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THE STOMPER
The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com
July, 2004 Issue #48
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 welcome to pass along this newsletter to your wine-
making friends; we only ask that it be sent in its entirety.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature Article - A Case of Wine to Go With the Surf
=> Bonnie's Bin - Plan for Harvest Time Now
=> Tom's Cellar - Short Course on Corks
=> Feedback from Our Customers
=> Upcoming Events
=> Guest Column - Wine Label Removal Hint
=> How to Be Featured as a Guest Columnist
=> Cooking With Wine: Grilled Swordfish with Charmoula
=> 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: A Case of Wine to Go With the Surf
By Brant Burgiss, Editor
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Vacations and deadlines do not mix... witness the late
arrival of this month's Stomper! Perhaps it had something
to do with that case of wine we took to the beach. At any
rate, I hope everyone is having a great July and your fruit
and grapes are doing well. As Bonnie reminds us below,
harvest time isn't far away at all.
Now to some news...
This month, RJ Spagnols is releasing two new Cellar
Classic Harvest Wines.
- Italian Barolo Bianco
- California Cabernet Syrah Zinfandel
We have ordered a bunch and will let you know when they
arrive... so keep an eye on our online product list. These
wines join the others in the CC Harvest collection:
- German Riesling Auslese
- Italian Pinot Grigio
- Italian Sangiovese Merlot
- Spanish Tempranillo
If you've not tried any of these international favorites
yet, please request them soon because only a limited stock
is available. I think the Pinot Grigio goes great with
fresh seafood from the coast!
Read more about these new Cellar Classic Harvest wines:
http://www.rjspagnols.com/wine_ccHarvest.asp
We hope everyone in the Tar Heel State had a chance to go
to the NC Wine Festival, which was held on June 12th at
Tanglewood (near Clemmons, North Carolina). Tom and the
gang at Thistle Meadow Winery had a great time meeting
everyone and pouring samples! Over 20,000 people attended
the show, which featured over 24 wineries from across the
state, as well as food and craft vendors.
As before, Monty Combs captured the event on his digital
camera. See some photos he took during the festival:
http://www.thistlemeadowwinery.com/2004_NC_Wine_Festival.asp
That wraps it up for this month. Here's to you... and
Happy Winemaking!
You can write to Brant at webmaster@grapestompers.com
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BONNIE'S BIN: Plan for Harvest Time Now
By Bonnie Brown, Manager
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Start thinking now of the harvest and the winemaking that
will follow. As much as possible, plan ahead and order your
supplies before you need them. Remember last year or the
year before, when you waited until the last minute? A lot
of us did! Let's avoid that this year. Double check the
contents of the supplies you have on hand to make sure they
are still dry, not clumpy. Most additives stay active and
usable as long as they are kept cool and dry.
Speaking of dry, have any of you come up with a great way
to keep a basement winemaking area dry? We would like to
share those ideas with others who are remarking about the
problems they are having. Please, we need your help and
input. Tips and ideas freely shared help so many, so keep
them coming.
When you do make an order, please place your orders
from our secure web site order form. There are fewer
mistakes this way. Actually the web site is secure and our
phones and plain e-mails are not. All of our phones are
cordless so the risk is greater that someone can listen in.
Help us in keeping errors down. We love to chat with you
about wines but we would really like to see the orders in
black and white so we can double check before filling the
order wrong. This way, the mistakes are ours! Also when
placing the orders online you do not have to deal with a
busy signal or unanswered calls when we are out to the
barn getting supplies or helping a customer load up.
Dare to be different, do some exploring, you may find a
great wine ingredient right in your own back yard.
'Til next month... keep your glass upright!
We hope to see you soon.
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: Short Course on Corks
by Tom Burgiss, Owner
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QUESTION: What three countries lead the world in cork
production?
ANSWER: Portugal, Spain, and Italy account for 90% of the
world’s production of corks.
So settle in for a moment so we can discuss corks via
the Stomper!
WHAT SIZE CORK SHOULD I USE?
Each month, several folks ask us what size cork they should
be using. The general rule on cork size is that #9 sized
corks (both 1 ½" and 1 ¾ inches in length) fit 95% of all
wine bottles. You must have a corker to put them in the
bottle since the cork’s diameter has to be reduced by about
20-30% before they will fit inside the neck. Using a hammer
will simply not work, and if you use one, it is very likely
you will injure yourself courtesy of a broken bottle.
PROPER CORKING KEEPS THREE ENEMIES OF WINE AT BAY
Of course, all of us know that the 3 main enemies in the
production of wine are oxygen, bacteria, and mold. Proper
corking - from the selection of corks, timing of bottling,
and corking equipment and technique - plays a huge role in
keeping these enemies at bay. By maintaining a tight fit
in the neck of the bottle, the cork helps minimize the
amount of oxygen coming into the bottle or wine seeping out!
