Vineland NJ Wine Competition Aug. 10th 2013

[joeswine]

Cello's

I agree once you get the hang of making the extract that in itself opens up a whole different perspective have fun. Remember the food coloring..................................................

 

[joeswine]

Simple syrup

simple syrup is a key component in wine making weather your boosting the alcohol level or doing a capitalizations process (same thing) or just back sweetening at the finish ,simple syrup is fundamentally a more assured way to go and the process is simple this is a tool every wine maker should have available in his or hers tool box.To make Simple Syrup
We use Pure Can Sugar Only.
Simple syrup is a 2 to 1 blend (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)
We use ball jars as a measuring device because that is what I store it in.
So, this batch was 4-to-2 blend. (4 ball jars sugar, 2 ball jars water)
which equates to 4 full ball jars of simple syrup ready to use anytime.
First:
Measure out sugar to water ratio.
Next, add sugar to a large metal pot.
Now is a good time to take the ball jars and place them in the sink in a tray and have your lids ready and your hot mittens (cooking gloves, whatever you call them!)
Make a well in the center, then dump the water into the well and stir until blended (not disolved yet.)
Next, turn the heat up to high. Stirring frequently until you see it start to clear a little with a light foam on top. Once you see this, you want to stir it constantly. It will go from simmer to rapid boil almost instantly when it's ready to go. Continue to stir, being careful to NOT GET ANY ON YOU! It will take your skin off, it's very HOT!
With a metal spoon you should see through the simple syrup just like water, it will be clear. You will know you are done when this happens. (It will be at a hard boil when this happens.)
You should already have your ball jars clean and ready to go. I place mine in a tin tray in the sink and fill the tray half way up w/ water. I place a wide mouth funnel inside the jars and take the boiling hot simple syrup and CAREFULLY fill the ball jars. Use your mitten and put the lids and rings on the jars and tighten them up. Turn the cold water on them and allow it to run in the tray. The process of the water cooling down the simple syrup will cause a vacuum in the jars and you will hear a "POP!". This will seal your ball jars and by the morning they will be cool and ready for you to handle. This simple syrup will stay good indefinitely.
This is how I make simple syrup. Another tool in the toolbox.

 

[joeswine]

Tools in the tool box

Capitalization, is the process of adding sugar to unfermented grape must in order to increase the topical content after fermentation. The technique was developed by a French chemist from whom it was named contrary to popular belief, this process does not make the one sweeter but only artificially inflates the article content. Additionally, the sure it even capitalize one cannot be tasted.

Potassium metabolic sulfite is a common morning or must additive, where it forms sulfur dioxide gas . This both prevents most wild microorganisms growing, and it acts as a potent antioxidant, protecting both the color, and delicate flavors of wine.

Typical dosage is 1/4 teaspoon potassium metabolic sulfate per 6 gallon bucket of must prior to fermentation and 1/2 teaspoon per 6 gallon bucket at bottling.

Winemaking equipment sanitized by spraying with 1 ounce of SO2 solution.

Potassium sorbate is used to inhibit molds, and yeast in morning. Also known affectionately as one stabilizer, potassium sorbate produces sorbate acid when added to wine it serves two purposes. When active fermentations have ceased and the winds rack for the final time after clearing, potassium sorbate will render any surviving yeast incapable of multiplying. Yeast living at that moment can continue fermenting any residual sugar into CO2 and alcohol, but when they die no new lease will be present to cause future fermentation. When the wind is swing before bottling, potassium sorbate is used to prevent free fermentation when used in conjunction with potassium metabolic sulfite. It is primarily used with sweet wines, sparkling wines, and some hard ciders but may be added to table wines which exhibit difficulty in maintaining clarity and fining.

These tools are essential in an anyone's toolbox AND are essential in winemaking, you should understand how the process works when to implement and what you should expect the outcome to be this is what winemakers do whether it's at home or at a major winery we all do the same thing just on a different scale.If you are doing a kit you should know that some of this does not apply and some does apply that's why knowing when and how is essential the manufacturers instructions are very clear follow them no matter the outcome, unless you know how to tweak.

 

[joeswine]

Sangiovese process with raisins

Our Sangiovese Update
Today we bottled our Sangiovese Kit. We tasted before bottling. Its right on target as a Sangiovese should be and only took 90 days from start to finish. It has a nice body, good tannins, zip of acidity, smooth OKAY taste and hint of pepper.
So, the tools we used for bottling:
Bottling "ferrari" (this makes bottling SO MUCH EASIER)
The packet of Sorbate and K-met that came with the wine kit
Big stirring spoon
Sanitized bottled (ours are already clean and ready to go on the bottling tree)
Corks
Funnel
Measuring spoon
Plastic seals
The process:
Add the chemicals to the carboy and give it a good stir
Start your auto siphon with the bottling Ferrari. (if you have one. If not use the good old fashioned tubing. This is the manual version for all of the "pumpies" out there.)
Fill up your bottles right up to about ½ inch after the "neck" of the bottle (right where the bottle gets skinnier at the top)
Once your bottles are filled, cork them.
Next, wipe your bottles down with a clean rag so they are dry/clean and put the seals on them. I use a tool that holds the seals to the bottle for me as I dip it into boiling water. (see picture) You can also seal them with another heat source (ie. A hair dryer or heat gun but this is the way its done.)
Sometime next week our labels will come in the mail. We will take a pic of the finished product and upload it to conclude our post on "how to make an inexpensive wine kit taste great".

WE HAD A GOOD TIME MAKING THIS KIT TRY IT WITH THE RAISINS IN THE SECONDARY ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT YOUR OUTCOME MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM MINE ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

 

[LoneStarLori]

I can smell that Sangiovese all the way down here! That is just a great kit with that tweak. Affordable and very tasty.

