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

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.

STORE EVENTS

We are going to have another bottling party in November, prior to Thanksgiving and we will have an all-day Christmas party, one Saturday in December. Watch the newsletter for the exact date.

We won't have any additonal wine making classes until after Christmas.

It is our intention to have at least 1 event at the store per month. If you have a suggestion for an event, please give us a call.

WINEXPERT LIMITED EDITION 2007 PROGRAM AND SPECIAL

It's time to pre-order your Limited Edition kits for 2007 (see featured article below! These kits are only available for a short period and you are only guaranteed a kit, if you pre-order one. If you do not pre-order, there is no guarantee you will be able to get any of the kits at a later date. Every year, I have customers that want me to obtain these kits after the pre-order date. I do my best to accomodate their wishes, but as several customers will tell you, I am not always successful. By the way, you do not pay for any of the Limited Edition kits until you pick them up in the store or we ship them to you. Because of this policy, only credit card orders will be accepted for pre-orders of the Limited Editions.

We always have a special to go along with the Limited Editions and this year is no exception. If you order any four of the Limited Edition kits before November 1, 2006, we will double the multi-kit discount to 10% on the all the Limited Edition kits you order and we will also double the multi-kit discount to 10% on any other Winexpert wine kit ordered on the same order. That's right, order any 4 of the 5 Limited Edition kits and save over $40.00, then order more Winexpert Wine kits and save 10% on each additional kit AND if you order all 5 Limited Edition kits, not only will we give you the 10% off on each kit you order, we will also throw in 150 agglomerate corks for free.

For those of you in the FVW Growers Club you will still get your 5% off, so you can save 15% on all of the Winexpert Wine kits that you order with your pre-order for the Limited Editions. For those of you not in the FVW Growers Club, this is your opportunity to qualify. We treat each shipment as a separate order, so if you go over the $500 before we ship all of the kits, any remaining shipments will receive the additional 5% off.

These kits are always outstanding, so I encourage you to pre-order them.

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.

FORUM

When you have a question or just want to learn more about wine making, don't forget our forum! We have over 500 registered users, including some extremely knowledgeable wine makers with loads of valuable information and willing to assist you in your wine making needs. As of the printing of this newsletter, we have over 25,000 posts. We also have 4 moderators and an administrator. Responses to most posts are made within minutes.

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. We are also known to have a contest or two only available to forum members.

FEATURED ARTICLE - WINEXPERT LIMITED EDITION KITS FOR 2007

We are please to announce the Selection Limited Edition varieties for this year.  The five outstanding wines, released from January through April, are available on a pre-order only basis.  Winexpert’s Limited Editions have won numerous awards at various amateur winemaking 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.  From January to April, Winexpert releases the Limited Edition kits and they are only available for that one month.  Due to the popularity of these wines and restricted availability, sales must be made on a reservation basis.  The program has sold out the last several years, so we highly recommend pre-ordering these kits.   The Selection Limited Edition Series provides a unique product that is only available for a short time and the only way to guarantee that you will get one of these kits is to pre-order them.  The pre-order deadline for all five kits is midnight, CST, Sunday, December 10, 2006.   Orders received after the deadline will be placed on a waiting list and filled on a first come, first served basis.  Here are this year’s varieties:

SOUTH AFRICAN SHIRAZ (Sure-as)

Stellenbosch is South Africa’s oldest growing region, the center for study of viticulture and oenology in Africa, and the heart of the wine industry.  Famous for its stunning natural beauty, it has soaring mountains, forests, vineyards, olive groves and veldts.  South Africa’s finest red wines thrive in the Cape’s moderate climate, and the Shiraz from this region is dense with jammy richness, intense fruit, and complex spiciness.  The pepper, plums and red fruit aromas and abundant tannins blend wonderfully with barbecue, grilled red meat, and stews.  This medium to full bodied wine almost begs for early drinking, with spice and rich fruit, but the bold tannins and rich jamminess (typical of Shiraz) will require six months to a year to develop, and it will further improve over the next two years.  Sweetness Code: 0

AUSTRALIAN VERDELHO (Vurr-dale-o)

