Tips on Wine Making and Testing

The sugar and acid levels are very important if you want to make your own homemade wine really great.

Both the sugar and acid levels are two constituents to making a great batch of wine, so changes to the process are based on those tests. As you’re no doubt aware the sugar level is critical as the yeast must feed on it in order to produce the alcohol. The volume of sugar you use will determine the volume of alcohol that shows up in the final batch but in order to run these tests you’ll have to own a hydrometer.

The hydrometer lets you accurately tests as well as measure the sugar that is contained in the juice and the amount of alcohol that can be produced from the sugar. Because of that you will also be able to measure how much additional sugar you may need to put into the juice.A hydrometer is essentially a glass tube with a weight on one end that can remain afloat. Sugar levels are tested by reading how low or high it floats at in any hydrometer a scale on them to help provide a reading for the Potential Alcohol content. The scale is readable when you first start the fermentation process to determine whether you need to add more sugar based on the amount of alcohol that you want to be present in the final wine.

If you determine that you should alter the sugar level in order to increase the alcohol level, you may wonder what type of sugar you should use. It helps to remember that each type of sugar will offer different characteristics. [Corn sugar and cane sugar are usually the cheapest] and the most available, though, there’s nothing to stop you from experimenting with other types of sugar, if you have that sugar around.

You’ll need to try and maybe even adjust your wine’s acid level. Keep in mind that having the right acid level will provide your wine with balance and character as well as assist in the fermentation process as it’s critical for you to keep in mind that acidity varies from one fruit to another.

The best way to test the acidity level of your juice is through the use of a titration kit, which will help you determine how the wine will actually taste. If too much acid is present in the wine the end result will be bitter though if it doesn’t have an adequate amount of acid, it’ll taste flat. By utilizing what you’ve just read, you will know whether or not you need to make changes to the acidity level of your wine. If you find that you do need to change anything you can do so through the use of one of a few fruit acids: citric, tartaric and malic fruit acids.

Some ways to change the flavor of the wine when bottling it involve combining it with other fruit based wines, incorporating spices, or oak chips, body enhances or flavor enhances. You could also fortify your wine with something as simple as grain alcohol. The most critical guideline to follow upon doing the last minute tweaking is to ensure that you adjust in small amounts, so pretty much, always experiment with small amounts rather than a full batch.

Use this valuable information about wine making process and you definitely will achieve your goals.

Alcohol Free Wines - types and occasions

Most of the people forget about Non Alcoholic Wines or they just do not have the desire to try them. But the alcohol free wines are great and rare posibility for many of us to enjoy the great taste and flavor of wine without the devastating effect of the alcohol over our body. Such kind of wines should be your first choice if you are pregnant, you have to drive or you suffer from some major disease and the alcohol is totally prohibited for you.

The wines which do not contain alcohol will let you to enjoy the wonderful taste of the finest wines of the World without  any problems for your health in general. There are many types and varieties of Non Alcoholic wines. Their flavor and style are also very different and include :

* Burt Zinfandel 

* White Zinfandel

* Chardonnay 

* Cabernet Sauvignon

Nowadays, the wine market is very huge and you can find many non alcoholic wines at cheap and reasonable prices. There are many foreign and domestic companies which produce great wines. You can buy them from your local market or online. The best way of course is to purchase your wine online, because you can choose from more products and often, the reviews which you will read will easily guide you to make your choice.

The Taste of Non Alcoholic Wines

You should know that only premium grapes are used for the production of such kind of wines. The alcohol is removed from the wine just before the bottling process by filtration. That is why the taste of the Non Alcoholic Wines is the same as the regulars wines. Some people can find some difference, but that is because the lack of alcohol. But you must be aware that the wine making process for regular wines and alcohol free wines is the same, so is the same and the taste of the wine which you will drink.

What is alcohol free wine?

It means that the wine which you will drink has less than 1 % alcohol content. With such low quantity of alcohol in your wine you will never get drunk and you will be able to keep your health in great condition. It is less than 1 %, because the modern technology which is used nowadays is not able to remove all the alcohol from the wine. But it is still pretty low and harmless.

