday.

Growing grapes can start from a fun hobby to ultimately becoming a full time career. However, it takes some skill and knowledge to fully succeed in growing grapes. Otherwise you will probably commit some of the costly, rookie mistakes covered above.

Visit this link to begin learning the skills necessary for growing grapes . Matt Granger has been growing grapes for over 30 years and is an expert in backyard grape growing and grapevine farming. Visit his personal grape growing website here: http://www.grapegrowingsecrets.com

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Planting A Grape Vine

By Danie Wium

You have prepared your site; you have decided what variety to grow; now it is time to plant your grape vine! Well, unfortunately, this is where many home grape growers terribly fail!

Planting a grape vine is not hard, if fact, it is one of the easiest fruits to get started, but there are a few key things to remember when planting your grape vine.

1. The planting hole

In the early days, before research proofed this method wrong, planting grape vines, by adding fertilizer and all kinds of stuff into the planting hole, was a well-known practice? Research showed, that a grape vine sprouts from energy within the vine itself, and do not actually use any fertilizer until the vine reach about 2 to 3 inch shoot length. By adding fertilizer directly into the planting hole, or directly on the roots of the vines could damage (scourge) the roots.

With knowledge/information you gained from soil samples, you should fertilize and correct all mineral shortages BEFORE you prepare your vineyard site and then plant your grape vine. This will mix all the fertilizer with the soil and will not damage the roots of your grape vine.

Make a large enough hole to accommodate all the roots from the cutting and do not cut or remove any roots - the more roots, the better the chance of successfully planting your grape vine.

2. Preparing the new vine before planting

Before planting your grape vine, you should plunge the complete vine into a bucket of water for at least six hours. Under no circumstances, let the roots of the vine dry out - this is very important! If you are planting a few hundred vines, cover the vines not planted yet with a damp gunny bag or something similar.

3. Watering the vine

Before you plant the grape vine, you should thoroughly water the planting hole and ensure that the water deeply penetrates the sidewall of the planting hole.

Constantly add water to the planting hole while filling the hole with water to ensure that no air pockets forms near the roots of the vines. Water your grape vine once a week for at least a month after planting the grape vine.

Following these simple rules when planting a grape vine, will guarantee a much higher success rate.

For even more grape growing tips, you can visit My Grape Vine and if you would like to become a member of The Grape Coaching Program, where you will learn how to grow grapes by means of video and mp3's, visit The Grape Coaching Program - get your 10 day FREE training right now!

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Wine Making Kits for Homemade Wines

by Rio Regio

Wine making and fermenting your own homemade wine takes a lot of time and effort. It doesn't necessarily equate to being a complicated process, the procedure is actually very simple but the whole wine making process will require an extended period of toiling.Most people would define wine as an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grape juice. It is a popular definition because grapes are the usual base fruit or juice used in making wines, but according to some wine connoisseurs , Wines are basically any alcoholic drink produced from any non-toxic fruit juice (Strawberry wine, Pear Wine, Apple Wine, etc.)

Wine making consists of very simple steps that any person with the right equipment could do. As long as you have the basic wine making kit, you could produce wine whenever you desire.

Making homemade wines if, done properly, could produce good quality wines that may taste just as good as any commercially available wines. And since you are the one making your own drink, you could experiment on the acid levels, alcohol levels and the sweetness of the beverage that would suit your taste.

If you're planning to produce your own homemade wine, you will need a few equipment necessary for the fermentation of the juice. The list of equipments consists of the following:

1. A primary (primary fermentation vessel) which most of the time comes in the form of a plastic bucket or pail. This is where you will mix your concoction together with your ingredients.
2. A sieve or a mesh bag or a nylon straining bag where you will put your chopped, crushed or sliced fruits during flavor and aroma extraction.
3. Sterile cloth that will cover your bucket during the primary. This will prevent contaminants and bacteria from getting in to your concoction and at the same time, it will allow the unwanted vapors from your mixture to escape.
4. A siphon hose which you will use when you are going to transfer the wine from the primary to the secondary fermentation vessel. You will also use this when you are going to rack your wine.
5. A secondary fermentation vessel, most of time, Carboys are used as secondaries because it is easy to airlock and it is more resistant to scratching.
6. Air locks which is vital for the anaerobic fermentation process that the mixture must go through to produce wine.
7. Bottles which will be used for aging the wine.
8. Corks to secure the wine inside the bottles.
9. Hydrometer, which is one of the most important equipments you will need because this will measure the specific gravity of the wine.