As far as the bacteria are concerned consider these facts:
- Cork is a natural product that is "punched" out of the
bark of a cork oak tree.
- It takes 9 years or more to replace the bark on a cork
tree. That's a lot of time between harvests.
- The thickness and quality of the cork largely depends
upon the growing conditions (weather) of the cork tree.
Annual rainfall, average temperature and humidity, amount
of sunlight, etc. all have an effect on the final product.
The corks we sell at grapestompers.com come to us from
Portugal. Many of the corks you see in our online catalog
are of the agglomerate type; that is to say, they are made
from chips of natural cork. These chips are microwaved to
kill bacteria, pressed together, then microwaved again for
bacteria. The corks are then coated with silicone and
sent to us under a sulfite gas seal in a thick plastic bag.
We place the bags of corks in a room built so we can store
them at the proper temperature and humidity. Due to the
production method, the agglomerated corks are also uniform
in size, thereby allowing for no gaps in the cork itself to
allow seepage.
Ironically, these agglomerated corks are less likely than
punched corks to leave floating chips of cork in your wine
when you remove the cork from the bottle. They hold up
well and at the present time, the manufacturers are saying
these corks will hold for 4-5 years (a time limit is placed
due to the fact that the new type of agglomerated cork we
stock have only been in use that long and they have to wait
another year to observe before adding anther year to the
product's warranty).
SHOULD I SOAK MY CORKS?
Lots of people have asked us whether we soak our corks
when we make our own wine...
We do not soak them in sulfite solution, or anything else
for that matter. Some folks have done it for years and
still swear by it. I think the practice of soaking corks
prior to bottling might have been valid in the olden days,
back when home winemakers had to suffer through poorer
quality natural corks, inconsistent quality control and
harmful storage environments.
Nowadays, the corks available for purchase by the home
winemaker are of better quality, are less likely to have
sat on a hot dry shelf for an extended period of time,
and are coated for protection and ease of insertion.
But I realize that old habits die hard, so if you insist on
soaking your corks I would recommend that you soak them in
a solution of Potassium Metabisulfite, Item #2732.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Here's another tip from down under - fill an
aerosol bottle with potassium metabisulfite
solution and spray whenever you need to
sanitize something.
This method saves a lot of soaking and leaves
more time for drinking.
Our thanks to Tony Baker from New Zealand for
providing this tip.
Hidden special:
#5119 Cooper Cooler, Rapid Beverage Chiller
Reg. $99.04, this month only $86.17
That's a 13 percent savings for a product
that will chill a bottle of wine from room
temperature to freezing cold in 3 minutes.
BE SURE to mention this hidden special when
ordering, or you will not get the right price.
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
WHAT ABOUT PLASTIC CLOSURES?
I do not personally like plastic closures (never refer to
them as "plastic corks" because they are not made of cork),
because I've found they do not always provide the tight
seal to which I am accustomed. I have noticed that in a
lot of cases, the closure actually spins in the neck of the
bottle as you try to insert a corkscrew. Recently I have
run across commercial wineries that have problems with
seepage around the closures... have you seen this too? If
you notice this, please call it to their attention so they
can guard against it in the future.
DOES IT MATTER WHICH CORKER I USE?
As long as your corker properly seats the cork in the neck
of the bottle, either type of corker (hand or floor corker)
will give you good results when matched with the proper
cork. See our recommendations below.
Your choice of corker will also depend upon your budget,
the amount of wine you bottle per year, as well as your
proclivity to physical exertion (bottling with a hand corker
takes a lot of balance, strength, and stamina).
Floor corkers are great to have if you are pressed for time
(they're quicker to use than hand corkers), have back pain
or are otherwise limited in mobility (you can cork with one
hand while standing), or have a lot of wine to bottle.
With a hand corker I recommend our signature "grapestompers"
cork, which is Item #2322, and if you have a floor corker
we recommend Item #2320. Our policy regarding corkers is
simply this: When you get tired or if you are dissatisfied
with your hand corker, then you may return the one you
purchased from us and get full credit applied towards the
purchase of a floor corker.
We always try to keep you in mind... we're here to help
and assist you in any way we can at grapestompers.com.
Tom
You can write to Tom at tom@grapestompers.com
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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:
Aloha Tom!
It's funny how we were talking on the telephone this
morning about my order, and sure enough, it did arrive
today in the afternoon mail.
The order arrived complete and in "good shape!"
I would like to thank you and your staff with the true
"Aloha" that you all extend to your customers. It's not
just the sales but the personal attention that you give
each of us that makes it feel more than just a transaction.
