------------------------------------------------------------ THE STOMPER The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com March, 2002 Issue #20 http://www.grapestompers.com 1-800-233-1505 Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Monday - Friday ------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the latest issue of "THE STOMPER", a newsletter of winemaking hints and other wine-related articles. You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription and have an interest in home winemaking. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter. Feel free to pass along this newsletter to your winemaking friends; we only ask that it be sent in its entirety. ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS ISSUE ------------------------------------------------------------ => Feature Article - Sharing the Gift of Winemaking => New Products => Bonnie's Bin - Preparing For Spring => This Month's Specials => Tom's Cellar - Polish Your Wine with a Great Label => Feedback from Our Customers => Guest Column - Who's Next? => How to Be Featured as our Guest Columnist => Corky's Winemaking Definition => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information *^* Hot Tips are sprinkled throughout the newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------ FEATURE ARTICLE: Sharing the Gift of Winemaking By Brant Burgiss, Editor ------------------------------------------------------------ A crazy phenomenon is sweeping across our nation and the world... people are rapidly discovering the fun of home winemaking and are eager to share their new-found hobby with friends and family. It seems to start out innocently enough, with a bottle of wine being given as a gift to a neighbor or co-worker. It isn't long before the recipient is asking for more - another bottle of wine and more information about how they made this great-tasting stuff! Many of these folks are now winemakers themselves, all because you shared a bottle of your wine. We're happy (and flattered) that your friends have chosen to order their supplies from us... thank you for recommending us! Some of our customers are SO EXCITED about winemaking, they have contacted us about the possibilities of opening their own winemaking supply business in conjunction with grapestompers.com. We are currently in negotiations to help them realize their goal of earning some extra money on the side or finding a new full-time vocation. If you are interested in learning our business and desire to open up your own operation, we'll provide the training and all the secrets of our trade when you visit our head- quarters in Laurel Springs, NC. You'll stay with us in our farmhouse bed and breakfast (circa 1899), and enjoy great food, wine, and company. Please call Tom at 800-233-1505 if you're interested. Here's to you... and Happy Winemaking! You can write to Brant at webmaster@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ NEW PRODUCTS ------------------------------------------------------------ Here is a list of products recently added to our catalog: - Item #3137 Grand Cru Chat Dormant Wine Kit $49.99 - Item #3226 Cellar Classic Piesporter Wine Kit $62.26 - Item #2792 Blackberry Flavoring for Wine and Beer $4.51 - Item #2793 Apple Flavoring for Wine and Beer $3.63 - Item #2784A Complete Sake Kit $11.99 (includes 5 pkg. yeast and 3 oz. citric acid) - Item #2932 Haier Wine Cooler (holds 20 bottles) $350.00 - Item #2930 Haier Wine Cooler (holds 30 bottles) $390.00 We now stock Haier wine coolers (refrigerators made especially to store wine). Wine will keep longer if the bottles are stored at the proper temperature and humidity; consider one of these units as an investment in your wine collection! Features: - Elegant smoked glass door - Slide out black rack - Adjustable temperature 45 - 65 degrees F - Auto settings for red and white wines - Plugs in standard 110 V outlet - Dual Function LED readout - Soft interior lighting - Lockable door - 20 or 30 bottle size Measurements (inches): - 20 Bottle Size Width - 19.9" Depth - 21.7" Height - 30.7" - 30 Bottle Size Width - 19.8" Depth - 22.2" Height - 38.3" Price: - 20 Bottle Size Regular $398.00 Sale $339.00 SAVE 15% - 30 Bottle Size Regular $465.00 Sale $379.00 SAVE 18% ------------------------------------------------------------ BONNIE'S BIN: Preparing For Spring By Bonnie Brown, Manager ------------------------------------------------------------ Tom and I are both in "prepare" mode. He is preparing to go skiing for a week with some of his family and I am assigned to attend the big wine trade show in Lancaster PA. I will only spend one day there and will have to cram a lot into it. Sure