Wine Making: My Muscadine Vines are Growing!!!

We planted muscadine vines in February of this year…I’m so happy to see my vines growing and starting to bud grapes already! These will be made into wine of course 🙂

Wine Making Class: Week 3 – Vegas and Fortified Wines

If you haven’t read my prior weeks Wine Making Class, click the links below to view:

Wine Making Class: Week 1

Wine Making Class: Week 2

Vegas

Unfortunately, I missed Week 3 Wine Making Class because of a conference I had to attend in Vegas (Bitter/Sweet). However, I did have my fair share of wine and amazing food while there.

• Night 1…Dinner at Carnevino! I had an absolutely delicious Maine Lobster Tail over Lobster Anolini Pasta with a glass of Bastianich Rosato di Refosco (2010) and my colleagues shared a Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye with Mashed Potatoes and their wine of choice. The food was great, but for the expensive price $$$ they should give you more…I was still hungry after leaving!

• Night 2…Welcome Receptions catered by The Venetian/Palazzo which was a variety of  fairly good food and an open bar of cheap wines and beer.
• Night 3…Three Cocktail Hours, Dinner and a After Party:

1. Cocktail Hour at Wolfgang Puck’s Cut – Amazing appetizers and unlimited wine & cocktails…I had 1 glass of Wolfgang Puck Chardonnay (Pacing myself for the night)
2. Cocktail Hour at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio  – More amazing appetizers, but the Prime Beef Slider is sooo worth mentioning…I had 1 glass of Wolfgang Puck Cabernet Sauvignon
3. Cocktail Hour at Lavo Lounge – More amazing appetizers…Water Please : )
4. Dinner at Emeril’s Delmonico’s Steakhouse – By dinner, I wasn’t really hungry but I had to attend since it was hosted by a Business Partner. I ordered Emeril’s BBQ Salmon, and it was superb! Too bad, I only could stomach 1/2 of it. I also had a glass of Merlot (Unsure of the Brand); however I’m not too sure how much I had, since the waiter continued to top off our glasses.
5. After Party at Tao Nightclub – By know, I had my fair share of wine but still had to attend the after party and of course there are more drinks. So, I went with a Mojito to close the night out.

Needless to say I was completely exhausted the next day, but still had to put on face at the conference until my flight home later that evening.

Fortified Wines

I did however, have one of my fellow classmates recap Wine Making Class for Week 3 for me on Fortified Wines. To add a little background, I am a Fortified Wine Lover. So, when I heard this was the class I would be missing I almost canceled my trip (Not Really, but I thought about it…LOL).

So, what is a Fortified Wine….It is a wine that has very high alcohol content due to the addition of a distilled spirit, normally Brandy. The original purpose for fortifying wine was preserving it for longer periods than traditional wine. Most (but not all) Fortified Wines are really sweet. This is due to the distilled spirit being added during the fermentation process and forcing the wine to stop fermenting because of the high level of alcohol being added. In other words, the yeast that is used to ferment the wine, will crap out once the alcohol content reaches 18-22% and will leave unfermented sugar in the wine making it sweet. The following are some of the known Fortified Wines:

• Port (My Favorite…Checkout my Wine Review on a White Porto)
• Sherry (My 2nd Favorite…Great for cooking!)
• Marsala
• Maderia
• Vermouth

This class was instructed by one of DeFalco’s Wine Club Member’s who is great at making Fortified Wines. He covered his techniques which involved using Everclear vs. Brandy. The main purpose of the use of the Everclear was to avoid changing the taste of the wine, because when you add a distilled spirit, typically the flavor profile changes.

The class tasted a lot of fortified wines that night….I believe 10 total. Mind you, fortified wines range from 18-22%, so a glass or two if you have a good tolerance level, is enough to get most people tipsy.

All in all, I missed a great class for my favorite type of wine; however I’m glad I got the Cliffsnotes!

Check out Week 4!!!!