 

[joeswine]

Zesting in the beggining

SUMMERTIME IS FOR ZESTING AND MAKING CELLO'S DO YOU KNOW HOW? FOLLOW THE POST TO GET STARTED.............................................

Making Extracts​

All recipes are measured out with one quart Ball Jar.​

Citrus Extract: Consists of The zest of 2 limes, the zest of 2 lemons, and the zest of 2 grapefruits, and the remainder is ever Kleer.
Coffee Extract: fill Ball jar up with roasted coffee beans (your choice), fill the balance of the Ball jar with Ever Kleer.
Cinnemon Extract- ~approx. 12 sticks per Ball jar, top up with Ever Kleer
Lemon extract- The Zest of 12 lemons per jar, top up with Ever Kleer
Orange extract: The zest of approx.. 8 oranges per jar. Valenzia oranges work best but any type will do.
Key Lime Extract: 1 bag of key limes with the limes cut in half.
Vanilla Extract: 6 Madagascar Vanilla Beans, sliced length wise. Put all 6 in a ball jar and top off with Ever Kleer.
At the end of one full year its best to pour the extract through some sort of filter (I strain mine through a coffee filter) and add some additional zest of the same type back to it and top it off with Ever Kleer.

Making Simple Syrup​

Basic mix consists of : 2 qt. ball jars of cane sugar to 1 qt. ball jar of water.
Process:
Place measured out sugar into a metal pot. Add the water to the mix (It’s a 2 to 1 ratio-mix). Bring the mixture to a boil, constantly stirring from the beginning of the process to the end until the liquid is clear. Have the ball jars already sanitized and ready for filling. Bring the simple syrup TO the jar and and funnel it into them (make sure your funnel is clean, too!) to fill them up. It will be hot so be very careful. Place the lids and metal rings onto the jars to seal them.
Note: we put the very hot liquid into the jars while it is hot so as it cools it creates a vacuum seal to keep the mixture good. Done this way, your simple syrup will have a very long shelf life.

Zesting Made Simple​

Zesting is the process of the removal of the color of most citrus fruits and other entities that are oil extracted (for their essence). We use a micro plane zester to accomplish our end. See pictures. (If you do not have a micro plane zester you can use a fine cheese grater (Your goal is to get the color off the fruit, not the pitch, which is the "white stuff" underneath the very top layer of the fruit.)

 

[joeswine]

Zesting in the beginning

DID YOU REVIEW THE PROCESS AND THE POSSIBILITIES????? ZESTING NOW THAT'S EXCITING!

 

[joeswine]

Simple syrup

SIMPLE SYRUP IS A ITEM NO WINE MAKER SHOULD BE WITHOUT IN HIS OR HERS TOOL BOX AT THE READY ,EASY TO MAKE AND STORES LONG,FOLLOW THE PROCESS,USE IT FOR BACK SWEETING OR CAPITALIZATION SIMPLE SYRUP IS A WORK HORSE IN THE WINE CRAFT.FOLLOW THE PROCESS........................THE VOLUME IS A TWO TO ONE MIX SUGAR TO WATER..

 

[joeswine]

Fruit fpac

FRUIT FPAC...FOLLOW THE PROCESS IT'S EASY AND REWARDING... WHETHER YOU USE IT THEN OR FREEZE IT FOR LATTER YOUR READY IN THE DEAD OF THE WINTER FOR FLAVOR...DO YOU WANT TO???

 

[joeswine]

Party wines

GREAT FLAVORS AND IMAGINATION WITH THESE EASY TO MAKE KITS,FOLLOW THE PROCESS.

 

[joeswine]

Making a grape fpac

you can make a grape wet pac/fpac anytime ,planning is the key ,the process is simple and easy for anyone to do just follow the process and have a ball.

 

[joeswine]

This is a Vino Italiano Super Tuscan kit I purchased off the internet as an experiment. Just started it this morning. Posting the first round of pictures. more to come later.
Joe

 

[joeswine]

super Tuscan at $44.00?

go back and follow the flow, a nice creative way to stretch your wine making dollars and create a 10.00 bottle of wine for the cost of 1.63,it can be done but you need planning and a game plan, what to try????//

 

[joeswine]

expresso cello

this is a winner of a cello follow the process and enjoy..........
Espresso Chello
What we used:
9 cups espresso (this is your base) (1 ball jar)
½ ball jar simple syrup
½ ball jar coffee bean extract
½ cup everclear
What to do:
Add your base (all the espresso, dump in the pot.)
Next , add the coffee bean extract (little at a time, to taste).
Then, add simple syrup to taste, a little at a time.
The, taste to see if the alch. Is good. Most likely, it will need more.
Add everclear to taste, make sure to not put too much that it overpowers.
Once you are happy with the results, pour back into (2) clean ball jars and put the lids back on. It should sit a day or so to blend. Then you are ready for bottling.

 

[joeswine]

Fruit fpac

fpacks fun and flavor............easy to do just follow

 

[joeswine]

Grape fpacs

remember how we made our own fpac????

 

[joeswine]

Grape fpacs

go back and review the grape fpac, once you get the feel for it you'll be making them with out a second thought, great fun and added benefit's to the process..

 

[joeswine]

Making a grape fpac

MAKING A FPAC IS EASY AND FUN THEY ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THE TEXTURE AND BODY OF THE WINES CONTENT.TRY ONE AND SEE IT'S EASY AND REWARDING...FOLLLOW THE PROCESS..

 

[joeswine]

Fruit fpac

for fun and flavor easy to do and flavor rewarding but it takes getting the process down..try it.

 

[joeswine]

Fruit fpac

fpacs for fun and flavor..follow the process and think outside the box...................