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THE STOMPER
The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com
September, 2004 Issue #50
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 - Even Lucille Ball Needs Vitamins
=> Bonnie's Bin - Order Pick Up During Wine Tasting
=> Tom's Cellar - Parlez-Vous Southernese?
=> Feedback from Our Customers
=> Upcoming Events
=> Guest Column - Best-Laid Plans Foiled By A Cork
=> How to Be Featured as a Guest Columnist
=> Cooking With Wine: Italian Peasant Chicken
=> 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: Even Lucille Ball Needs Her Vitamins
By Brant Burgiss, Editor
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I don't know about the rest of you, but do you remember
those hilarious episodes of "I Love Lucy"? There was one
show in particular where Lucy was so desperate to become
a movie star she decided to star in a commercial touting a
product called Vitameatavegamin.
The commercial called for her to say the line "And it's so
tasty, too," whereupon she would take a big swig of the
nutrient-laden vitamin drink. But no one told Lucy that
the stuff tasted wretched, and when she made an awful face,
the director made her do the whole commercial over again.
The problem was... the vitamin drink also contained alcohol,
and soon (after several more takes) Lucy was "lit".
This funny episode reminds me that like humans, your wine
also needs nutrients to ensure complete fermentation.
Learn how to add nutrients to your raw must - so your wine
yeast can do its job - by reading this winemaking article:
http://www.grapestompers.com/articles/yeast_nutrients.htm
On another note, RJ Spagnols has just released a new line
of wine kits, called Vino del Vida World Tour. These kits
contain 9 liters of premium grape juice and concentrates,
versus 7 liters of concentrate alone for the normal VDV
kits, and the grapes for these kits come from around the
world. Take a look at their new line:
- Chilean Sauvignon Blanc
- Italian Pinot Grigio (in stock, Item #3259)
- Washington Riesling
- Australian Shiraz
- Chilean Cabernet/Merlot
- Italian Valpolicella (in stock, Item #3148)
Read the official press release from Spagnols here:
http://www.rjspagnols.com/wine_vinodelvida.asp
We'll let you know when the other 4 VDV World Tour kits
are in stock.
And finally...
We're presently updating our online winemaking tutorial,
so that it more closely resembles the new procedures for
the wine kits made by RJ Spagnols. We'll let you know when
the upgrade is complete.
That wraps up my part 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: Order Pick Up During Annual Wine Tasting
By Bonnie Brown, Manager
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One quick important reminder now because the October
STOMPER won't be issued until after grapestompers' Annual
Wine Tasting, scheduled for October 3rd. You need to know
before you arrive:
- If you want to place orders for pick up on the 3rd of
October, please do so by September 27th so we have
adequate time to assemble, charge out, and have ready
for you. The day of the tasting is so busy we will not
be putting orders together. We will have your names on
the boxes near the loading dock. We ask that you pick
them up on your way out so nothing gets damaged while
sitting in a warm vehicle. You will be asked to sign for
your packages to lessen any potential confusion.
With that bit of business completed, let's move over to fun!
Do you do woodcrafting, candle making or any other mountain
art and plan to attend the annual tasting? If so, please
call Tom at 1-800-233-1505 so we can set up some space and
let you display your wares and/or demonstrate your craft.
There will be several craftsmen here for the day selling
their items. It is looking like a great day of amusements.
Jimmy Benge will be cooking a few things using wine in all
recipes. Finger foods will be provided. Bring cameras,
friends, wine glasses, good wine stories, and lots of
pleasant weather! We are looking forward to seeing each
of you on the mountaintop.
I saw the following on my daily wine calendar:
Did you know...
In the U.S., wines made from sauvignon blanc grapes can
legally be called either sauvignon blanc or fumé blanc.
It's not necessarily true (as many people suppose) that
the ones labeled fumé blanc have a smoky character (fumé
means "smoked" in French).
Here's to a good harvest and HAPPY WINEING!
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: Parlez-Vous Southernese?
by Tom Burgiss, Owner
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The month of September promises to be action-packed for us
here at grapestompers.com. We have enjoyed the company of
our French winemaking intern, Hughes Baggio, who hails from
Brest, France and attends school in Toulouse. Since he is
only in the 4th week of his 12-week internship, we look
forward to more fun around the Bodega as we try to speak
Southern English to a Frenchman! Thanks to 'Hugo', we have
finally learned the correct pronunciation of Pouilly-Fuisse,
which of course is made from the Chardonnay grape and the
skins have been allowed to stay in the must for 2 to 3 days
to give more flavor and body. To us home winemakers, we
call it our concentrated wine kit - #3245 Ruisseau Blanc!
It's the fullest bodied white wine that we carry, and it
will save you some money when compared to a commercially
purchased wine.
In my taking folks through the steps of making wine, I
always mention the 3 enemies of wine: Oxygen, bacteria,
and mold. I shock them when I ask that they stay away
from Clorox (chlorine) as a guard against bacteria.
