The Wine Maker's Toy Store®
Bringing family and friends together...One sip at a time!
Welcome to Pressing News, the monthly newsletter
published by Fine Vine Wines, LLC, designed exclusively to assist
the home vintner in the pursuit of their hobby!
THIS MONTH ON THE VINE!
- Welcome
- Call Us!
- Discontinued Wine Kits
- Winestock 2007
- Mosti Mondiale All Juice Special
- New Tutorial for Mosti Mondiale Wine Kits
- Upcoming Store Events
- Online Discussion Forum
- Updated Search Capacity
- Featured Article - Out Damn Gas, Out
- Toy of the Month
- Wine of the Month
- New Products
- Monthly Special Pricing
- Discounts and Order of Application
- Customer Referral Program
- Customer Appreciation Program - FVW Growers Club
- Multi-Kit Discount
- Registration Discount (First Time Orders)
- Customer Feedback
- Unsubscribe
WELCOME
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to Fine Vine
Wines, LLC, "The Wine Maker's Toy Store". Whether you
need home wine making or home brewing products or just need information, we are here to serve
you. I want to extend my thanks again for making The Wine Maker's
Toy Store your home for your wine making and beer brewing needs.
It continues to be my hope that every time you visit our web
site or retail store, you will find something of value.
As a reminder, we continue to add products and content to the web site, therefore, if you have any special requests, please let us know. We like to hear what you have to say about our site, our products and/or our customer service, good or bad. Please send your comments and/or suggestions to winemaster@finevinewines.com.
CALL US!
If you have any questions about our products, our service and/or wine making, please call us. We are here to serve you and enjoying assisting you in any way we can. We have an international toll-free line so you WILL call us.
Someone is usually at the store between 9 am and 7 pm, Monday thru Saturday. We always try to answer the phone when you call; however, sometimes, we are unable to answer the phone as we are all on the other lines or we have customers in the store. If you get the voice mail, please leave your name, number, brief message and a best time to call. We will return your call as soon as we can.
If you don't want to call, just send us an email. We usually answer our emails daily. Please remember, we are a resource and we are here to serve you.
DISCONTINUED WINE KITS
Mosti Mondiale has decided to discontinue production of 7 All Juice Wine Kits to make room for some new varietals, this fall. As a result, I have reduced my price to make space for the new products. To see these products and their special prices, click on the following link:
WINESTOCK 2007
We have a date!
SEPTEMBER 28 AND 29, 2007
We were unable to find an affordable place for the end of October. As a result, we had to settle on the last weekend in September. I am talking with several local wineries to do sessions on acid, oak, vineyard management and other topics, then allowing them to present their wines for sampling. I am going to attempt to get this classified as a wine festival which would allow me to sell their wines.
The current plan is as follows:
- Friday, September 28, 2007
- 7-8 pm - Social hour and Wine Tasting
- 8-9 pm - Italian Dinner Buffet
- 9-11 pm - More Wine Tasting and Voting on your People's Choice Awards
- Saturday, September 29, 2007
- 8-9 am - Registration, coffee and pastries
- 9-10:30 am - Acid & ph Testing
- 10:30 - 11:00 - Break
- 11 am - 12:30 pm - Various methods for de-gassing your wine
- 12:30 - 1:30 pm - Bar-B-Que lunch by Randy White's Restaurant
- 1:30 - 3:00 pm - Undecided
- 3:30 - 4:30 pm - Wine Tasting Class
- 4:30 - 6:00 pm - Sampling of wines from local wineries
- 7:30 pm - Optional dinner at a local restaurant
- Sunday, September 30, 2007
- 9 am - ? - Retail store open for your shopping pleasure
We will hold the event at the same place as last year, The Addison Conference Center and the cost will be $75.00 per person which will include the Friday night mixer, buffet and wine tasting, the sessions and lunch on Saturday. The Optional Saturday Night dinner will be at one of the over 150 restaurants located in Addison and will have an additional charge of $25. We will be giving away merchandise and coupons as door prizes and to winners of the People's Choice awards. We will also have "goody bags" for all.
We have also invited Mosti Mondiale to send a representative. They are considering it, but have not committed, at this time. I am hopeful that as our sales of their products continue, they will see this as a great opportunity to promote their products.
If you have any ideas, requests and/or suggestions, please log on to the forum and give me your thoughts. There is a special section just for Winestock.