hope I find a lot of new and exciting stuff there. I will let you know next month. We think spring is in the air around here; the yards are full of robins on their way back north for summer. They are looking really healthy. That will give you guys up north something positive to think on! THERE IS HOPE! Wines are bubbling away in our fermenting room. Smells so good in there! Temps are a bit on the cool side so we are letting some of them ferment an extra couple of days to make up for it. We have had another spurt of damaged packages from both UPS and FedEx lately. We were just discussing how it seems to come in spurts. We go for a while so smoothly, and then it explodes! If it is happening to you, please bear with us. We will do our best to get a replacement out to you as soon as we know of the damage. THANKS to many of you who tell us right up front what is missing or damaged. That gets the replacement to you faster. I do hope we are about through this latest rash of drop-kicked packages! That's about it for March. Too many things going on in our personal lives and in the business. Every month we say, "I will be glad when this month is over, maybe it will settle down." Now I think we are settled down, only we are getting older so it seems like it is always hectic. I bet our children would laugh! Have a WONDERFUL March ya'll. Save the water... Drink Wine! Bonnie May wisdom be with our leaders today... May we all help to raise wise leaders for tomorrow... 'Tis a wonderful day in the mountains... Life is too short... to drink bad wine... so make your own! You can write to Bonnie at bonnie@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS ------------------------------------------------------------ grapestompers' specials for the month of March 2002 are: Save 10% on our entire stock of Ice Wine Kits AND Save over 10% on assorted test equipment AND Save over 18% on assorted Liquor Quik essences AND Save more than 12% on our Kitchen Cordial Recipe Book AND Save over $70 on the purchase of a Complete Winemaking Starter Kit which includes a RED or WHITE Concentrate (see wine kit selection below) Item # Description Reg. Price SPECIAL 3302 Spagnols Ice Wine (Traditional) 63.16 56.33 3304 Spagnols Ice Wine (Red) 63.16 56.33 3305 Spagnols Ice Wine (Blush) 63.16 56.33 2604 Green Line Hydrometer 5.45 4.83 2603 Triple Scale Hydrometer 5.31 4.66 2598 Wine Thief/Test Jar Combo 6.69 5.88 2599 Adhesive Thermometer 2.08 1.78 2771 Irish Cream, Liquor Quik essence 3.64 2.98 2750 Scotch Honey Whiskey, Liquor Quik 3.64 2.98 2758 Sambuca, Liquor Quik essence 3.64 2.98 2768 Amaretto, Liquor Quik essence 3.64 2.98 2821 Kitchen Cordial Recipe Book 2.04 1.78 3200 Complete White Wine Starter Kit 246.68 175.00 3100 Complete Red Wine Starter Kit 259.79 185.00 The ice wine kits are 12 liter kits... no water to add at all, but you do need a three-gallon carboy to make these. Each ice wine kit makes about 30 - 375 ml bottles. Here's what you get with the COMPLETE Starter Kit: If choosing the Complete WHITE Kit, your choice of either: Fume Blanc, Piesporter, or Chenin Blanc VDV concentrate If choosing the Complete RED Kit, your choice of either: Valpolicella, Shiraz, or Cabernet/Merlot VDV concentrate PLUS ALL THESE GOODIES: Tom's Winemaking Video Bottle Rinser Fermenter Bucket with lid Three-Piece Airlock 6-Gallon Glass Carboy Carboy Brush Bung (stopper) Bottle Filler Five feet of vinyl tubing B-Brite Sanitizer Portuguese Hand Corker FermTech AutoSiphon 2 Cases of 750-ml Bottles Long Handled Spoon Bottle Washer Adapter Brass Bottle Washer Bottle Drainer, 45 station AND YOU GET THE FOLLOWING ITEMS FREE ($16.59 value): - Free Wine Labels (text of your choice) - Free $5 coupon towards your next concentrate purchase - Free Corks (30 corks, enough for one batch) Just think: This complete kit offers EVERYTHING a brand-new hobbyist would need to begin making his own wine. All you need to decide is which wine kit you want! And don't forget... you can always return your winemaking video and receive a credit for $19.95 on your next purchase... that's like getting the video for free! All we ask is that you return it in good condition. This is the best deal we've ever offered on a complete kit, so don't miss out... order one for yourself or a friend today. Ask for RED Complete Kit # 3100 or WHITE Kit # 3200 and be sure to let us know which wine concentrate you want. NEW! Now you can "personalize" your Complete Kit - Let's say you don't need or want some of the items that normally come with the Complete Kit... just give us a call at 1-800-233-1505 and let us know which items you don't need, and we will adjust the price of the equipment kit accordingly. Likewise, if