Mularoo Creek is a stunning region in South Australia’s Murray River featuring long open plains and sloping hillsides that have only been planted since 1960.  Originally from Portugal where it makes the sweet Madeira and White Port, in Australia it is an increasingly important variety, challenging Sauvignon Blanc as the number-two wine (after Chardonnay).  Verdelho shows pink grapefruit, mineral, floral, green apple and pear notes, but never forgets it was made from ripe, sweet grapes.  A wonderful antidote to heavy, oaky Chardonnay it matches with Thai green curry, butter chicken, scallops or king crab.  Crisp, fresh and bright when young, it will develop floral and mineral aromas after six months, and deepen in flavor for one to two years.  Sweetness Code: 0

AUSTRALIAN GRENACHE/MOURVÈDRE )Gren-ash Moo-vedd

Overland Corner, on Australia’s Murray River, is made up of long open plains and sloping hillsides.  With beautiful vineyards and ultra-high quality grapes, it’s hard to believe the vineyard development has only come about in the last 50 years.  A classic blend from France, Grenache produces ripe purple fruit with dense, lush aromas of black cherry, jam, pepper and licorice.  Mourvèdre, deep blue and thick-skinned, has high sugar, acidity, color and tannin, and dense structure, working especially well with Grenache’s lush fruit, for a blend of length, power, and fruitiness and above all, balanced intensity of flavor.  With strong flavors and aromas of black fruit and bold tannins, this wine will develop impressive finesse and complexity after a year in bottle.  Excellent with ribs, filet mignon, and lamb chops.  Sweetness Code: 0.

GERMAN GEWÜRZTRAMINER (Guh-wurts-tra-meaner)

With its steep slopes and mineral rich soils, Germany’s Mosel Valley produces some of the world’s finest cool-climate white wines.  Low yields and hand cultivation ensure intense, richly aromatic grapes. Gewürztraminer originated from an ancient grape found in Termeno, a village in northern Italy.  German vineyards yielded opulently aromatic grapes, tinged with rosy pink that the winemakers christened ‘gewurz’, which translates to ‘perfumed’.  Winexpert’s Gewürztraminer is a medium bodied wine, redolent with heady perfume and the aromatic fragrance of lychee, tropical fruit & rose petals. Finishing off dry, its flavors are ample, lusciously fruity and spicy rather than complex. The deeper floral characters develop further after six months in the bottle.  Matching well with spicy food such as Thai or Szechuan cuisine, strong cheeses and fresh fruits, it is also great all by itself.  Sweetness Code: 1.

SPANISH TEMPRANILLO/CABERNET SAUVIGNON (Temp-ran-knee-yo Kab-er-nay So-vee-nyohn)

Spain ’s La Mancha is Europe’s largest denominated wine region.  Named from the Moorish word ‘Manxa’, which means ‘parched earth’, the dry growing conditions ensure healthy vines and low yields, producing intensely flavored, extremely ripe grapes.  Thick skinned and blue black, Tempranillo is high in color and extract and low in acidity.  The foundation of the great reds of Rioja, it produces dark lush wines with black cherry, raspberry, and currant aromas, with complementing notes of plum and tobacco.  Cabernet Sauvignon adds blackcurrant and blackberry notes along with firm structure.  This wine matches well with roast turkey, game birds, stews and aged cheese.  It can be consumed under six months of age, but the black cherry/blackcurrant and plum notes take at least six months to show, and will be best after one to two years.  Sweetness Code: 0.

These kits are alway outstanding, so be sure to order yours before the December 10, 2006, deadline.

TOY OF THE MONTH

This month's toy is the ever versatile, ever reliable, must have, CARBOY! We have all of our 1, 3, 5 and 6 gallon glass carboys on sale and we have added additional product codes that allow you to order a carboy, stopper and airlock with one click for the 1, 3 and 5 gallon carboy to go along with the 6-gallon combination that we have had for years. The combination price offers a modest savings over buying each item separately. I keep hearing how you never have enough carboys, so now is your chance to stock up.

