Cleanliness next to Godliness
July, 2019 Filed in: Wine making
Now that we are able to offer Ferment on Premise, providing the service of assisting customers in making wine in our store, we are noticing some issues around keeping wine bottles clean. Bottles are being brought into the stores that have black mould in the bottom of the bottles. Not a problem we can clean them before they are filled. But there is a very simple solution to this.
We recommend after you finish drinking your wine, take about a ¼ teaspoon of chlorinated cleaner and drop it into the wine bottle. Fill it with hot water and shake the bottle by placing your hand on the top of the bottle. Let the bottle sit over night and then drain the bottle overnight. Now here is the key, place the bottle upside down in a box allowing the water to fully drain, and not allowing any pesky spiders from finding a new home. Your bottles will be mould free! A good thing to do is park a tub of chlorinated cleaner (pink stuff) under the kitchen sink for easy access.
If you are making wine at home we also suggest using the chlorinated cleaner to clean your carboys after each use. Simply add a ¼ cup of the cleaner and fill the carboy with cold or lukewarm water, never use hot water. Wine contains a small amount of protein that will stick to the inside carboy surfaces. The chlorinated cleaner will remove this protein from the carboy walls. If you notice that particles are sticking to the walls of your carboy that is because you have a protein buildup. Many customers who try this after we recommend using cleaner, tell us they are almost sick to see the brown “crud” that comes off the wall.
We recommend after you finish drinking your wine, take about a ¼ teaspoon of chlorinated cleaner and drop it into the wine bottle. Fill it with hot water and shake the bottle by placing your hand on the top of the bottle. Let the bottle sit over night and then drain the bottle overnight. Now here is the key, place the bottle upside down in a box allowing the water to fully drain, and not allowing any pesky spiders from finding a new home. Your bottles will be mould free! A good thing to do is park a tub of chlorinated cleaner (pink stuff) under the kitchen sink for easy access.
If you are making wine at home we also suggest using the chlorinated cleaner to clean your carboys after each use. Simply add a ¼ cup of the cleaner and fill the carboy with cold or lukewarm water, never use hot water. Wine contains a small amount of protein that will stick to the inside carboy surfaces. The chlorinated cleaner will remove this protein from the carboy walls. If you notice that particles are sticking to the walls of your carboy that is because you have a protein buildup. Many customers who try this after we recommend using cleaner, tell us they are almost sick to see the brown “crud” that comes off the wall.
Whisky/Bourbon Ageing
June, 2019 Filed in: Wine making
The Bourbon barrel–aged wines I’ve tried definitely follow a stylistic trend. They tend to be bold, ripe reds at the core, with vanilla, sometimes candied notes. The notes of toast can be intense, heading towards charred or campfire notes.
In the wine business we constantly seeing different trends, some may call them fads emerge over the years. The latest one appears to be ageing wine in whisky or bourbon barrels. Back a few years ago several new commercial winemakers were entering the market and being capital poor could not afford traditional oak barrels for ageing their wine. But they could obtain used whisky or bourbon barrels. So they began to age their wine in thee used liquor barrels and the wine from this process was an immediate commercial success. And then in 2014 some of the big players began to produce wine that was aged in whisky or bourbon barrels. In fact even though their costs were significantly lower because they eliminated purchasing new oak barrels they, being good marketers sold this wine at a $3-4 per bottle premium. Since then these wines have grown in popularity.
Wines ages in whisky or bourbon barrels tend to be bold ripe reds at the core, with hints of vanilla, sometimes described as candied. You may detect some smoky elements in the wine as well.
A few months ago we had the Eclipse Bourbon Barrel wine kit and those that made it continue to rave about the quality of wine and how much they enjoyed it. So this month we have a Selection Limited Whisky Barrel Cab Merlot.
In the wine business we constantly seeing different trends, some may call them fads emerge over the years. The latest one appears to be ageing wine in whisky or bourbon barrels. Back a few years ago several new commercial winemakers were entering the market and being capital poor could not afford traditional oak barrels for ageing their wine. But they could obtain used whisky or bourbon barrels. So they began to age their wine in thee used liquor barrels and the wine from this process was an immediate commercial success. And then in 2014 some of the big players began to produce wine that was aged in whisky or bourbon barrels. In fact even though their costs were significantly lower because they eliminated purchasing new oak barrels they, being good marketers sold this wine at a $3-4 per bottle premium. Since then these wines have grown in popularity.
Wines ages in whisky or bourbon barrels tend to be bold ripe reds at the core, with hints of vanilla, sometimes described as candied. You may detect some smoky elements in the wine as well.
A few months ago we had the Eclipse Bourbon Barrel wine kit and those that made it continue to rave about the quality of wine and how much they enjoyed it. So this month we have a Selection Limited Whisky Barrel Cab Merlot.
Ferment on Premises - Questions Part 2
May, 2019 Filed in: Wine making
In March we answered some common questions about making wine in our store. Now that we have been making wine for almost 6 weeks here are some of the questions we have encountered.
