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THE STOMPER
The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com
October, 2004 Issue #51
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 - Wine Tasting Photos Now Available
=> Bonnie's Bin - "Fall" into Holiday Gift Ideas
=> Tom's Cellar - Know Your Brix
=> Feedback from Our Customers
=> Guest Column - Foiled By A Cork, part 2
=> How to Be Featured as a Guest Columnist
=> Results of Mid-Atlantic Southeastern Wine Competition
=> 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: See Photos from our Annual Wine Tasting
By Brant Burgiss, Editor
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Happy October, everyone... or should I say mid-October?
With two big wine events back-to-back on successive weekends
(our 7th Annual Wine Tasting in Laurel Springs, and the
Great Grapes Wine & Music Festival in Charlotte, NC), the
folks in Laurel Springs are tired but happy. Both events
were very busy and successful. Thanks to all who came to
these events!
We apologize for the lateness of the Stomper and hope to set
things right next month.
Once again, our friend and winemaker Monty Combs served
as our official photographer for our Annual Wine Tasting
held at the Burgiss Barn and Thistle Meadow Winery. Folks
from as far away as Georgia came to enjoy the wines, food,
and crafts.
See the photos from this year's tasting here:
http://www.grapestompers.com/news/wine_tasting_2004.asp
You can see photos from the Great Grapes Wine & Music
Festival on the web site of Thistle Meadow Winery:
http://www.thistlemeadowwinery.com/2004_Charlotte.asp
And finally...
We're pleased to announce that grapestompers.com is growing
again. We have just broken ground on another warehouse.
The new warehouse will give us more room to store products,
which will translate into lots of new and exciting wine-
making goodies for everyone. We hope to show you some
pictures of our construction progress soon.
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: "Fall" into Holiday Gift Ideas
By Bonnie Brown, Manager
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Here we go into fall again. The greens are starting to change
to golds, rusts, and reds... We are falling! I am not sure
how beautiful it is going to be this year in the mountains
of North Carolina, due to all the rains we have had along
with hurricanes. It is a wonder we have any trees left.
On to more pleasant thoughts. I was in a store recently and
would you believe they had Christmas items out already? Big
chains and little stores alike. I guess we had better get
into that mode here too. It is time to make our wines for
gift giving over the holidays.
It is also time to order gifts before the most popular
supplies run out. May we suggest special wine bottles that
the winemaker might not buy for himself? That would be a
wonderful gift. Another neat gift for the winemaker in your
life would be a floor corker to replace the "tough on your
back" hand corker.
And for the winemaker who has everything, you could surprise
them with a bag of corks with the winemaker's name on them.
This takes a bit of lead time so please order ASAP! There
is a one-time set up fee of $75.00 (for the personalization)
plus the cost of corks. The corks must be ordered in bags
of 1,000. That would be the ultimate gift!
If you are planning on giving the gift of homemade wine
this holiday season, you may want to get some special
bottles for yourself, to add that extra nice touch. Waxing
your bottles (versus capsules) gives them a very special
home crafted look.
For those you really care about, how about the gift of a
red wine concentrate? It is great for cardiovascular and
cholesterol reduction. I heard on the radio this morning
that consuming 4 or more glasses a week of red wine was
found to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 60%. That
is great news for wine lovers.
With that health note, GET BUSY MAKING AND CONSUMING RED
WINE, because we care about all of you!
'Til November... be safe.
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: Know Your Brix
by Tom Burgiss, Owner
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In some parts of the US, the weather has played havoc with
the vineyards. I am amazed just how many folks are very
interested in getting only the finest of materials to use
in the making of their own wines. For instance, they are
always looking for the best grapes, oldest vines, correct
Brix, fertilizing, acid levels and the other things that
have an impact on taste, aroma, and overall quality.
Having said all of that, you may ask which way I am heading.
Well, with the concentrate kits you have the advantage over
those who grow their own grapes, because you don't have to
worry about the ups and downs they experience during the
course of the year such as a late frost, an early frost,
too much or too little rain, deer, beetles and a lot of
time spent pruning and spraying or looking around for the
promised help when suddenly the grapes are ready! So you
see, by using the grape concentrates to make wine at home,
you have the convenience to make a consistently good product
any time of the year. We can take care of all the worries
at grapestompers.com.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Old corks come in handy during the fun of
Halloween season. Did you know corks can
help with your scary costume makeup?
To turn your face black, apply the flame
of a match lightly over the surface of one
end of the cork. The cork will turn black.
Just rub the black stuff on your face and
Presto! Instant black makeup. Simply
repeat the process if you need more. It
even washes off easily with soap and water.
Hidden special:
#2597A Refractometer 0-32 Brix, with ATC
Reg. $69.99, this month only $39.95
plus get a free 5" food-grade funnel
That's a 60 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------------------*
Many of you have backyard fruit and vines that have been
in the family for years. You realize that older vines
produce better grapes. With your expert touch in fermenting
the harvest you are having a ball with your hobby.
We appreciate your orders to us during this time. We make
every effort to be sure we have the supplies that are
needed and send them to you immediately during this crucial
time of harvesting and fermenting your own wine. More and
more of you rely on us to stock an sufficient quantity
because we know the importance of having the product ready
for you.
