Making Homemade Wine and Beer

Wine Review #6 - Domaine Pichot Vouvray 2005

2009-01-12T20:45:29Z

Melanie’s description of this very cool French white with a kiss of sugar.

Wines of Chili

2009-01-12T20:58:39Z

Wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) are not native to the Americas; they arrived with the Spanish in the 1500s. Early attempts to form vineyards in more northerly climes, such as the Caribbean, Mexico, and Peru proved unsuccessful; in Chile, however, the vine found its first true New World home.

The Catholic missionaries who followed the Spanish Conquistadors lamented the lack of wine that was essential for celebrating religious rites, and they set about to resolve the problem. Fray Francisco de Carabantes is widely credited with bringing the first vines probably País (pronounced ” pah-EES” and known as “Mission” in California) into Chile through the port of Concepción round 1548. Such was the success that vineyards were quickly planted throughout the country from the Limarí Valley in the north to Bío-Báío Valley in the south precisely the areas that still delimit the vast majority of Chile’s wine production today.

Of course the desire for wine in Chile was not limited to the Church-there were plenty of secular uses for the traditional European beverage of choice. The thirsty residents of the burgeoning capital city of Santiago also clamored for wine, and the surrounding Maipo Valley proved to be a ready and abundant source of red wine.

Improvements in maritime transportation made cross-Atlantic travel much more viable by the early 19th century. Chile, freshly emancipated from Spain, yearned for knowledge of its European roots, and members of the country’s wealthiest families embarked upon an intercontinental pilgrimage that would change Chilean life and culture in many ways. France was a favorite destination, and soon French customs, from food to clothing to architecture, flourished among Chiles upper classes. It did not take long for the first French-style wineries to make an appearance as well.

By the mid-1800s, interest in European-style wine production was taking hold. Well-heeled families many with fortunes earned in the mining industry built extraordinary mansions beyond the city limits and surrounded them with vineyards.

Pioneering naturalist and scientist Claudio Gay brought some 30 Vitis vinifera varieties from France for experimental purposes in the nascent University of Chile’s Quinta Normal agricultural center.

Silvestre Ochagavia is generally credited with being the first to introduce French varieties for commercial purposes 20 years later in the Maipo Valley. Others quickly followed suit, and many of Chile’s now traditional wineries were formed, including Carmen, Concha y Toro, Cousiño Macul, Errá¡zuriz, San Pedro, Santa Rita, Undurraga, and Urmeneta.

New varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec (Cot), Carménère, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillón, and Riesling produced noble wines that quickly gained popularity and replaced the then-traditional País grape, which was relegated to the country’s winemaking extremes, where it is still used today for rustic wines destined for local consumption.

Chile had entered into a new phase of its winemaking history, again one of the first in the New World to make serious noble wines. This small South American country was also fortunate; the European wine industry was about to undergo a crisis that would never touch Chile.

Trans-Atlantic exchange brought with it tremendous benefits to both continents, but it also had its downside. European garden enthusiasts had unwittingly imported a devastating vineyard pest Phylloxera hidden in the roots of America’s native grape vines that were beautiful, despite being useless for wine production. Europe’s Vitis vinifera vines were defenseless against the tiny and voracious louse, which advanced unchecked, quickly decimating thousands of hectares of ancient Old World vineyards along the way. The pest was re-introduced to the Americas with the import of Vitis vinifera vines, yet for reasons that have never fully been understood, Chile remains Phylloxera-free to this day.

3 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Growing Grapes

2009-01-11T12:58:11Z

By Matt Granger

Growing Grapes is one the few overlooked yet most promising and exciting outdoor hobbies one can become involved in. It is fun, challenging, and best of all rewarding in the sense that once you have a fully grown grape farm or grape garden, you will enjoy the benefits of having fresh wine grapes to eat at your convenience. Plus, since growing grapes is an outdoor hobby, it will force you to get out of the lazy chair and out into the open and truly become one with nature.

