How to Make Wine and Beer - Part one©
Posted: Saturday, August 06, 2005
by Arlene Wright-Correll
http://www.learn-america.com
Many years ago, about 1965, we decided to leave our jobs, city lifestyles and go into the Northern New York woods to raise our children and ourselves in what we considered a better environment.
We started our new lifestyles in the most stringent of homesteading situations, which was compounded by the lack of or at least the decidedly reduced state of spendable income.
We quickly found ourselves having to devise ways and means to keep ourselves afloat, to preserve some sort of previous advantages or "luxuries" from our past lifestyle, not only for ourselves, but also for the children. One of these things was to learn how to make root beer! Then once I mastered that, I decided we could go back to enjoying beer again because, in my mind, if one could make root beer, one should be able to make regular beer.
Well, that made me only one step away from wine!! The rest has become history until, at the end of 14 years of living in the north, we moved to Florida where we started another adventure in our lives that did not include making beer or wine.
Yet during those 14 years, I sure learned a lot about beer and wine making and became fairly adept at making passable brews that would occasionally become "ringers" in our local group's wine tasting. In 1975 or 1976 (at this age it is hard to remember) my hearty burgundy won 1st place at the American Wine Society's annual meeting in Toledo, Ohio. Each year I would legally make about 250 gallons of wine in my little wine cellar, to say nothing of beer. The last 4 years of wine making, saw me writing a weekly home vintner's column for two different newspapers. My word, they seemed to consider me some sort of "expert". Not really, it was like learning to play the piano. Practice, drill and rehearse. The more I did it, the more I learned from my successes and my mistakes and the better I became at it.
There is more to beer and wine than just getting a "buzz" from the alcohol. Even though I have been enjoying the taste of these beverages for over a half a century, it becomes very clear each time I try a new brew or wine that there is a new taste sensation, a new pleasure or displeasure to be enjoyed or not enjoyed. This was really brought home to me while in Ireland this past spring. I have never enjoyed a bottle of Guinness at least not until I hit Ireland. There it comes directly from the tap. Draft, taking a full 60 seconds to draw it out, to give it that famous black and tan effect. Wonderful! I could not get enough of it. Yet when I came back home to the USA, I picked up a 4 pack of Guinness and "forget about it" as we used to say in Brooklyn! I personally do not think that beer travels well, or does well in the bottle, even with the little plastic "rockets" that is put inside the bottles now-a-days.
8 weeks ago, I spent a week in London and a week in Scotland and discovered the world of hard ciders. What a blessing for the pallet! Scrumpy Jack was my favorite, right from the tap. I discovered this at "Ye Old Cheshire Cheese" pub in London, opened in 1667 and has been open every day since then, catering to such famous writers as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. For 14 glorious days, I worked my way across the UK trying all kinds of hard cider. Upon returning home, I have found that the ones I really enjoyed, are not available here and some that can be had, do not travel well. I have found one called Woodchuck made in Vermont and they have about 4 or 6 varieties, with the one called Granny Smith being, in my opinion, quite good.
All the senses are needed to deal with any of this.
The eyes are needed to view the color when it is held up to the light. Even beer. I have discovered that beer poured into a glass and given the ability to develop a fine head tastes a heck of a lot better than the same beer drunk directly from the can or the bottle. Even the most modestly priced beer!
The nose is needed to sniff or smell the aroma of the wine and even the beer. One really has to get one's nose down into the glass for this. After awhile, one will discover even the shape of the glass adds or detracts from the beverage you are trying to enjoy.
The tongue or pallet is needed to sense the taste. This is done by taking a sip and drawing your breath across your tongue while the beverage sits on your taste buds. At a wine or beer tasting of more than 4 or more varieties to taste, one winds up spitting out the sip as opposed to swallowing it. Seems kind of a waste, doesn't it?
Did you ever wonder why we click our glasses in a toast? Well, that is because, the ear is needed as a final sense. Just to hear what we are doing with these wonderful beverages.
None of these things are pretentious or are airs put on as seeming to be in old Hollywood movies. These things are all important and necessary to enjoy even the lowliest of beverages. One needs to take time to enjoy the very art of living in the moment. Try it the next time you take a drink of anything. Whether it is coffee, tea, soft drink or even water. Boys, have I become a water taster!
With that in mind, I would like to begin writing about this and it may encompass more than one article. We shall see as we go along. I guess the best place to start is at the beginning with some terminology that will take the mystic out of wine making and to me the beginning is with A!
A
Acetic Acid - All wines contain acetic acid or vinegar, normally the amount is quite small, somewhere between .03%-.06%, and not noticeable to taste or smell. Once wines reach .07% to just under .10%, a sweet, sour vinegary smell and taste becomes noticeable. At low levels, acetic acid can enhance the flavor of a wine, while at higher levels - over 0.1% - this flavor can dominate, and flaw the wine.