Wine Making: Strawberry Breeze Riesling

I decided to make a light and fruity summer wine, so I choose to us the Welch’s Strawberry Breeze frozen concentrate along with the remaining Riesling Concentrate I had left over from the Peach Riesling I started in February.

Ingredients:

• 1 Can (23 fl oz) – Alexander Reisling Grape Concentrate
• 2 Can (11.5 oz) – Welch’s Strawberry Breeze (Save 1 Can for sweetening before bottling)
• 93 fl oz – Water
• 16 oz – Sugar
• 1/2 tsp – Super Ferment
• 1 tsp – Acid Blend
• 1/4 tsp Tannin
• 1/2 pkg – Yeast ( I used Red Star Pasteur Champagne)

Directions:

• Add the Reisling Grape & Strawberry Breeze Concentrate to your primary fermentor and stir.
• Create a simple syrup mixture with the water and sugar (Heat the water on the stove and stir in sugar until completely dissolved). Set the simple syrup mixture aside for cooling until room temperature.
• Mix all remaining ingredients except Yeast
• Sprinkle yeast and leave in primary fermentor for 3 to 5 days
• Transfer to secondary fermentor for the remaining fermenting and bulk aging
• Rack as needed (i.e., transfer wine off yeast and other sediment to another fermentor)

This batch should be ready just in time for summer…looking forward to it!

Wine Making Class: Week 2 – Racking, Mead Wine & Wine Tastings

Link to Wine Making Class – Week 1

Week 2 of Wine Making class gave us the opportunity to rack wine and create a mead wine.

Racking

In week 1 we created a red and white wine, which needed to be racked in week 2 (transferred) from the primary fermentor to the secondary (The picture above is a secondary fermentor aka carboy). The primary is used to give the must (wine ingredients) enough room to vigorously ferment within the first week. After the first week, fermentation slows down and can be transferred to the secondary, which is a tighter space and limits the amount of oxygen with a airlock (located in the picture above and is the closure at the top of the fermentors). Racking is also used in the process of clearing wine. When you transfer the wine from one fermentor to another, you are able to leave the sediment at the bottom and get a clear and vibrant color from your wine.

Mead Wine

Another first for me in the class, was the process of creating a mead wine. Mead wine is wine that has been fermented from honey (the honey is converted into alcohol). Keep in mind, this is different from wine that has been sweetened with honey. We made a Blackberry Mead.

Blackberry Mead 1 Gallon Recipe (from DeFalco’s)

Ingredients:

• 1-2lbs Blackberries
• 2 1/2 to 3 lbs. (about 26 – 32 fl. oz.) unprocessed honey (dry to semi-sweet)
• Water to one gallon (Specific Gravity – 1.085 – 1.105)
• 1 tsp. Super Ferment (or 2 tsp. regular “nutrient”)
• 2 tsp. acid blend (or 3/4 tsp. tartaric acid & 1 1/4 tsp. malic acid)
• 1/4 tsp grape tannin
• 1 campden tablet* (crushed – or substitute 1/8 tsp. sodium/potassium metabisulfite)
• 1-2 pkgs. wine (e.g. Premier Cuvee, Champagne, Cote des Blancs, Lalvin D-47) or mead yeast

Instructions:

