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

On August 10th, 2006, we had our second in store event, a wine making class. We had over 18 people in attendance and everyone enjoyed the class. Well, at least they enjoyed the wine tasting, afterwards!

We are going to continue to have in-store events with the next 3 being more wine kit classes, September 28, 29 and 30. These classes will be held in conjunction with a promotional give-away by a local radio station, KLIF. This time the cost will be $35.00 per individual or $50.00 per couple. The cost of the class can be redeemed for merchandise after the class. We are going to limit the attendance to 12 for the first class on a first come basis. Please give us a call at 1-866-417-1114 to reserve your seat.

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

We will have more classes and it is our intent 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 UPDATE - 4 NEW KITS!

We are happy to announce that Winexpert has added 4 new wine ingredients kits to its excellent line. The first 2 to be available are the South African Chenin Blanc and the New Zealand Pinot Noir. Both of these kits were first introduced in the Limited Edition program (see below) and produced excellent wines. I have these kits on order and will have them by September 9, 2006.

The next kit is one that we have been requesting for years, a red ice wine style. This wine is varietal based and relies on the Cabernet Franc for its full-bodied flavor. This kit is expected to arrive towards the end of September.

The last kit is a due out later this fall and will be a Selection Estate Washington Columbia Valley Cabernet Franc/Merlot. I don't have any further details, but I am confident it will match the quality of the other Estate branded kits. As soon as I have an availability date, I will pass it on. In the meantime, the 3 kits that are available are listed below:

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	$89.99	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	$108.99	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	$68.99	$68.99	Order

LIMITED EDITIONS AND RESTRICTED QUANTITES

It is time again to start thinking about next year's special wines. Every year Winexpert and RJ Spagnols release a series of wine that are only available for a limited time. The idea is to make the kits available for pre-order during the fall and the kits are available during the first 4 months of the next year. Winexpert will have 5 kits with 2 available in January and 1 each in February, March and April. RJ Spagnols will have 1 available in each of the first four months of 2007.

The number of kits produced is based on the number pre-ordered. As a result, 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 was not allways successful.

These kits are always outstanding, so I encourage you to pre-order them when they come out. As always, I will have some type of special promotion for these kits.

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 454 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 22,000 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 - HOW TO USE A RACHETT BASKET PRESS

Unlike tabletop and fruit presses that use a moving screw and plate, these presses use a stationary threaded shaft with a ratcheting head to do the pressing with a greater amount of torque and capacity.  Select a press that will meet your pressing requirements.  Generally, 2 lugs of varietal grapes will yield 6 gallons of wine.  Each lug of grapes weighs approximately 36 pounds.  The #30 press will readily accommodate two cases of grapes at one pressing. For Native American grapes, you will only use 6-8 pounds of grapes per gallon or about 1 lug.

A Ratchet Style Wine Press includes:

• A pressed steel base with threaded shaft and drain pan.
• Split wood basket with metal bands, hinges and pins.
• Wood pressing plate and wood blocking.
• Ratcheting head with metal knives or keys.

SETUP and OPERATION

1. Before use, disassemble the basket by removing the pins; clean and sanitize along with any other components which will come into contact with the grapes or juice, including wood press plates and wood blocks.
2. Lubricate all moving parts and hinges with petroleum jelly or a food grade lubricant.
3. Assemble the basket onto the metal base and secure with hinge pins.
4. Place a clean sanitized container under the spout to catch the juice.

Woodblocking

1. You may choose to line the basket with a nylon bag to contain large particles or pulp as a result of the pressing.
2. Fill the basket with grapes to within one inch of the top.
3. Place the pressing plate on the top of the grapes, followed by wood blocks placed at right angles to the plate halves.
4. Thread the ratcheting head onto the threaded shaft, set the ratchet keys to allow clockwise operation as shown, and lower onto the wood blocks.

Ratchet key (clockwise)

1. Apply pressure on the head and begin pressing by turning 2-3 turns in a clockwise direction.
2. Pause until the juice no longer runs, then continue pressing in 2-3 turn intervals.  Stop when the head reaches the top of the basket.

Ratchet key (counterclockwise)

1. Reverse the ratcheting head as shown and raise to add more wood blocks at right angles to the previous ones.
2. Lower the head to the blocks and repeat the pressing operation until all of the grapes have been reduced to 1/3 of the original volume or the ratchet turns with excessive resistance.  To prevent damage to the press do not use levering devices longer than supplied with the unit.
3. Raise the ratcheting head and remove the wood blocks and pressing plate from the basket.
4. Remove the hinge pins, open the cage and remove the pomace.
5. If you wish to do a second pressing, place the pomace in a sanitized large container and break up with a ladle or large spoon and place back into the cage.  Repeat the pressing cycle until all juice has been satisfactorily removed.  This step is sometimes called the second run or pressing.  The second pressing should be avoided if you are making wine for quality over quantity.  The second pressing is of lesser quality, since some oxidization occurs and excessive tannins and harshness from the skins and pulp will be pressed into the wine.

Large ratchet head

The larger presses #40 and #45 are supplied with a two slot ratcheting head which will operate fast (key in inner slot) or slow (key in outer slot).  More pressing torque is available at the slow setting.

To keep the press in proper operating condition and provide long reliable service, perform the following procedure after completing pressing for the season:

• Clean all components with water and allow to dry thoroughly.
• Re-lubricate all moving components of the ratchet head and basket hinges.
• Tighten any loose bolts.  Service and replace any damaged or worn parts.
• Cover and store the press in a dry environment.
• Retain these instructions for future reference.

TOY OF THE MONTH

This month's toy is the Buon Vino Auto Bottle Filler, which my wife claims is the best "Toy" we sell. This item is the best bottle filler we have short of buying a motorized filler. The plastic housing has been redesigned to make sure it will last a long time.

Part Number	Image	Description	Regular Price	Current Price	Order
4887		Buon Vino Automatic Auto Bottle Gravity Filler Gravity fill; stops automatically when bottle is full	$34.99	$27.99	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 are featuring the versatile Zinfandel. This grape can be used to make a full bodied red or an off-sweet blush. In addition, it blends very well with certain fruits to make nice, light, refreshing wines.

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
3195		White Zinfandel Blush wine with sweet plum flavors & a refreshing, flavorful finish.	Vintners Reserve	$55.99	$49.99	Order
3209		Red Zinfandel A deep red, spicy, peppery wine with a hint of fruit flavors of berries or dark cherries.	Vintners Reserve	$56.99	$50.99	Order
3106		Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel Deep & rich with bold, zesty aromas & ripe berry fruit flavor. Robust & exciting, it bursts with a spiciness that is met head on by the premium French oak. Recommended aging of 4 months.	Winexpert Selection Estate	$117.99	$107.99	Order
3250		White Zinfandel This blush favorite has the trademark pink hues & a soft, refreshing taste.	Winexpert Selection Premium	$92.99	$82.99	Order
HAR002		Exotic Fruits White Zinfandel Concentrate and ingredients, equipment sold separately. Makes 30 - 750ml Bottles.	Island Mist	$50.99	$44.99	Order
14866		Raspberry White Zin Concentrate and ingredients, equipment sold separately. Makes 30 - 750ml Bottles.	Orchard Breezin	$54.99	$49.99	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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