The listed items is actually the basic wine making kit. Some of the tools you will need that were included on the list could be replaced by or substituted by common household items. Just remember that the substitutes you will use are sanitized and sterile.

Using tools that haven't been properly sanitized may cause spoilage in the wine you are making.

Of course, there are other tools and equipments as well that you could use to ferment your own homemade wine. But some of those are already for advanced wine makers. As a beginner, the list should suffice until you have become a true fanatic of homemade wine making.

There are additional ingredients or additives as well that you will require when making your homemade wine. These ingredients may not be bought from regular convenient stores and may be difficult to find. If there is a Wine Maker store near your place, then you are in luck, otherwise, these essential ingredients will be difficult to obtain.

These additives required in wine making are:

1. Sulfites, the most common sulfite used is the Campden Tablet
2. Acid Blend or Citric Acid
3. Tannin
4. Pectic Enzyme
5. Potassium Sorbate
6. Yeast Nutrient
7. Sugar
8. Yeast
9. Wine Finings

All of these ingredients are essential to wine making. If one of these is absent or missing during your wine making process, it is likely that the fermentation will produce a bad batch of wine or the fermentation will not be successful at all.

Be sure that before you start making your wine, you have the complete ingredients along with your complete tools.

Now that we have listed the complete basic wine making kit you will need to ferment your alcoholic beverage, we are going to give you a simple step by step instruction on how to turn your fruit juice into wine.

1. Fruit preparation - from the moment you pick out and choose the fruit you will be using as your base fruit, it is already part of the wine making process. This also entails the chopping, slicing and crushing of the fruit which will be put in the straining bag or sieve in the primary.

2. Pour water in the primary where the bag is. Whether to use cold or hot water will depend on the specific instructions of that specific recipe you are making.

3. Adding the Ingredients - All additives that were listed, except the wine yeast and the yeast nutrients will be added in the concoction. These should be mixed until all the ingredients have dissolved.

4. Cover the primary with the sterile cloth and leave for at least 24 hours depending on recommended specific gravity required as specified in the recipe.

5. Transferring to the secondary - When you have reached the recommended specific gravity, you will now have to transfer the must into the secondary, add the yeast and yeast nutrients, stir then cover with air lock.

6. Racking - When the wine have reached a specific gravity as indicated in the wine making recipe you have, you will need to transfer the wine to another secondary vessel. You are to leave the lees or the sediments found at the bottom of the Carboy. These lees are dead yeast cells. Prolonged exposure to it may cause the wine to taste bad.

7. Rack again - After a recommended period, you may check your wine's clarity. If the wine is already clear and has no more sediments at the bottom of the vessel, you may proceed to the next step. Otherwise, you will have to rack again and again until the wine becomes clear and free of lees.

8. Bottling - once the wine is already clear, this is will indicate that the fermentation process is over. You may now transfer the wine in smaller bottles.

9. Aging - this step will require a really long time. It may take six months to a year before the wine is aged enough to have that good taste. The recipe or wine book you are following should have a recommended period of time for the aging process. Once it has aged long enough, you may now taste your wine to see if it still needs to age longer.

10. Enjoying - At this point, your wine have already aged long enough and already tastes like expensive wine. It is now time to enjoy your home made wine.

The listed steps are the general steps in fermenting homemade wine using wine making kits. If you will notice, it was mentioned repeatedly that some procedures will depend on the recipe you are following. This is because the amount of time, additive or ingredients required may vary from one fruit to another or from one variety of fruit to another.

Each fruit and each variety of fruit will have its own characteristics and its own level of acidity, sweetness and the like which may affect the variation of needed additives.

Now, if you find these steps complicated, you may want to start with fermenting fruit juices i wine kits. There are Wine kits available now that sells concentrated juice together with pre-measured ingredients to add and an easy to follow recipe or instructions to homemade wine making.

These wine kits are expensive and don't come with the wine making equipment but if you really want to learn, this may be the simplest and easiest way to learn since everything is already laid out for you. Just so you'd get the feel of fermenting wine. But if you really want to experience first hand what it's like to make wine from choosing the fruit to enjoying the beverage, then you better start looking for fully ripe fruits now.

If you are wondering what kind of fruits you could ferment and turn into wine, and what flavors wine kits offer, we suggest that you visit the blog site, Wine Making Kits. It has additional information of the process of making homemade wine and some information on the available kits in the market.

