My Ginger Beer Making ..... presentation...!!!!

Spiced Pumpkin Wine Recipe

Spiced Pumpkin Wine Recipe (5 Gallons)

• 16 lbs.              Pumpkin (flesh only)
• 3                      lbs. Raisins (chopped)
• 4                      Cinnamon Sticks
• 11 lbs.              Cane Sugar
• 4-1/2 Tbsp.      Acid Blend
• 1 Tbsp.            Yeast Energizer
• 1 Tsp.              Pectic Enzyme
• 1 Packet          Lalvin K1V-1116 Wine Yeast
• 5                      Campden Tablets (before fermentation)
• 5                      Campden Tablets (before bottling)

 

Method:-

To start this wine recipe off you will want to prepare 16 lbs of pumpkin flesh. Scraping it away from the pumpkin's outer shell should be enough to break it up sufficiently, but if you do have any hunks, you will want to chop them up. The raisins should be coarsely chopped, as well.

Add all the ingredients to 5 gallons of water EXCEPT for the wine yeast. Only add 5 crushed Campden tablets at this point. The other 5 will be added later, when you are bottling the wine. This should be done in an open fermenter. Leave the fermenter open. Only cover with a thin towel, nothing more, for 24 hours. This is to give time for the Campden tablets to sterilize the wine must, and then dissipate into the air. After 24 hours, sprinkle on the packet of wine yeast, and you are on your way to making some great tasting pumpkin wine.

Happy Winemaking.

Some Qs & As.... Part-II

Q. Which was the first law to regulate the retail trade of wine?

A. The Code of the Babylonian King Hammurabi (1750 BC).

Q. Where were the first hollow glass drinking vessels, which developed into modern-day wine glasses, developed?

A. Egypt, around 1500 BC. These drinking vessels were later widely made and used by the Romans.

Q. Name the Roman Emperor who forbade the planting of any more vines in Italy to save land for grain cultivation.

A. Emperor Domitian, in AD 92. The ban was in force till AD 280.

Q. Which legendary eighth-century emperor was responsible for codifying rules covering the planting of vines and wine-making in France and Germany?

A. Charlemagne (around 750 BC). He was reputed to have planted white wine grapes in a red wine vineyard because red wine would stain his beard.

Q. Where were the first modern wine bottles developed?

A. In Newcastle, England, in the 1630s. By the early 1700s glass was strong enough to be used for transporting, storing and aging wine.

Q. Which action of the English Parliament was the cause of the rise in popularity of port from Portugal’s Douro Valley?

A. In 1679, the English Parliament banned the import of French wine. The 1703 Treaty of Methuen between England and Portugal helped by establishing a discriminatory taxation system that favoured Portuguese wines (mainly port) over their French competition.

Q. Name the American President who was an active promoter of wine in his country.

A. Thomas Jefferson, an architect of the American Constitution, who developed a taste for fine wine during his stint as his country’s ambassador in Paris (1784-89).

Q. What’s common to the celebrated artists Salvador Dali, Henry Moore, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon?

A. All of them have painted labels of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, the prestigious and pricey Bordeaux wine. Each of them got cases of the famous wine as payment.

Q. A famous Hollywood actor and director, and talented watercolourist, painted the label for the 1982 vintage of Mouton Rothschild. Who was he?

A. John Huston (1906-87), director of classics like Maltese Falcon and African Queen.

Q. Who was the legendary Bordeaux professor who established modern wine-making practices like temperature-controlled fermentation?

A. Professor Emile Peynaud.

Q. Which famous wine-producing district in Bordeaux was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999?

A. St-Emilion. Situated on the right bank of the River Gironde, St-Emilion has 5,500 hectares under wine production. On the quality scale, the AOC St-Emilion Grand Cru wines are a notch higher than the AOC St-Emilion wines. To be eligible for the latter classification, the requirements are a higher minimum alcohol content, lower grape yields, and the approval of two tasting panels.

Q. Name the two top wine labels from Bordeaux owned by the luxury empire, LVMH?

A. Chateau Cheval Blanc, the premier grand cru wine from St-Emilion, and Chateau d’Yquem, the world’s best-known dessert wine from Sauternes.