The best way to enjoy these wines

All you need to enjoy  the Non Alcoholic Wines is one glass, your family and friend. You can also host wine tasting events with alcohol free wines and you will see that many people will love the taste and arome of these types of wine. If you suffer from some major disease and still can not resist the great taste of wine, then stop searching for option, you already found it. Such kind of wine is very suitable for people suffering from diabetes and heart problems. So, bu sure that Non Alcoholic wines will definitely improve your healt and the health of your loved ones. It is also a great way for people suffering alcoholism. They are very important and necessary step which each person with alcohol problems should take.


Just search around the net and find your Non Alcoholic wine. Store them as you will usually store regular wines. As you see, the benefits are much more than the negatives. Try them andd you will loved them till the rest of your life.

Homemade Wine Making Process Tips

The process of making homemade wine is not too difficult and it can be easily learned from the people who want to make their own fine homemade wine. At the beginning of the process you can get a little bit confused, but do not worry too much. Check out the useful information below about the basic phases in the wine production process and you will see that it is not such a complicated process as you maybe thought at the beginning.

If you master the homemade wine methods and practices you will be able to produce the flavor you like most, all this will make you really proud and you will have in your wine cellars the greatest fine wine in the world.

If you want to produce great wine in your home you will need a lot of time and dedication. At the beginning the equipment you will use in the wine making process will not matter that much. The most important thing is the grape which you intend to use. Using rotten grape will definitely make the taste of your homemade wine bad and that is why you have to ensure the quality of the grape. The best way for doing that is to grow your own grape. This is very serious task, but it is essential if you want to perfect the wine making process.

The yeast is another very important part of the homemade wine making process. There are many different kinds of yeast to choose from. The yeast is very important for the flavor and the taste of your homemade wine. That is why you should be very careful when you will make the decision. Read the blog and you will find out what kind of yeast will match your expectations. Just remember that using the incorrect yeast will definitely make the taste and the flavor of your homemade wine worst.

Another important step of the home wine production is the sterilizing and cleaning the materials which you will use in the wine making process. You should get rid of all the bacteria, otherwise the wine production can be at danger. You hardware should be perfectly clean. It is very important part of the wine making process.

As you see, these are the most important things you need to know for beginning. You should choose very carefully what kind of grape you will use in the wine making process. The yeast is very essential if you want to produce really fine homemade wine. If you want to achieve great quality and unforgettable taste, all the hardware which you intend to use in the wine production must be perfectly clean and you will avoid many future troubles which you can meet during the wine making process.

Follow these basic tips and soon or later you will produce the best homemade wine in the world.

Know how to pair fine wines and food

Here are the rules to go by when trying to match that perfect couple of wine and food for any occasion. First you will usually be pairing your food to your wine unless you have been saving a special bottle for the occasion. Experiment with the wines so you will not end up with a bold wine that overpowers foods such as fish, light foods a light wine will go nicely here.
 Keep the entire dish in mind not just the main ingredients the spices, sauce, and preparation are also important for your wine selection. An acidic dish will go well with an acidic Sauvignon Blanc, while an earthy Rhone wine will pair well with game or a wild mushroom sauce.  
If you have more than one bottle of wine at a meal  go from light to heavy start with the lighter wines and finish with the stronger ones, white to red , low alcohol to high dry and sweet. Ask for advice from friends who have eaten the dish you are about to prepare, go to a restaurant that has same style of food you will be preparing and ask the sommelier their advice. 

Beef 

The obvious choice for a beef dish is red wine. The best red wines are  big enough to hold up to the dish's flavors and have the tannins to balance out the fat in the beef. Excellent choices include Argentine Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or if you have some spice in the dish, a Zinfandel or Syrah will pair nicely.

Poultry

Sauce is a key element in poultry dishes, be sure to keep that in mind. If you are serving a simple roast chicken dish it will pair nicely with a Chardonnay. Opt for a white Burgundy or another oaky Chardonnay if your recipe calls for a creamy sauce. If you're looking for the perfect wine for your turkey dinner, choose a lighter red wine such as French Beaujolais or Italian Valpolicella.

Pork

Pork dishes also call for lighter wines. Look towards reds from the Loire Valley, Alsace or Beaujolais. If you are looking for a white wine try a Sauvignon Blanc or a basic, un-oaked Chardonnay.

Fish 

For fish with strong flavors such as tuna, or dishes with cream sauces, opt for a rich Chardonnay. For seared tuna, sushi, or any fish tartare, dark roses like a French Travel make a nice companion. Salmon which has a strong , rich flavorand a high fat content can be aired with an oaky Chardonnay or white Pinot Gris, or try a light red like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais. Most acidic wines that pair well with lighter fish also work well with a variety of seafood such as Sauvignon Blanc. For shellfish , such as oysters or clams, try a dry white winefrom Bordeaux or a brut from Champagne.

