Your Winemaking Educational Source
Tannins are an astringent compound found in plants that are responsible for the gritty texture in red wines. They have no flavor or aroma but can be experienced as dryness.
The word tannin stems from the use of this compound to “tan” leather. Which is why your tongue feels a little like leather when drinking a high tannin wine without food. Continue reading “What Are Tannins?”
While it is great fun to have your very own wine label on the bottles you made it can also be a hassle when you go to reuse the bottle. Most wine labels leave a sticky mess behind that require chemicals to remove.
There is one company, however, that makes a reusable wine label that leaves no mess behind and has quite a few other neat features. I found these not too long ago and wanted to check them out. Continue reading “Awesome Reusable Wine Labels”
Bentonite is a common additive used to clarify and fine wines. It’s great for removing protein haze and can be used to remove off aromas. But what is it?
Bentonite is an impure clay formed by the weathering of volcanic ash. It is an absorbent material that is able to bond with the floating particles that cause cloudiness in wine.
The main types used to fine wine are sodium and calcium bentonite. While each will contain small amounts of other minerals they are described by the mineral that is in greatest concentration.
Back sweetening is the process used to turn a completely dry wine into either an off dry or sweet wine. This is just one of many ways in which you can produce a sweet wine.
The most common ways of back sweetening are by adding sugar or unfermented grape juice to a finished wine. By finished I mean fermented and stabilized.
The Great Riesling Yeast Experiment has drawn to a close. The two different Rieslings produced during the experiment have now been finished, blended, and bottled. If you missed the first two parts here is Part I and Part II. Otherwise here’s a brief summary of the experiment. Continue reading “The Great Riesling Yeast Experiment Part III”