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First Impressions of My Shiraz and the Mistakes I Made

You’re really supposed to wait six months after bottling a red wine before you taste it…but I couldn’t resist!

When I bottled my Shiraz I wound up with 29 full bottles and about a half bottle left over. Needless to say I couldn’t store the half bottle for any length of time without oxidizing it. So, the only thing left to do was drink it!

I wanted to taste the wine as bottled for two reasons. First, I wanted to know what it tastes like in the beginning so that I have something to compare it to as it ages. Second, I wanted to see if I made any mistakes that I could learn from. Here’s what I found when I tasted my wine. Continue reading “First Impressions of My Shiraz and the Mistakes I Made”

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Bottling Your Kit Wine

The final step in the wine making process is to bottle your wine and insert a cork. You’re ready for this step once you wine has been stabilized and is clear.

If your wine has not been properly clarified or degassed you shouldn’t move on to bottling.  Sediment and trapped carbon dioxide cannot leave the bottle and will remain suspended in the wine until you open it. So be completely sure you’re ready for this step.

In this video you’ll see the steps involved to take wine from a carboy to the bottle including an extra step required for long-term bottle aging.

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The Epic Rise and Tragic Fall of a Yeast Empire

Yeast is the secret to making wine. Without it alcoholic fermentation wouldn't be possible.
Yeasts Conquering the land of Pinot Noir

The unfermented must is a vast and plentiful breeding ground for yeast. Food in the form of dissolved oxygen and sugar abounds. For the right strain of yeast this is the perfect place to establish a thriving empire.

The winemaker sets the yeast in motion. They hydrates the yeast, preparing them to conquer this new-found domain. Once the yeast is awakened they are transplanted to this new land. Continue reading “The Epic Rise and Tragic Fall of a Yeast Empire”

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Degassing and Clarifying Your Wine

After a seemingly eternal fourteen days since racking it’s time to degas and add a clarifying agent to the kit wine.

The wine whip degassing tool.Degassing is a brut force method of removing suspended carbon dioxide. I purchased a Fermtech Wine Whip to help with this process and it saved me big time. More on that later.

Check out this video on degassing and adding a stabilizing agent to the wine. This is the final step before bottling. If this step isn’t done correctly your wine won’t clear and you won’t be able to move onto bottling! Continue reading “Degassing and Clarifying Your Wine”

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Two Approaches to Making Wine

As a winemaker there are two different approaches you can take making wine. One is over bearing and controlling while the other is a gentle guide. Which will you choose?

At each step of the way the overbearing winemaker is constantly checking and adjusting everything. From sulfur dioxide levels to pH to sugar content no aspect of the wine is left untouched. The grape juice is beaten down and forced to fit the winemaker’s vision. Continue reading “Two Approaches to Making Wine”