Wine making

Health Benefits of White and Red Wines Both white and red wines are good for your health. Although they’re made with grapes, they don’t provide the same health benefits as fruits. After they go through fermentation, the grapes lose some of their original nutrition, but they also gain new health benefits. Wines don’t only improve […]

The Question of Sulfites (Sulfur) in Wine. There is often confusion about the role of sulfites in wines. What better person to ask than Wine Shop at Home winemaker, Alex Reble? Jane: So, Alex, for heaven’s sake, let’s start at the beginning. What are sulfites? And why do we find sulfites in wine?? Alex: There […]

How about a nice mulled wine for the holiday season? It’s yummy and warming! Here’s a recipe for 12 servings. Ingredients: 2 unwaxed oranges 1 lemon, peel only 1/2 cup sugar 5 cloves, plus extra for garnish 5 cardamom pods, bruised 1 cinnamon stick A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 2 bottles of fruity, unoaked red wine 3/4 cup ginger […]

What To Look For in the Color of Wine Intensity of Color How intense is the color of the wine? Is it pale with very little pigment or is it staining the sides of the glass? This pointer will tell you if the wine is lighter/denser in style. Wines with more intense colors tend to […]

When you read about the process for creating sparkling wine, you will surely gain appreciation for the winemaker’s efforts. Whether it is called Champagne or sparkling wine, this bubbly beverage is more difficult to produce that still wines. The process, called méthode champenoise, is time consuming and labor intensive. Some wineries take shortcuts, but the […]

Wine has been around for a very long time and so has the effort of making wine. Wine, as a natural phase of grape spoilage, was “discovered” by accident, unlike beer and bread, which are human inventions. It is established that grape cultivation and wine drinking had started by about 4000 BC and possibly as […]

Aside from the obvious, have you ever wondered about the major differences between red and white wine? White wines are mostly made of white grapes; they are made without skins or seeds. The skins are separated from the juice and yeast is added for fermentation. White wines have a light, crisp, fruity flavor and aroma. […]

Have you ever wondered about wine blends? Blending is just one of the ways to change the qualities and complexity of wine. Wine collector Karen Frazier explains the in’s and out’s of wine blending including the types of blending which include – vintage, non-vintage, combining red and white, Tuscan, Bordeaux, Meritage, and Rhone. Read Karen’s […]

Winemakers have been using oak for centuries to enhance the flavors of both red and white wines. The American Oak Barrel and the French Oak Barrel are the most popular. The wine maker can also decide on the level of toasting for the barrel itself – high, medium and low – that is desired to enhance […]