------------------------------------------------------------ THE STOMPER The Monthly Winemaking Newsletter of grapestompers.com December, 2004 Issue #53 http://www.grapestompers.com 1-800-233-1505 Hours: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Eastern Monday - Friday ------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome to the latest issue of "The Stomper", a newsletter of winemaking hints and other wine-related articles. You are receiving this newsletter because you requested it. Instructions to cancel are at the end of this newsletter. Feel welcome to pass along this newsletter to your wine- making friends; we only ask that it be sent in its entirety. ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS ISSUE ------------------------------------------------------------ => Feature Article - Hollywood, Here We Come! => Bonnie's Bin - Hosting Holiday Wine Tastings => Tom's Cellar - How to Sanitize Your Wine Bottles => Ordering Deadlines for Christmas Delivery => Feedback from Our Customers => Guest Column - Two Wintertime Wine Recipes => 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 at least ONE hidden special in this issue ^#^ This month's specials and new products are found towards the bottom of this document ------------------------------------------------------------ FEATURE ARTICLE: Hollywood and Santa, Here We Come! By Brant Burgiss, Editor ------------------------------------------------------------ Whether you're ready for it or not, the holiday season is here! We had a really cold Thanksgiving weekend in the North Carolina mountains, with high winds and even a little wind snow, so I guess Jack Frost can't be too far behind. If you plan on placing orders for delivery in time for gift giving, be sure to see the article below that describes our holiday delivery schedule. Have you seen this season's lineup of Cru Select RQ (Restricted Quantities) wine kits offered by RJ Spagnols? They would make a great Christmas gift for the winemaker in your life. These 16-liter wine kits are available in four varieties: - California Sangiovese Barbera Syrah (January release) - French Merlot (February release) - Australian Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (March release) - Italian Brunello (April release) Read all about these wines in this special flyer: http://www.rjspagnols.com/pdf/cruselect2005_eng.pdf Learn how you can qualify to win a free set of expert tasting glasses by Spiegelau. The specifics are listed below (under new products), as well as the pricing info. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # During the busy Thanksgiving holiday, we shot some new scenes for grapestompers' winemaking video. Tom, Scott, and I were crazy enough to step in front of the camera - but it was all for a good cause. The reason? We needed to film the latest methods for making wine at home from a grape concentrate. As you may recall from an earlier article this year, RJ Spagnols has changed their methodology a bit... for instance, bentonite is now added on Day One instead of Day 20, so we wanted our winemaking video to reflect that. We also filmed some new gadgets that will make your wine making hobby more enjoyable and efficient. While the gang at grapestompers.com won't get any nominations for an Academy Award, we had a lot of fun filming the new video and hope you'll enjoy watching it. Travis Sturgill of New Age Productions is currently editing the shots, and we are eager to get our first glimpse of Tom's Winemaking Video, version 2. Keep a close eye on our web site in the coming weeks to see when the video is released. Lastly, I have a favor to ask of all our customers. If you employ some e-mail filters to lessen the amount of spam delivered to your in box, please set up your software or filtering service to allow mail from Tom's e-mail address: tom@grapestompers.com We use this as our sending address when we send order and shipping confirmations. Thank you! That wraps up my part for this month. All of us hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful and joyous holiday season. Here's to you... and Happy Winemaking! You can write to Brant at webmaster@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ BONNIE'S BIN: Hosting Holiday Wine Tastings By Bonnie Brown, Manager ------------------------------------------------------------ Hello HOLIDAYS! For those of you who have been making wine for a while and really appreciate great red wines, this is the time to (as Emeril Lagasse would say) "Kick it up a notch, BAM." You can do that by making one of the En Primeur Signature series wines offered by RJ Spagnols. It is the ultimate wine concentrate, using 18 liters of juice and concentrate. That is 4.75 gallons, so you only add 1.25 gallons of water. This means better body and richer flavors. Like I said, it's the ultimate! These select premium wines are still under $5.00 per bottle, as the kits are in the $140.00 range. It's a great gift