MOSTI MONDIALE ALL JUICE SPECIAL
In conjunction with our advertisment in WineMaker Magazine, during the months of May and June, 2007, we will be running a special on the Mosti Mondiale All juices and All Juice Master's Editions. The special is $20.00 off any All Juice product or $30.00 off any of the Master's Edition products. There is a limit of one per customer. To find out more, click on the following link:
Mosti Mondiale All Juice Special
MOSTI MONDIAL WINE TUTORIAL
Due to the nuances between Winexpert and Mosti Mondiale, we decided to create an online tutorial as well as a handout designed just for the Mosti Mondiale wine kits. You can see the tutorial at Online Wine Making Tutorial - Mosti Mondiale Wine Kits. You can also download the pdf file or request a copy on your next order. Just check the box on the billing information page and we will send you the tutorial.
UPCOMING STORE EVENTS
Mark your calendars for the following in store events!
- June 2, 2007 - Starting a Wine Kit
- July 7, 2007 - Stabilizing, Fining and De-Gassing a Wine Kit
- August, 2007 (TBD) - Bottling Party
- Setember 28 - 30 - Winestock 2007
All events except Winestock are schedule on Saturdays from 4 - 8 pm and are subject to changing if conflicts arise.
To make sure we have plenty of room, we are asking that you sign up for this event. Please give us a call at 1-866-417-1114 to let us know you would like to attend.
FORUM
When you have a question or just want to learn more about wine making, don't forget our forum! We
have almost 750 registered members with over 45,000 posts! We have some extremely knowledgeable
wine makers with loads of valuable information willing to assist you in your wine making needs. Responses to most posts are made within minutes. We are also known to have an occassional contest available to forum member only with valuable gifts, savings and coupons!
Whether you are an expert or a novice, it
is an excellent place to ask questions, exchange ideas and meet
other home wine makers. If you haven't logged into the forum, try it sometime. I think you will find it most informative and enjoyable, as well as, a great place to meet fellow wine makers.
UPGRADED SEARCH CAPABILITIES
On the online catalog page, we have always had a search capability, but it was somewhat limited. We have now improved it so you can search by description or part number. We will be adding the capacity to search for a wine kit based on flavor, body, sweetness and oak. That way you should be able to find the wine with the flavor profile you desire.
FEATURED
ARTICLE - OUT DAMN GAS, OUT?
Your newly fermented kit wine is saturated with CO2. Winexpert indicates that a kit will produce approximately 150 cubic feet of carbon dioxide (CO2) during the fermentation. That’s a lot of gas to get out of your wine. Does it all need to come out?
In the December 2006 Enology Notes, Bruce Zoecklein, Head of the Enology-Grape Chemistry Group at Virginia Tech, makes the following statement about CO2 “As a result of out-gassing and post fermentation processing (racking, fining, etc.), levels drop to near 1,000 mg/l during the first several months of aging.” He also indicates that decreases of 100 mg/l or more may be seen during the first year and not much thereafter. This implies that there may be some CO2 remaining in the wine.
Smalloak, a wine consultant in South Africa in their article titled “The Use of Inert Gas in the Wine Making Process” stated “As a rule of thumb the CO2 content in red wines should be below 900 mg/l and that of white wines below 1400 mg/l.” They also state that too little CO2 in the wine can be as detrimental to taste as too much CO2.
The International Organization of Vine and Wine conducted a study to determine the repeatability of the modified EBC method for determination of carbon dioxide. Samples were sent to nine different laboratories in Europe for testing. Included in the samples were a white wine and a red wine. Testing revealed that the mean carbon dioxide content of the white wine was 1337 mg/l and of the red wine 595 mg/l.
I have recently performed the following test on commercial wines. After pouring a glass of wine, I place my thumb over the top of the bottle and give it a brisk shake. In the dozen or so red wines I have tested in this manner, all have resulted in a layer of foam of 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. I do not taste excess CO2 in the sample I have poured. My preferences tend to red rather than white wines, so I have not tested enough white wines yet to reach a conclusion.
From the above information it seems to me that finished wine contains some CO2. It is not necessary to remove all the CO2, it is only necessary to remove the amount that adversely affects the taste of the wine. As I write this I can hear the chorus, “So, how do we determine that?”
The most frequently recommended test is the “Poof Test”. A 375ml bottle is half filled with wine, the thumb is placed over the opening and the bottle is briskly shaken. The thumb is removed from the top and the winemaker listens for a “poof” that indicates the presence of CO2.
I believe that too much emphasis is placed on listening for the “poof” and not enough at looking at the level of foam produced by the shaking. Generally, if shaking produces 1/2 inch or more of foam, additional degassing is necessary. Try this first with several commercial wines to establish a reference level. It is important that the wine and the test bottle be at the same temperature. Cold water in a warm bottle will “poof” and I don’t think it’s from excess CO2.