Chlorine does some funky things to wine that are not
desirable, and that also includes the corks!
Prior to bottling, we scrub our floors in the bodega with
B-T-F (Sanitizer, #2745 Iodophor type) instead of Clorox.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Make it a habit to thoroughly clean and dry
each piece of winemaking equipment before
putting it away in storage.
When the time comes to break out your gear for
the next batch, you won't be slowed down by
the extra scrubbing required to clean up all
the old gunk and bacteria from the last use.
Hidden special:
#2597A Refractometer 0-32 Brix, with ATC
Reg. $69.99, this month only $50.00
That's a 28 percent savings for a product
whose suggested retail price is actually
$99.00. This sturdily built refractometer
measures Brix accurately ( +/- 0.2% Brix)
in the field so you can select the best time
for harvesting. No batteries required. All
you have to do is calibrate it before use
with distilled water. It's easy to read results.
Automatically compensates for temperature.
Includes pipette, calibration screwdriver,
carrying case, and complete instructions.
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------------------*
Furthermore, I need to emphasize that we NEVER recommend
you make your homemade wines with "city water". A lot of
cities tend to add too much chlorine in the system (you can
even smell as well as taste) because they are afraid of
reporting any bacteria in their supply to their consumers.
Last but certainly not least, please mark your calendar for
October 3rd. We want you to bring your homemade wines for
all to taste and enjoy at our 7th Annual Wine Festival.
See you there! Tom
P.S. To the Taylors of Minnesota who spent a week at our
B & B enjoying winemaking, winery tours, biking, canoeing,
and eating: Nancy, Bonnie, Jimmy and I enjoyed your
company. We hope you have a great winter!
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:
Tom,
Thanks for the tour and the wonderful visit last Thursday.
We are safely back in Wisconsin and are still talking about
some of the ideas we shared during our visit. We have
signed up for the newsletter and look forward to continued
contact.
-- Dave King & Linda Kuhn
New Lisbon, WI
Send us your comments about your experience with
grapestompers... we may just make you famous next month!
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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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Folks who live in the area near Charlotte, NC should mark
their calendars for the second annual Great Grapes! Wine
and Music Festival, to be held Saturday and Sunday on
October 9th-10th at Symphony Park beside SouthPark Mall.
Tickets are $15 in advance; $20 at the door. Check out
http://www.greatgrapesfest.com/ggchar.htm for details.
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Regardless of your location, you can always find a local
wine event at this great web site:
http://www.localwineevents.com
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GUEST COLUMN - Best-Laid Plans Foiled By A Cork
By Ed Williams, Greensboro News & Record (NC)
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For the faint of heart, turn back now from this cautionary
tale I call "The Taming of the Screw."
My story begins at a farewell party for a newspaper
colleague, and as host, it falls to me to lay in suitable
libations. With a crowd of journalists, I've learned it's
better to have too much than not enough.
It's 20 minutes before the guests will arrive, and I
giddily pull from my collection a Double Magnum of 1996
McDowell Syrah. Five years earlier, on a night when I
should have had enough but instead had too much, I was the
accidental high-bidder on this bottle at a wine tasting/
arts charity auction.
A Double Magnum is equal to four regular bottles of wine.
Although it's an interesting conversation piece, it's about
as practical as mounting a sperm whale over the fireplace
mantle.
Except on a night like this.
I plan to pull the cork on this hefty brute, decant it into
something suitably pretentious and finally, finally get
shed of it.
Ah, the best-laid plans of cellar rats and men.
I rumble through my impressive collection of artifacts that
cut, peel, extract, strain and pull anything associated
with a wine bottle. That collection, just ask my wife, puts
to shame the power tools in my garage.
I reach for my prize opener, a medieval-looking lever that
could probably change a tire. It's then that I discover
that a Double Magnum equal to four bottles is corked by a
cork roughly the size of four corks. I discover, too, that
my prized corkscrew is no match for the tree limb stuffed
into the mouth of the Double Magnum.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Here's a new twist on labeling bottles:
Instead of trying to get the label wet and
then stick it to a dry bottle, I wipe the
bottle with a wet sponge and then stick the
dry label to the wet bottle.
You don't have to worry about using too much
water because only so much will stick to the
bottle. And when you are finished there is
no glue water or mess to clean up afterwards.
Our thanks to Jesse Brew for providing this
great winemaking tip.
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
My prized corkscrew is simply shredding that cork,
burrowing a groove through the middle - and stopping
tantalizingly short of the nectar inside. I again plunder
my collection of wine artifacts but can find no alternative
weapon.
It's 10 minutes before the guests will arrive, so I do what
any red-blooded, red-wine drinker might do: I take to the
garage, grab the biggest power drill I can find and start
hollowing the center of that cork. If I can just punch
through to the liquid inside, I reason, I can release that
nectar into my pretentious decanter and no one will be the
wiser.
