Perhaps the most interesting question currently running through the wine industry involves finding value. Given economic upheaval and the current economic crisis, this certainly shouldn’t be surprising.
Starting at your local grocery store, have a look at what’s currently on sale. There are many reasons for sales at the grocery store, but a little knowledge about the wine industry can give you some real bargains here. For example, most of the sales will offer a few dollars off, while others will give 50% off or more. Some of the deep discounts on wine will be caused because of poor quality and a need to move the overpriced merchandise. Other wines will be discounted because of bad publicity. Recently Gallo(the California winery) announced that it had purchased a large amount of French Pinot Noir and bottled it, only to find out later it was actually Merlot. The result was all Gallo Pinot Noir, even the Pinot from specific vineyards in California, being marked at half price.
Secondly, look for winemakers personal labels. For example the winemaker at Vineyard 29, Keith Emerson makes a truly outstanding wine which is labeled under the name Emerson Brown. Using winemakers personal labels, often gives you access to great grapes and the best equipment in the industry. In this case it will give you a $50 bottle of wine that would otherwise be selling for at least $120. There are plenty of other examples in this space because virtually every single winemaker makes their own personal label wine. Often an email to the winemaker or the winery itself can allow you to taste this secret wine on your next tasting trip. The quality if often very high because the winemaker is making wine they want to drink themselves, or making wine their family wants to drink. It’s another form of expression as well as another income stream for the winemaker.
Lastly, it’s important to note that value can be found by simply finding a winery or monthly wine club that you enjoy, becoming a member and then enjoying the discount that you receive on bottles which you re-order.
I hope you’ll take advantage of these three simple ways to receive value in your next wine shipment. Wine clubs specifically are often willing to sell their last few bottles at a significant discount. You can also look at sites such as Cinderella wine which offers a specific each bottle at well under retail value.
Want more wine information? Want to join a real wine club that is interested in more then just taking your money for their real business? Use promo code EZine at Uncorked Ventures to take 10% off your first wine club order just for reading this article!
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Author: Mark A Aselstine
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The art of making wine at home is becoming popular today because it lets people shave off entertainment costs. Additionally they have more types of wine to choose from.
Keeping entertainment costs low
For $40 or less you can purchase a home made wine kit. If you prefer the high end flavors, you can purchase an eighty-dollar kit. You can get them online or from live wine shops. Home wine kits can produce 23 liters of wine on the average. That is enough to fill 30 standard-size bottles.
The figures amount to spending approximately a dollar or two for every 750 ml. of wine you produce. If you are giving the home made wine away as gifts, you should include the cost of the bottle in your total expenditure. Otherwise, that should be regarded as a separate investment. For our purpose, the expenses for cork need not be considered.
If you go to wine stores, you can probably buy nice wine bottles for about $9 each. That figure becomes lower if you are buying in bulk. In such a case producing and packaging your home made wine practically amounts to $10 for each 750 ml. That price is definitely lower than the price of ready-made wines that you enjoy drinking.
It is now fifty years since wine stores started selling home made wine kits. And these kits are even more popular today than ever.
Wide selection of flavors
If you purchase wine in a store, you have a narrower range of options than if you get home wine kits. Besides traditional blends of grapes, there are flavors that are more akin to what modern people prefer. There are kits for wines made from blackberry or kiwi. You will also find tropical fruit assortment wines.
There are home made wine flavors that are good for a small company or for a big party. You can select the particular types of fruit flavor that your guests like. And because you can mix the wine kits with one another, you can create your own distinctive personal favorites. Your guests will always anticipate your parties because they know you will have some kind of exotic wine waiting for them.
Be choosy in selecting kit brands
Each year, the number of people who are switching to wine kits is increasing, partly due to the constraints of the economy and the prices of ready-made wines.
Because there are many businesses selling home made wine kits, you should look for the best ones to make your home made wine from. Suggestions from friends, recommendations of people on the internet, and perhaps the advice of wine experts are very important indicators for which brands of kits are the best.
They last for years
Home made wines that don’t contain enhancers like sulfites will last for some years. Otherwise, they can remain good for as long as commercial wines do. You can, yourself, add these enhancers to the wine if you want them to last for many years. The choice is yours. However, nowadays, most people don’t attach much importance to aging. Is that because wine bottles empty too fast?