Much appreciated!
-- Joe Alatalo
Maui, HI
Hi Tom and Bonnie:
You have been an invaluable resource for the beginning
winemaker. Living in the state of Washington I am almost
obligated to learn how to make the "mystery red stuff".
The crops were great this past year. At peak brix 23 the
flavor was intoxicating. The Pinot Noir crush was a perfect
balance. Yakima Valley's Cabernet and Merlot crop was
outstanding. Some of the Oak Barrels are available for
$40.00 each.
You'll have to sterilize them and scrub them extremely well
but they are the French Oak.
They were beautiful - The winery hopes to produce a
superlative wine from these grapes; we'll see in 3 to 5
years.
Again, thank you for your site and keep up the great work.
I always thought doing what you loved was FUN.
-- Lena Stevens
Hi,
Just read the [latest Stomper]. Thanks for all the info -
I copy it and read it over again. I look forward to the
emails. Keep them coming, I can use all the info I can get
as I am new with this wine making. But [I am] getting
better!
-- Bob Stewart
Brant/Bonnie,
Thank you very much for the quick response and follow
through on the broken carboy. In an industry that's
competing to sell similar products, it's the consulting,
service & support provided by Grapestompers that separates
you from the rest of the crowd! Once again, many thanks!
Both the UPS and Grapestompers cartons appear to be in
perfect condition suggesting that the damage did not occur
during handling by Grapestompers nor during handling by UPS.
So, as a friendly suggestion, you may want to revisit
handling procedures with your carboy manufacturer and/or
supplier... especially if damaged carboys are a regular
occurrence. Just a suggestion... whatever course of action
you decide (if any) is fine by me.
I'm a delighted customer. Once again thanks for the great
support!
Thanks,
-- Jerry Gura
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UPCOMING EVENTS
By Tom Burgiss, Owner
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Take a look at the upcoming events for grapestompers.com,
the Burgiss Barn, and Thistle Meadow Winery:
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Each Sunday through mid-October, the Burgiss Barn offers
a lip-smacking lunch buffet from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM.
You'll love the food prepared by Chef Jimmy and the gang
at JIFF Catering. We'll even throw a hot yeast roll to
you when you sit down... so bring your catcher's mitt.
Lunch costs $8.00 for adults, which includes everything...
meats, veggies, rolls, dessert, drink, and the tip.
See the Burgiss Barn's web site for information on live
bluegrass and mountain music, with dances held on several
Saturday nights this season:
http://www.burgissbarn.com
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Make your plans to attend grapestompers' 7th Annual Wine
Festival on Sunday, October 3rd at our location in Laurel
Springs, NC. Please call or e-mail to register for this
event 800-233-1505. Admission is only $5.00 per person,
and includes wine tasting, heavy hors d'oeuvres, live music,
and local artisans showing off their handmade crafts.
Customers of grapestompers.com are invited to come and show
off the wines they've made during the previous year. If
this interests you, please call Tom at the number above.
Other local wineries from the Yadkin Valley have been
invited to participate, so be sure and mark your calendar.
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GUEST COLUMN - Wine Label Removal Hint
By John Mulhern, Schaumburg IL
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Are you still making wine? Are you bottling in used wine
bottles - like I am? I learned something interesting over
the weekend. I was scrubbing, scraping, and generally
wrestling with stubborn old commercial labels. I was
bottling six (6) gallons of wine, so I had to get 50 bottles
ready. I had 30 previously employed "Wooden Shoe" bottles,
from which the labels literally float off - I glue them on
with glue sticks. The twenty "new" bottles were giving me
fits. As usual, I was running hot water and soaking the
labels, then scraping them with a knife blade, then
scrubbing them with ScotchBrite pads. For the truly
stubborn glues - where do these guys get this stuff? -
I use Goo Gone, which leaves a greasy, oily residue, and
takes yet another cleaning step.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
If you're stomping grapes by using your bare
feet, don't forget to wash and sanitize your
toes, feet, ankles, and lower legs before
the squishing begins.
It may seem ironic to clean what may be
smelly feet, only to make them stink again
with a sulfite solution - but the folks who
will drink your wine will thank you!
Oh... and never use iodine-based sanitizers
(like Iodophor) to clean your feet - that
stuff stains something awful.
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Then inspiration struck. I turned off the hot water and
turned on the cold. Holding the bottle under the trickle
of cold water I again started scraping with the knife.
Instead of becoming soft & sticky, the glue became brittle
and readily flaked off the bottle. A little application of
the ScotchBrite pad and I had pristine bottles!