idea for that special person or family. Plan ahead to allow time for ordering if need be. With the cost of other wine concentrates being much lower people are not jumping on the wine cart for these and I feel you are missing out on a great product! Also do check out the 2005 Restricted Quantities kits already mentioned in this news- letter. A good wine, a notch up, and a free gift too! Simply order 3 of the 4 before mid-December so you can qualify for the gift and we can get your order to the supplier before the end of December. If you have not tried blending your wines yet, and you have always wanted to try (but couldn't find) a White Merlot, this is a great "recipe" submitted by Tom Korevec, a local winemaker, that mimics the taste of White Merlot: Mix 3 parts of White Zinfandel and 1 part Merlot. He recently did a tasting and that was the proportion voted as best by his daughter Amanda, who has an appreciation for good wines. We are fortunate to have people like them share their findings with the rest of us. I did not have a Merlot in my cellar so I purchased one from Tom's winery, Thistle Meadow, as did another customer, Cindy Johnson, who was in the shop at that time. It came at such a good time for Cindy. She is having a "friendly" wine tasting soon and was excited to be able to add yet another wine to her long list. I think our friends will also enjoy this one come New Years Eve and the party they are planning at our home! Oh, so nice to have friends like that! If we furnish the wine and home they will do everything else. We will see... I would like to wish you all a very safe and peaceful Holiday Season. Happy wines to you... until we meet again. Bonnie Life is too short... to drink bad wine... so make your own! You can write to Bonnie at bonnie@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ TOM'S CELLAR: How to Sanitize Your Wine Bottles by Tom Burgiss, Owner ------------------------------------------------------------ Here it is - the perfect time to give a gift that keeps on giving! You guessed it, a Complete Home Winemaking Kit (Item #3100 for red wine or #3200 for white wine). Now that special person can have a great hobby, and hopefully will share with you each time a new "batch" comes off. The kit comes with a complete set of instructions and we've even included a VHS video or CD-ROM (your choice, just let us know) to guide you through every step, along with the equipment needed and the wine concentrate of your choice! So go ahead, go for it! Warning: there is a down side to this gift - the recipient will immediately grab all of the attention and enthusiasm, take up most of the conversation, and you will from this day forward be REQUIRED to actually have to consume some of their fine wine! So now, make some- one very happy during this holiday season. *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* Here's another way to shrink PVC capsules on top of a wine bottle... If you don't have (or can't find) a hot air gun, you can use one of those butane- powered creme brulee torches. They are sold by Bed Bath & Beyond and other specialty kitchen or home stores for a nominal fee. Our thanks to Jack Cain from Sunset Beach, North Carolina for providing this tip. Hidden special #1: #5119 Rapid Beverage Chiller Reg. $99.04, this month only $78.99 That's a 20 percent savings for a product that will chill a bottle of wine from room temperature to freezing cold in 3 minutes. Plugs into standard 110 V outlet or your car's cigarette lighter. Great for tailgating. 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------------------* Sanitizing, cleaning, and sterilization... just what is the difference? I had a request from one of our customers to help clarify these terms, so I pulled our handy dictionary for the definitions. Sanitize - to make sanitary, which means free from bacteria or filth which endangers health Clean - to make free from impurities, dirt, or contamination Sterilize - free from microorganisms; sanitary So where does that leave us home winemakers? Here is what works for us here at grapestompers.com and Thistle Meadow Winery: Each time a bottle is consumed, we immediately rinse it out with water and hang the bottle on our bottle draining tree so that the water drains out and the air can get to it. I call this our "preliminary" wash. We do not wash bottles in a household dishwasher and we would NEVER, under any circumstances, use soap or Clorox in an attempt to clean or sanitize them. When bottling time comes, we use B-Brite (Item # 2721) for cleaning (dirt, impurities & contamination) and light sanitizing (removal filth) and then we rinse with water which has no chlorine. The last step - done just prior to bottling - is to rinse the bottles with a fresh, strong solution of Potassium Metabisulfite (Item # 2732) to kill any remaining bacteria that could harm your wine. How strong should you mix it? Just follow the directions on the package. You should NOT rinse after this step. If possible, allow the bottles to dry on the bottle drainer, then finally bottle your wine. Unless you have access to the sterilization machines at your local hospital, it is virtually impossible to create a truly sterile bottling environment. Luckily for us, the procedure described above is quite ample for our purposes, especially since the alcoholic content of wine also serves to keep the nasties at bay. PS: We do NOT recommend C Brite as a sanitizer for making wine (due to possible chlorine contamination), but it is considered OK to use in your beer making process. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Here at grapestompers.com, we go through every possible step to insure your security. In order for our credit card machine (POS) to "zap" the credit cards it requires that we also have the 3 extra numbers on the back of the card located just beyond your signature. In the credit card world, it is called the C V V number. Working in concert with your billing street address and zip code, the C V V helps verify the authenticity of your credit card. We do this to protect your credit card from fraudulent use and to help maintain your security. We want you to be safe and confident while shopping at grapestompers.com. Hope you have a great Christmas and New Years! Tom You can write to Tom at tom@grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ Ordering Deadlines for Christmas Delivery by Tom Burgiss ------------------------------------------------------------ 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ FROM OUR CUSTOMERS ------------------------------------------------------------ As you might imagine, our office receives quite a bit of correspondence - mostly through e-mail - here are some comments we've recently received: Hi again Bonnie, and thanks VERY much for getting back to me immediately. With all the "scams" lately via [the] Internet I just wanted reassurance. You do a great job always, so not to worry. I rely on you guys and have NEVER been disappointed. For a "newbie" to home winemaking I realized early on that it could have ended up being a great disappointment for me... [but] not with you guys there to pick me up and dust me off. Bonnie, thank you again. -- Patti Imler Bartlesville, OK Thank you, Miss Bonnie! You and Tommy are class acts, and SO entertaining on the video! I'll be placing another order soon. -- Bill Tobin Bumpass, VA Tom, The wine smoothers arrived in today's mail -- 11/04/04. That is jack rabbit service. I am happy to hear about the Cellar Craft business. We finally have some 40-degree weather. I have to go blow the train whistle tonight. -- Robert Klaus Houston, TX Hi Bonnie, Just read your [November] newsletter, and was wondering if you have any more of the Grand Cru Chianti wine kits left? If you have any left, can I purchase one kit? My Grand Cru Petite Syrah is coming along very well! Thank you, -- Gina Lariccia Youngstown, OH Bonnie, Thanks for the [shipping] info. [It's] always a pleasure doing business with you folks. Cheers, -- Glenn & Dani Exline Rockledge, FL Send us your comments about your experience with grapestompers... we may just make you famous next month! ------------------------------------------------------------ GUEST COLUMN - Two Wintertime Wine Recipes By Margie Jacky (Greensboro, NC) and Marcella Hazan ------------------------------------------------------------ This hot wine is served throughout Germany at the outdoor Christmas markets to warm up the shoppers (in more ways than one). Goes great with bratwurst. Glühwein 2-3 Tbsps. sugar 1 lemon, cut in wedges 2 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 2 cups dry red wine (burgundy is a good choice) 2 Tbsps. lemon juice In a large sauce pan combine sugar (start with 2 Tbsps), lemon juice and 1/2 cup wine. Stir over low heat to melt sugar. Add lemon wedges, squeezing slightly to release juice, cloves, cinnamon and remaining wine. Heat thoroughly, but do not boil. Add additional sugar to taste. Strain into mugs and serve hot. This recipe makes approximately two servings. You can add more wine to the spices (lemon wedges, cloves and cinnamon) and heat up a second round - just be sure to add more lemon juice and sugar. *-----------------HOT TIP------------------* Here's yet another tip for removing wine labels from bottles to facilitate recycling: Chill the empty bottle in the freezer, then use a razor blade to scrape off the label. The cold temperature hardens the glue and it comes off clean as a whistle! Bonnie has tried it and reports that this method is fast, thorough, and no hassle. She was amazed. Hidden special #2: #4326 Stainless Steel Wine Breather Reg. $19.50, this month only $14.44 That's a 26 percent savings for a wine aerator that softens your wine. It comes with an aerating funnel, stand, and a plate that converts it for use with a decanter. An item like this would make a wonderful gift. 