How do you prefer your wine oaked or unoaked? If you like a wine with oak nuances, are you concerned with where the oak was grown?

For wine aged in oak, do you prefer French oak, Hungarian oak or American oak? As we visit numerous wineries, we ask what type of oak is used and normally the response is French, Hungarian and/or American.

There are many species of oak and oak grows in many areas. Climate and varieties cause a difference in the oak. This affects the oak nuances and winemakers must choose between the many choices of oak available. While some may prefer French oak, French oak barrels are significantly more expensive than Hungarian or American oak.

American oak is quite popular at wineries but it is not an easy choice for winemakers to decide from what area of the US they would like the oak sourced. American oak barrels can be produced from oak growing in areas including Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Virginia and Arkansas. Variations in the oak occur depending upon where the oak is growing. It’s similar to the same varietal grape growing in a different climate; it will have different characteristics.

For those with limited funds or space, there are alternatives to expensive, space consuming oak barrels. Small oak pieces in the shape of cubes, beads, blocks or spirals can be purchased. These can be added to a carboy or stainless steel tank and provide oak nuances. These oak pieces are available in different toasts just as oak barrels. This is especially ideal for home winemakers and small startup wineries.

Is there a difference between using an oak barrel and oak pieces? I imagine the purist would say there is a difference but I’m not so sure the public would notice. However during a winery tour, the lack of oak barrels would be noticeable. Somehow oak barrels whether French, Hungarian or American add to the delightful experience of visiting wineries.

Cheers! Kathy

Did you miss making wine last fall from grapes or juice? Fall is such a busy time with school, sports, preparing for holidays etc. Now that winter has struck and many of us our waiting for snow to melt, it may be the perfect time to think about making wine at a winery this spring.

In South America, harvesting is done in the spring and Tin Lizzie Wineworks in Maryland has access to red grapes and white grape juice from this 2010 South American harvest. Grapes will be available from Chile and Argentina. White grape juice will be from Argentina.

Red grapes available will be Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Tempranilla. White grape juice available will be Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.

At Tin Lizzie Wineworks, those participating in making a barrel of wine can choose between a ¼ barrel, ½ barrel and whole barrel. Winemaking is expected to begin in April and May.

Tin Lizzie Wineworks is located in Clarksville, Maryland. To learn more about winemaking visit the winemaking blog by Wine Trail Traveler. To contact Tin Lizzie Wineworks about spring winemaking, visit their website.

Cheers! Kathy

Yesterday we spent a couple of hours at Tin Lizzie Wineworks helping, winemaker, Dave Zuchero organizing and cleaning. Other than being a very cold day, as long as one stayed inside and moved, we were okay. The camaraderie that exists when working on a common goal is delightful. We asked questions and learned more from Dave as we wiped down winery equipment and washed floors. As darkness approached Dave commented that we should stop work. We then enjoyed a glass of wine that was very good.

While most people don’t see the every day hard gritty work that needs to be done at a winery, it needs to be done. Working under the guidance of a winemaker, adds so much to the winery experience. If you have the opportunity to help at a winery, don’t turn it down. You will discover camaraderie, friendship, learn, and understand more about wine than what you can read in a book.

Cheers! Kathy

One of the perks of visiting wineries is the people you meet. At a recent visit to Trout Springs Winery and Vineyards in Greenleaf, Wisconsin, we met a group from the Appleton Libation Enthusiasts. This group, ALE for short, make beer. They had an afternoon outing at Trout Spring to taste the wines and tour the winery. We met up with the group on the tour. The members were all interested in wine and beer.

I asked them to explain simply the process of beer making and they were more than enthusiastic to talk about their passion. They were also knowledgeable of the winemaking process. They even had a few wines that they made with them and offered a taste of their elderberry. The wine was in a beer bottle, it’s maker confessing that he didn’t have a wine bottle corker, so he just put the wine in a beer bottle. The aroma and taste was elderberry and had some pepper on the finish. It would pair well with grilled food. What was surprising is the extremely long elderberry aftertaste. This wine’s aftertaste lasted fifteen minutes. This is a delightful group of people who enjoy both beer, wine and friends.