Dessert

Fruit based desserts offer an element of acidity that go well with sweeter wines. Try a late-harvest Riesling or Muscat. For desserts  with berries try something sparkling like Champagne or an affordable Prosecco. For chocolate desserts many people enjoy Merlot or the classic pairing with tawny port. For heavy desserts, which may leave the palate a bit tired, offer a sparkling wine. If your dessert isn't too sweet, Moscao d'Asti is also an excellent choice.


Should you buy expensive wine?

There are basically two schools of thought as to what justifies the price of an expensive wine. The first school of thought suggests that the price of the wine should be based on the actual cost of production of that particular category of wine.

Of course, all the other overhead factors like transportation, marketing, retailing, profit margins and
other aspects would be added on to the cost of production. But the basic premise is that the price should reflect the various costs involved in finally getting the wine available to the buyer. This seems to be a rational idea and there are a lot of supporters for it though that is obviously unrealistic due to supply and demand.

The second school of thought suggests that the price of the wine should be based on the demand from consumers. If there is more demand for a particular category of wine, the price for it should be higher too.

This is more likely an idea that is promoted by wine makers and distributors. In effect, what they are saying is that if the consumer is willing to pay a higher price, then the wine should be priced as such, giving no regard whatsoever to the actual cost of making the wine. This is a more demand-driven logic that is beneficial to makers of wines and is the way things work in the real world.

While both these ideas seem to have some sense in them, the consumer is always left wondering whether they are paying the right price for what they are purchasing. Especially since some wines cost as much as several thousands of dollars, there is always the nagging thought as to whether the price is really justified.

When it comes to the question "when is an expensive wine worth its cost?", the idea proposed by the first school of thought seems to make more sense. While this school of thought is more or less favorable to the consumer, at the same time it also ensures that the wine makers get their profits too.

What is most important to know is that it is really worth paying a steep price for certain wines because it is
incredibly difficult to make those wines. Certain expensive wines are made from grapes which are cultivated in tiny, unique plots of land, which produce very low yields.

Some other wines are cultivated on steeply terraced slopes making the work extremely difficult. Such wines can definitely demand a higher price. Thus some feel that the factor that determines the price of the wine should be the difficulty of that particular wine's manufacturing process. If the cost of producing the wine is very high, then it can be priced high as well.

I like to look at it in terms of office work. As a boss or manager, are you more interested in efforts or results of subordinates? We would like to think that they are one in the same. Of course, they are not. Results are far more valuable than efforts. I would venture to say the same is so for expensive wine.

How to rate and score wine like Pro?

Wine rating or scoring is both an art and science. Experts called in to rate have substantial responsibility. There is a lot of money in the industry and their scoring can either raise or lower the value of a particular brand; it is important that their rating is fair and accurate.

Most experts are aware of this and do a fair and unbiased job. But even when they do a good job, there will always be a difference of opinion and some criticism from people who do not agree with their scores. Experts test wines on a number of characteristics. Attributes like taste, smell, color, finish and overall drinkability are taken into account. Each of these qualities is scored.

The scores are summed and then rated. All aspects of the wines contribute to the score. It is not enough for a wine to be just tasty, smell great, or look colorful. It has to score well on all the attributes to get a good rating from the experts. Try rating the wines that you come across so that you can develop a scorecard for future reference. You can also recommend some wines to your friends and acquaintances based on your expertise from developing your own scorecard.

Just as the experts do, you can have parameters or qualities that you deem important. You can test each one and assign points. Total the score for each wine to arrive at its specific rating.

To rate fairly, you need to group wines in the same category while testing them. Grouping can be done in terms of price range, the region from which they come or the state where they are made and so on. Grouping them together would make your rating fairer and even.

You also need to remember that you should not be biased when testing particular wines. That is the reason most people do their tasting and reviewing totally "blind". They strip the labels off and have no information whatsoever while tasting it in order to be non-biased. To make the rating more objective, you can also do it as a group. The average score from the group can then indicate the rating for the wine, which would be fairer.

So remember that while expert raters have, sometimes, decades of experience and palette fine-tuning behind them, you too can impress your friends and wine aficionados with your rating skills. Just follow these simple tips outlined above.