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THE STOMPER
The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com
December, 2003 Issue #41
http://www.grapestompers.com 1-800-233-1505
Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Monday - Friday
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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.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature Article - Free Wine Label to Download
=> Bonnie's Bin - Funneling Wine Gifts to Friends
=> Tom's Cellar - Snowbound and Drinking Wine
=> Ordering Deadlines for Christmas Delivery
=> Feedback from Our Customers
=> Guest Column - Common Winemaking Conversions
=> 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
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FEATURE ARTICLE: Download A Free Wine Label - Our Gift!
By Brant Burgiss, Editor
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Happy Holidays to everyone from the grapestompin' folks
of the North Carolina mountains! We hope you and your
family are ready to have a wonderful holiday season.
There's lots of reasons to celebrate, but we wanted to
give you at least one more...
How about a FREE wine label that you can download and
customize with your own text?
It's easy... all you need to do is point your browser to
this PDF file:
http://www.grapestompers.com/labels/Label_01.pdf
Once the PDF loads in your browser, simply type in your
winery's name, the name of your wine, and the vintage year
(or other text). Once you type in the text on the first
label, the same text will be duplicated in all the other
labels automatically.
All that's left to do is print the page, cut out the
labels, and stick them on your wine bottles. Easy as pie!
In order to download and type in the text for your label,
you'll need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed
on your computer (version 5 or later). The software is
free to download and install, and I'm betting many of you
already have this software running on your computers.
If not, here's the link to download the latest version of
Adobe Acrobat Reader:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
We hope to offer more free labels like this in the future.
Please let us know if you liked the way the label worked,
the fonts selected, or if you'd like to offer layout
suggestions for new wine labels. If you have a favorite
label design you'd like to submit for our consideration,
please send it along to me.
Here's to you... and Happy Winemaking!
You can write to Brant at webmaster@grapestompers.com
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BONNIE'S BIN: Funneling Wine Gifts to Friends
By Bonnie Brown, Manager
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How much easier it is using the new funnels we have. I was
getting along, slowly but surely, with a funnel from my
kitchen. I use the funnels to pour the sanitizing
(potassium metabisulfite) solution into the carboys then
back into the container to reuse.
There is an air groove that lets the air escape so the
pouring goes so much faster. You know me, always looking
for the quickest and easiest way! There is more to life
than making wine. Wine is all-important but there are many
more things that I need and want to do too. The 5" funnel
is fine for the kit wines, but the 8" with a strainer is
ideal for the wines you are making from fruits and veggies
from your back yard. The strainer is removable so you can
use it for all things. That is my new "tool" for this
month. I am enjoying it so much I had to let my wines go
on their own for a few minutes so I could get this down
for you.
I am making up some baskets for my front door closet. That
is where I keep a few things for drop-in guests to take
home with them after a visit! All of the gifts are related
to "wineing" of course! There will be 5 oz. bottles of
several types of wines. Cranberry Chianti will be among
them! It is delightful. Not too sweet, not too dry; a
pleasant after dinner enjoyment.
We have a book that I am taken with. It has ideas and tips
for exploring wines. Hey, a great gift idea!! It covers
ancient wines, wine buying and storing, to food and wine to
American wines... This is not just another wine book for
our shelves, this one will be used! It is called
"The Everything Wine Book" by Danny May and Andy Sharpe.
Ask for item #2810 which sells for $14.52.
We can send the gifts directly to its destination for you.
Just remember to tell us in the COMMENTS section at the
bottom of the online order form. We will send YOU the
invoice and even include a card if you wish. Sorry, we are
not set up for gift wrapping at this time.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all. I wish you the very best in the
New Year.
See you next time...
Bonnie
Life is too short... to drink bad wine... so make your own!
You can write to Bonnie at bonnie@grapestompers.com
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TOM'S CELLAR: Snowed In and Sipping Every Minute of It
by Tom Burgiss, Owner
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Season's Greetings from the Grapestompers Bodega! We just
had our first snowfall here in the NC mountains and how
beautiful the trees look all dressed in white. In our
part of the mountains the big crop here involves the
growing of Fraser fir Christmas trees! Tree farms are all
about us here, so folks drive in from near and far to pick
out their Christmas Tree. The annual event is called
"Choose and Cut Day"; around this time each December you
pick out your favorite tree in the field and then the folks
cut it down. The tree is baled, then placed in or on your
vehicle.
There is an old mountain saying, "If you don't like snow
then that is a sign you're getting old." Guess I'm not
old yet!
Speaking of snow, it reminds me to tell you that sometimes
even the FedEx and the UPS folks can't make the rounds to
pick up your packages that we have ready for shipment.
So if your order comes in a couple of days late, then you
know that it has snowed in the mountains!
