Winemaking Made Easy
Winexpert’s 2008 Selection Limited Edition Premium Wine Kits
March 6th, 2009 by robin in wine making, wine making kits
Every year Winexpert releases their Selection Limited Edition Premium Wine Kits. Discerning winemakers anticipate these announcements so that they can stock their wine cellars with these outstanding vintages. These wines have become known as a standard of quality in the industry.
Winexpert’s 2008 releases highlight some of the premier winemaking regions of the world today.These kits are released over a span of several months and once their inventory is depleted – they are gone.
This years releases are as follows:
January 2009 – New Zealand Gewürztraminer & New Zealand Merlot
February 2009 – South African Cabernet Sauvignon
March 2009 – Alsatian Riesling
April 2009 – Italian Dolcetto
These wine making kits are not to be missed. If you aren’t a home winemaker there is still no reason to be left out – you can still make it yourself at your local Vintner’s Circle using our equipment.
levels of sulfites in wine making kits
January 31st, 2009 by David in sulfites, wine making kits
Wine making kits often include packets of components required to make a great wine. Typically, a packet containing potassium metabisulfite (creates sulfites in wine) is included for use during the stabilization and clearing process.
Levels of sulfites are measured in ppm (parts per million). Approximately 9 ppm of sulfites occur naturally in wine making. In the US, a wine must have less than 30 ppm for the label to state “No Sulfites”. Sulfite levels greater than 30 ppm requires the winery to include a “Contains Sulfites” statement on the wine label.
Most wine kits create finished wines with sulfite levels around 20-30 ppm. Many manufactures suggest adding an additional 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulfite per six gallons (23 liters) of wine prior to bottling to raise the level of sulfites a bit more to help them age gracefully for a couple of years.
Commercial wines frequently contain free sulfite levels ranging around 75 ppm.
How are wine kits made?
November 24th, 2008 by David in interesting facts, wine making kits
Most winemaking kit suppliers contract grape purchases from growers by specifying conditions at harvest (acid, pH, brix, and color along with organoleptic qualities flavor and aroma). Specifying harvest conditions enables our suppliers to create consistent high-quality wine kits. When the grapes are ripe they are harvested and taken to a winery, where they are sulfited and crushed.
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