Acid - An essential component of wine, that preserves it, enlivens, shapes it's flavors, and helps prolong it's aftertaste. There are four major kinds of acids - tartaric, malic, lactic, citric - found in wine. Acid contributes to the crispness and longevity of a wine, particularly white wine. Acid is identifiable by the crisp, sharp character it imparts to a wine.
Acidic - A term used to describe wines whose total acid is so high that they taste tart or sour and have a sharp edge on the palate.
Aeration - The process of letting a wine 'breathe' in the open air or the swirling of wine in a glass. It's questionable whether aerating bottled wines, usually reds, improves their quality, as aeration can soften young, tannic wines, but fatigue older ones.
Aftertaste - The taste or flavors that linger in the mouth after tasting or swallowing wine. Also known as a wine's finish, this flavor can be buttery, "oaky", spicy, tart or bitter. The aftertaste or finish is one of the most important factors in judging a wine's character or quality. Some say great wines have rich, long, complex aftertastes. Aftertastes may also be harsh, hot, soft, lingering, short, smooth, tannic or nonexistent.
Aggressive - A wine described as unpleasantly harsh in taste or texture, usually due to high levels of tannin or acid.
Albarino (Ahl-ba-REE-n'yo) - Albarino is a premium white wine grape grown in the Galicia region of Spain. The skin is so thick, that only a small amount of juice can be squeezed from it. The results are often creamy citrus and peachy. Albarinos are crisp, refreshing and light bodied.
Alcohol - This integral component of wine is a natural by-product of fermentation, and one of the mainstays of perceived flavor. Most wines range from 7% to 14% alcohol by volume.
Aleatico (Ah-lay-AH-tee-co) - Aleatico is a red member of the Muscat family of grapes and a popular variety in Italy, where it produces an array of table and dessert wines, also found in California
Alicante Bouschet (Ah-lee-KAHNT Boo-SHAY) - Alicante Bouschet is a unique grape variety that was developed in France in the late 1880's by Henri Bouschet. It is unique in that it is the only red grape variety that actually possesses red flesh. All other red grape varieties get their color from their skins, not their juice. Also found in California's Central Valley.
Aligote (Ah-lee-go-tay) - Burgundian white-wine grape. Usually a medium-bodied, crisp, dry wine with spicy character.
Alsace (Al-zahss) - Northeastern province of France, bordering the Rhine, known for it's rich dry white wines made from grapes of German heritage, primarily Riesling and Gewurztraminer. The wines are light to full bodied with great varietal character. Alsace has nearly 100 picturesque villages and also produces wonderful late harvest sweet wines.
Amarone (Ah-ma-ROE-nay) - A powerful, hearty dry red wine from Italy's Veneto region, made from a blend of partially dried red grapes.
American Oak - Used primarily for aging Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel, this alternative to French Oak is becoming increasingly popular for making wine aging barrels. Marked by distinct vanilla, dill and cedar notes. Used occasionally for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
American Viticultural Area (AVA) - In the USA, a delimited, geographical grape-growing area that has officially been given appellation status by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The Napa Valley and the Sonoma Valley are two examples:
Amontillado (Ah-MOHN-tee-YAH-doe) - A dry, rather full-bodied style of Sherry from Spain, aged in barrels, made famous by Edgar Allan Poe.
Ampelography - the study and identification of grape varieties.
Angular - Opposite meaning to round, soft or supple - the total effect of dominant, tart edged flavors and tastes in many young, dry wines.
Aperitif - A French word that describes an alcoholic beverage served before dinner to stimulate the appetite. Traditional French examples include kir, Lillet and both sweet and dry vermouth.
Appellation - Defines the area where a wine's grapes were grown.
Appellation D'Origine Controlee (AOC) - The AOC system, the French system of appellations, originated in France in 1935 and is considered the wine world's prototype for legally defined and regulated wine regions. In this system a wine must follow rules describing the area the grapes are grown in, varieties used, ripeness, alcoholic strength, vineyard yields and methods used in growing the grapes and making the wine.
Appley - Refers to smell or aroma of a wine, usually with additional descriptives. Some Chardonnays are associated with a full, fruity, clean smell described as "Ripe apples". "Fresh Apples" similarly is used for some types of Riesling. However, "green apple" is almost always used for wines made from barely ripe or under-ripe grapes. "Stale apples" applies almost exclusively to flawed wine exhibiting first stage oxidation.
Arneis (ahr-NAYZ) - A white wine grape grown in the Piedmont area of Italy. Can produce excellent wines with perfumey characteristics of apple, pear and hints of licorice. In Italian means "little difficult wine".
