------------------------------------------------------------ THE STOMPER The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com September, 2003 Issue #38 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 it. Instructions to cancel 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 - Calling All Wine Recipes => Bonnie's Bin - Six Weeks Makes a Happier Husband => Tom's Cellar - Get The Most Out of a Wine Festival => Feedback from Our Customers => Guest Column - Uncork Your Wine Stories => How to Be Featured as a Guest Columnist => Corky's Winemaking Definition => New Products => This Month's Specials => Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information *^* Hot Tips are sprinkled throughout the newsletter #&# There is ONE hidden special in this issue ^#^ This month's specials and new products are found towards the bottom of this document ------------------------------------------------------------ FEATURE ARTICLE: Calling All Wine Recipes By Brant Burgiss, Editor ------------------------------------------------------------ Let's hear it for harvest time! This is the time each year we eagerly anticipate... what type of crop will we have this year? How much wine can we make? Hey, someone pass the potassium metabisulfite! This is also the time we pull out our tried and true wine recipes and put them to good use... you DID find yours again this year, right? While you've got your home winemaking recipes out, may I ask a favor? Send us your favorite recipe or two so we can post it on the web site for everyone to see and enjoy! We'd like to offer more wine recipes for a simple reason: You asked! Several of you have written requesting more wine recipes that really work - lower yield recipes (those that produce 1 to 6 US gallons of wine) that vintners can easily reproduce at home. If you'd like to participate in our recipe-gathering process, please send your recipes to: recipes@grapestompers.com We'll give you credit as the source of the recipe, or if the recipe is not yours, we'd like to list the appropriate source to give proper credit. And if fame isn't enough reason to submit your favorite wine recipe, perhaps a little bribery won't hurt... If you submit at least one unique wine recipe* during the month of September, we'll give you a discount on winemaking supplies or products purchased on or before September 30th. For one recipe: 5% off For two recipes: 10% off *If a recipe is submitted more than once, only the first person to send in the recipe will receive credit. Just be sure to sign your name and address, so we can give you proper credit and match it up with your order! Here's to you... and Happy Winemaking! You can write to Brant at webmaster@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ BONNIE'S BIN: Six Weeks Makes a Happier Husband By Bonnie Brown, Manager ------------------------------------------------------------ Hard to think of it right now during all the heat and rain of September, but it is time to plan for our holiday wines. A couple of newer ones, Cranberry Shiraz and Cranberry Chianti, would be awesome for your Thanksgiving celebration. Make a few extras for gift giving at Christmas time. The perfect touch for any get-together. I heard today on the news that if the weather had been a few degrees cooler, that cold rain in the upper Midwest (Michigan) could have been snow! WA, that is just too early. I have been there and have seen it happen, but it is still too early. There is a lot of work going on around here in the North Carolina mountains; the Fraser Christmas tree farmers are busy so I know winter is on the way. Time sure flies when you are having fun, eh? I was having a lot of fun until I ran out of my husband's favorite wine! I am in trouble for the next 6 weeks until it is ready again. I will stall this problem for a bit, I started TWO! I do not want to go through this again. He doesn't understand how I can be making all of these wines and run out of his. LESSON: Keep your spouse well supplied so you can make it for all of your friends! I will agree, I had things a bit out of order there. Well, my ramblings are getting longer and longer, so I will bid you farewell for now. Let us not forget those who went before us and paved the way. See you soon... Bonnie Life is too short... to drink bad wine... so make your own! You can write to Bonnie at bonnie@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ TOM'S CELLAR: Get The Most Out of a Wine Festival by Tom Burgiss, Owner ------------------------------------------------------------ About this time of the year, wine festivals spring up all over as the grapes begin to roll in. Whenever I think about harvest time, I can't help but picture the scene where "Lucy" was squashing the grapes! In fact, the Thistle Meadow Winery and grapestompers.com family are going to be in Charlotte, NC on Saturday and Sunday, September 20-21 with a festival featuring all the wineries