Q. Name the three Champagne brands that are universally regarded as the icons of excellence. (One of the brands, incidentally, is the favourite of rappers.)

A. Dom Perignon, Krug Grand Cuvee and Cristal (earlier served in the court of the Tsars of Russia, it is now widely known as the favourite brand of rappers).

Q. What was Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite Champagne?

A. Pol Roger. During World War II, Churchill would work all night, sustained by a diet of Pol Roger and oysters.

Q. Name the five largest-selling non-vintage Champagne brands?

A. Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label; Lanson Black Label; Mumm Cordon Rouge; and Piper-Heidsieck Brut.

Q. Which is the only major wine-producing region in France that labels its wines by grape variety, as they do in the New World?

A. Alsace. Located on the border with Germany, Alsace was at the centre of territorial disputes between France and Germany for 400 years. It was even occupied by Germany between 1871 and 1918, and again during World War II. Today, it’s firmly under French rule, but the German influence on its wine industry is widespread. It is the only region in France where Gewurtztraminer and Riesling – the two major grape varieties associated with Germany – are allowed to be grown.

Q. Why do top Bordeaux wines spend up to two years in a barrique – or oak barrels?

A. The slow absorption of tiny amounts of oxygen through the wood helps to soften tannins, stabilise colour and increase the wine’s aromatic complexity. The barrique normally holds 225 litres of wine and measures 95cm in height. It is made from oak staves that are 20 to 22mm thick.

Q. Why do top Bordeaux estates use new oak barrels for fermenting, maturing, or conditioning wine before bottling?

A. New oak barrels are microbiologically more stable than old ones, and give additional aroma and flavour to wines.

Some Qs & As.... Part - I

 

Q. Which Champagne brand has become associated with James Bond?

A. Bollinger.

Q.What are the four building blocks of wine?

A.  Grape sugar: Fermented into alcohol, it gives the wine its richness and its fruitiness.

     Acidity: It keeps the fruit lively on the palate, especially in a white wine. Without it, a white wine          becomes limp and bland. It gives structure to reds to age well.

   Tannins: They help red wines last long and mature with age. And they keep a good wine lingering on the palate.

   Alcohol: It gives a wine weight on the palate – a German wine with 7% alcohol will taste light, but a chunky Californian Zinfandel with 17% will be more than a mouthful. In a good wine, alcohol should never leave a burning sensation.

Q. What is botrytis?

A. Brotrytis, or botrytis cinerea, is a fungal spore that reduces the water content of wine grapes, effectively increasing their sugar levels, acidity, viscosity and flavour to yield luxuriously sweet and deliciously aromatic wines that are responsible for the special position enjoyed by the Bordeaux village named Sauternes. Chateau d’Yquem is the Sauternes dessert wine that commands the highest prestige and price.

Q. Which are the latitudes where the world’s vineyards are concentrated?

A. The vineyards are mostly located between 32 degrees and 51 degrees in the northern hemisphere, and between 28 degrees and 48 degrees in the southern hemisphere. The Old World wine-producing countries – France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Austria – are all in the Northern Hemisphere. The Southern Hemisphere is where the top New World wine producers – Australia, South Africa, Chile and Argentina – are thriving. The only New World wine-producing regions in the Northern Hemisphere are California, Oregon and Washington in the United States.

Q. What are the natural acids that appear in wine?

A. Citric, tartaric, malic and lactic acid. Wines from hot years tend to be lower in acidity, whereas wines from cool years tend to have higher levels of acidity. Acidity in a wine preserves its freshness and keeps it lively.

Q. What is aftertaste?

A. It is the taste left in the mouth after one swallows the wine. The word is a synonym for length or finish. The longer the aftertaste lingers in the mouth (assuming it’s a pleasant taste), the finer the quality of the wine.

Q. What are tannins?

A. Tannins are the drying compounds that come from grape skins, pips and stalks. Rarely noticeable in white wines, they give reds their all-important structure, helping them to last and mature with age. Tannins give a wine firmness and some roughness when it’s young, but they gradually dissipate or mellow down. A tannic wine is one that is young and not yet ready to be drunk.

