Best Fine Wine .com

Highlights from the 10th Anniversary Decanter Fine Wine Encounter at the Landmark Hotel, London. The video includes interviews with Paul Draper, Warren Winiarski, Jancis Robinson and Oz Clarke.

There are people who love their own choice of wines. They usually have a collection of the rarest and oldest wines in their cellars. They prefer to savor these wines but sometimes these make ideal gifts. There are also wine lovers who prefer to have their own collection of homemade wines. They brew their own grape juice with the help of wine making supplies. Although it may be an intricate process, the end result is always something to be proud about.

Wine Servings

Today, wine is not just a social drink. It has become an important and popular beverage that is consumed in conjunction with most Mediterranean and European cuisines. From the simple and traditional menu to the more sophisticated ones, wine is a highly valued beverage. Aside from that, wine is also used as a flavoring agent in braising and stocks because its acidity content balances with any sweet or savory and spicy dishes. Red wine, white wine and the sparkling wine, or any kind if wine made with the help of wine making supplies, is among the familiar ones which are labeled as light wines as they usually just contain 10 to 14 percent of alcohol in volume. The dessert wines, on the other hand, contain 14 to 20 percent and are usually fortified to make it sweeter and richer.

The Different Wine Making Supplies

Wine and wine making supplies are prestigious in wineries all over the globe. Wine enthusiasts who have took pride in making their homemade wines also have their own wine making supplies.

▪ Cleaners and sanitizers. These are a set of products composed of campden tablets that destroys bacteria in the wine, sodium bisulfite that is used to kill molds and bacteria in the wine making equipments, and barrolkleen that is specifically used to sterilize the wooden barrels. These supplies are needed in the pre-production of wines.

▪ Bottles. The wine bottle is the most basic component. They come in blue, red, green, or just a clear bottle and are in 750mL contents.

▪ Labels. The labels are also included in the pack. There are pre-gummed labels sold, which can readily be placed unto the bottles. The information just have to be printed out onto the label, and then they are ready to stick unto the bottle. A usual pack of label would include 25 pre-gummed labels.

▪ Heat shrinks and bottle neck capsules. These two are also important wine making supplies. These give a professional and decorative look aside from providing cover to the wine bottle.

▪ Corks. These are used to seal the bottle and prevent carbon dioxide from being released from the bottle until the wine is served. There are different sizes available depending on the wine bottle.

▪ Sealing Wax. This is used to make an airtight seal on the corked bottles so that the bottles could be stored on their sides and even upside down. It also prevents oxygen from entering the bottle. A pound of sealing wax, poured onto the wine bottle’s tip, can seal up to 100 bottles.

For all those wine enthusiasts out there, The Grape and Granary should be the top choice for wine making supplies and equipments. They have a complete collection of all the necessities to make their own smooth tasting homemade wine.

Mankind has been drinking wine for thousands of years. Have you ever wondered how wine is made? Do you know that wine can be made at home? In fact, wine used to be made at home until somebody came up with the fantastic idea of mass producing wine and selling it to others to enable them to enjoy great wine with minimum fuss.

We all know wine is made from grapes. How then is it different from grape juice? Is wine just glorified grape juice? Certainly not! The presence of alcohol in wine makes it totally different from grape juice.

So where does the alcohol come from? Is it added to the wine? When we talk about alcohol, we are not talking about whisky or beer. We are talking about the chemical spirit alcohol. Grape juice gets its alcohol content from fermentation.

Fermentation is the process of interaction of yeast, which is a single celled living organism, with the sugar in the grape juice. Alcohol and carbon dioxide are the by-products of this reaction. This reaction continues until the alcohol content becomes so high that the yeast dies off due to the alcohol it created. The yeast sinks to the bottom and is removed. What began as grape juice and yeast has now become wine. This wine must be filtered and stored before it can be consumed.

Had mankind not known what yeast was and what it could do, we would have been sipping grape juice instead of refreshing wine!

Yeast is also found naturally. In this form, it is called wild yeast. The wild yeast that sticks to the skin of the grapes gets mixed with grape juice to initiate fermentation. Hence, wine can be made even without manual addition of yeast. However, there is no certainty that the wine would be to your liking. Adding processed yeast specifically made for making wine helps you control the taste of wine. Relying on wild yeast is a bit of a gamble.

The manual addition of yeast is not a simple process. You can’t buy just any yeast and add it to the grapes. Many individuals who make wine at home opt for the yeast that is used in making bread as this yeast will lead to fermentation and alcohol production. However, using yeast strains that have been made specifically for wine is preferable as it offers the following advantages:

- You know how the yeast will behave. That is, you know how much alcohol it produces, how long it should be stored and the taste it creates. This is possible because the yeast is manufactured after repeated testing and experimentation.

- If you want wine with a high alcohol content, you can opt for those strains that are resistant to alcohol. Since yeast dies during the wine making process, a higher resistance will enable the yeast to survive for a long period of time. This will result in wine with a high alcohol content.

- If you do not intend to store the wine for a long period and if you wish to consume it quickly, you can opt for yeast that reacts with sugar. This yeast will produce a lot of alcohol fast.

Making wine at home is a fruitful exercise if you follow the correct process and have the right tools and materials. You can then proudly share your home made wine with friends and family.