from North Carolina. Hope to see some of you there to enjoy the tasting. If I may, please allow me a moment to help you judge the wine best for YOU... so here goes! 1) Bring your own tasting glass with a large bowl at the bottom to help gather the aroma of the wine. The glass should be large enough so that BOTH your lips and your nose are inside the glass when you take a sip. Those smaller glasses do NOT do justice to you or the wine! 2) Take a hint from your tongue... Please decide which wines you prefer (red, white, sweet, dry, etc.) so you can make direct comparisons. If you keep switching back and forth between different wine types, your poor tongue has a terrible time adjusting to wild mouth swings unless you let it rest! So visit all the wineries, focusing on the wine of your choice. This way, you can really compare for the best wine. If you want to taste both reds and whites, taste the dry whites first, then make ANOTHER round for the dry reds! Remember that the sweet wines should always be last. Most of the wineries will have a cracker or something to nibble on to help you cleanse your palate between wines. Remember: sight, then aroma, flavor, and finish is the right order to choose a wine. Am I being snobbish? No... it's your wine, and your money - you should shop wisely for the best! *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* Sanitizing your stainless steel equipment with chlorine? Try using Iodophor instead. Chlorine will cause pitting and corrosion of stainless steel winemaking equipment. Hidden special: We're offering a discount for those who send in a wine recipe this month. See the first article in this issue. Check it out! Have a tip you'd like to submit? Send it to tips@grapestompers.com *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* 3) Above all, go to enjoy the day; learn something new, and be sure to dress for the weather - wine festivals tend to go on - rain or shine. As a reminder, please be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday, October 5th. Our 6th Annual Wine Tasting will take place at 2:30 PM here in Laurel Springs. Bring your own wine glass, or you may purchase a souvenir glass at the door. Admission is free. You may want to come early and enjoy our Sunday Buffet, starting 11:30 AM until 2:00 PM. Jimmy Benge of JIFF Catering promises to have a great buffet for only $6.95. Since we will gather at and around the Burgiss Barn, our tasting goes on rain or shine, hot or cold! Entertainment and music will again be there for you! Tom 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: Dear Tom and Bonnie, Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how we did at the Indy International Wine Competition. Judging is getter rougher and the competition is increasing; more people are making and entering their wines. This year we entered 8 different wines and here are the medals that we were awarded: Gold .... Red Raspberry Silver .. Pear Strawberry Bronze... Gooseberry Razzmatazz (Blueberry and Wild Blackberry blend) We were pleased. Just thought you might like to hear. Thanks, -- Brenda and Roger Hasler Sullivan, IN (amateur winemakers since 1999) Bonnie, Thank you so much for the prompt response. It's nice to know that there are still some companies out there that believe in customer service! :) -- Tim and Barbara Brant, I ordered the corker and downloaded the tutorial. Although I haven't had a chance to read it yet, it looks like a lot more information than I got from my local provider. I think I will be ordering again from you in the future. Thanks for the service. -- Robin Altobelli Tom, Are you aware of any winemaking clubs or groups in the Triangle area of NC (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill)? I can't seem to find one. -- Jay [Tom's reply] Jay, to our knowledge, I know of none to date... we've searched high and low on the Internet and couldn't come up with a club in that area. In the meantime, please feel free to visit us online and in person if you have a chance. [Jay's response] Thanks Tom, I really appreciate that! Grapestompers is the best! I will check out the Thistle Meadow Winery web site you listed and I'm already very familiar with the excellent Grapestompers site. I will definitely try to plan a visit next time I am in the western part of NC. I still can't imagine that a metropolitan area as large as Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill doesn't have a winemaker's group or club... oh well. Thanks again! [Editor's note] What do you say, folks? If anyone is aware of a winemaking club or group in the Triangle area of NC, please let us know so we can pass the info along to Jay. and finally, from the "Oops, we goofed... but we'll make it right" department: Jeff, The carboy I shorted you on the 08/19/03 shipment was shipped today 08/25/03. -- Jimmy Benge grapestompers.com [Jeff's reply] Jimmy, Thanks for the quick response. Things like this happen