Q. What is balance?

A. One of the most desired traits in a wine is good balance, where the concentration of fruit, level of tannin and acidity are in total harmony. Well-balanced wines tend to age gracefully.

Q. What is the red grape variety known as Syrah in France called in the New World?

A. Shiraz. As Syrah, this grape variety provides the backbone to full-bodied, perfumed and age-worthy wines in the Rhone Valley (France). It figures in blends in the South of France. As Shiraz, it is the signature wine of Australia, where the warmer climate paves the way for an altogether riper and more powerful, blockbuster-style wine, especially in the Barossa and Hunter valleys and McLaren Vale.

Q. What are the grape varieties that are together responsible for the creation of Pinotage, the famous South African wine grape?

A. Pinot Noir and Cinsault.

Q. Which is the most planted wine grape variety in the world?

A. Cabernet Sauvignon, the red wine grape that originated on the Left Bank of the River Gironde in Bordeaux. It is planted in about 615,000 hectares around the world. It is followed by Chardonnay, which is planted in about 412,000 hectares.

Introduction to Vine / Wine - II

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF WINE_

 1. CLIMATE, MICRO-CLIMATE & BIO-CLIMATE

  The grapes will provide juice of the quality necessary for conversion into a drinkable wine where two climatic conditions prevail:

* Enough sun to ripen the grape and

* The winter is moderate, yet cool enough to give the vine a chance to rest and restore its strength for the growing and fruiting season

This shows that the grapes and hence the vine needs a good balance of heat, cold and moisture. Temperature should average 14 - 16°C. The lowest annual average temperature necessary for the vine to flourish is 10°C. It is estimated that the vine needs about 27 inches of rain per year mainly in winter and spring and at least 1400 hours of sunshine.

Micro-climate: A particular beneficial weather pattern prevailing in a single vineyard or a group of vineyards or within a small region is called a micro-climate. It could be hills or mountains protecting the vines from heavy winds, or even a break in the mountain range allowing the air to freshen and fan the vines in very hot weather.  It could be the angle of the sun, especially the clear brilliant morning sun that strikes one vineyard more favourably than another. The rise and fall of the terrain also has an effect, as also the location besides water body for ground moisture and reflected heat. These subtle differences in atmospheric conditions, combined with the quality of the soil and the grape variety used, are the reasons why some vineyards have such outstanding reputations.

Bio-climate: The relationship of soil and climate in a specific vineyard is called its bio-climate. Knowledge about bio-climate is used to obtain stable yields of high-quality grapes.

 2. ASPECT

Vineyards are ideally planted on south-facing slopes (particularly in the northern hemisphere) where they point the sun and benefit from maximum sunshine and good drainage. Setting is of prime importance to capture the sunlight for photosynthesis and good ripening. Some vineyards are sited at a height of 243 m or more on mountain sides, while many of the great vineyards are located in river valleys and along lake sides benefiting from humidity and reflected heat.

 

3. Nature of SOIL

  Vineyards thrive where other crops struggle. Poor soils rich in minerals are best for the vine as they provide nutrients such as phosphate, iron, potassium, magnesium and calcium. These minerals and nutrients contribute to the final taste of the wine. Favored soils are chalk, limestone, slate, sand, gravel, pebbles, clay, alluvial and volcanic. These soils have a good drainage and moisture retention capability to keep the vine roots healthy. Soil is analyzed annually and any chemical deficiency is compensated for. Drainage is very important, as the vine does not like having wet feet.

 

4. VINE FAMILY, COMPOSITION OF VINE AND GRAPE SPECIES 

  Vine: The plant, which bears the grape, is called a Vine. The vine belongs to the Ampelidaceae family. This family has around 10 genera but only genus Vitis is important for making wines. This genus has a subgenus known as Euvites and this subgenus has around 60 species. Some of these species are Vinifera, Labbrusca, Riparia, Rupestris, Berlandieri etc. Thus, there are five family of species: Vitis Vinifera, Vitis Lambrusca, Vitis Riparia, Vitis Rupestris, Vitis Berlandieri whose noble grapes can be used for producing classic wines. The plant Vitis Viniffera produces grapes, which are used for the production of best quality wines throughout the world, with few exceptions. These are in the east coast of America and Canada where other species are cultivated because they are more suited to the terrain and climatic conditions. Thus, Vine family is one of the important factors that influence the quality of wine.

