This is how red wines are made, mostly on the commercial level.
Among the many types of wine available, red wine is among the best.
There are many types of red wine available, although most are made
using the same methods. This very exhilarating type of wine is made
from black grapes, drawing their color from the skins of the grapes.
During the beginning stages of making red wine, the grapes that have
been picked are put into a crusher. Here, the crusher will gently
break the skins of the grapes. Depending on what type of wine is
being made and the tannin that’s required, the stalks will either be
used or discarded at this point. Next, the grapes are put into a
fermentation vat with the skins. This can be a long process, taking
several weeks to complete. If a higher temperature is used, more
tannin and color will be extracted from the grapes.
When making soft wines, the whole grapes are fermented using sealed
vats. The carbon dioxide that becomes trapped in the sealed vats
ferment the grapes under pressure, which is normally a quick process,
taking only a few days. Keep in mind, the color and tannin content of
the wine is based on how long the fermenting process takes. If the
fermenting process takes a long time, the wine will generally hold
more flavor and color.
The remaining bulk of the grapes will go through a press, being
crushed to create a tannic wine. Sometimes, this tannic wine is added
with a free run wine in order to add a bit more structure to the wine
blend. Both the press and vat wine are then mixed and transferred to
either tanks or barrels for a second fermentation. The second
fermentation will take the longest, although it brings out the quality
and taste from the wine.
All types of fine red wine will spend a minimum of a year in the
barrels. Some types of red wine will spend a lot more time in the
barrels, possibly several years. Red wine is also fine tuned with egg
whites, which will suspend the yeast and other solids found in the
wine downwards, before the wine is racked, filtered, and eventually
bottled. Once the wine has been bottled, it is then shipped off and
sold. Some wine however, will be stored for a period of time in the
bottle before it is offered for sale.
The time a wine spends in the bottle is very important, although not
every wine needs to spend a lot of time in the bottle. The more
complex and more expensive types of red wine will benefit the most
from aging in the bottle, to preserve flavor and color. The simple
types of red wine however, don’t need to spend much time at all in the
bottle.
Keep poppin them corks!
Chef Brian
Chef Brians Cooking Tips
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
What is Ice Wine?
With this post we will explore Ice Wine, how it's made
and why it is so rare.
Although there are several types of wine that you buy,
one of the most unheard of is ice wine. Ice wine is a
very rare form of wine, a wine that is produced under
certain types of weather conditions. Ice wine is
mainly produced in the Pacific Northwest region, where
the weather conditions are right for the wine.
As ironic as it is, ice wine is produced in very small
quantities. With the wine requiring only the finest of
quality and a lack of availability, the product is
extremely rare indeed. Truth be told, there are only a
lucky few who are actually able to purchase the wine.
Ice wine, due to the scarce amount, can be extremely
expensive and out of the price range for a majority of
us.
Much like the beauty of owning a diamond, ice wine is
something that many of us hope and dream to experience
at some point in our lives. Although the materials are
rare, the weather conditions are even more crucial to
producing this wine. Once the right weather conditions
arrive, the wine maker prepares to produce this
extremely rare and priceless wine.
The basic requirements needed to produce ice wine are
fully ripened grapes and a temperature of around 5
degrees C. The temperature needs to stay that way for
several days, so that the wine maker can complete the
process of making the wine. Grapes that are frozen
during these extremely cold temperatures are hand
plucked at night by the wine maker and his assistants.
To produce a bottle of ice wine, full vine grapes may
be required. Once the grapes have been collected, they
are gently pressed, in order to collect the running
juice only. The temperature creates the frozen water
crystals, which are fermented along with sugars and the
particles that are found in the free running juices.
Through this process, the wonderful and rare ice wine
is created.
If you have been looking to try ice wine, finding it
may be very difficult. As you probably already know,
most alcohol and wine stores don’t sell this rare wine.
Finding it online is very hard to do as well, unless
you catch it at the right time. Even then, if you are
able to find it, it can easily cost you hundreds or
thousands of dollars for a single bottle.
The best way to experience ice wine is to find the
right wine maker in the Pacific Northwest region. Even
though bottles go extremely fast once they have been
made, you may be able to catch a wine maker with some
on hand. Be prepared to spend a hefty amount though.
