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

I would like to thank each one of you for visiting our site. I hope it was an enjoyable experience and you were able to find everything for which you were looking. As I indicated on our web site, we started this business last year, so unlike big business, we are extremely flexible and nothing we have done so far is “etched in stone.” As a result, being an early user of our site and subscriber to our newsletter gives you the ability to influence the future of our site and our company!

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.

I want to extend my thanks again for making finevinewines.com your home for your wine making needs. It continues to be my hope that every time you visit finevinewines.com you have an enjoyable experience and you find everything for which you are looking.

TIP OF THE MONTH

When making wine from a kit, be sure to take your S.G. readings on day 1 and, depending upon which kit you are using, day 5, 6 and/or 7. In addition, you should also take the S.G. just before you stabilize. This is the best way to make sure your wine is fermenting properly and has completed fermentation. For most dry wines, the initial S.G will be in the 1.080 to 1.100 range. By day six or seven, it should be down to around 1.000. Just before you stabilize, the reading should be less than 1.000 as alcohol is lighter than water.

If for any reason, you think you may have a problem with your wine's fermentation, these readings are extremely valuable in determining if there is anything going awry.

If you have a tip or a quote you would like to share, send it to me at geocorn@finethevinewines.com. Not only will I include it in the next newsletter, I will give you a $5.00 off coupon.

FEATURED ARTICLE - David Martin, Award winner from Oklahoma!

---If you would like to offer your comments and/or suggestions, please send them to geocorn@finethevinewines.com.

TOY OF THE MONTH

In keeping with our new slogan, "The Winemaker's Toy Store", we are going to feature a home wine making "toy" each month. We will not discuss any toy unless we have tried it and found it beneficial.

This month's toy is the Bag De-Capper. Have you ever scraped your knuckles, broken a fingernail, cut yourself with a knife or spilled your juice, while trying to open the bag of concentrate? I personally have done all four. Well, Winexpert has a bag de-capper. It is a plastic lever that fits right on the cap and pops the cap off, just like a bottle opener. I used it today for the first time and it really works!

And the great thing about this toy is that it is FREE with every order that contains a wine kit from now, thru the end of the year. Starting in January, these little toys will sell for $3.99 each.

WINEXPERT LIMITED EDITION 2005

Winexpert has released its Limited Edition series for 2005. As always, they have found new and exciting kits for you to try and availability is only guaranteed by pre-ordering.

The 2005 Selection Limited Edition series features a limited number of five outstanding wine kit varieties released annually from January through April. Winexpert’s Limited Editions have won numerous awards at various amateur wine making competitions and continue to be a highly sought-after offering. These 16-liter kits come complete with additives and instructions and include a package of 30 labels inside the box. Here’s how the program works for those of you new to it. Every year from January to April, Winexpert releases one wine per month (in January there’s two) that is only available for that one month. Due to the popularity of these wines and their limited availability, sales must be made on a reservation basis. The Selection Limited Edition Series provides a unique product that is only available for a short time. In addition, the program has completely sold out the last three years, so we highly recommend pre-ordering these wines.

Ordering deadline for all five kits is 5 p.m. EST Sunday, December 12, 2004. Please note this year’s deadline is 10 days earlier than previous order deadlines, so Winexpert can have the January kits available for the first week of January 2005. Orders received after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list and filled on a first come, first served basis.

Just like last year, if you order all five kits, you get 10% off every kit. In addition, if you are a member of the FVW Growers Club, you get an additional 5% off. You can order each individually or you can order all five on our Limited Edition Page.

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

This year we are adding the option to send a Holiday card with any gift purchase. Just tell us what you want the card to say and we will include it with your gift. In addition, if you tell us that the order is a gift, we will gladly mail the receipt to you.

We are also including a special coupon to all recipients of your holiday cheer. As always, if you have any questions or special instructions, just pick up the phone and call us, 866-417-1114.

FORUM

The Discussion Forum now has 61 registered users. It is an excellent place to ask questions, exchange ideas and meet other home wine makers. The discussions have also led me to bring in additional products, as well as, dig through my books for some answers. In addition, there are several polls in which you can vote and see the results. You can also create your own poll.

I have also added a "Forum Specials" section. In this section, I will post additional specials that will be available first to forum members. Initially, I will use this area to post limited quantity items, especially wine kits that are approaching expiration. I chose this method for notification as I realize everyone already gets too many e-mails. In order to be fair to everyone, I will try to always post any specials on Sunday. These specials will be available on a first come, first served basis.

If you haven't logged into the forum, try it sometime. I think you will find it most informative and enjoyable.

NOVEMBER SPECIAL

Just in time for Christmas, we are offering most of our wine making books at special prices. To see these books, click here.

Don't forget that when you are finished with your tutorial VHS tape or CD, you can return it for a credit of $19.95. Also, as soon as you register, you get a coupon good for 10% off all items, except starter kits. This coupon can be used immediately and it can be used in conjunction with any other discounts.

For those of you in the FVW Growers Club, all monthly specials are always in addition to your 5% permanent discount.

CALL US!

If you have any questions about our products, our service and/or wine making, please call us. We are not Corporate America! We are here to serve you. I bring this up, because a number of my callers apologize for bothering me or using my toll-free line. You are definitely not bothering me and I have a toll-free line so you WILL call me.

Sometimes, I am unable to answer the phone. If you get the voice mail, please leave your name, number, brief message and a best time to call. I will return your call as soon as I can. By the way, the best time to reach me is weekdays between 4-10pm CST or all day Saturday and Sunday.

If you don't want to call, just send me an email. I usually answer my email daily. In addition, your emails and/or calls do not have to relate to wine. I will discuss any topic you like, so please remember, I am your resource and I am here for you.

FEATURED WINE

This month we are featuring the Merlot, which is softer and warmer on the palate than Cabernet Sauvignon. Merlot has the advantage of being rich and supple but only moderately tannic and, therefore, wonderfully drinkable from early on. The Merlot grape is larger and thinner skinned than the Cabernet grape. It produces wine with a chewy, almost opulent texture.

In the early 1970's, a handful of California wineries began experimenting with Merlot to soften, round out and add complexity to Cabernets. Almost simultaneously, winemakers discovered that Merlot was capable of yielding a wine that could stand on its own. Merlot has since emerged as a premium parietal in its own right and is becoming increasingly popular with consumers. Although it does not have the same firm backbone and structure of a Cab, Merlot yields a sensual, round wine that does not need the same care in aging. So it can be a splendidly pragmatic and commendable choice for many occasions.

The most critically acclaimed Merlot wines are dark, rich and strong. Aromas include scents of plums, black cherry, toffee, chocolate, violets, orange and tea.

To see this month's special pricing on Merlot, click here.

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION PROGRAM

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 $1,000 with us, you get a 5% discount on everything you buy from us. Find out more on the web site.

CUSTOMER REFFERAL PROGRAM

Effective March 1, 2004, we have a customer referral program that provides for 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:

That's all you have to do to get another discount from finevinewines.com.

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.

WEB SITE UPDATES

I have not been keeping the updates pages current; however, if you discover anything that does not work properly, please contact me.

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