The ALE group has a blog. You can follow along at: aleclub.org.

Charles Hodgson, author of Global Wording, has recently released a new book, History of Wine Words: An Intoxicating Dictionary of Etymology and Word Histories from the Vineyard, Glass and Bottle.

This 208-page book provides a look at the origins of words related to wine. The book has three basic categories including locations/regions/, grape varietals and winemaking. While I have not read the book, from page to page, I have enjoyed browsing a large selection of the words. It is interesting that many of the words are so commonplace today that one doesn’t think about the development of the word. History of Wine Words does not cover every associated wine word. Hodgson has done his best to select words that he believes are of interest to people. Therefore while you find “maceration,” you won’t find “riddling.” 

The only word I discovered that I was disappointed in was “toast.” Hodgson refers to only one connotation of the word “toast” – the offering of a toast to someone. Nowhere in the discussion does he mention barrel “toast.”

With so many wine books on the market, History of Wine Words, makes an unusual addition to your collection. This book may appeal to the etymologist and wine lover. It is also a good conversation starter. The book is available at Amazon. 

Cheers! Kathy

Even though Vint Hill Craft Winery is not currently open to the public, we had the opportunity to visit Vint Hill and meet with Chris Pearmund from Pearmund Cellars. After visiting the site, we are even more excited about Vint Hill Craft Winery. This winery is filling a need for wine enthusiasts who want to learn more about wine and winemaking.

Chris gave us a tour of the building that is under renovation to becoming the first winery in the D.C. area to offer people the opportunity to participate in making their own barrel of wine.

Chris believes that with extra steps taken during winemaking, the quality of wine that participants will be producing will be high. For example, when the grapes arrive at the winery they will go to a sorting table to remove the MOG (Matter Other than Grapes). The next step will be the grapes going through the destemmer. Chris is adding another step to the process by having a second sorting table available. After the grapes leave the destemmer, they will go on to the second sorting table. It is here that the jacks – small green pieces that attach grapes to the bunch – will be removed. According to Chris if the jacks are not removed, they will leave harsh flavors in the finished wine.

While workers were busy with hammers and saws, Chris gave us a brief history of the building and enthusiastically pointed out the different areas where the equipment will be located on the first floor. The tasting room will be located on the second floor and visitors will be able to see the work taking place below. The tasting room will also serve as a classroom for participants who will learn what they are to do before actually working on each step of creating their wine.

Vint Hill Craft Winery is scheduled to open July 2009. If you are interested in producing a barrel of your own wine, you can find more detailed information on the Vint Hill Craft Winery website. Participants can sign up now.

Cheers, Kathy

Does robotics have a role in the winery and the vineyard? What do you think of when you consider winemaking? Medieval cellars, aging oak barrels sitting quietly in the dark and winemakers hunched over in dark caves waiting for the moment to arrive when their precious liquid becomes wine? Wines stored in jugs rather than bottles?

Welcome to the 21^st century where much of winemaking is done in bright, shiny stainless steel tanks, perhaps using the latest in filtering machines. Today wines can be discovered “bottled” in plastic bottles, paint-style cans (Paradocx Vineyard) or cardboard boxes. Robotic type machines are available to do the time consuming riddling. Check out Gloria Ferrer’s riddling machine. It may remind you of Star Wars.

New on the scene and still being developed is a robotic type machine for pruning vineyards. Vision Robotics Corporation has been designing a machine that can analyze each vine and make the proper cuttings. Will it be able to prune better than people can prune? Can you imagine driving, biking or walking past vineyards and seeing a machine pruning grapevines? What will this mean to the future of the wine industry? Only time will tell.

Cheers, Kathy

On Saturday we bottled our first sweet wine. This was our second bottling of a wine produced from a kit.  Since our last bottling, we had purchased a floor model corker and it was definitely worth it. This corker only takes one person to cork a bottle. According to the wine kit, we should have produce 30 – 375ml bottles but we had 29 bottles. The kit had been labeled Ice Wine Style, so we didn’t expect a true Icewine aroma and taste. Actually we pleased with the wine.