Although it can cost a lot and be extremely hard to
find - the taste of ice wine makes it well worth the
effort.
For a complete resource on how to make homemade wine
Go To ==> Make Homemade Wine <== and pick up the book,
over 90 recipes and all the fine details to make wine.
and why it is so rare.
Although there are several types of wine that you buy,
one of the most unheard of is ice wine. Ice wine is a
very rare form of wine, a wine that is produced under
certain types of weather conditions. Ice wine is
mainly produced in the Pacific Northwest region, where
the weather conditions are right for the wine.
As ironic as it is, ice wine is produced in very small
quantities. With the wine requiring only the finest of
quality and a lack of availability, the product is
extremely rare indeed. Truth be told, there are only a
lucky few who are actually able to purchase the wine.
Ice wine, due to the scarce amount, can be extremely
expensive and out of the price range for a majority of
us.
Much like the beauty of owning a diamond, ice wine is
something that many of us hope and dream to experience
at some point in our lives. Although the materials are
rare, the weather conditions are even more crucial to
producing this wine. Once the right weather conditions
arrive, the wine maker prepares to produce this
extremely rare and priceless wine.
The basic requirements needed to produce ice wine are
fully ripened grapes and a temperature of around 5
degrees C. The temperature needs to stay that way for
several days, so that the wine maker can complete the
process of making the wine. Grapes that are frozen
during these extremely cold temperatures are hand
plucked at night by the wine maker and his assistants.
To produce a bottle of ice wine, full vine grapes may
be required. Once the grapes have been collected, they
are gently pressed, in order to collect the running
juice only. The temperature creates the frozen water
crystals, which are fermented along with sugars and the
particles that are found in the free running juices.
Through this process, the wonderful and rare ice wine
is created.
If you have been looking to try ice wine, finding it
may be very difficult. As you probably already know,
most alcohol and wine stores don’t sell this rare wine.
Finding it online is very hard to do as well, unless
you catch it at the right time. Even then, if you are
able to find it, it can easily cost you hundreds or
thousands of dollars for a single bottle.
The best way to experience ice wine is to find the
right wine maker in the Pacific Northwest region. Even
though bottles go extremely fast once they have been
made, you may be able to catch a wine maker with some
on hand. Be prepared to spend a hefty amount though.
Although it can cost a lot and be extremely hard to
find - the taste of ice wine makes it well worth the
effort.
For a complete resource on how to make homemade wine
Go To ==> Make Homemade Wine <== and pick up the book,
over 90 recipes and all the fine details to make wine.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
How To Make Wine At Home
Here is an article I wrote and submitted to various
directories a short time ago. Enjoy!
To make homemade wines with the recipes and ingredients
here all one needs is a gallon-size glass bottle, a
saucepan and a polyethylene pail. Make certain to use
polyethylene as some plastics are not suitable. Do not
use aluminum, copper, or enamel vessels to make your
homemade wine with.
Sterilization is mandatory for all utensils, bottles
and corks, especially corks. One should use commercialy
available plastic corks until you know how to properly
sterilize natural corks.
Ordinarily, baker's yeast and white granulated sugar
are used by the average homemade wine maker. A special
wine yeast and invert sugar makes the best wine
possible.
Wine yeast is capable of producing eighteen per cent of
alcohol by volume (32 proof), against the fourteen per
cent of bakers' yeast.
Starting what is called a 'nucleus ferment'or nutrient.
A small jar will do for this. About a 1/2 cup of water
and a teaspoonful of sugar are boiled together for a
minute and then allowed to cool. This is then put into
a sterilized jar and the yeast added in whatever form
it is obtained. Allow to set for 3 days covered with
plastic wrap and rubber band.
Preparing the fruit: Various types of wild yeast and
bacteria are on the fruit naturally and must be dealt
with. Our method, known as the 'sulphiting' method,
does this. For more detailed information on
"sulphiting" go to ==> Sulphiting A Must <==
How to make homemade wine:
Crush the fruit by hand in the poly pail and pour on
one quart of distilled water. Mix well. Crush one
campden tablet and dissolve the power in 1/2 cup of
warm water and mix with pulp. Leave the mixture for 1
or 2 hours. A little discoloring may happen. After
this, take 1/3 of the sugar to be used and boil this
for 1 minute in 3 pints of water. Allow this syrup to
cool and then stir into the pulp. Then add the yeast
(or nutrient) and ferment for 7 days.