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------------------* Famous Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan came up with this simple way to enjoy chestnuts and red wine and shared it with readers in MORE CLASSIC ITALIAN COOKING. Take a pound of fresh chestnuts and make a slice in each one so the hard coats will be easier to remove. Put the chestnuts with a cup of fruity red wine like Zinfandel or Beaujolais along with a pinch of salt and a bay leaf in a pot. Add enough water to cover the chestnuts. Cook over a medium flame, covered, for one hour. Uncover the pot and cook a little while longer to reduce the liquid some. Remove and serve immediately in bowls. ------------------------------------------------------------ Like To Be A Guest Columnist For The Stomper Newsletter? ------------------------------------------------------------ If you'd like to be our next guest columnist, simply send your three- or four-paragraph article to articles@grapestompers.com. If your article is selected for use in a future Stomper newsletter, you'll receive the attention of thousands, a coupon good for a discount on your next grapestompers.com order, as well as our heartfelt thanks. So what are you waiting for?? ------------------------------------------------------------ CORKY'S WINEMAKING DEFINITION ------------------------------------------------------------ Acetaldehyde - A colorless liquid produced by yeast in the fourth stage of enzymatic action culminating in the production of ethyl alcohol. The enzyme carboxylase forms acetaldehyde and carbon dioxide from pyruvic acid. At the next (final) stage, most of the acetaldehyde is reduced to ethyl alcohol, but a trace remains and adds to the flavor and complexity of the wine. If too much remains, it taints the wine with a strong off-taste. Look for other wine-related definitions by clicking on the 'Glossary' button from our home page at http://www.grapestompers.com ------------------------------------------------------------ NEW PRODUCTS ------------------------------------------------------------ These are products that were recently added to our catalog: - Item #2906 Private Preserve Gas Blanket, $9.10 This is a blend of N2, CO2, & AR-Inert to spray in bottle to preserve wine. One can is enough to do 120 bottles. - Item #2820 Book: "Cordials from Your Kitchen" $16.45 - Item #3193, Cru Select RQ French Merlot, $91.19 - Item #3192, RQ CA Sangiovese Barbera Syrah, $91.19 - Item #3292, RQ Australian Semillon Sauvignon Blanc, $84.26 - Item #3194, RQ Italian Brunello, $91.19 Pre-order 3 out of 4 RQ wines by mid-December and get a free gift of six Spiegelau expert tasting glasses. One wine will be released each month, starting in January 2005. See the release schedule in the first article of this newsletter. 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ THIS MONTH'S SPECIALS ------------------------------------------------------------ grapestompers' specials for the month of December 2004: Item # Description Reg. Price Special 3125 CC Barolo 88.00 69.99 3203 EP German Riesling 135.63 108.88 3175 CSP Old Vine Zinfandel 88.00 69.99 5264 B-Brite Cleanser/Sanitizer, 5 lb. 12.76 9.99 2732B Potassium Metabisulfite, 3 lb. 10.89 8.79 2688 BV Super Automatic Bottle Filler 28.82 22.22 2263 Italian Floor Corker (brass iris) 95.81 76.66 5100 Pewter Cork Opener by Rogar 119.95 95.59 5105 Nickel Plated Cork Opener 115.50 92.49 5104 Bronze Estate Opener by Rogar 99.95 79.99 All T-Shirts IN STOCK - 2 FOR $22.00 - Reg Price $15.00 each 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, En Primeur, and CSG 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 EP = En Primeur 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 RQ = Cru Select Restricted Quantities 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 Potassium Metabisulfite 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. ------------------------------------------------------------ NEXT MONTH'S HIGHLIGHTS ------------------------------------------------------------ - More Winemaking Stories from Tom's Cellar - Another Surprise from Brant - More Specials - The next article from Bonnie's Bin - More Customer Testimonials - Another Guest Article - Submit yours today! - New Winemaking Products ------------------------------------------------------------ LIST MAINTENANCE ------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe to the Stomper winemaking hints newsletter, send a blank e-mail to newsletter@grapestompers.com with a subject line of: subscribe stomper 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 with a subject line of: unsubscribe stomper OR you can visit this page: http://www.grapestompers.com/quit_stomper.asp Past issues of the Stomper can be found at http://www.grapestompers.com/newsletter/archives ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright (c) 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 ------------------------------------------------------------