Bonnie and Don built a new home very close to the Blue
Ridge Parkway, and following the storm it took her 4 hours
to get home - a trip which usually takes only 20 minutes.
As for me, all I have to do is walk the bridge over a
mountain stream to my back door!
So with that little piece of personal news, let's talk
about the perfect gift. A perfect gift is one where you
make someone happy AND you receive some of the benefits of
the gift yourself. In other words, wine for all to enjoy
for years to come. So why not consider sharing the great
hobby of home winemaking with your friends this holiday
season - in one form or another.
- share wine with friends as you host holiday gatherings
- offer a gift of wine to the hostess of a dinner party
- ask a neighbor to help you bottle and label your wine
- give wine as a birthday gift, or even an anniversary gift
- give winemaking supplies to a wine lover, and help them
discover the fun & satisfaction of making their own wine.
Don't forget... we offer gift certificates that allows your
special someone to pick out the wine they wish to make at
home. Just give us a call at 1-800-233-1505 and let us
help you play Santa! Be sure to order your gifts before
the shipping deadline (see article below).
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Keep your oak barrels fresh and clean between
batches by filling your barrel with a solution
of water and potassium metabisulfite (for
short periods of time) or by burning a sulfur
stick or two (for longer storage periods).
This should help prevent your barrel from
getting a bad case of the creepy crawlies.
Of course, it's always better to have more
wine to put in directly after the other batch
has finished aging!
Hidden special:
Save nearly $42 when you order item #2615,
a small (9" diameter X 11" high) tabletop
hardwood basket press used to squeeze juice
from grapes or other fruit. The tub size
is 3 gallons.
Regular price: $141.13 - Special price: $99.99
Be sure to mention this hidden special when
ordering.
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Here are some things you can do to help us give you better
service. Anytime you have a damaged item, or any other
problem, pick up that phone. We'll be glad to help you.
Sometimes you may run into a busy signal; if this happens,
try again - because in the end you will talk with a LIVE
human!
By the way, sometimes our order or delivery confirmation
e-mails do not get delivered to you due to a block on your
computer or a filter on your mail account. Please check
your systems to ensure you are allowing e-mails from the
following grapestompers accounts:
tom@grapestompers.com
newsletter@grapestompers.com
In addition, you may wish to allow these accounts as well:
bonnie@grapestompers.com
info@grapestompers.com
jimmy@grapestompers.com
That way, we'll be able to communicate with you and let you
know the status of your order.
If you ever have trouble sending an order, just pick up the
phone. Cyberspace is funny like that from time to time.
Tom
You can write to Tom at tom@grapestompers.com
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Ordering Deadlines for Christmas Delivery
by Tom Burgiss
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In order to ensure delivery of winemaking supplies in time
for Christmas, here's our recommendation for ordering:
For deliveries to NC, VA, or SC, please ensure your order
is placed (received by us) by December 16th.
For deliveries to OH, PA, CT, RI, NJ, MD, DE, WV, KY, TN,
GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, AR, IL, or IN please ensure your order
is placed (received by us) by December 15th.
For deliveries to ME, VT, NH, MA, NY, WI, MN, IA, MO, MI
Eastern NE, OK, KS, or TX please ensure your order is
placed (received by us) by December 14th.
For deliveries to ND, SD, Western NE, Eastern CO, NM, and
AZ please ensure your order is placed (received by
us) by December 13th.
For deliveries to all other states on the west coast,
(CA, OR, WA, UT, NV, MT, WY, Western CO, ID) please ensure
your order is placed (received by us) by December 12th.
This schedule is based on deliveries made NLT 20 December,
and allows one extra day to compensate for possible bad
weather.
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FROM OUR CUSTOMERS
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As you might imagine, our office receives quite a bit of
correspondence - mostly through e-mail - here are some
comments we've recently received:
Tom,
We really enjoyed visiting with you Saturday. Your wines
were fabulous and you were interesting and knowledgeable to
talk to. WE WILL BE BACK!!!!!!
Thanks,
-- Milton James
(Pam, Bonnie & Ed)
Dear Tom
A week or so ago I bought some Bocksin from you. When my
grape wine developed the H2S smell, I was devastated -
especially since I grew the grapes myself and this was my
first BIG batch. Most information found on the H2S smell
is discouraging. I finally heard about Bocksin, but there
wasn't much information about it on the Internet. I was
pretty doubtful about it. But aerating my wine, racking,
and sobbing didn't help....so I decided to give it a shot-
I nothing to lose!
I used it a few days after I ordered it from you and LO
AND BEHOLD -in 24 hours the H2S smell was GONE!!!! I was
absolutely thrilled! I quickly racked, sulfited, and put
the wine away for bulk aging (the fermentation having been
completed in five weeks).