More information on Wine Making Kits, Wine Making and Home Brewing can be found at http://beerwinemakingkits.com/.
Author: Billy McFly
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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In this article you will be given a brief introduction to the wine making process and a summary of each step from harvesting to bottling. Wine making has been around for thousands of years and it is quite a natural process that requires very little human intervention. Every wine maker has their own special process which contributes to the uniqueness and diversity of wines, making life much more interesting. Although there are many different methods and variations involved in creating wine, there are five essential steps that must take place. These five steps include harvesting, crushing/pressing, fermentation, clarification, and aging or bottling.
The first step of making wine is known as harvesting or picking of grapes. Grapes are the only fruit that can reliably produce the necessary amount of sugar on an annual basis to yield sufficient alcohol to preserve the wine. Tannins, esters, and acids are other factors of grapes that help provide consistency. Grapes must be harvested at exactly the right time, ideally when physiologically ripe. Modern wine makers rely on a combination of science and old-fashioned tasting to determine when to harvest their grapes. Usually outside consultants, vineyard managers, and proprietors all have a vote in the decision of when to harvest. Picking grapes can be done with the use of machines or it can be done by hand. Most wineries prefer the latter claiming that mechanical harvesters can be too rough on the grapes, vines, and land. After the harvest wine makers sort the grapes into bunches sifting out rotten and under ripe fruit before crushing.
Crushing is the next step in the wine making process which is now done with mechanical presses. For thousands of years this step was done by men and women who performed the harvest dance in barrels and stomped on the grapes, turning them into must. Although machines have removed the romance and ritual of these traditions, there has been a huge gain in regards to sanitation. Mechanical crushing has improved the quality and longevity of wine while also reducing the need for preservatives. Keep in mind, not all grapes begin the transformation to wine in the crushing step. Some wine makers allow fermentation to begin with uncrushed grape clusters, allowing the weight of the grapes to burst the skins naturally before being sent to the presses. There is no difference in the process of wine making for reds and white until the crushing step. For a white wine, the maker will quickly press the must after crushing to separate the juice from the skins, seeds, and solids. This prevents color and tannins from getting into the white wine. Red wine on the other hand is left in contact with its skins to infuse color, flavor, and tannins into the wine.
After the grapes have been crushed and pressed, the must is allowed to sit and will begin to ferment within 6-12 hours with the help of wild yeasts in the air. Some wineries welcome this natural fermentation while others will intervene and eliminate the natural, wild yeasts and add yeast that produces a more predictable end result. Once fermentation begins it will usually continue until all sugar is turned into alcohol leaving a dry wine. This can be a period of anywhere from 10 days to a month. Alcohol levels will vary from one wine to the next depending on the sugar amount in the initial must. Wines made in cool climates will generally produce an alcohol level of 10 percent and wines made in warmer climates can be up to 15 percent. For sweet wines, the fermentation is cut short to allow some of the sugar to be preserved. This is almost always intended by the wine maker for a specific style of wine.
Once the fermentation is completed the clarification process begins. Wine makers can rack or siphon their wine from one tank to another to separate the wine from the precipitates and solids at the bottom of the first tank. Filtering is done with large filters that catch large solids and with sterile pads that strip all life from the wine. Fining happens when substances such as egg whites, clay, and compounds are added to the wine to clear them out. These substances will stick to the solids and push them to the bottom of the tank. The stripped wine will then be transferred to another vessel for aging and bottling.
Finally, the wine is either bottled immediately or allowed to age. Aging can be done in a bottle, stainless steel or ceramic tanks, and large wooden barrels called barriques. This last stage leaves room for endless choices on behalf of the wine maker and has a defining impact on the final product. Hopefully this article has taught you the basics of the wine making process and a tiny bit of history. The next time you enjoy a bottle of wine you can reflect on everything that happened leading up to you sipping that wine from your glass!
If you are interested in learning more about wine and the wine making process, most wine of the month clubs provide an informative newsletter with their monthly wine selection.
Author: Michael Callicotte
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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