11:48 PM

June 03, 2008 - Wine History

A Wine History Artilce for Your Viewing

Home Wine Making Secrets Revealed

The Latin word 'amateur' means 'lover' and originally referred to someone who did something out of the love of doing, rather than 'just for the money'. They were regarded as the highest experts because they honed their craft motivated by joy instead of monetary reward.

Though the professionals of wine still imbue their work with passion and skill, amateurs -- with the help of modern technology and knowledge passed down over generations -- can often approach similar results.

Fermentation biochemistry was ill-understood until the beginning of the 20th century. But even so, the process has been used for over 5,000 years. Left unmolested a wine grape would ripen until the skin ruptured and the juice fermented naturally. Today, the process is guided by art and science.

Harvested grapes are put into a press where they are turned into must -- a mixture of skin, pulp and juice. Natural (residing on the skin, near the stem) and added yeast interacts with the sugars in the juice and produces ethanol (alcohol), carbon dioxide and heat. The process continues until the sugars are all reacted or the yeast is killed by the buildup of the reaction products.

Thanks to Pasteur and others the process is now tightly controlled to produce just the desired result. For those not fortunate enough to have a vineyard handy, juice concentrates can be purchased for a modest cost.

Add sugar, acids, yeast and nutrients (to assist the yeast) to a container (a carboy or jug) and allow to sit idle for 3-10 days at 75F (24C). Specific recipes available with the concentrate give amounts and details. Strain off the liquid from the pulp and allow to ferment at 65F (18C) for several weeks until bubbling stops. Siphon off sediments (lees) and store the bottles on their sides at 55F (13C) for six months (white) to a year (red) before tasting.

Of course, it sounds simpler than it is -- but neither is it beyond the dedicated amateur's ability. The process is monitored and (sometimes) adjusted on a daily basis. Thanks to inexpensive refractometers to measure sugar concentrations, hydrometers, thermometers, temperature controlled cabinets and a host of other items the job is now much easier.

But it's less expensive than the average photography fanatic's budget, and with equally pleasurable results. Well, one hopes, anyway.

It will come as no surprise, that much can go wrong while nature is taking its -- well, natural -- course. Fermentation can fail to start, it can start and then mysteriously cease prematurely, the output can be excessively sweet or hazy or full of sediments. The wine can have too much pectin, too much bacteria, taste flat or sulphurous or even moldy. Crystals can form from storing in too much cold or secondary fermentation can result from storing too hot. Sometimes these are deliberate.

But, thanks to the Internet, there are now hundreds of websites devoted to helping the eager amateur vintner in producing wines that rival the masters. All you have to do is practice for about a hundred years.

Bonne chance!

About the Author

Are you are wine lover, are you a wine collector or just and avid wine drinker? On our website we divulge the huge difference between a Rich Wine lover and a Poor Wine lover and We will show you secret places to find the best wines. It's not what you already know, its an eye opener. Go now -> Secrets of Great Wines

Burgess is a health and fitness writer.

A synopsis on Wine History.

Home Wine Making Secrets Revealed

The Latin word 'amateur' means 'lover' and originally referred to someone who did something out of the love of doing, rather than 'just for the money'...

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Wine History Products we recommend

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7:22 PM

June 2008 - Vine-

Today's Vine Article

Tips on Making Affordable Wine Recipes

One of the great things about wine on a date is that one bottle is a defined amount, normally about five glasses. If shared equally it is unlikely that you will fall off your chair drunk after half a bottle of wine!

Wines have become a household word and most households today have access to reasonably priced wine. Drinking wine doesn't just provide people with comfort during winter or cold weather but they also provide health benefits to the young and old alike.

A glass of red wine a day is said to prevent Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s disease. It's also a preventive measure against diarrhea and food poisoning. These claims are slowly being corroborated by scientific evidence, all leading to the healthful effects of moderate wine intake.

Wine Tasting for beginners

Research show that while the French eat more fat than their American counterparts, the French have fewer incidents of heart attacks. Some people attribute this to the French?s propensity for drinking wine during mealtimes. A study done by the Copenhagen City Heart Study claimed that people who consume a moderate amount of wine a day have higher chances of living a long and healthy life.

Experts agree that the flavonoid, tannin and other contents of red wine are responsible for increasing the level of good cholesterol while decreasing the level of bad cholesterol, and thereby preventing strokes and heart attacks.

People who have money to spare can get the health benefits offered by moderatley drinking wine. How about those who can't afford to buy expensive wines? While not all good wines are expensive, there is a way to enable those with tight budgets to have their wine, and drink it too!

Sparkling wine can make you appear a little pretentious or if you go for a cheaper version, a tightwad; so this is usually best avoided. If you are not sure whether your companion likes wine at all, ros? wine is often a safe option as it often lacks the sharpness that people commonly dislike in wines.

The basics of wine making

There are many wine recipes that are available for free. Win e-making doesn't really require sophisticated laboratory materials. Wine can even be made using ordinary household ingredients and materials.

The basic ingredients in making wine include grape juice, sugar, water and yeast. The basic materials needed are a container for the wine, balloons and a pin, measuring cup and a funnel.

The said ingredients are used in making basic wine. Like any other recipe, there are modifications that can make your wine more flavorful and interesting. Adding raisins and almond to regular wine, with some ingredient modifications, can make your wine not only better-tasting but more exotic. The same thing happens when you try to mix apple, banana or other fruit ingredients to the basic wine.

You can experiment on making wines as a hobby. However, once you have perfected your wine recipes, this might be the start of a new career in entrepreneurship. So why not create your own wine recipes so you can drink your own wine and sell it too?

If you are really not sure what to choose, why not offer your companion a choice of glasses as an aperitif while you have a beer or spirit. This way you can judge your companion's taste. Even if they select a spirit, you can still get a measure of whether they prefer sweet or dry wines.

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Tips on Making Affordable Wine Recipes

One of the great things about wine on a date is that one bottle is a defined amount, normally about five glasses. If shared equally it is unlikely tha...

Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

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Phoenix Napa Sangiovese Blood of Jupiter

People that know great Sangiovese love the Phoenix "Blood of Jupiter" wine. We used longer skin contact during fermentation than we have in the past with this variety (up to 23 days total), which helped capture the essence of the grape by extracting more color and other compounds from the grape skins. These options were made possible due to a growing season that provided grapes which were almost perfectly ripened when finally harvested. A slightly shorter barrel aging period with this vintage helped to capture the intensity of the fruit characters. Jeff Morgan of the Wine Spectator wrote "Bright raspberry, cherry, and spice flavors lead the way in this juicy, fruity wine, which is tempered nicely by herbal notes, good acidity and firm tannins...Fun to drink". PNS02 PNS02

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