After 7 days, strain the pulp through fine cloth and
wring out as dry as you can. Put the strained homemade
wine into a gallon jar and discard pulp. Then boil
another 1/3 of the sugar in one pint of water for 1
minute and when cooled add it to the rest. Plug the
neck of the jar with cotton wool or fit a fermentation
lock and continue to ferment the homemade wine in a
warm place for a further 10 days.
At this stage, pour the homemade wine into the poly
pail leaving as much deposit in the jar as you can.
Clean out the jar, sterilize it and return the homemade
wine to this. Boil the remaining 1/3 of the sugar for 1
minute in 1 pint of water. When this has cooled, add it
to the rest. Refit the lock or plug the neck of the jar
with fresh cotton wool.
After this, the homemade wine should be left in a warm
place until all fermentation has ceased.
Clearing: it is usual to have a brilliantly clear
homemade wine a month before fermentation has ceased so
patience is required here. After all fermentation has
ceased, siphon the clear homemade wine (if not yet
crystal clear) into another jar leaving the deposit
behind. Then when the homemade wine is finally crystal
clear it should be siphoned into bottles and corked.
To get the maximum alcohol and to get total
fermentation the ideal temperature at which to keep a
'must' is between 65-70 degrees F.
Fully ripe fruit is essential if we hope to make the
best homemade wine.
CHERRY WINE (A Delightful Sweet Wine): 8lb. black
cherries, 7pts. water, 3 1/2lb. sugar (or 4lb. invert),
all-purpose wine yeast or Bordeaux yeast, nutrient.
PLUM WINE (Port Style): Dark red, fully ripe fruits
must be used. 10lb. plums, 7pts. water, 3 1/2lb. sugar
(or 4lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.
GRAPE WINE Homemade grape wine is much more difficult
and requires 20 pounds of grapes so unless you own a
vineyard it is not cost effective to make homemade
grape wine.
Summary: A summary of the foregoing is this: after
several batches you will get the rythm of making
homemade wine down to a tee. With further knowledge you
will be able to make homemade wines with a strength,
clarity, flavour and bouquet of which you will be
justly proud.
For a complete resource about homemade wine making
Go To => Wine Making Recipes <=
directories a short time ago. Enjoy!
To make homemade wines with the recipes and ingredients
here all one needs is a gallon-size glass bottle, a
saucepan and a polyethylene pail. Make certain to use
polyethylene as some plastics are not suitable. Do not
use aluminum, copper, or enamel vessels to make your
homemade wine with.
Sterilization is mandatory for all utensils, bottles
and corks, especially corks. One should use commercialy
available plastic corks until you know how to properly
sterilize natural corks.
Ordinarily, baker's yeast and white granulated sugar
are used by the average homemade wine maker. A special
wine yeast and invert sugar makes the best wine
possible.
Wine yeast is capable of producing eighteen per cent of
alcohol by volume (32 proof), against the fourteen per
cent of bakers' yeast.
Starting what is called a 'nucleus ferment'or nutrient.
A small jar will do for this. About a 1/2 cup of water
and a teaspoonful of sugar are boiled together for a
minute and then allowed to cool. This is then put into
a sterilized jar and the yeast added in whatever form
it is obtained. Allow to set for 3 days covered with
plastic wrap and rubber band.
Preparing the fruit: Various types of wild yeast and
bacteria are on the fruit naturally and must be dealt
with. Our method, known as the 'sulphiting' method,
does this. For more detailed information on
"sulphiting" go to ==> Sulphiting A Must <==
How to make homemade wine:
Crush the fruit by hand in the poly pail and pour on
one quart of distilled water. Mix well. Crush one
campden tablet and dissolve the power in 1/2 cup of
warm water and mix with pulp. Leave the mixture for 1
or 2 hours. A little discoloring may happen. After
this, take 1/3 of the sugar to be used and boil this
for 1 minute in 3 pints of water. Allow this syrup to
cool and then stir into the pulp. Then add the yeast
(or nutrient) and ferment for 7 days.