Please pass this information on to your customers -
it's important to know that there is an H2S "cure"
available now. I have heard that Montrachet yeast is
notorious for causing H2S problems (though I have never
experienced problems using it before), but you just can't
get the complexity of flavor and startling color that you
get with Montrachet from any other yeast. Will I use
Montrachet again? Absolutely, But I'll keep my Bocksin
on hand! Thanks for carrying it.
Sincerely,
-- Melanie Lee
Dear Tom & Bonnie,
Just wanting to know if you have plans to make a beer type
of [instructional] CD like your wine?
Really like your newsletter - it has been most helpful.
-- Sam McCall
[Tom replies]
Sam, I do not have a film on how to make beer from a kit
like the one we made for making wine. Maybe I can talk
either Bonnie or Brant into making it... They are the beer
experts.
Thanks for your suggestion.
-- Tom
Dear Tom,
The merchandise arrived about an hour ago. It's already
in the primary ferm... Thanks for the good service.
-- Jim Patrick
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GUEST COLUMN - Common Winemaking Conversions
by Joe O'Neal, Bayou LaCroix Vineyard
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Here is a list of some common winemaking chemicals that I
have measured and weighed on my scales. These measurements
should be helpful for winemakers who do not have scales.
Below this list are some suggested dosage rates for various
winemaking chemicals, as well as some metric conversions.
Potassium metabisulfite, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.4 grams
1 teaspoon = 6.2 grams
1 tablespoon = 20.0 grams
Tartaric Acid, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.2 grams
1 teaspoon = 5.0 grams
1 tablespoon = 15.6 grams
Citric Acid, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.1 grams
1 teaspoon = 4.9 grams
1 tablespoon = 14.4 grams
Malic Acid, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.1 grams
1 teaspoon = 4.5 grams
1 tablespoon = 13.2 grams
Fumaric Acid, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.3 grams
1 teaspoon = 5.3 grams
1 tablespoon = 16.0 grams
Acid Blend, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.2 grams
1 teaspoon = 5.1 grams
1 tablespoon = 14.4 grams
Natural Grape Tannin, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.6 gram
1 teaspoon = 2.8 grams
1 tablespoon = 7.8 grams
Fermaid Yeast Nutrient, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.0 gram
1 teaspoon = 4.6 grams
1 tablespoon = 14.7 grams
Yeastex 61, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.8 gram
1 teaspoon = 3.3 grams
1 tablespoon = 9.6 grams
Yeast Hulls (Ghosts), powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.6 gram
1 teaspoon = 2.8 grams
1 tablespoon = 8.7 grams
Di-Ammonium phosphate, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.2 grams
1 teaspoon = 4.9 grams
1 tablespoon = 14.7 grams
Bentonite, KWK, agglomerated
1/4 teaspoon = 0.8 gram
1 teaspoon = 3.4 grams
1 tablespoon = 11.1 grams
Sparkolloid, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.0 grams
1 teaspoon = 3.3 grams
Isinglass (Drifine), powder
1/4 teaspoon = 2.4 grams
1 teaspoon = 7.2 grams
Polyclar VT, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.2 grams
1 teaspoon = 3.9 grams
Polyclar V, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 1.3 grams
1 teaspoon = 4.3 grams
Gelatin, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.8 gram
1 teaspoon = 3.2 grams
1 tablespoon = 9.6 grams
Potassium Caseinate, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.7 gram
1 teaspoon = 3.0 grams
1 tablespoon = 9.0 grams
Calcium Carbonate, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.5 gram
1 teaspoon = 2.6 grams
1 tablespoon = 6.7 grams
Potassium Bicarbonate, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.7 gram
1 teaspoon = 3.3 grams
1 tablespoon = 10.6 grams
Potassium Bitartrate, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.8 gram
1 teaspoon = 3.8 grams
1 tablespoon = 10.2 grams
Ascorbic Acid, powder
1/4 teaspoon = 0.9 gram
1 teaspoon = 4.2 grams
1 tablespoon = 12.0 grams
Potassium Sorbate, prilled
1/4 teaspoon = 0.6 gram
1 teaspoon = 3.0 grams
1 tablespoon = 10.8 grams
Oak-Mor, special, granular
1/4 teaspoon = 1.2 grams
1 teaspoon = 3.7 grams
Oak-Mor, premium, granular
1/4 teaspoon = 1.2 grams
1 teaspoon = 3.5 grams
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Does your wine smell like rotten eggs?