Another popular method among those using the brake-bleeder vacuum pump is the length of time the pump can hold 20 inches of mercury. As a vacuum is created, CO2 is pulled out of suspension and the vacuum is reduced. If a vacuum is created that results in a reading of 20 inches of mercury on the gauge and it holds for 30 minutes, the wine is considered to be degassed.
My preferred method is the “taste test”. It can be used in place of the above tests or it can supplement them. In this test, wine is taken into the mouth and allowed to spend some time on the tongue. If there is a prickle sensation on the tongue, the wine probably contains too much CO2 and additional degassing is required.
So, how do you get rid of that gas? The three most often mentioned methods are: bulk aging, whipping and vacuum pumping. I am not going to cover degassing procedures in this article. For the whipping method see http://www.finevinewines.com/Stirring-Your-Wine-Kit.htm and for the vacuum method see the featured article at http://www.finevinewines.com/March_2007.htm. I would however like to make some comments on some of these methods.
Have you heard or read a comment similar to this, “I have bulk aged my wine for six months and it still has excess CO2”? I believe that wine in a barrel will degas itself. But I do not believe that wine just sitting in a glass carboy for six months will degas itself.
When I started making wine, degassing was not an issue. It wasn’t discussed in the procedures generally available to home winemakers. What was covered in the material of the day was the importance of bulk aging. I remember bulk aging wine for at least nine to twelve months. I also remember racking and sulfiting every three months during the process. I believe it was these cellar processes and the exposure to changing temperatures and barometric pressures during the aging that degassed the wine rather than it just sitting in a carboy.
There are also some questions about vacuum degassing. Will the vacuum remove alcohol, sulfur dioxide or the esters contributing to the aroma and taste? According to Tim Vandergrift, technical services manager for WinExpert, you cannot extract a measurable amount of alcohol or significantly change sulfite levels with a vacuum apparatus and even high levels of vacuum (>24 inches mercury) don’t damage ester levels.
This article started with the statement that a newly fermented wine is saturated with CO2. Regardless of the degassing method or methods employed, it is essential to the taste of the wine that much of this CO2 be removed. Remember also that too much or too little CO2 can be detrimental to the wine. Don’t get carried away with your method, just because some is good doesn’t mean that more is better. I have found that a combination of the three methods works best for me. Finally, do not drive yourself crazy trying to get all of the CO2 out of your wine. As you taste your wine at each stage, also taste to determine the effectiveness of your degassing efforts.
Joseph - Dallas, TX
For writing this featured article, Joseph will receive a $100 gift certificate from The Wine Maker's Toy Store. I am always looking for people to write featured articles and I will give you a $100 gift certificate from The Wine Maker's Toy Store if you summit an article that I use in my newsletter. Just send me and when it appears in Pressing News, the gift certificate is yours.
I hope you find this article helpful and if you have any comments
and/or suggestions, please send them to geocorn@finevinewines.com.
Remember, a $100 gift certificate is always available to anyone who sends me a featured article that I use in a newsletter.
TOY
OF THE MONTH
Okay, so who does not need another carboy? If you have plenty of carboys, CONGRATULATIONS, but if you are one of the other 99%, we have a special for you! A carboy package with a multi-fit stopper, a 3 piece airlock and a carboy handle. Since the most popular carboys for wine makers are the 3 and 6-gallon sizes, we have them both on special. Not only will you have another carboy in your arsenal, you will also have a handle for that carboy, so you won't drop and break it, requiring the purchase of another carboy. After I dropped and broke 2 carboys, my wife put a requirement on my wine making, "All carboys shall have a handle." I should also point out that even though I no longer make wine at home (I make it at the store), whenever she visits the store, she checks to make sure that "All carboys have a handle!"
These products are marked down over 15% off and there is no limit on the number you can buy, so click on the order link below to put this special in your shopping cart.
Part Number |
Image |
Description |
Regular Price |
Current Price |
Order |
| 5154B |
 |
3-Gallon Carboy with multi-fit stopper, 3 piece airlock and carboy handle
The carboy is an essential part of your home winemaking hobby, because secondary fermentation and bulk aging occurs within this specially crafted glass jug. |
$25.99 |
$20.99 |
Order |
| 5158B |
|
6-Gallon Carboy with multi-fit stopper, 3 piece airlock and carboy handle
The carboy is an essential part of your home winemaking hobby, because secondary fermentation and bulk aging occurs within this specially crafted glass jug. |
$30.99 |
$25.99 |
Order |
WINE OF THE MONTH
Ice Wines make an excellent Christmas gift? When you gift an Ice Wine for Christmas, you give an item that retails for $20 or more, but it costs you less than $2.00 per bottle plus the bottle that will not be returned. This is an excellent way to impress the most sceptical of the value of your home wine making endeavors and to make this even more cost effective, we have reduced the price 10% on both for the month of May. Get one or both started now and they will be ready to drink, come Christmas. These wine kits make 3 gallons, so for those of you that don't have a 3-gallon carboy, we have them on special this month, as well (see Toys of the Month).