About the Author

A budding writer that is harnessing his skills by composing articles on various unrelated materials with varying difficulty, popularity and theme.

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An Intro to Wine

Guest Post by: Shireen Qudosi

An Introduction to Wine

What You Need to Know Beyond Just Red and White

With the rise in environmental awareness, there’s now a mushrooming rise of eco-friendly wine and wineries. There are three categories of eco-friendly wines: sustainable, organic, and biodynamic.

“Sustainable” means that grapes were grown with few to no chemical, fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. This method nurtures the soil naturally, whereas “organic” wines are grown in organically certified vineyards and are made without added sulfites.

On the other hand, “biodynamic” winemaking goes way beyond organics. With biodynamics, the farm is viewed as a living system. The soil is treated with complex compost preparations (of course without chemicals or pesticides), including quartz, yarrow flowers, stinging nettle, and more.

Biodynamic winemakers claim to have noted stronger, clearer, more vibrant tastes in their wines, as taste test conducted byFortune confirmed. Now all you have to do switch out bulky refrigerators for portable wine coolers, an energy efficient way to chill your wine.

If one of your hobbies is collecting exotic or expensive wines, then the next thing you have to think about is how you're going to maintain your investment. There are a lot of different types of wine storage units and between wine bottle coolers, wine racks, portable wine coolers, and wine cellars, it's easy to get confused.

However, with an easy to follow guide on the importance of storing your investment properly and a quick breakdown of the different types, you'll have this category covered. But before discussing the different options, it's important to understand why simple sticking a bottle or two in the fridge is far from adequate for storing your bottle of wine.

Wine Storage

When it comes to choosing a method for wine storage, you want to consider and compare the different features available to you. There are three basic types of wine cooler storage devices: wine bottle coolers, (multiple bottle) wine coolers, and wine cellars.

If you're a beginner, you may want to consider a wine bottle cooler, which also works great for dinners and smaller events. This way you can have the bottle temperature maintained while you dine. This is a particularly key table setting item if you expect the meal to last for a longer time. A wine cooler also adds a level of sophistication to any dinner or cocktail party, which you can never go wrong with

If you're collection is a little larger, then consider a wine coolerthat comes equipped with wine racks to prevent your bottles from clashing together. Wine coolers have advanced a long way and most (such as NewAir wine coolers) now also come with thermoelectric multiple independently controlled temperature zones for both red and white wines, touch screens, sleek lighting with glass doors, casters for mobility, as well as a wide variety of styles for various space needs, plus an ability to house anywhere between 14 to 32 bottles.

When buying a wine cooler, you should also understand the specific differences between a wine cooler and a wine cellar. If you have aging wines or a long term wine storage need then you need a more sophisticated wine cellar as opposed to just a wine cooler. Once you've understood the difference you want to consider the capacity you need for a wine cooler (or cellar). However, if you're a wine expert or have a larger collection, then a portable wine cellar is your go to purchase. Small or large, a wine cooler unit protects your investment (as well as its taste) until you're ready to drink it.

But above all, don’t be a wine hoard. Remember that wine is for enjoyment. Salu!

Source: Intro to Wine is brought to you by Air & Water, Inc.

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Is Your Cellar Stable For Wine Storage?

Melanie Hudson

There are three wine storage golden rules to follow! Wine cellar has to be dark, humid and cold. All of those three conditions are crucial for right aging of your wine. Why is light so damaging for wine? Wine is an organic liquid. And each carbohydrate organic compound like proteins is sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) light. What will UV light do to wine? It will cause complex organic molecules in wine to dissolve and they will start to ruin the flavor and the natural aging process of wine. The same effect will excessive sunbathing have on your skin. Ultraviolet light, as a part of sunlight is degrading proteins in our skin. The effects are well known. In extreme cases UV light can cause uncontrollable growth of cell structures leading to skin cancer.


Those who want to buy a ready-made wine cellar unit with integrated cooling and humid control center should also pay attention to the light source provided within. Neon light emits much more UV light than a classical light bulb. It may not make a difference for wine bottles that will be consumed within a year. But for storage of wine bottles that can age for centuries, those short periods of UV exposures within 10 or more years, quickly sum up.