Try aerating your wine by racking and
splashing as you transfer the wine from
one vessel to the other. See this article
for complete details:
http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/hydrogen_sulfide.htm
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Metric Equivalents
1 ounce (oz) = 28.3 grams
1 pound (lb) = 454 grams
1 pound = 0.45 kilograms
1 fl oz = 29.6 milliliters
1 quart = 0.95 liters
1 gallon = 3.785 liters
Calculation of ppm of Sulfur Dioxide
a. 1 gram = 150 ppm in 1 gallon, 30 ppm in 5 gallons.
b. 1/4 teaspoon (1.5 grams) = 225 ppm in 1 gallon or 45 ppm
in 5 gallons.
Tartaric Acid - add 3 tsp. per 5 gallons to raise acidity
1 gr per liter or .1 % tartaric acid.
Water - add 1 litre of water per 5 gallons to reduce
acidity by 1 gr per liter.
Precipitated chalk - add 1/4 oz per gallon to reduce
acidity 1.5 ppt
Gelatin - 11 1/2 tsp or 44 gr per 5 gallons for fining
purposes
Kieselsol - 10 1/2 tsp or 40 gr per 5 gallons for fining
purposes
Bentonite - 14 gr per 5 gallons for fining purposes
Sodium Metabisulphite - 4 gr per 5 gallons to prevent
oxidation
Pectic Enzyme - 1/2 tsp per gallon used to break down
pectin in fruit wines
Yeast Nutrient - 1 tbsp per 5 gallons used for healthier
fermentation
Yeast Energizer - 2 tsp per 5 gallons encourages
fermentation and helps restart stuck fermentations
Potassium Sorbate - 1/2 tsp per gallon stabilizes wine.
2 1/2 tsp per 5 gallons.
Sparkalloid - 12 1/2 gr per 5 gallons used as fining agent
Hope this helps!
Joe O'Neal
"Kamikaze Grower"
Bayou LaCroix Vineyard
blwine@earthlink.net
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Like To Be A Guest Columnist For The STOMPER Newsletter?
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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??
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CORKY'S WINEMAKING DEFINITION
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Brilliant
- A clear and bright - as opposed to cloudy - appearance
in wine.
Look for other wine-related definitions by clicking on
the 'Glossary' button from our home page at
http://www.grapestompers.com
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NEW PRODUCTS
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Here is a list of products recently added to our catalog:
- Item #4601 Wine Glass Charms (holiday design) $15.95
- Item #4604 Wine Glass Charms (wine & cheese) $15.95
- Item #2615 Tabletop Hardwood Basket Press $141.13
- Item #2715A Isinglass, 2 fluid oz. $1.65
- Item #2810 The Everything Wine Book $14.52
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THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS
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grapestompers' specials for the month of December 2003 are:
Item # Description Reg. Price SPECIAL
3249 VDV Chardonnay/Semillon 44.00 35.20
3114 VDV Bergamais (Beaujolais) 52.25 41.80
3184 CSP Chianti (Reserve) 80.63 64.50
3227 VDV White Bordailles (Bordeaux) 42.13 33.70
3274 GC Soave 44.88 35.90
2263 Italian Floor Corker 90.75 71.99
2804 From Vines to Wines, by Jeff Cox 19.25 14.99
2607 Fizz-X Mixer (requires drill) 23.05 19.39
5120 Wine Cellar Express (softens reds) 44.49 36.99
Wine Glass Charms (set of 6)
4601 Charms - Holiday design 15.95 11.99
4604 Charms - Wine & Cheese design 15.95 11.99
2250 Carboy Dryers 8.72 6.69
or buy 3 and pay only $6.00 each
2400 - 2428 All capsules - 100 for $9.00
normal prices (below 100) are $0.14 or $0.15 each.
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 WA, VDV, and GC wine kits are designed to make about
thirty 750 ml bottles of great wine in as little as 28 days;
the CSP Chianti kit creates wine in as few as 45 days.
The Orchard Breezin' and Wine~Art Country 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 -
You can save some money on shipping if you can find your
own wine bottles... if you don't need wine bottles, just
be sure and let us know when you place your order, and we
will adjust the price of the equipment kit accordingly.
You can also upgrade your wine kit and get any other type
of wine you desire, by paying the difference for the
upgrade from the standard concentrate to the upgraded one.
Likewise, you can upgrade from the hand corker to either of
the floor corkers we stock by paying the difference.
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NEXT MONTH'S HIGHLIGHTS
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- 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
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LIST MAINTENANCE
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To SUBSCRIBE to the STOMPER winemaking hints newsletter,
send a blank e-mail to newsletter@grapestompers.com
with a subject line of: subscribe stomper
OR go to our home page and enter your address in the box.
To quit receiving the STOMPER winemaking hints newsletter,
send a blank e-mail to newsletter@grapestompers.com
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OR you can visit this page:
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Past issues of the STOMPER can be found at
http://www.grapestompers.com/newsletter/archives
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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
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