The last item that I would like to address this month is
the Brix factor of the fruit you are using for your wine.
Right now, we have a super buy in a refractometer that
makes it affordable for all. The price would almost have
you either doubting or whistling at the rate of only $39.95.
At this point, you should ask if this is an instrument of
value! Well, I have personally tried it and used it and I
hereby officially approve. By simply squeezing the juice
from one grape you can read your Brix immediately. With a
proper Brix reading, you'll know right away whether you
need to pick those grapes! So this wonderful tool gets you
out of the dark in a hurry. Everyone should have one - and
at this price, everyone can actually afford to have one.
There is one reason for this special price. I buy these
refractometers by the hundreds, directly from the source
and pass along the savings to you, our loyal customers.
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:
Hey Tom,
Just a short note to tell you what a good time my wife and
I had at the wine festival. It was a pleasure meeting you,
Bonnie, and the rest of your staff!!
The food was great, the people were wonderful, and all of
the wine was fantastic!! It was a long drive home but we
really enjoyed the trip.
See you again soon.
-- Dusty & Diane Bridges
"Grandads" Peckerneck Wines
Ringgold, GA
Dear Tom,
Our visit with you was the highlight of our trip to the
highlands. We also went to a great party for [a friend]
and his new wife whom I think you know.
Where can I get an aerator like the one you demonstrated?
I love it.
Thanks for everything -- we are enjoying your wine and
recommending a trip to you for our friends in Charlotte!
-- Paul Poetzsch and Melody
[Tom replies]
Paul, take a look at Item #4326... it's the wine aerator
you're referring to. You can find it on the gifts page
of our online catalog.
Dear Tom and Bonnie,
We had SUCH a good time when we stopped in at Grapestompers
on our way from Atlanta to DC this spring. It was so much
fun meeting Bonnie and Tom (as well as educational) and we
can hardly wait for October 3rd to join the fun and stock
up on wine kits.
But I thought this quote fit right in with Bonnie's
"Life is too short..."
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention
of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved
body, but rather to "skid in" broadside, thoroughly
used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming,
"Wow! What a Ride!"
-- Al & Twinkle Nelson
LittleStar Cellars
Atlanta, GA
Thanks. I appreciate your quick service. I started my kit
this weekend and it is sizzling away in the basement. I
look forward to racking it this coming weekend into the
carboy. It would be helpful to include the wine thief in
the complete kit.
-- Vincent Russo
Rockville, MD
[Bonnie replies]
Vincent, I think that is an EXCELLENT IDEA! We will see
what we can do to add it!
Tom,
My wife and I visited your place Sunday afternoon,
September 19th. We had a really good time. The young
intern from France did a good job with the tour of your
place. We bought 6 bottles (White Zin, Stone Mountain
White and Stone Mountain Red). We have tried the Zin and
the Stone Mountain Red. They were awesome.
We hope to be back a couple of times a year. Maybe we can
arrange to stay at your B&B on our next trip.
Have a good one.
-- Larry & Cathy Harvey
South Carolina
Send us your comments about your experience with
grapestompers... we may just make you famous next month!
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GUEST COLUMN - Best-Laid Plans Foiled By A Cork (Part 2)
By Ed Williams, Greensboro News & Record (NC)
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[Editor's note: The following is part 2 of an article begun
last month]
I always, always make it a point to bring my heavy-duty,
medieval-looking corkscrew to the mountains when we go on
vacation because there's nothing else like it at the cabin
and because it's a good idea to go in with too much than
not enough when opening wine in the wilderness.
But this weekend, for some insane reason, I've forgotten
my prized corkscrew, leaving it behind in the drawer with
all my other impressive wine artifacts. So, here I am in
the mountains, a bottle on the counter top, an empty glass
at hand and blood in my eye.
My wife reminds me that I have a small, plastic, spiral
opener in my shaving kit. It's one of those two-piece
wonders the hotels occasionally leave lying about. And like
the tiny cakes of soap that hotels also leave lying about,
I pocket these cheap, plastic, spiral openers whenever I
can.
On this night, I might have had more luck opening the
bottle with a tiny cake of hotel soap.
If you've ever tried to yank out one of those new rock-hard,
synthetic corks using a 29-cent, plastic, spiral screw
opener, you know what happened next: nothing.
Well, next to nothing.
There was every bit of panting and cussing and twisting
and flailing about - the kind of flailing about that
startles a 7-year-old daughter who finds her parents in
Kamasutra writhings on the kitchen floor trying to coax a
PVC bullet from a wine bottle with a 29-cent, plastic
corkscrew.
The Transportation Security Administration has adjudged the
29-cent plastic corkscrew a threat to national security.
And when it has discovered such a device in my shaving kit,
I have found myself the accidental guest of airport
security. Now, it may be possible to breach the cockpit of
a 747 airline with a 29-cent plastic spiral corkscrew, but
it sure won't get faux cork out of an Australian Shiraz.
But I learned something else on the mountain that night:
Drive far enough, and you can get wine in a box.