Part Number	Image	Description	Regular Price	Current Price	Order
5190A		Clear Gallon Jug glass with resealable screw cap Uses a size #6 stopper.	$4.99	$3.99	Order
5190B		Clear Gallon Glass Jug Uses a size #6 stopper.	$4.49	$3.49	Order
5154		3-Gallon Glass Carboy Uses a Multi-Fit or #7 Stopper.	$16.99	$14.99	Order
5156		5-Gallon Glass Carboy Uses a Multi-Fit or #7 Stopper.	$21.99	$19.99	Order
5158		6-Gallon Glass Carboy Uses a Multi-Fit or #6.5 Stopper.	$22.99	$20.99	Order
5158A		6-Gallon Glass Carboy with Twin Bubble Airlock and Mutli-fit Stopper The carboy is an essential part of your home winemaking hobby, because secondary fermentation and bulk aging occurs within this specially crafted glass jug.	$24.39	$22.39	Order
5156A		5-Gallon Glass Carboy with Twin Bubble Airlock and Mutli-fit Stopper The carboy is an essential part of your home winemaking hobby, because secondary fermentation and bulk aging occurs within this specially crafted glass jug.	$23.39	$21.39	Order
5154A		3-Gallon Glass Carboy with Twin Bubble Airlock and Mutli-fit Stopper The carboy is an essential part of your home winemaking hobby, because secondary fermentation and bulk aging occurs within this specially crafted glass jug.	$18.39	$16.39	Order
5190C		1-Gallon Clear Glass Jug with Twin Bubble Airlock and Mutli-fit Stopper The carboy is an essential part of your home winemaking hobby, because secondary fermentation and bulk aging occurs within this specially crafted glass jug.	$6.39	$5.39	Order

NEW PRODUCTS

We have lots of new products this month, including:

• Bladder Presses
• New Winexpert Kits
• A new transfer pump
• A mini-auto-siphon for one gallon jugs
• Wine Maker's Toy Store polo shirts

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.

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.

We are usually at the store by 9 am and stay until at least 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 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.

WINE OF THE MONTH

This month, we have decided to offer an eclectic group of wines for our Wine of the Month special. We have two of the brand new kits from Winexpert, the New Zealand Pinot Noir and the South African Chenin Blanc to go along with Italian Verdicchio. For those of you that prefer the fruit wines, we have the Mango Citrus Symphony.

Both of the new wines originally appeared in the 2005 Limited Edition Series and were so well received that Winexpert decided to make them a standard wine kit. The Verdicchio is an outstanding wine which is under appreciated due to its lack of name recognition while the Mango Citrus Symphony is one of the more popular Island Mist kits.

Please note that although we try to over stock for our specials, we do run out on occasion. When this happens, we will advise you of the expected shipping date.

To learn more about each of these kits, go to our Wine Varietals page.

Part Number	Image	Description	Brand	Regular Price	Current Price	Order
3281		South African Chenin Blanc High natural acidity and fruity aromas meld with flavors of green apple, luscious tropical fruits and summer melon to produce a crisp, well-balanced finish. Aging improves the floral and melon notes of this dry wine.	Winexpert Selection International	$89.99	$79.99	Order
3264		Italian Verdicchio Light & fruity delicate aroma with a crisp, dry flavor with a bright lemony acidity.	Winexpert Selection International	$86.99	$76.99	Order
HAR009		Mango Citrus Symphony Concentrate and ingredients, equipment sold separately. Makes 30 - 750ml Bottles.	Island Mist	$50.99	$44.99	Order
3285		New Zealand Pinot Noir A delicate medium-bodied wine with aromas of violet and luscious red fruit. Silky tannins grip your palate and end with a velvet smooth finish. The intense varietal character is brilliantly expressed with Winexpert’s specially selected “AC” yeast, which allows the true fruit to shine through in this delicious wine.	Winexpert Selection International	$108.99	$95.99	Order

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:

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.

NEWSLETTER SPECIALS

To reward those of you that take the time to read our newsletter every month, we are adding a newsletter special. We promise to offer an outstanding value each month via this feature and this special pricing will only be available through a link from the current month's newsletter. A link to the newsletter special will appear somewhere in the newsletter.

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