Growing Grapes while appealing to most because of the delicious home grown wine grapes can be quite challenging at times. There are a few common mistakes that many new grape growers commit. I would like to cover them briefly with you now.

Growing Grapes Common Mistake #1:
One of the most common grape growing mistake new grape gardeners commit involves purchasing already grown grapevines and planting them in their garden. Here is the problem that lies with this situation. Your local nursery will buy grapevines in bulk for a low price and will put them on sale. They will look all nice and pretty at the nursery since they just brought them in. However, what you the customer doesn’t know is that these grapevines have come from different parts of the country, places where in fact the grapevines were growing really healthy and strong.

You see, climate and atmosphere plays a key role in successful grape growing. When growing grapes in different parts of the country, you can expect totally different results with your grapevines. Different in climate alone will affect the types of disease your grapevines might get plagued with or when they will fruit better, if at all. Therefore, do not be fooled by what is being sold to you at the nursery. It is best to verse yourself on how to grow grapes from an expert and understand how the climate in your area will affect your vines.

Growing Grapes Common Mistake #2:
The second most common mistake committed when growing grapes is the eagerness for spraying.
I understand it is frustrating to see a few insects on your vines and can become quite irresistible to hold back from spraying your grapevines clean. Well, don’t go too trigger happy. There are plenty of other procedures that you can use to keep your grapevines under pest control. Spraying should only be used when it is truly needed because you can risk killing off everything else in the area that normally would’ve controlled those pesky pests.

Growing Grapes Common Mistake #3:
Finally we come to the third most common mistake of growing grapes. This one involves planting grapevines without learning how to train grapevines first. That’s like buying a car without knowing how to drive. Grapevines require proper training and pruning in order for them to grow successfully and most rookie grape gardeners just do not understand that growing grapes takes more than just planting a few grapevine seeds and watering them everyday.

Growing grapes can start from a fun hobby to ultimately becoming a full time career. However, it takes some skill and knowledge to fully succeed in growing grapes. Otherwise you will probably commit some of the costly, rookie mistakes covered above.

Visit this link to begin learning the skills necessary for growing grapes . Matt Granger has been growing grapes for over 30 years and is an expert in backyard grape growing and grapevine farming. Visit his personal grape growing website here: http://www.grapegrowingsecrets.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Granger
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Beer Reviews #8 - Hoegaarden

2009-01-09T21:55:18Z

The village of Hoegaarden had been known for its witbieren (white beers) since the Middle Ages. However, around 1955, the last local witbier brewery, Tomsin, closed its doors. Pierre Celis, a milkman, decided some ten years later to try to revive the style. He began the new brewery in his hay loft and now you have some background info for this review.

30 Day Wine

2008-12-19T02:31:24Z

A quick and easy recipe for making a batch of wine that you can enjoy during the summer months.

* 24 oz Welch’s frozen concentrated grape juice, thawed
* 3 cups sugar
* water to make up one gallon
* 1/2 tsp dry yeast
* 1 1-gallon glass jug.

Mix all ingredients together well with water filling jug to about an inch below the shoulders. Cover with a clean rag secured with rubber band. Keep in a dark place about 70 degrees. About 2 weeks later replace rag with a good thick piece of plastic wrap. After 30 days from starting date, siphon wine off from sediment in bottom and drink. For a good old “Mad Dog 20/20″ type wine, add a pint of cheap blackberry brandy to the mix before drinking.

The Home Winemaker's #1 Resource... "Making Great Wine"

Wine Reviews #5 - Spanish Rioja

2009-01-12T20:38:57Z

HOT LEGS’ Kyle Meyer recommends Spanish Rioja’s. See more at www.TheWineryChannel.tv

Pruning Grapes The Correct Way

2009-01-11T12:51:51Z

By Danie Wium

First things first: It is important to understand that a grape vine only produce grapes on one-year-old canes and spurs. Older parts of the vine will not produce grapes.