And I'm not talking about that 5-liter electric Kool-aid
on the bottom grocery-store shelf either. Top wineries are
now marketing premium wine in air-tight, collapsible bags
encased in a box, hoping consumers will distinguish their
fare from that jug juice in the huge cartons.
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Need a quick way to estimate the potential
alcohol pct. based upon the percentage Brix?
Simply multiply the percentage Brix by 0.60.
Margalit provides a more accurate formula
to determine potential alcohol percentage:
% alc (by vol)=[(Brix - 2.1) X density] / 1.7
where density is the specific gravity reading
of the must
for example:
15.92% abv = [(26.5 - 2.1) X 1.109] / 1.7
Our thanks to Keith Pritchard from Slate Run
Vineyard for providing this great tip.
Have a tip you'd like to submit?
Send it to tips@grapestompers.com
*-----------------HOT TIP------------------*
Expect to see more premium wineries from the West Coast
promoting this concept. It prevents oxidation, they'll say.
It extends the shelf life of wine, they'll say. Just push
the box spigot, and out pours fresh wine from the fridge.
I found in the mountains Delicato Chardonnay - a house pour
in many Triad restaurants - particularly useful in the
3-liter box. Like the Double Magnum, three liters is the
same as four bottles of wine. Blessedly, that's where the
similarities end.
Maybe what the wine industry ought to say is this: Buy our
box and say goodbye to corks, corkscrews and all that other
paraphernalia we've been selling you all these years.
Which is precisely the thinking behind bottling wine with
twist-off caps. There are a few examples circulating now in
the Triad, most notably Pepi from California. Next year,
The Hogue Cellars from Washington state, another widely
available brand, will bottle most of its line with twist-
off caps.
Those wineries experimenting with the concept may seem
bold risk-takers. For many consumers, the twist-off cap
conjures images of cheap, fortified flask wines that have
wrought so much misery in the past 40 years.
But the industry is slowly coming to understand the
downside of cork. First, it's an expensive enclosure -
an expense passed on to consumers. Second, oxygen moves
through cork at highly variable rates, which means the
wines are aging at highly variable rates.
Finally, and probably most importantly, about five percent
of wines sold are "corked" - that is, a chemical called
2,4,6-Trichloroanisole has leached from the cork into the
wine, giving it a musty smell and taste.
The wine industry faces a huge public-relations problem;
imagine marketing a product in which 1 out of every 20
samples is defective.
The industry has counter-attacked with a variety of
synthetic materials to stopper wine. However, research
is now showing oxidation problems associated with synthetic
stoppers.
As a result, more wineries are bravely stepping forward
with boxed and screw-top wines. The consumer revolution
from cork to cap (or box) might be hastened if the industry
more aggressively acknowledged what it has only whispered:
About 95 percent of all wines produced worldwide should be
consumed within a year of bottling, so the cork is usually
a pretentious, if not irrelevant, affectation.
Unless, of course, you find yourself one dark night in the
mountain wilderness with no place to plug in a Black &
Decker drill.
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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GOLD MEDALS FROM WINE KITS
Results of Mid-Atlantic Southeastern Wine Competition
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Two wines made from kits sold by grapestompers.com took
gold medals at the Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem, NC
which hosts the annual Mid-Atlantic Southeastern Wine
Competition. The Mid-Atlantic region covers the five-state
area of NC, VA, SC, WV, and TN.
Thistle Meadow Winery won gold medals for the following
wines made from kits produced by RJ Spagnols:
Pinot Grigio (Cru Select Gold Pinot Grigio kit, Item #3255)
Bergamais (Cellar Classic Bergamais kit, Item #3140)
Congratulations to all winners in this year's competition!
The full list of the results can be seen here:
http://www.dcfair.com/winners/wine.pdf
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CORKY'S WINEMAKING DEFINITION
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Raisiny
- Having the taste of raisins from ultra-ripe or overripe
grapes. Can be pleasant in small doses in some wines.
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 #2750 Sulfur Strip, $0.88
- Item #3752 Soda Ash, 5 lbs, $5.17
- Item #4213 M T-shirt - Wine a bit... you'll feel better
- Item #4214 XL T-shirt - Wine a bit... you'll feel better
- Item #4215 Lg T-shirt - Wine a bit... you'll feel better
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 October 2004:
Item # Description Reg. Price Special
3269 GC Pinot Blanc 49.30 39.00
3125 CC Barolo 88.00 69.99
3131 CC Chianti 81.51 64.99
3221 VDV Fume Blanc 45.87 35.99
3146 CCH Spanish Tempranillo 95.26 63.99
3250 CCH Italian Barolo Bianco 90.75 68.97
5264 B-Brite, 5 lbs. 12.76 9.99
2605 Carboy Brush 4.68 3.69
2256 3 Piece Air Lock 0.88 0.59
2601 Plastic Wine Thief 5.50 4.39
2909 Vacuum Wine Saver (w/1 stopper) 9.87 7.89
2910 Extra Vacuum Stoppers (set of 2) 5.49 4.39
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, CCH, GC, CSP 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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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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