you'd like a different wine kit, just let us know and we can adjust the price. ------------------------------------------------------------ TOM'S CELLAR: Polish Your Wine with a Great Looking Label by Tom Burgiss, Owner ------------------------------------------------------------ A little effort makes a big difference - A clean car looks good, A polished apple looks great, And a neat label on your wine bottle looks terrific!! Here at grapestompers.com we want to help you look terrific by providing personalized wine labels for your bottles as you share your wine with your friends. Ever since we opened for business, we have offered free wine labels with any concentrate you have purchased from us. To date, we have published thousands, and each year we try to make improve- ments to make them even more interesting! As you may know, we have a new color laser printer and a label program that allows us (with a little imagination) to set you apart from the crowd. We've recently added some new designs to our label page... have a look! http://www.grapestompers.com/cat104.htm If you will tell us about yourself, your hobbies, your favorite scenes, animal(s), your holidays, etc., then this will help us to design a label tailored especially for you! Of course, we also need a unique name for your label - i.e. Jones Finest, Jones Cellar, Jones Estates, Jones Vineyard, Jones Winery, Maison Jones, Chateau Jones, Jones Holler, Jones Farm, Jones Creek, Jones Mountain, Jones River.... enough already! But as you can see, the possibilities for naming your winery are endless... so help us out and let us know your preference when you order. If you didn't buy a grape concentrate, don't worry... you can still get personalized wine labels by ordering Item #2501. Several of our customers who make wine from scratch do this. We have lots of images of various fruits that will work well on your label. *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* Dress up your wine bottles with an embossed initial or figure using a brass sealing-wax stamp. These stamps are commonly found in stationery stores for reasonable prices. After dipping the top of your bottle in bottle sealing wax, simply stamp your chosen impression on top of the cork while the wax is still soft. Have a tip you'd like to submit? Send it to tips@grapestompers.com *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* Our labels are made from standard paper - 8.5 x 11" size and 20# weight - but with a unique twist... the back of the paper is coated with natural wheat glue, so all you have to do to apply the labels to your bottle is dampen them with a sponge. Cleanup is a snap... when your bottles are empty, hold them under hot water for 15 seconds and the label falls off. Recycling your bottles after using our labels is easy as pie! Our label paper comes in three colors: - white - canary (yellow) - light blue so be sure to tell us what color to use for your labels if you have a preference. Otherwise, we'll do our best to match the paper color with the design of the label. And since we use a laser printer to print the labels, the ink is heat applied and the colors will NOT run if the label should ever get wet. This is a marked improvement over labels that have been printed by an ink jet or bubble jet printer. We've even designed the size of the label so the entire label can be read without turning the bottle. We think for the money (FREE) you simply cannot beat it! We don't mean to imply that our labels are professionally designed or are printed on heavy label stock like bottles you'd find in the store or supermarket. Shoot, if that were the case, we couldn't give them away for free! But every bottle of your homemade wine deserves a nice label, and we do our best to help "polish" that bottle for you! Folks sometimes ask us if we have a source for ordering real "professional labels"... if you are ready to order them in thousands, you can get them for about 20-50 cents each. Just call us if you're interested, and we can put you in contact with some of these companies. You can write to Tom at tom@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ FROM OUR CUSTOMERS ------------------------------------------------------------ As you might imagine, our office receives quite a bit of correspondence - mostly through e-mail - here are some comments we've recently received: This week we bottled the Bourgeron Rouge and the Port. Both turned out extremely well, especially the Port and it still needs time to bottle age. We are drinking the Bourgeron Rouge right now and am still in shock as to how good it is! I bought it because it did not need to age as long as the Cab and it has exceeded