And they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
You can contact John at Bluewinkle@aol.com
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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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COOKING WITH WINE: Grilled Swordfish with Charmoula
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Editor's Note: In May, we asked for your input regarding
your favorite recipes made with wine. We've had some great
responses so far, and Chef Jimmy can't wait to see more!
The following is our second installment of customers'
recipes made with wine. If you would like to submit your
favorite recipe, send them to jimmy@grapestompers.com.
Grilled Swordfish with Charmoula
Source: Quick from Scratch - Fish
Serves 4
Charmoula is a flavorful Moroccan tomato sauce flavored
with cumin, lemon, and plenty of cilantro or parsley, and
it couldn't be easier to make. Just throw the ingredients
in a blender or food processor and puree.
WINE RECOMMENDATION:
Choose a Pinot Blanc from Alsace in France or a Pinot Gris
from Oregon; both are delightful, easy-drinking white wines
that will have enough body and the requisite moderate
acidity to pair with the spicy tomato sauce.
Ingredients
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
4 swordfish steaks, about 1 inch thick (about 2 lbs in all)
Method
Light the grill or heat the broiler. Put the tomatoes in a
blender or food processor and add 4 tablespoons of the oil,
the lemon juice, cumin, paprika, oregano, ginger, 3/4 tsp
of the salt, 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper, and the parsley.
Blend just until the mixture becomes a coarse puree.
Coat the swordfish with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and
sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 tsp
pepper. Grill or broil the fish for 4 minutes. Turn and
cook until golden brown and just done, about 4 minutes
longer. Serve the sauce alongside.
FISH ALTERNATIVES
Cod, halibut, tilefish, mahi-mahi, mako shark, sturgeon, or
tuna - just about any fish steaks can stand in for the
swordfish.
If you would like to submit a recipe that includes wine,
please send it to Jimmy Benge at jimmy@grapestompers.com
Thanks for your input!
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CORKY'S WINEMAKING DEFINITION
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Malolactic Fermentation
- A secondary fermentation that occurs in most wines and
converts malic acid into softer lactic acid and carbon
dioxide, which reduces the wine's acidity. MLF can soften
red wines (like Cabernet or Merlot), and adds complexity to
hearty whites (such as Chardonnay).
NOTE: Malolactic fermentation should NOT be induced in
wines made from kits like the ones sold by grapestompers.
This is something you may choose to do when making wine
from scratch.
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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These are products that were recently added to our catalog:
- Item #5119 Cooper Cooler, Rapid Beverage Chiller, $99.04
- Item #3166 Grand Cru Merlot, $55.00
- Item #4740 Jute Showcase Wine Gift Bag, single, $4.49
- Item #4744 Jute Showcase Wine Gift Bag, double, $7.24
We've also just received a whole bunch of new wine-themed
T-shirts... please phone 800-233-1505 for details.
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THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS
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grapestompers' specials for the month of July 2004 are:
Item # Description Reg. Price Special
3211 OB Green Apple Gewurztraminer 45.00 35.90
3289 OB Strawberry Riesling 43.45 34.76
3227 VDV White Bordeaux 45.76 36.66
3173 WA Black Currant Merlot 50.36 39.95
3156 GC Cabernet Franc 53.13 42.50
3135 CC Shiraz 88.00 70.40
2719 White Wine Enhancer, 16 oz 3.12 2.49
2742 Potasium Sorbate, 1.5 oz 1.98 1.58
2735 Bentonite, 4 oz 1.32 0.99
2215 1.5 Gallon Ferm Bucket w/Lid 4.13 3.30
2202 Carboy Handle 4.50 3.59
2205 3 Gallon Glass Carboy 13.97 10.99
2203 1 Gallon Clear Glass Jug with cap 3.29 2.63
3200 Complete White Wine Starter Kit 232.29 180.00
3100 Complete Red Wine Starter Kit 241.42 190.00
See below for a description of the Complete Starter Kit.
Did you see this month's hidden special? It's located
elsewhere in this newsletter.
The VDV (Vino del Vida) wine kits are designed to make about
thirty 750 ml bottles of great wine in as little as 28 days;
CC (Cellar Classic) and CSG (Cru Select Gold) kits create
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
Fast Flow Spigot
And you get the following items free ($16.79 value):
- 30 Customized Wine Labels (text of your choice)
- Triple scale hydrometer
- 1.5" 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 refund of $19.95 on your credit
card... that's like getting the video at no cost! 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 also save on shipping if you can locate 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 offer 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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Past issues of the STOMPER can be found at
http://www.grapestompers.com/newsletter/archives
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Copyright (c) 2004 grapestompers.com. All rights reserved.
grapestompers.com
102 Thistle Meadow
Laurel Springs, NC 28644
Boring stuff for lawyers: 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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