Why should you pay attention to humidity in your wine cellar? Humidity is important for storing wine bottles traditionally sealed with cork. Despite the fact that there are many other wine sealing materials on the market, you will not find a serious top wine producer using anything other than a cork. What is the relationship between the cork and the humidity? The cork has to be in regular touch with humidity on both sides. That means the inner side, reaching into the bottle has to be in contact with the wine (that is why wine cellar storage racks will store wine horizontally), the outer side of the cork has to be in environment humid enough to prevent cork from drying. A dry cork becomes porous and the air starts to leak into the bottle, spoiling the wine. How will you know if you cellar is humid enough? Relative humidity in a room can be measured with humidity meters called hydrometers. Those are really cheap and easy to buy in any wine storage accessories store. What is humidity important for a perfect wine aging process? According to French wine experts and scientist, perfect humidity level of a wine storage cellar lays between 60-70%. But more than humidity levels in a cellar, the quality of cork itself is the crucial factor in preventing the wine from leaking or from spoiling.


If you ask any wine expert on the world which from those three golden rules plays the most important role in fine wine aging, they would unanimously say-The Temperature. The best temperature for wine storage is traditionally believed to be 55°F or 13°C. Little research has been made to discover why exactly that temperature. But more than the temperature itself, it is important not to let the temperature fluctuate for more than 1 degree. Quality wine needs stable conditions to gradually develop its best aroma, taste and color.


About the Author
For more on special wine cellar equipment visit wine-storage-racks.com

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The Best Book About Wine

I was busy working on a blog post last Friday, when I heard a large thud outside my door. Not knowing if it was two cars colliding or a someone falling on my steps, I got up to take a look. To my surprise, my copy of Wine had arrived. Wine is published by Langenschedit Publishing Group.

This book is awesome!!! A huge 928 pages full of wine info from around the world. Very well written, but what struck me the most was the maps and pictures. They are just plain excellent.

The tips are very informative and will really help those just starting out in the wonderful world of wine.

Here's a little more from the publisher:

This abundantly illustrated book is an atlas, reference work and buying guide to the world of wine. Following a classic organization, readers are introduced to the history of wine, wine production, wine cellars and the enjoyment of wine. The reader is then invited on a journey through all the wine growing countries and regions of the world. Expert authors introduce each area, illustrated with detailed maps, including Canada, Japan and China. Newcomers to the passion of wine will find Wine an invaluable resource to deciphering the vast wine offerings around the world while wine aficionados will savor browsing through this gorgeous volume and discovering new wines and regions.

Features

• More than 1,200 full-color illustrations and photographs


• 150 detailed maps of the world’s wine growing countries and regions


• Numerous producer tips that convey highly useful recommendations


• Updated select producers, tables, maps and photographs


• New and extensive information on southern and eastern Europe and the new European countries


• Information on new wine growing countries and areas around the world

If you need to find a present for that special wine person, this should be the present that you buy.









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Benefits of Red Wine

Photo by: kingriversza's

We have heard over the past few years that drinking a couple glasses of red wine each day is good for you. So, is wine good for you. Let's look at some evidence.

"Many studies investigated the benefits of red wine suggested that moderate amount of red wine (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by ~ 30 to 50 percent. It is also suggested that alcohol such as red wine may prevent additional heart attacks if you have already suffered from one. Other studies also indicated that red wine can raise HDL cholesterol (the Good cholesterol) and prevent LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) from forming. Red wine may help prevent blood clots and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. Indeed, studies showed that people from the Mediterranean region who regularly drank red wine have lower risks of heart disease." Source: Health Castle

"Research scientists in North Carolina have announced discovery of how a chemical found in red wine helps to fight cancer.

The study may help explain the controversial "French paradox," the apparent lower rates of heart disease and some cancers among the French, despite a typical national diet high in fat.

Compared to other nationalities in Europe, the French eat more beef, cheese, butter and other artery-clogging foods. But they also drink more wine, and researchers have speculated that certain compounds in grapes and grape products like wine offer some kind of protection from the negative effects of the high-fat diet.

The new research identified the workings of a key cancer-related substance: trans-Resveratrol, often called Res.

In addition to red grapes, Res is found in mulberries, raspberries, peanuts, muscadine grapes, including scuppernongs, and many other fruits and nuts, said the research scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.   Source: CNN

Ok, so far we have found evidence that red wine is good for the heart and may fight cancer. What are some of the other benefits?

* Reduced risk of death from nearly all causes

* Red wine, with or without alcohol, decreases the harmful effect of smoking on the endothelium - layer of cells that provide a friction-reducing lining in lymph vessels, blood vessels, and the heart.

* Heart disease

* Blood Clots - Red wine produces anticlotting, or antithrombotic, action.