1. Mix all the ingredients EXCEPT the yeast and the campden tablet. Stir the must until the honey and additives are completely dissolved. Cover the pail to keep out dust and air with the large plastic sheet.
2.  Crush and dissolve the campden tablet in 1 oz. of warm water. Add this to the must and stir well. Cover the pail again and tie down the plastic sheet. Let the must stand for one day, stirring several times.
   *ALTERNATIVE: Heat honey with an equal volume of water to 180°F and let stand for 15 minutes to pasteurize. (DO NOT BOIL!) Cool and add remainder of water before proceeding to next step.
3. Rehydrate the dried yeast by sprinkling it into 1/2 cup lukewarm (95 – 100° F) water in a sanitized jar and cover for 20 minutes. (If using “Mead” yeast, prepare a starter 48 hours prior to using.) Add the yeast “slurry “/starter to mixture. Re-cover the primary fermenter and allow fermentation to proceed for 5-7 days or until foaming subsides.
4. Syphon the mead into a sterile glass jug. Avoid the transfer of sediment and aeration as much as possible. Be sure the mead completely fills the jug – into the neck. Attach a fermentation lock and allow the fermentation to go to completion (.995 – 1.020 S.G.).
5. One week after fermentation has ceased, syphon the mead into another sterile glass jug. Again, avoid the transfer of sediment and aeration. Crush, dissolve and add 1/2 campden tablet per gallon to the mead. Allow the mead to stand for one month in a cool dark place and repeat “racking” process. If at the end of three months, the mead is clear – bottle it. If it is not clear, repeat this step every month until it is clear and then bottle it. The mead may be sweetened to taste with additional honey, if desired, after stabilization (1/2 tsp. potassium sorbate & 1/2 campden tablet per gallon).

Note: All equipment should be well washed and sterilized with a solution of sodium metabisulphite. Fermentation temperatures should be no lower than 60 degrees F. or higher than 80 degrees F.

Ratio for different meads – (parts by volume honey: parts by volume water)
DRY: 1:4 (2 1/2 lbs. honey per gallon – the dry recipe above)
SEMI-DRY: 1:3 (3 lbs. honey per gallon – our most popular – the semi-sweet recipe above)
SWEET: 1:2.5 (4 lbs. honey per gallon)

Mead wine will need to be racked more than traditional wines in order to obtain a natural clarity. It will also need to be aged longer as well. Similar to other wines, meads can be dry, semi-dry, or sweet. Our instructor Scott, recommended us setting aside 1/2 to 1 gallon of the un-fermented juice and using it to the final batch at before bottling.

Wine Tastings

Below are the wines we tasted in Week 2:

• Martin Codax Albarino 2011 – (My Favorite) From Rias Baixas, Spain the wine is fruity, crisp, medium-bodied white wine with a dry finish
• Seven Sinners Petite Sirah 2012 – From Lodi District, France the wine is rich, with flavors of jam, heavy tannins, with a dry finish
• Raspberry Melomel 2011 – A mead wine made buy the store’s staff. It was fruity, light-bodied, acidic, with a semi-dry finish
• PluBerry – A Japanese Plum & Blackberry wine made by one of the students in the class. It was boldly fruity, medium-bodied, acidic, with a sweet finish
• Erath Pinot Noir 2013 – From Oregon, USA the wine is a light and fruity wine with lighter tannins and a dry finish
• Carmenere 2012, A chilian wine, with bold berry flavors, heavy tannins and a dry finish. I forgot to write down the brand

All in all, week 2 was another great class filled with learning and wine.

Until next time…Our should I say next, next time since I’ll be missing Week 3’s class 😦

Check out Week 3!!!

Cooking with Wine: Cabernet Sauvignon + Blackberry Dijon Mustard

I received a jar of the Grey Poupon Rouge this past Friday and was really excited to cook with it over the weekend. It’s not everyday you see such a unique combination of flavors blended together like this.

I was hopeful the Grey Poupon Rough would make an amazing dish and decided to grill up some wings and toss them in the sauce.

Below are the results:

You can’t tell in the picture, but the wings had a purple glaze, similar to the color in the jar picture above.

I couldn’t taste any of the Cabernet Sauvignon, however the sauce had a robust mustard flavor with a hint of sweetness.

Ultimately, I was not a fan of the Grey Poupon Rouge on my chicken wings, however it may be better suited with other dishes. The Kraft Foodservice website has a list of recipes that may pair better.

I’m not sure if Kraft has plans to release this flavor to retail consumers, but you may find it on some restaurant’s menus.

Until next time!

The Liebster Blog Award

I would like to thank Yecheilyah for giving me my first nomination of The Liebster Blog Award, it is truely appreciated. I accept the nomination and will continue to blog about my wine making journey and all things wine. My goal is always to educate and inspire others about wine making and drinking. Infinite thanks for your support and happy blogging!