Now, if you've ever tried to strain wine through a little
bitty hole in a cork, you know what happened next: nothing.
Well, next to nothing.
Not until I went whaling away at that big old cork again
with my big old drill, spitting cork bits across the
kitchen and showering the chips, the chip dip and my wife
- my wife who was startled at the sight of a grown man,
long past giddy, whaling away at a wine bottle with Black
& Decker.
And that's right about the time the first guests manage
to arrive early, startled to find me juggling a huge wine
bottle, an even bigger Black & Decker drill, a strainer
for cork bits and a suitably pretentious decanter.
But my tale grows darker. Flash forward three weeks later.
[Ed's tale will be continued next month]
Ed Williams is the High Point City Editor for the
Greensboro News and Record, one of the largest daily
newspapers in North Carolina. He frequently writes
articles about the wine industry in the Tar Heel state
and enjoys sharing good wine with friends.
You may write to Ed at EWilliams@news-record.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: Italian Peasant Chicken
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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 the fourth installment of our customers'
favorite recipes made with wine. If you would like to
submit your recipe, send it to jimmy@grapestompers.com.
This recipe was submitted by Dave Rolczynski (aka "Rosy")
from Enumclaw, Washington.
Rosy's Kitchen
Italian Peasant Chicken
INGREDIENTS
8-12 chicken thighs (breasts and other parts work also,
but the thighs look and taste the best)
¼-½ cup olive oil
½-1 med. size head garlic, cloves finely sliced
1 large onion (white or yellow), chopped into medium
size pieces
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ gal. inexpensive red wine (white can be used, and
works best when using chicken breasts only. Avoid
sweet wine, unless that's all you have)
Salt
Coarsely ground Pepper
DIRECTIONS
Trim excess fat from chicken thighs. Remove skins if you
want lower fat content.
In a large sauté pan, sauté onion in olive oil over medium
high heat, until lightly browned, adding garlic a couple of
minutes before the onions are done (garlic should be tender
only).
Remove garlic and onion to another container.
Flour your chicken, and then sauté it in the same pan, with
remaining oil until it is well browned. Pour off fat.
Disperse your garlic and onion over top of chicken, and
fill pan with wine to cover chicken. Simmer until wine is
½ reduced. Move chicken in pan often to ensure that it
doesn't stick to the bottom.
Cover chicken with wine again, and simmer until the liquid
is approximately ½ to ¾ reduced. Add salt and coarsely
ground pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
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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Breathe
- Describes the process of allowing wine to have prolonged
contact with air in order to reach full flavor. This is
usually done through decanting a wine, but this can also
be accomplished by simply uncorking a bottle and pouring
wine into a glass and letting it sit for a while.
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 #2214A Bucket Opening Tool, on special this month
- Item #3269 GC Pinot Blanc, 10 lt, $49.39
- Item #3259 VDVWT Pinot Grigio, 9 lt, $54.12
- Item #3148 VDVWT Valpolicella, 9 lt. $59.62
- Item #2606B 24" Plastic Degasser/Mixer, $15.62
- Item #2107 Beer Bottle, 500 ml Blue Flipper, $21.01 case
- Item #2107A Flipper top (replacement for above), $0.40 ea
- Item #2124 Bottle, 750 ml Champagne, 12 per case, $16.94
- Item #2743T Oak Tea Bag, Med Toast American, 1.3 oz $0.99
- Item #2730A Tartaric Acid, 3 oz, $2.93
- Item #2597A Refractometer with ATC, 0-32 Brix, $69.99
- Item #2597 Refractometer, 45-82 Brix, $69.99
- Item #4326 Wine Breather (SS aerating funnel), $19.25
If you have a suggestion for a new product, please call us
at 1-800-233-1505. Special orders welcomed for unique
winemaking items or supplies.
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THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS
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grapestompers' specials for the month of September 2004:
Item # Description Reg. Price Special
3122 VDV Valpolicella 53.13 45.16
3120 VDV Bourgeron (Burgundy) 51.26 43.57
3146 CC Spanish Tempranillo 95.26 80.97
3173 WA Black Currant Merlot 50.36 *****
Buy one at regular price, get the second one for
half price ($25.18). Only while supplies last.
2254D Bottle Drainer Wheels (ea) 3.52 2.99
2214A Bucket Opening Tool (New Item) 5.17 4.39
2599 Adhesive Thermometer 2.08 1.77
2735 Bentonite, 4 oz. 1.32 1.12
2730 Acid Blend, 3 oz. 1.92 1.63
2701 Red Star Montrachet Wine Yeast 0.44 0.29
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, WA, and OB 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
CCH = Cellar Classic Harvest 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
VDVWT = Vino del Vida - World Tour Series 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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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,
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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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