Archive for October, 2009
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With the number of wines coming from different regions of the world, Spain, France and Germany through to Australia, Chile and South Africa, it’s not surprising there are a lot of names that we struggle with. So when you’re trying to sort your Beaujolais from your Gewürztraminer, or your Chateauneuf-du-Pape from your Puligny-Montrachet our handy wine pronunciation guide is invaluable.
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Are you one of the many people who enjoy drinking red wine but find that you get headaches after drinking it? You don’t get them after drinking white wine but those reds really seem to bring the ache on. Have you like others blamed it on sulfite? If you have, consider that the majority of wines, both red and white, contain sulfite. Sulfites (usually the potassium metabisulfite form) are found in many grocery foods as it is a common preservative that inhibits bacteria growth.
So, it’s probably not this common food preservative that is causing those headaches. What else could it be?
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Have you been disappointed with the way your homemade wine has turned out? I know quite a number of people who have not been pleased with their results. Sometimes it’s off flavors. Or worst of all, wine turning into vinegar. Here are some common mistakes that home winemakers often commit which could result in something your not all that proud of:
Mistake #1 - Not Sanitizing Equipment
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Experienced winemakers stress the importance of sanitizing equipment and work areas. Perhaps so much that new winemakers might get a little nervous about whether they’ve done a good enough job before starting their winemaking activities. Keep in mind that we’re not looking for sterilization - where every micro-organism is killed and nothing can live on the surfaces of our equipment and work areas. Indeed, sterilization is probably impossible and undesirable when making wine.
Sanitization on the other hand is the process of making our equipment unfavorable to bacteria growth. Bacteria can be very harmful - acetic bacteria can turn wine into vinegar.
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Airlocks are a vital part of the home winemaker’s equipment. Fitting into a bung or rubber stopper that is used as a closure for the carboy (secondary fermenter), an airlock should allow carbon dioxide gas to escape while keeping air out. Many new winemakers don’t seem to know exactly what do with an airlock.
I’ve seen two wrong ways of using the cylinder shaped airlocks:
1. An Empty Airlock