So what is the Liebster Blog Award:

• A internet award given by bloggers to bloggers
• Liebster has German origins, with meanings such as dearest, sweetest, kindest, etc.

Here are the Rules:
1. Link the person who nominated you to your blog post and let them know you answered their questions.
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you by the nominator.
3. Nominate other bloggers for the award.
4. Create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

Questions:

1. Why did you start your blog?

As I started my Wine Making journey, I thought it would be awesome to express my passion and love for wine by creating a blog. I figured I could educate and inspire others, as well as gain knowledge from others on the same path.

2. What is your favorite city to visit?

Tampa, FL!!! That’s my hometown and I absolutely love when I can visit and spend time with family and friends.

3. If there is one post you think best defines your blog, which is it? Post the link too!

I truthfully believe all my post define my blog, but if I had to pick only one I would choose Wine Making: Bottling & Labeling. This post represents the bottling and labeling of my first batch of wine for my mom’s 60th birthday.

4. What’s your favorite color?

Navy Blue

5. If there is one thing you’ve learned about blogging that has helped your writing or career, what is it?

Only write about what I’m passionate about!

6. Other than Writing/Blogging, how best do you like to spend your time?

Family and Friends are my everything, however just doing something makes me happy! (I’m absolutely not a home body)

How would you define happiness?

Doing what I like, with the people I love!

8. Coffee or Tea?

Tea…All Day!

9. What is the one thing that keeps you motivated?

Me, I’ve always been self motivated/driven to accomplish my goals.

10. What’s your favorite movie and why?

I have sooo many, but my most recent is Insurgent (Divergent Series). I love movies where individuals break outside of the stereotypical norms and become the best them possible despite what others say or do.

11. If you follow The PBS Blog, what do you like most about it or would like to see more of?

I like the diversity…everything from life hacks, quotes, history, etc. Keep up the great work!

I now nominate the following blogs for The Liebster Blog Award:

Accidentally Cooking

Bppwinesociety

Cabinet Wine Maker

Foodie WineLover

Winedowntasting

Here are Your Questions:

1. Why did you start your blog?

2. What is your favorite place to visit and why?

3. If there is one post you think best defines your blog, which is it? Post the link too!

4. What’s your favorite wine?

5. If there is one thing you’ve learned about blogging that has helped your writing or career, what is it?

6. Other than Writing/Blogging, how best do you like to spend your time?

7. How would you define happiness?

8. White or Red Wine?

9. What is the one thing that keeps you motivated?

10. What’s your favorite movie and why?

11. If you follow The Wine by Ari Blog, what do you like most about it or would like to see more of?

Wine Making Class: Week 1 – Wine Kits, Hydrometer, & Acid Titration Test

My local brewing & wine supply store (DeFalco’s) has a wine making class once a year in the spring, so I decided to take the class and perfect my craft!

We meet every Tuesday from 7-9:30pm for 6 weeks and the class was only $79 (includes material).

Week 1

After introductions, our instructor (DeFalco’s Owner, Scott Birdwell) gave us a high-level overview of what we would be doing and learning in the classes

For our first class, we made a Red & White wine kit from Winexpert. This was new for me, since I’ve never made a wine kit before and really wanted to know what came in it and the value of the kits before I spent money.

Wine Kits

The red wine was a Chilean Malbec Shirez, which came with:

• Concentrated Grape Juice
• Grape Skins
• Yeast
• Bentonite
• Metabisulphite
• Sorbate
• Fining Agent
• Mesh Straining Bag
• Oak Powder
• Oak Cubes

The white wine was a Washington Riesling, which came with everything listed above except grape skins. This kit had a F-pack (Sweetening Juice) instead.

The Winexpert has a variety of kit types and grape varietal ranging from $60-$245. Each kit makes approximately 30 bottles of wine, which averages out to about $5 per bottle of wine.

Hydrometer & Acid Titration Test

In the week 1 class we also learned the proper methods of using a hydrometer, conducting an acid titration test.