all of my expectations. Tell your new customers that want to enjoy a good red without waiting 6 months, this is a great option. As to the Port, WOW. We fortified it with 750ml of Everclear, instead of the full liter and its flavor right now is comparable to any $20 bottle. I can't wait to see what it does in 4 months. Now that I know the process works and delivers a quality wine, I want to understand what the wine is doing. In my next order, you will notice I am adding some more test equipment. I also ordered some oak beans... Thought I'd start playing around a little as I do like a moderately oakey wine. I am also going to send you the [winemaking] tape back, although I am going to miss you and Bonnie on the tube! We have watched the tape at least 3 times. Well, time for a refill! Take care, -- George & Janna Cornelius Carrollton, TX Tom and Bonnie, I want you to know, I really like doing business with you, and you will get all my business. You seem to be "down home" folks. Thank you. -- Tony Cromer Fairmont, IN Tom, The folks who have tasted the wine I made have flipped over it! I'll keep in touch... looking forward to making the Grand Shiraz. Talk to ya soon! -- Bill Coble Gulfport, MS Tom, I have really enjoyed your newsletter and would like to continue getting it. Our local supply house has recently closed and I plan on using you in the future for all my winemaking needs. I have surfed the net and by far you have the most complete and organized catalog. And the best prices. I enjoy making wine from fresh fruit that my wife and I pick from local growers. Right now we have 5 gallons of strawberry and 5 gallons of blueberry bulk aging and ready to bottle in a month or two. I look forward to placing my first order with you soon. From one winemaking Tom to another, thank you so much for your commitment to winemaking and its promotion. -- Tom Trezise Hey Tom, The sake turned out OK, and if you let it settle it comes out clear as a bell. It's a little on the yellowish side, don't know what to say about that, but there is definitely a buzz in the bottle. Talk to you later, -- Dick Cercone Rensselaer, IN ------------------------------------------------------------ GUEST COLUMN - Who's Next? ------------------------------------------------------------ Sorry, but there is no guest column this month. Any volunteer contributors out there? We'll give you full credit for your home winemaking article, as well as a link to your web site or e-mail address. Read on to find out how to be our next guest columnist... ------------------------------------------------------------ How To Be A Guest Columnist For STOMPERS Newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------ If you'd like to be our next guest columnist, simply send your three- or four-paragraph article to articles@grapestompers.com. If your article is selected for use in a future STOMPER newsletter, you'll receive the attention of thousands, a coupon good for a discount on your next grapestompers.com order, as well as our heartfelt thanks. So what are you waiting for?? ------------------------------------------------------------ CORKY'S WINEMAKING DEFINITION ------------------------------------------------------------ Astringency - The slight "dry tongue" feeling that tannin gives a wine, creating a dry sensation on the tongue and palate. Look for other wine-related definitions by clicking on the 'Glossary' button from our home page at http://www.grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ NEXT MONTH'S HIGHLIGHTS ------------------------------------------------------------ - More Winemaking Stories from Tom's Cellar - Another Surprise from Brant - More Specials - The next article from Bonnie's Bin - More Customer Testimonials - New Winemaking Products ------------------------------------------------------------ LIST MAINTENANCE ------------------------------------------------------------ To SUBSCRIBE to the STOMPER winemaking hints newsletter, send a blank e-mail to newsletter@grapestompers.com with a subject line of: subscribe stomper To UNSUBSCRIBE from STOMPER winemaking hints newsletter, send a blank e-mail to newsletter@grapestompers.com with a subject line of: unsubscribe stomper Past issues of the STOMPER can be found at http://www.grapestompers.com/newsletter/archives ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright (c) 2002 grapestompers.com Boring Legal Stuff: Content is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of this info cannot be guaranteed. Opinions expressed by guest columnists and customer letters are those of the authors and not necessarily those of grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------