* Atherosclerosis - Red wine may prevent the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis (hardening or "furring" of the arteries).

Hypertension - two glasses of red wine (250 ml), taken together with the meal, lower post-meal blood pressure in hypertensive persons.

* Kidney stones: Red wine intake reduces the risk of kidney stone formation.

* Alzheimer's disease: Moderate wine drinking correlates with a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that resveratrol, a red wine polyphenol, produces neuroprotective effects.Source: C. Simmons of HealthAssist.net  Dumb Little Man

So what makes red wine so healthy?

All of a grape’s protective flavonoids are in the “must”, a chunky mixture of grape skins, pulp, seeds, and stems that is used to make wine and grape juice. When must is fermented to make wine, a lot of flavonoids are drawn into liquid. Since grape juice isn’t fermented, you get only flavonoids that are drawn into the juice during processing stages. The compounds that end up in the drink are still pretty strong...

Since flavonoids are what give juice its reach purple hue, if you’re looking for the grape juice with most flavonoids, pick the darkest variety. Source:  Foods That Heal

Pretty strong evidence that a couple of glasses of red wine a day are good for you.    Just another reason why I make my own.

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10 Tips for a Succesful Harvest Day

Nice article from Winemaker Magazine.

Harvest comes once per year and being prepared is vital. You can’t make up for poor farming in the last week before harvest, but you can prepare your home vineyard for harvest just like the pros. An entire year’s work in the vine rows can either pay off in delicious wine or it can produce wine that underperforms and makes you wonder why you went to all the trouble of growing grapes.

My job is to shove you gently toward the delicious and away from the disappointing. I’ve written articles on most aspects of backyard grape farming. (I’ve also met many of you and answered your questions at the wonderful WineMaker Conference in Sonoma this past May.) However, I’ve never broken down my professional harvest experiences into a top ten list for what to do in the days leading up to harvest.

The take home message is this: farm smart all year and then make that hard work count by being fully prepared when the alarm clock goes off on harvest day. Happy snipping!

Get the 10 tips from Winemaker Magazine

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Beer and Wine Resources

Here is a list of e-books that you can purchase to help you make your own wine and beer.


641 Beer Recipes

Easy Brewing Techniques

The Complete Grape Growers Guide

Tips and Secrets To Making Great Wine

Wine Making Made Easy

Home Winemaking: Step by Step

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Vegan Wine

Vegan wine is wine made without animal products. As such it can be part of a vegan diet. While wine is essentially made from grapes, on occasion animalic products are used in small amounts in the production process. Wineries might use animal-derived products as finings. To remove proteins, yeasts, and other organic particles which are in suspension during the making of the wine, a fining agent is added to the top of the vat. As it sinks down, the particles adhere to the agent, and are carried out of suspension. None of the fining agent remains in the finished product sold in the bottle, and not all wines are fined. All Kosher wines are vegan.

Source: Wikipedia



This is something that I really never gave much thought to. Generally, I don't use any finings in my wines primarily because I think just a little bit of sediment leaves some extra flavor. For those of you that want to try a vegan wine prior to making one, check out this list.

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De-Gassing Your Wine

Searching through Youtube and I found this unique way to de-gas your wine. Really worth watching.

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Racking Wine

With the final harvests in, most winemaking goes through the "sit and wait" stage. The stage where you allow your wine to sit and have the solids settle to the bottom. Transferring the wine off the solids (racking) needs to be done from time to time prior to bottling. I found two good articles from the web and have printed a portion to wet your appetite.

Introduction

"Racking" wine is the process of separating wine from its sediment, or lees, and transferring the wine into another container using a siphon.

Things You'll Need

• Clamps For Wine Bottling
• Clean Containers Such As Gallon Jugs Or Barrels
• Siphon Hoses

Step One

Place the container of wine on a table.

Step Two

Place an empty container below the table, such as on the floor or on a lower table.

Step Three

Place the notched end of the siphon tube into the container of wine. Be sure the tube is in the wine but does not touch the layer of sediment. (The sediment should be at the bottom of the container.)

Read the rest of this article at eHow.com

The fourth essential step in winemaking is to siphon the wine off the sediments (lees) into another clean secondary, reattach the fermentation trap, and repeat after another one or two months and again before bottling.

This procedure is called racking. It is done when necessary, not just two or three times as stated above. The rule is, as long as there are fresh deposits on the bottom after a regular interval (30 to 60 days), even if they are just a light dusting, the wine should be racked. Only when that interval passes and there are no fresh lees -- AND the specific gravity is 1.000 or lower -- is the wine ready to be prepared for bottling.