The Hydrometer is used to check the Specific Gravity (SG) in you ingredients before, during and at the end of fermentation in order to calculate the wines alcohol content.

The Acid Tritration Test is used to check the acid levels in your ingredients. This would allow for you to add more acid to avoid a flat wine or to reduce the acid and avoid a really tart/sour wine.

Week 1 Closing

All in all Week 1 was great! I learned a lot, met some really awesome people, and sampled a lot of wine. I’m really looking forward to Week 2 and sharing my experience with you all…until next time!

Link to Week 2

Wine Making: Cranberry Pomegranate Zinfandel

Cranberry Pomegranate Zinfandel

Ingredients:

• Can (23 fl oz) – Alexander Zinfandel Blush Grape Concentrate
• 1 Bottle (60 fl oz) – Ocean Spray Cranberry Pomegranate 100% Juice
• 45 fl oz – Water
• 16 oz – Sugar
• 1/2 tsp – Super Ferment
• 1 tsp – Acid Blend
• 1/4 tsp Tannin
• 1 Campden Tablet (Crushed)
• 1/2 pkg – Yeast ( I used Red Star Pasteur Champagne)

Directions:

• Add the Zinfandel Blush Grape Concentrate to your primary fermentor and stir.
• Create a simple syrup mixture with the water and sugar (Heat the water on the stove and stir in sugar until completely dissolved). Set the simple syrup mixture aside for cooling until room temperature.
• Add all remaining ingredients except Yeast to the primary fermentor. Cover and let ingredients sit for 24hrs
• Sprinkle yeast and leave in primary fermentor for 3 to 5 days
• Transfer to secondary fermentor for the remaining fermenting and bulk aging
• Rack as needed (i.e., transfer wine off yeast and other sediment to another fermentor)

So, this is is a interesting combo for wine, however they both have great health benefits!

Below are a list of benefits:

I can’t wait for this one to be ready…I’m going to give it 2-3 months!

Recipe: Peach Wine Cake

Here’s another great wine dessert recipe courtesy of Ozan Wine!

Peach Wine Cake!!!!

Ingredients
1 box white cake mix
1 small box peach gelatin
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 cup Ozan Peach Wine
1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

Instructions
Combine mix and gelatin. Add eggs, oil and wine. Mix well and set aside. Prepare tube pan and sprinkle half of pecans in bottom. Add batter and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 42 minutes.

PEACH GLAZE

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Ozan Peach Wine

Instructions

Combine sugar, butter and wine and bring to a boil. Cool cake for 10 minutes. Pour half of glaze on cake. Wait 30 minutes. Pour remaining glaze on cake and sprinkle with pecans.

Happy Baking!

Wine Making: Bottling & Labeling

My first batch of wine was complete just in time for my mom’s 60th Birthday Bash!!!

After 2 months, my Country Wine was finally ready for bottling (Link to Recipe).

Pre-Bottling Prep & Sweetening:

• I added 1/2 tsp of stabilizer to ensure fermentation was complete 24 hrs before adding sugar. Otherwise, your wine could begin fermenting again.
• I then added 1 cup of sugar (simple syrup mixture for easy dissolving)

Bottling:

I cleaned and sanitized my bottles and cap corks with sodium metabisulfite before siphoning the wine.

After siphoning the wine into each bottle and adding the cap cork it was time to add the PVC shrink caps

I used the hair dryer method, which took forever….I will be using the boiling water method next time!

Labeling:

I really wanted to find a label that was water proof and reusable. After doing some research I found the Avery 22827 label, which met all my criteria. Plus the Avery website has a Design & Print Online tool, which I used to make my Mom’s 60th Birthday Bash labels.

As you can see in the initial pictures, the labels are submerged in ice and water and the labels are not smearing or coming off the bottles (This label is a Winner!!!).

Ultimately, the bottling & labeling went extremely well for this to be my first batch!

One of my next post will be a Wine Review on my own wine : )