We could have bottled the wine 10 days earlier but decided to wait to see if it would clear more. After the additional ten days there were more lees resting at the bottom of the carboy. The wine had cleared nicely and it was possible to read text through the carboy.

The color was golden. The taste had some nuances of banana and peach.  This is a good wine and worth making but it lacks many of the qualities found in a true Icewine.

From making this batch of wine, we learned that the more expensive the wine kit, the better the wine. Of course this dessert wine was sweet. Sugar can mask many problems. However our dessert wine was delicious, sweet, had fruit aroma and taste and enough acid to cut the sweetness. Not bad for a dessert Riesling at about $3.50 for a 375ml bottle.

Do you have a favorite home winemaking kit or recipe? Write and let us know.

Cheers, Kathy

During the past two years we met many winery owners that were husband and wife teams. Often it is a small operation and they take part in every aspect including the winemaking. I remember surprise when one owner told me she gets her husband winery equipment for presents. If the equipment is expensive then it becomes a Valentine’s Day, birthday and Christmas present. I heard the same gift-giving story from other husband and wife teams. Two years ago my wife gave me a winemaking kit for a present. It was a lot of fun making the wine. Bottling was another matter. The hand corker needed two hands to hold the corker pushing the levers to make the cork smaller, two hands to hold the bottle and one hand to push the lever that plunged the cork into the bottle. The results were not always spectacular. So for last Christmas, my wife gave me a floor corker. What a pleasure to use. One person can use it with one hand. This was a perfect gift.

Perhaps for Valentine’s Day, you should get your loved one a winemaking kit. Where’s the romance in this? Unlike flowers, that last a week or chocolates that may last for days, a winemaking kit offers opportunities to make the wine together and enjoy it for years. Follow the directions for primary fermentation and do everything together. Do the same for secondary fermentation. Age gracefully together while your wine ages. How’s that for romance? Bottle the wine together. Now is the tough part. The wine may need to bottle age for several months to a year. However, have a romantic dinner once a month opening one of the bottles to have with your dinner. Notice how the wine is aging at this point. It will change throughout the year. Many wine kits make more than two cases, so you can have many romantic moments while sharing a bottle.

Then one day, you’ll notice the empty primary fermenter and empty carboy or two and think that they should be filled. Two cases then become five or ten. The romance of making and enjoying wine together has great potential. More hours will be spent making and drinking the wine than enjoying flowers, a box of candy and one evening dinner. 

My mead has stopped its fermentation so I decided to rack it off the lees. I had to decide what size container to rack it into. The current three-gallon carboy had too much headspace. For aging, the mead should be filled into the neck of the container. Less oxygen will come in contact with the mead. I had this issue with a previous Cabernet Sauvignon that I made. Several winemakers suggested going to the wine store and purchasing a bottle of wine to top off the wine in the carboy. Mead isn’t the easiest thing to find so I took a different approach.

Knowing that I had less than three gallons and that I would not rack off all the mead, I decided to rack into two one-gallon jugs. I filled each into the neck and inserted the air lock. I had less than a gallon left over so I put this in a half-gallon container and inserted an air lock. My plan is to use the mead in the half-gallon container to top off the mead in the gallon jugs. However it occurred to me that if I take mead out of the half-gallon container, then the mead in that container would come in contact with more oxygen. So how do you solve that challenge? Fortunately I have the opportunity to interview many winemakers. Two solutions were presented, one common sense and the other rather unique. The common sense solution is to pour the remaining mead from the half-gallon container into a smaller container. You can always drink anything left over. The more unique solution, which is the one I’ll use, is to place marbles in the half-gallon jug until the level of the mead rises into the neck. I never would have thought of that.

Most winemakers are eager to talk about their craft. They have a wealth of knowledge, some learned from textbooks, some passed down from multiple generations and some learned from trial and error.

Home winemaking is an interesting hobby, one that is filled with trial and error, and much learning as well as the potential enjoyable results to drink. Enjoy a trip into the world of home winemaking.