Composition of vine: The vine consists of: 

Roots: These are for anchorage and for absorbing nutrients and moisture from the earth. The root system is large and can reach to a depth of about 12 metres.

Leaves: When sunlight falls on leaves that have chlorophyll, carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere and combines with water, absorbed through roots, to make sugar. The sap stores this sugar within the grape. Leaves also shade the grapes in very hot climate. Flowers: Vine flowers are very small and self-pollinate between May to June in the northern hemisphere and from November to December in the southern hemisphere. Flowering lasts for about ten days. If frost arrives during the flowering, unprotected vines will not bear grapes.

Grapes: After pollination, grapes are formed which are small, hard and green initially but swell out and change colour as they ripen in August and September. They are usually fully ripe 100 days after flowering. A ton of grapes produces 675 litres, equivalent to 960 bottles of wine.

Grape: The grape must be in harmony with the soil, the location of the vineyard and local climatic conditions. It should be disease resistant, give a good yield and produce the best quality wine possible. Wine is produced from either varietal grapes, which is a classic single grape like Riesling or from hybrids, which are a cross such as Riesling X Silvaner = Miiller -Thurgau. Grapes behave differently in different soils. Hence, Pinot Noir is a classic in Burgundy and a disaster in Bordeaux.

5. GRAPE  

The grape is made up of stalk, skin, pips and pulp and its respective roles are as follows:

Stalk: The stalk imparts tannic acid to wine. It is mostly used in the making of big, flavoursome heavy bodied red wine and is not used when making white and light bodied wines. Tannin acts as a preservative and antioxidant. If over-used, it makes the wine astringent and nasty. It is recognized on the palate by its tongue-furring properties.

Skin: The outer skin or cuticle has a whitish cloudy coat called bloom. This waxy substance contains wild yeasts and wine yeasts, which contribute to the fermentation process. It also contains other micro­organisms such as bacteria acetobacter that is a potential danger to wine. If uncontrolled, it turns wine into vinegar. The inside of the skin imparts colour that is extracted during fermentation.

Pips: Crushed pips impart tannic acid, oils and water. They do not contribute to vinification, if left uncrushed.

Pulp: The flesh of the grape provides the juice called must, which is essential for fermentation. The must contains 78-80% water; 10-25% sugar and 5-6% acids. Water makes up the bulk. Sugar is formed in the grape by sunlight and is of two kinds: grape sugar (dextrose and glucose) and fruit juice (levulose and fructose). They are found in about equal quantities. Tartaric, malic, tannic and citric acids in the must help to preserve and keep the wine fresh and brilliant. It gives it a proper balance. Esters are formed when the acids come in contact with alcohol and it gives the wine its aroma or bouquet. The must (unfermented grape juice) also has trace elements of nitrogeneous compounds such as albumen, peptones, amides, ammonium salts and nitrates, as well as potassium, phosphoric acid and calcium, all of which have an influence on the eventual taste of the wine

6. VITICULTURE

Viticulture denotes the method of cultivation of vine. An overworked vineyard without compensatory treatment or a neglected vineyard will only produce second-rate wine, so the farming of the vineyard is of great importance. It involves:

• Vine selection;                  
• keeping the vineyard healthy;
• ploughing to aerate the soil;
• weeding;
• fertilising;
• pruning to regulate quality;
• training the vines;
• spraying to combat diseases;
• harvesting.

7. VINIFICATION

Vinification encompasses the methods of making wine.

This includes:

•  the pressing of the grapes
• the treatment and fermentation of the must
•  ageing & maturing the wine and occasionally topping it up to keep the air out
• racking, fining and filtration to make the wine star bright: 

     Racking is running the clear wine off its lees or sediment from one cask to another. Fining is further clarification of wine usually before bottling. A fining agent such as isinglass, bentonite clay etc is added and this attracts the sediment suspended in the wine, causing it to coagulate and fall to the bottom of the container. Filtration is the final clarification before bottling. It removes any remaining suspended matter and leaves the wine healthy and star bright in appearance.

•      blending - compensatory
•      bottling for further maturing or for sale.