Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
Long ago I made a decision to write for the beginner as well as the advanced winemaker. The beginner uses teaspoons, cups, pints, pounds, ounces, et cetera, and their fractions. The advanced winemaker uses grams, kilograms, milliliters and liters. The primary difference between the two genres of measure is precision, and when measuring non-base ingredients (chemicals, enzymes, etc.) to be added to wine, you really do want to be precise. Asked what instrument I would recommend a winemaker obtain after a hydrometer, without hesitation I say an accurate, reliable gram scale. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
A wonderful couple in Tennessee who has been so generous to me by sharing their wines, recipes and secrets have sent me a number of wines and meads made from mixed berries and fruit. While drinking one of these, I became inspired and rummaged through my freezer for hidden treasures. I found a few worthy ingredients and one I questioned but used anyway. I am truly glad I did. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
Lemon wine surprises people. They expect an alcoholic lemonade and instead get a full-bodied wine with thirst-quenching, lemony taste. It is best as an off-dry wine, but I have made it semi-sweet for competitions and it just claimed Grand Champion. Easy to make, it does require bulk and bottle aging to come into its own. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
I woke up at 4:43, too early to think about breakfast, and so I bottled a varietal mead. Varietals are traditional or "show" meads, made with honey and water and prudent additives, but no additional flavorings. The difference between a common, generic "show" mead and a varietal is the latter is made with a single-source or varietal honey and assumes the source's name. My mead was made with mesquite honey originating from the Uvalde, Texas area and therefore is a mesquite mead, but there are many varieties available. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
On a popular winemaking forum someone asked about flavoring extracts he saw on a winemaking supplier's website. I read the various replies and was surprised at how readily some of the respondents embraced a practice I consider to be on the line between what is and is not acceptable in winemaking. I then expressed that opinion and stirred up a controversy that is still drawing comments. There is much to discuss on this subject, and I wanted to revisit and flesh it out here. Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
Açai juice has been appearing in more and more supermarkets in small, rather costly bottles, usually displayed with other refrigerated "super juices" adjacent to or near the produce department. It has become one of those juices you never heard of before but suddenly it is mentioned everywhere healthy diets or supplements are discussed. Third, everyone peddling this stuff as dietary supplements feels compelled to mention that Oprah loves it or some such meaningless attribution. Okay. She's a billionaire and can afford to fill her swimming pool with açai juice if the itch strikes her, but what about the rest of us? Does the stuff make such an outstanding wine that you should suffer the expense to try it? Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
Several times in the past two months the subject of açai (pronounced ah-sah-ee) berry wine has come up, which is unusual, and that kindled a desire in me to write about it. I have in fact made two wines with açai juice, but as I sat down to write about it little nagging issues crept into my consciousness and could not be ignored. These had to do with where did this interest in açai come from? I think it arose from several quarters, but three have registered in my memory – appearance in markets, an avalanche of printed references, and Oprah reportedly said she loves it. I'm not sure if the appearance preceded the avalanche but that is how I noted it, and for the record I do not watch Oprah – I just see her mentioned in ads. The question, to me at least, then becomes, so what? Why should I buy this super-expensive juice, let alone consider making wine from it? Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 17th, 2009 | No Comments
Today I listened to a financial planner talk about instilling attitudes and habits in your children that translate into sound financial values. These are not at all overtly obvious, like "put some money into savings each payday," or "always let interest work for you" or other traditional advice. No, these lessons include: Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 16th, 2009 | No Comments
A writer noted he had made apple, almond, and banana wines, all of which required pouring boiling water over the base ingredients prior to pitching the yeast. He found all three were very stubborn to clear. He added amylase to the banana wine and SuperKleer to the apple wine with relatively good results. He then questioned the practice of adding boiling water to fruit bases because he had heard that this causes the fruit to "set." Read more....
Posted by Jack Keller's WineBlog in General, OtherNov 16th, 2009 | No Comments
A mead enthusiast wrote me to object to my definition of "show mead". Well, my definition came from popular books on mead, but that doesn't mean the definition hasn't evolved – especially in the world of competitions, where it counts. He wrote, "The definition of a show mead according to current BJCP style guidelines (and many mead makers in general) is one composed of honey, yeast and water without other additives. Adding nutrients, acids, oak, or other additives produces what is generally called a 'traditional mead.' A show mead can be made with a single varietal honey or a blend of more than one type." I am grateful for the correction. Read more....