After 7 days, strain the pulp through fine cloth and
wring out as dry as you can. Put the strained homemade
wine into a gallon jar and discard pulp. Then boil
another 1/3 of the sugar in one pint of water for 1
minute and when cooled add it to the rest. Plug the
neck of the jar with cotton wool or fit a fermentation
lock and continue to ferment the homemade wine in a
warm place for a further 10 days.
At this stage, pour the homemade wine into the poly
pail leaving as much deposit in the jar as you can.
Clean out the jar, sterilize it and return the homemade
wine to this. Boil the remaining 1/3 of the sugar for 1
minute in 1 pint of water. When this has cooled, add it
to the rest. Refit the lock or plug the neck of the jar
with fresh cotton wool.
After this, the homemade wine should be left in a warm
place until all fermentation has ceased.
Clearing: it is usual to have a brilliantly clear
homemade wine a month before fermentation has ceased so
patience is required here. After all fermentation has
ceased, siphon the clear homemade wine (if not yet
crystal clear) into another jar leaving the deposit
behind. Then when the homemade wine is finally crystal
clear it should be siphoned into bottles and corked.
To get the maximum alcohol and to get total
fermentation the ideal temperature at which to keep a
'must' is between 65-70 degrees F.
Fully ripe fruit is essential if we hope to make the
best homemade wine.
CHERRY WINE (A Delightful Sweet Wine): 8lb. black
cherries, 7pts. water, 3 1/2lb. sugar (or 4lb. invert),
all-purpose wine yeast or Bordeaux yeast, nutrient.
PLUM WINE (Port Style): Dark red, fully ripe fruits
must be used. 10lb. plums, 7pts. water, 3 1/2lb. sugar
(or 4lb. invert), port yeast, nutrient.
GRAPE WINE Homemade grape wine is much more difficult
and requires 20 pounds of grapes so unless you own a
vineyard it is not cost effective to make homemade
grape wine.
Summary: A summary of the foregoing is this: after
several batches you will get the rythm of making
homemade wine down to a tee. With further knowledge you
will be able to make homemade wines with a strength,
clarity, flavour and bouquet of which you will be
justly proud.
For a complete resource about homemade wine making
Go To => Wine Making Recipes <=
Sunday, August 5, 2007
How To Make Labels For Your Homemade Wine
If you are making your own homemade wines, it only
makes perfect sense to make your own homemade labels.
Making your own labels is the only way for you to know
the homemade wines contents, age and characteristics.
Having clear and concise homemade labels will make it
easier when you are looking for a specific wine for
it's flavor or characteristic without trying to
remember the character of each batch. Making your own
homemade wine labels is easy and is something you can
do in a couple hours.
You will need to know both types of contents, the fruit
you started with and the yeast. You need to write on
the homemade label the history of the wine, the vintage
year, and the type it is, the alcohol % and maybe a
little about the flavor of your homemade wine. By
doing a little research in the recipe book, you will
know the approximate alcohol percentage. For instance
as I write this I am sipping on a Nov. 2005, black
grape, alcohol at about 13%, semi-dry finish, I call it
my Cabernet, Yummy!
To make the homemade labels for your homemade wine you
will need to have a computer, printer, plain paper or
label stock, software that has graphics and scissors or
paper shear. If you don't have Microsoft Office, there
is a free program at openoffice.org that will do the
task of creating your homemade wine labels just fine.
It is up to you how fancy you want your labels to be.
They can be plain and just have the immediate
information on them or you can get artistic and add
some design onto your wine bottles.
I recommend going to your favorite wine store for
ideas. Check out the labels on the other small
vineyards bottles. You will find many labels that look
like they made them on a computer! You may even find a
few winery labels of less quality than you will be
creating.
Start with a graphic for the homemade wine label that
will "brand" you. When in the store I am sure you found
many types of animals like zebras, elephants,
kangaroos, as well as logos like tipped over wine
glasses and such. Try to think of a simple graphic that
will convey your attitude or character. While reading
labels, pay attention to what they have written on
them, your homemade wine labels will want to say
similar things.