from time to time, and your willingness to correct it quickly is greatly appreciated. I hope to do business with you many more times in the future. -- Jeff Clark ------------------------------------------------------------ GUEST COLUMN - Uncork Your Wine Stories by Brant Burgiss ------------------------------------------------------------ Sorry, but no one has stepped forward to offer this month's guest column. You don't have to be a winemaking expert to contribute! Just send us three or four paragraphs of a funny wine experience, or a lesson learned when you first started making wine. That's all there is to it. The idea is to share a laugh or a tip, so others can enjoy! *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* Once you've finished racking your wine into a clean and sanitized carboy for clearing, be sure to place the carboy in an elevated location, like on a countertop or table. That way, when it's time to rack again, you won't have to move the carboy. If you did, it could easily disturb the lees and cause your wine to get cloudy again! Have a tip you'd like to submit? Send it to tips@grapestompers.com *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* We look forward to receiving your article for publication in a future issue of The Stomper. Just send your submissions to articles@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Like To Be A Guest Columnist For The STOMPER 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ Nitrogen - An inert gas used by winemakers to take up headspace in a carboy or bottle. Since nitrogen is heavier than air, its presence helps displace oxygen and keep it away from your wine. This helps to prevent oxidation. Look for other wine-related definitions by clicking on the 'Glossary' button from our home page at http://www.grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ NEW PRODUCTS ------------------------------------------------------------ Here is a list of products recently added to our catalog: - Item #2805 The Complete Meadmaker, by Ken Schramm $23.76 212 pages of mead recipes and tips for newbies ------------------------------------------------------------ THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS ------------------------------------------------------------ grapestompers' specials for September 2003 are: Item # Description Reg. Price SPECIAL 3252 VDV Gewurztraminer 45.76 38.89 3114 VDV Bergamais (Beaujolais) 52.25 44.41 3233 CC Chenin Blanc 66.88 56.84 3237 CC White Zinfandel 71.50 60.56 3288 WA Mist Pink Grapefruit Blush 48.51 41.23 3169 WA Mist Cranberry Shiraz 45.60 38.74 3706 BH Prairie Wheat Beer Kit 31.02 26.37 2412 Bottling Wax - Burgundy 6.96 5.90 2416 Bottling Wax - White 6.96 5.90 2210 Ferm bucket, lid, spigot combo 15.35 12.99 2711 Claro KC Clarifier 1.54 1.29 2744 Super Smoother (oak & glycerin) 2.20 1.87 4300 Mulberry Bark Wine Gift Bag (grn) 5.00 4.25 4303 Mulberry Bark Wine Gift Bag (purp) 5.00 4.25 2314 Synthetic closures, black (ea) 0.23 0.16 2804 Book: From Vines to Wines 19.25 16.95 3700 Complete Beermaking Kit 191.82 169.99 3200 Complete White Wine Starter Kit 246.68 175.00 3100 Complete Red Wine Starter Kit 259.79 185.00 The VDV and WA wine kits are designed to make about 30 750 ml bottles of great wine in as little as 28 days. The Cellar Classic wine kits come off in as few as 45 days, and also make about 30 bottles. The Wine~Art Mist wine kits are refreshingly sweet with plenty of fruit flavor, with an alcohol content from 7% to 9%. Wine and beer kit abbreviations explained: BH = Brew House beer kit CC = Cellar Classic wine kit GC = Grand Cru wine kit WA = Wine~Art wine kit MM = Mosti Mondiale wine kit OB = Orchard Breezin' wine kit VDV = Vino del Vida wine kit CSP = Cru Select Platinum wine kit CSG = Cru Select Gold wine kit 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 Adhesive Thermometer AND YOU GET THE FOLLOWING ITEMS FREE ($16.79 value): - Free Wine Labels (text of your choice) - Free triple scale hydrometer - 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 or her 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 credit card... 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, as well as the text you want on your free wine labels. If you prefer, 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 - Another Guest Article - Submit yours today! - 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 quit receiving the STOMPER winemaking hints newsletter, send a blank e-mail to newsletter@grapestompers.com with a subject line of: unsubscribe stomper OR you can visit this page: http://www.grapestompers.com/quit_stomper.asp Past issues of the STOMPER can be found at http://www.grapestompers.com/newsletter/archives ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright (c) 2003 grapestompers.com. All rights reserved. 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 ------------------------------------------------------------