It is not necessary that the interval between rackings be 30 days, 45 days or 60 days, but it should not be less than three weeks. It is perfectly okay to leave the wine on the lees for three months. Beyond that and the wine enters a danger zone caused by dead yeast cells breaking down -- rotting. While this can cause off-flavors and odors if allowed to go on too long, the bigger danger is the formation of hydrogen-sulfide gas, which smells like rotten eggs and can be the death of the wine. But if the lees are stirred every week or so, neither the off flavors, off odors nor hydrogen-sulfide gas form. Indeed, the wine is actually improved by extended contact with the lees as long as they are stirred frequently.

Read the rest of this article at Jackkeller.net

Technorati Tags: Wine, Racking, Homemade

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Cheap Way To Make Wine

Thought that I would experiment with some video and found this series at YouTube.com. I like the way he takes ordinary household items to make his wine. Just goes to show you that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get started. Hope you enjoy.



More In The Series:

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5




Technorati Tags: Wine,, Winemaking,, Cheap, Wine,, Homemade

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4 Tips on Making Your First Wine

Making your first wine can either be a pleasure or a chore. Here are 4 tips to make your first winemaking experience a pleasure.

Use Juice - forget about crushing grapes or any other fruit, buy juice instead. Frozen Welch's works great because it has no preservatives.

Start Small - Don't decide to make a large batch of wine at one time. Instead work at making a gallon or two. Small batches are easy to make and clean up. Besides, making a lot of 1 gallon batches gets you more experience instead of 1 large batch.

Use Kitchenware - Instead of going out and buying tons of new equipment, use kitchenware instead. A new trash can makes a great fermenter. Just make sure it's new, clean and sanitized. Plastic spoons, measuring cups, and measuring spoons can be easily found in most kitchens and will keep your expenses down.

Have Patience - It takes about 4 months before you can even think about drinking your wine. So kick back and wait. Most new wine after a month will taste pretty raw and nasty, so don't rush it.

There 4 tips on making your first winemaking experience a pleasure instead of a chore.



Technorati Tags: Wine, Winemaking, Tips

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Wine Making In 8 Simple Steps

After about six years of wine making and learning about acid testing, pH, balance etc., you wonder if you can condense the process down to just a few simple steps. These simple steps are assuming the following:

1. You are going to use store bought juice’s. ie. Welch’s frozen or any other that does not have preservatives added;

2. You plan to consume your wine as early as possible, usually about 2 – 3 months after primary fermentation;

3. Your not out to win any awards but what something you can kick back with and enjoy.
I know many winemakers would cringe with the 3 assumptions above, but I feel there numerous people looking to get into winemaking and would like to take a simple approach. Or, maybe your are an experienced winemaker looking to make a batch for quick consumption. Either way, here are the simple steps to making wine.

This procedure is designed to make 1 ½ gallons which will probably end up being about 1 gallon bottled.

Procedure

1. Use two 11 ounce frozen juice to 1 gallon of must for a medium bodied wine. For a heavy bodied wine use 4 to a gallon. That means you will need 3 to 6 to make this batch.

2. Dump juice into your primary fermenter and add enough water to make 1 ½ gallons. Check the sugar content by using your hydrometer. If needed add enough sugar to bring the hydrometer reading to between 1.080 – 1.095. Retest after adding sugar and if higher that 1.095 dilute with a little water.

3. If you wish to, you can add two crushed campden tablets to your must. I really don’t think you need to since your must is pretty much sterilized. If you do add campden tablets, you will have to let the must sit for a day prior to adding the yeast.

4. Add your yeast nutrient

5. Add your yeast. Personally, I prefer to use half a packet of dry yeast.

6. Allow to ferment for 7 – 10 days then rack over to secondary fermenter.

7. If you plan to add oak chips, now is the time for that. Keep in the secondary for about 6 to 8 weeks. Rack again.

8. About 2 weeks after the last racking, you can begin to consume your masterpiece. I use either a 1 gallon or 2 gallon plastic water jug with a spout, if I plan on drinking my wine immediately. Otherwise, I just bottle it for later.

There you go. Eight simple steps to making wine. Nothing real hard about it and the best thing is that you can begin drinking it in about 2 to 3 months. Give it a whirl and let me know how your masterpiece turned out.

Tech Tags: Wine, Winemaking, Juice

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