What exactly does the customer have to do? Essentially with making wine in Ferment on Premise, the customer owns the wine. And we are providing the service to make it. The AGLC requires the customer to be involved in starting the wine, but we are allowed to assist in the process, particularly with regard to lifting. This will take 10-15 minutes to start a batch. We take over from there, stabilizing, racking and filtering your wine. We will then make an appointment for you to come in and bottle your wine. Again we are allowed to assist.
Can I use my own bottles? Yes! Please bring in your own bottles. Of course if you require bottles you can buy them from us.
Am I allowed to sample my wine before bottling? Yes, the AGLC allows you to test your wine prior to bottling. Each owner of the wine may sample up to 120 ml of the wine. After all it is your wine!
What does the Fermenting Fee include? We provide all the services in making your wine right through until the bottling stage. Things such as bottles, corks and labels are not included unless they are provided.
What exactly does the customer have to do? Essentially with making wine in Ferment on Premise, the customer owns the wine. And we are providing the service to make it. The AGLC requires the customer to be involved in starting the wine, but we are allowed to assist in the process, particularly with regard to lifting. This will take 10-15 minutes to start a batch. We take over from there, stabilizing, racking and filtering your wine. We will then make an appointment for you to come in and bottle your wine. Again we are allowed to assist.
Can I use my own bottles? Yes! Please bring in your own bottles. Of course if you require bottles you can buy them from us.
Am I allowed to sample my wine before bottling? Yes, the AGLC allows you to test your wine prior to bottling. Each owner of the wine may sample up to 120 ml of the wine. After all it is your wine!
What does the Fermenting Fee include? We provide all the services in making your wine right through until the bottling stage. Things such as bottles, corks and labels are not included unless they are provided.
Barbaresco
April, 2019 Filed in: Wine varieties
Barbaresco is a province located in north-western Italy, nestled up against the Piedmont mountains. It is a recognized appellation, or distinct growing area. The predominant grape grown in Barbaresco is Nebbiolo. You maybe familiar with Nebbiolo as it is the grape variety that is found in Barolo wines. Barolo is the neighbouring province to Barbaresco. Nebbiolo grown in Barbaresco tends are characterized as being more refined and elegant in comparison to the more robust wines produced in the province of Barolo due to growing conditions. These wines are known for their oakiness, really suitable for some barrel ageing.
Of course you can get a LE Barbaresco this month.
Of course you can get a LE Barbaresco this month.
Ferment on Premises - FAQ's Part 1
March, 2019 Filed in: Wine making
As we get closer to offering the Ferment on Premise service we are getting a lot of questions on this new offering in Alberta. So over the next couple of months we thought we would review a few of the rules from the AGLC and answers from some of the questions we are getting.
What is the role of the customer? What does the customer have to do?
The customer owns the wine throughout the whole process. We provide the service of making the wine. The customer is responsible for pouring the wine into the primary, mixing it with water, and adding the yeast. If you are unable to pour the juice into the pail because of weight, we are able to help you with that.
After the wine has been filtered we will then call you to set up an appointment to come in and bottle your wine. You are responsible for sterilizing your bottles, filling the bottles, corking them, and placing labels and shrink wraps on the bottle. We will provide you with industrial equipment that makes the process much simpler than you may be using at home now. We are allowed to help show you how to use that equipment. Once the wine has been bottled it must be taken home. No finished wine can be stored at our facility.
Can I bring my own empty bottles from home and use them?
Yes! We will be obtaining a industrial washer that will sterilize the bottles in 5 minutes or so. If you do not have enough bottles we do sell them.
What is Creative Connoisseur’s role?
We provide the facility to make your wine. We are responsible for insuring your wine is made to the instructions stipulated by the kit manufacturer. So once the yeast has been added by you, we stabilize, rack and filter your wine. We are allowed to help with pouring the juice into the pail if you are unable to lift it. We are also allowed to show you how to operate all of the bottle filling equipment.
Next month we will delve into some of the more interesting specific questions of the rules pertaining to Ferment on Premises service as required by law.
What is the role of the customer? What does the customer have to do?
The customer owns the wine throughout the whole process. We provide the service of making the wine. The customer is responsible for pouring the wine into the primary, mixing it with water, and adding the yeast. If you are unable to pour the juice into the pail because of weight, we are able to help you with that.
After the wine has been filtered we will then call you to set up an appointment to come in and bottle your wine. You are responsible for sterilizing your bottles, filling the bottles, corking them, and placing labels and shrink wraps on the bottle. We will provide you with industrial equipment that makes the process much simpler than you may be using at home now. We are allowed to help show you how to use that equipment. Once the wine has been bottled it must be taken home. No finished wine can be stored at our facility.
Can I bring my own empty bottles from home and use them?
Yes! We will be obtaining a industrial washer that will sterilize the bottles in 5 minutes or so. If you do not have enough bottles we do sell them.
What is Creative Connoisseur’s role?
We provide the facility to make your wine. We are responsible for insuring your wine is made to the instructions stipulated by the kit manufacturer. So once the yeast has been added by you, we stabilize, rack and filter your wine. We are allowed to help with pouring the juice into the pail if you are unable to lift it. We are also allowed to show you how to operate all of the bottle filling equipment.
Next month we will delve into some of the more interesting specific questions of the rules pertaining to Ferment on Premises service as required by law.