In other words, pruning a grape vine the incorrect way, or removing the incorrect wood from a grape vine, will result in lower yield and even total crop loss. This article on how to prune grapes, will show you some basic tips on how to prune a grape vine the correct way, to ensure your vines will produce enough grapes for you and your family to enjoy.

During the dormant season of the grape vine (normally winter), the shoots from the previous year’s growth will become a dark brown color - we grape growers speak of the “ripening of the wood”. Grape vines are pruned early spring, after the chances of frost damage is over. It is important to not prune grapes too early, as the pruning of the vine will stimulate new growth and if new shoots develop too early, the chances of frost damage is much higher. After you have looked at the history of frost occurrence in your area, you will have a good idea of when the right time to prune is.

Before you prune your vine, you should understand the difference between a spur pruning and cane pruning on grapes. Spur pruning is when you prune the cane back to 2 to 4 buds and cane pruning is when a cane is pruned of 8 to 12 buds long. This article covers the most widely used method of pruning grapes: spur pruning.

A spur that was pruned during the previous pruning season (last winter - while the grape vine was dormant) will develop new shoots from the 3 to 4 buds. These two shoots will be the bearers during this year’s harvest.

If you understand what I am explaining to you, it will make sense that spur I this dormant season, will become an old spur next year, and during dormancy, after next year’s growing season and so the process will go on and on. In other words a shoot that will develop for a spur pruned during dormancy, will become next year’s spur.

Danie

The Grape Guy

For even more grape growing tips, you can visit My Grape Vine and if you would like to become a member of The Grape CoachingProgram where you will learn how to grow grapes by means of video and mp3’s, visit The Grape CoachingProgram - get your 10 day FREE training right now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danie_Wium
http://EzineArticles.com/?Pruning-Grapes-The-Correct-Way&id=1099083

Beer Reviews #7 - Landshark Lager

2009-01-09T21:55:44Z

This is my first attempt at doing video for blogs. It was originally posted on Beers Reviewed. Hope you enjoy it.

Chicory Wine

2008-12-19T02:31:59Z

Photo by: David Jakes

Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a common roadside weed with a wide range in the Americas. It is related to the common dandelion and sends up flowering stalks in the summer, up to a meter high, which branch and sport numerous blue flowers similar in appearance to dandelion flowers except for the color. The petals are wider than the dandelion’s and toothed at their terminus. Their spring leaves are eaten in salads and their dried taproot is used to make a brew somewhat stronger than coffee. The roots are of interest in winemaking, although their flowers could certainly be collected and used the same way dandelion flowers are used in making wine. The long roots are dug, cleaned and dried before use.

* 4 oz. dried chicory root, finely chopped or coarsely ground
* 1 11 oz. can of Welch’s 100% White Grape Juice frozen concentrate
* 2½ lb. granulated sugar
* 1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
* 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
* water to make up 1 gallon
* crushed Campden tablet
* wine yeast

Place finely chopped or coarsely ground chicory root in small pan and add 2 cups water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered 15 minutes. Strain liquid through piece if muslin cloth or very fine mesh into primary. Add all ingredients except yeast and stir well to thoroughly dissolve sugar. Cover and let sit 10 hours. Add activated yeast, recover primary, and stir daily until vigorous fermentation subsides. Transfer to secondary, attach airlock and ferment to dryness. Rack every 30 days until clear and no new sediments fall between rackings. Stabilize, sweeten if desired, let sit 14 days, then rack into bottles.

The Home Winemaker's #1 Resource... "Making Great Wine"

Wine Reviews #4 - Syrah

2009-01-12T20:32:13Z

http://sagehill-llc.com/ features http://www.unwinedshop.com/ in its Product Review with hostess Itza. Watch and be educated by Itza. Wines reviewed: Spann Vineyard 2003 Syarh, Martella 2005 Syarh, Saxon Brown Syarh. To sponsor a video or for product review consideration contact http://sagehill-llc.com