Part Number |
Image |
Description |
Brand |
Comments |
Regular Price |
Current Price |
Order |
| 3272 |
 |
Riesling Icewine Style
Prized as a unique sweet wine specialty, our Icewine - based on Riesling grapes - will surprise you with its body and complexity. Served chilled, this golden nectar should be sipped slowly to cherish its special charms. |
Winexpert Selection Special |
Wine of the Month |
$69.99 |
$62.99 |
Order |
| 3291 |
|
Cabernet Franc Red Icewine Style
Sweet and rich with rose and salmon tints, this wine entices with irresistible aromas and flavors of ripe currants, notes of spice, honey, strawberry, tart rhubarb and cranberry. Renowned as a “dessert in a glass” it is ideal on its own or with dark chocolate or triple chocolate fudge cake. |
Winexpert Selection Special |
Wine of the Month |
$69.99 |
$62.99 |
Order |
NEW PRODUCTS
To help you with your scratch wines, we have added 5 new products from Accuvin. These tests come 10 to a pack with an average cost of around $2.00 per test. With these products, you can test T.A., pH, residual sugar and SO2. We also have the Full Pocket Lab which has includes 23 individual tests for acid and pH. To find out more about these products and all of our new products as they become available, please check out our New Products Page whenever you visit the web site.
If you are looking for a product that I do not carry, my primary distributor is LD
Carlson and you can see their complete product list at their public catalog. If
you find anything you would like me to add, please let me know.
MONTHLY SPECIAL PRICING
In the past, we have allowed you to place an item in your shopping cart to reserve a price for a monthly special and place your order in a subsequent month. Effective April 1, 2007, this policy has changed. The monthly special price will expire with the end of the month. If you have any items left in your shopping cart at the end of the month, the price of those items will be adjusted to the current price. Discounts will also be re-calculated based on the new prices.
DISCOUNTS
We like to reward our loyal customers with lots of opportunities to receive discounts on their orders with us. Since you can receive multiple discounts on the same order, we thought it would be a good idea to explain the heirarchy so you will understand how they are calculated.
- The Multi-kit discount on wine kits is calculated first,
- Then any gift certificates or other promotional codes like the registration discount (first time orders) and birthday club coupons,
- Lastly is the Grower's Club discount.
The most common discounts are listed below.
CUSTOMER REFERAL PROGRAM
In case you missed it, we have a customer referral program that provides additional discounts to registered users. We will give you a coupon worth 10% of the first order placed by any person that you refer to our web site. The stipulations are as follows:
- You must be a registered user of finevinewines.com,
- The person placing the order must register and provide your name in the appropriate field on the registration screen, and
- The discount is only good for future orders with finevinewines.com and is not redeemable for cash.
We try to watch for all referrals as new customers register; however, we have missed issuing some referral credits mainly due to missing or incorrect referral information. If you think we missed a referral, please do not hesitate to contact us. We appreciate your referrals and want to make sure you are properly rewarded.
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION PROGRAM - FVW GROWERS CLUB
Please check out our FVW Growers Club. You can get all of the details on our web site, but the bottom line is we want to buy your loyalty! Once you spend $500 with us, you get a 5% discount on everything you buy from us. Find out more on the web site.
MULTI-KIT DISCOUNT
Order two or more kits and get 5% off all ingredients kits included on the same order. This includes all Winexpert, Mosti Mondiale and RJ Spagnols Wine Kits.
REGISTRATION DISCOUNT (FIRST TIME ORDERS)
To receive this 5% off, all you have to do is register with us and place an order for $50.00, or more (excluding shipping and taxes). When you register, you will also be given the opportunity to sign up for our monthly newsletter, which is the only recurring email we send. We will not blast you with email after email touting our current specials. We encourage you to register to make the ordering process easier on you.
CUSTOMER
FEEDBACK
We appreciate all of your comments, whether
good or bad. To demonstrate our commitment to outstanding customer
service, I have created a web page with your feedback. As we
receive emails that comment about our service, I will post them
on this
page.
NEWSLETTER SPECIALS
We have eliminated the newsletter special. I just can't seem to write the correct code to make this happens without errors and a lot of questions. If I do get it figured out, I will bring it back. In the meantime, I will just add another toy to the specials.
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