Your homemade wine bottles will look stunning on the
wine rack when you have these beautiful homemade labels
on them. When your friends come over, offer up a unique
looking bottle of your finest work. They probably will
not know it is homemade wine until you tell them. I am
not kidding, some of the labels you will see at the
store are a joke. You can easily come up with a
homemade wine label that will impress the wisest of
critiques.
These homemade wine labels will look great on any
bottle of homemade wine that you give to someone as a
present or bring to a dinner party. I always enjoy
that, bring a two dollar cost bottle of homemade wine
to an elegant dinner party and wait for the compliments
from the enthusiasts!. Not only will you be giving
them a great gift with the homemade wine that you have
created, you will compliment the gesture with your own
branded label. This will be an idea that they will
love and that you will be proud to give them.
You do not have to make the homemade labels look
perfect. All you have to do is have some imagination
and the right equipment. You can make all of your
homemade wine bottles look like they were bought at a
fine wine store. With the combination of one or two
graphics and some well placed text, your homemade wine
bottle labels will give your homemade wine the perfect
finish.
Chef Brian has put together a great resource for the home wine and beer maker.
Everything you will need to know in order to make wines and beers with hundreds
of recipes to keep you busy with your new home brew hobby.
Go To ==> Make Homemade Wine <== Today!
makes perfect sense to make your own homemade labels.
Making your own labels is the only way for you to know
the homemade wines contents, age and characteristics.
Having clear and concise homemade labels will make it
easier when you are looking for a specific wine for
it's flavor or characteristic without trying to
remember the character of each batch. Making your own
homemade wine labels is easy and is something you can
do in a couple hours.
You will need to know both types of contents, the fruit
you started with and the yeast. You need to write on
the homemade label the history of the wine, the vintage
year, and the type it is, the alcohol % and maybe a
little about the flavor of your homemade wine. By
doing a little research in the recipe book, you will
know the approximate alcohol percentage. For instance
as I write this I am sipping on a Nov. 2005, black
grape, alcohol at about 13%, semi-dry finish, I call it
my Cabernet, Yummy!
To make the homemade labels for your homemade wine you
will need to have a computer, printer, plain paper or
label stock, software that has graphics and scissors or
paper shear. If you don't have Microsoft Office, there
is a free program at openoffice.org that will do the
task of creating your homemade wine labels just fine.
It is up to you how fancy you want your labels to be.
They can be plain and just have the immediate
information on them or you can get artistic and add
some design onto your wine bottles.
I recommend going to your favorite wine store for
ideas. Check out the labels on the other small
vineyards bottles. You will find many labels that look
like they made them on a computer! You may even find a
few winery labels of less quality than you will be
creating.
Start with a graphic for the homemade wine label that
will "brand" you. When in the store I am sure you found
many types of animals like zebras, elephants,
kangaroos, as well as logos like tipped over wine
glasses and such. Try to think of a simple graphic that
will convey your attitude or character. While reading
labels, pay attention to what they have written on
them, your homemade wine labels will want to say
similar things.
Your homemade wine bottles will look stunning on the
wine rack when you have these beautiful homemade labels
on them. When your friends come over, offer up a unique
looking bottle of your finest work. They probably will
not know it is homemade wine until you tell them. I am
not kidding, some of the labels you will see at the
store are a joke. You can easily come up with a
homemade wine label that will impress the wisest of
critiques.
These homemade wine labels will look great on any
bottle of homemade wine that you give to someone as a
present or bring to a dinner party. I always enjoy
that, bring a two dollar cost bottle of homemade wine
to an elegant dinner party and wait for the compliments
from the enthusiasts!. Not only will you be giving
them a great gift with the homemade wine that you have
created, you will compliment the gesture with your own
branded label. This will be an idea that they will
love and that you will be proud to give them.
You do not have to make the homemade labels look
perfect. All you have to do is have some imagination
and the right equipment. You can make all of your
homemade wine bottles look like they were bought at a
fine wine store. With the combination of one or two
graphics and some well placed text, your homemade wine
bottle labels will give your homemade wine the perfect
finish.
Chef Brian has put together a great resource for the home wine and beer maker.
Everything you will need to know in order to make wines and beers with hundreds
of recipes to keep you busy with your new home brew hobby.
Go To ==> Make Homemade Wine <== Today!
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