Aroma - Usually refers to the particular scent of the grape in the wine. Commonly means the wine's total smell, including changes that occurred from oak aging or in the bottle.
Aromatic - Refers to the distinctive spicy character of certain grape varieties - Gewurztraminer, Muscat.
Ascescence - Term used to mark the presence of acetic acid and ethyl acetate. Can be detected by sweet and sour, sometimes vinegary smell and taste together with a sharp feeling in the mouth.
Asti Spumante - A semidry sparkling wine produced from the Moscato di Canelli grape in the village of Asti, in the Piedmont region of Italy.
Astringent - Descriptive of a rough, harsh, puckery taste and feel in the mouth, usually from tannin or high acidity that red wines, and a few whites have. When the harshness stands out the wine is considered astringent.
Attack - The initial impact of a wine.
Auslese (OWS-lay-zeh) - Designated quality level for a German white wine made from very ripe grape bunches picked out for their sweetness. The word Auslese means 'selection'.
Austere - Usually used in description of relatively hard, high acid wines that usually lack depth and roundness. Often said of young wines that may soften a bit with age. Term sometimes applied to wines made from noble grape varieties grown in cool climates or harvested too early in the season.
Awkward - Describes a wine with poor structure - one that is clumsy or out of balance.
Perhaps this is enough for now and I can see that this will indeed become a series of articles that will range from personal experiences with wine and beer making and tasting to the nomenclature of the same and finally to the nuts and bolts of making it complete with some of my best and most successful recipes.
One of my main objectives here will be to impart to the reader that one can discern the difference in their own home brews, once one knows the right words to describe them or to know what to look for whether you are making pea pod wine as a friend of ours did every year, or making wine from your own grapes or beer or wine from kits.
Knowledge is power, even in this type of endeavor. So whether, like ourselves, you start out making wine and beer from strictly an economic position, going on to a searching, seeking, trying, testing, experimenting position and finally to the pure joy of it all, we hope you will find these articles informative, enjoyable and easy to read.
I do not consider myself a connoisseur, rather a consumer as my reputation has proceeded me even as proven by our 6 year old grandson, Andrew.
While visiting Andrew, in Florida, last winter, I was assisting him in a rather large and tedious, (at least to a 6 year old), job of cleaning up his room. After about 15 minutes, Andrew wanted to take a rest, but I felt we should plod along. After another 15 minutes Andrew says, "Oma Granny, why don't we take a break for about 5 minutes and I could have a soft drink and you could have a glass of wine, perhaps?" And this is at 9:30 in the am!
This article is part of a 15 series on the "ABC's of Beer and Wine Making" and you can have the whole series, plus the bonus article, "How to Build a Wine Cellar", FREE. Just send your check or money order in the amount of $6.95 to cover shipping, handling and Ins. to Trade Resources Unlimited, P.O. Box 951, Munfordville, KY 42765
Just email me with any questions or if you are in the area, stop in and say hello. Please remember to ……
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime… may your day be filled with….
Peace, light and love,
Arlene Wright-Correll
I grant "ONE-TIME" publishing rights
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About the author,
Arlene Wright-Correll, (1935-____ ) artist, free lance writer, and avid gardener, is the mother of 5 and the grandmother of 8. For almost 40 years she was an International real estate consultant and during the last 20 years of her career traveled to many parts of the world. She has been a cancer and stroke survivor since 1992. While working and raising her children she had many hobbies including being a very serious home-vintner for approximately 14 years while residing in upstate New York in St. Lawrence County producing 2,000 to 3,000 bottles of wine a year. She was the president of the St. Lawrence County chapter of the American Wine Society in Potsdam, NY. During that time she wrote a Home Vintner column for the Courier Freeman and the Canton Plain Dealer. In 1975 her hearty burgundy won first place at the annual American Wine Society meeting in Toledo, Ohio. This home vintner created many formulas or recipes for not only still wine, but sparkling wine and beer. She enjoyed the friendship and fellowship that was created by working with other home vintners during those years. She is an avid gardener, an artist, and a free lance writer of many topics including, but not limited to "The ABC's of Wine and Beer Making©" (A 15 part series of wine and beer making) and the Bonus article "How to Build an Underground Wine Cellar©"
The above article is part of her latest cd book,
"The ABC's of Making Wine and Beer©" by Arlene Wright-Correll
This jam packed information CD includes 15 chapters on how to make your own wine and beer. Loads of tried and true recipes, easy instructions, equipment identifying photos.
Includes three bonus articles "How to Host a Wine Tasting Party", "How to Build an Underground Wine Cellar" and " Everything You Wanted to Know about Wine, but Were Afraid to Ask". This $19.95 value is on sale today for only $14.95 at http://www.cafepress.com/arlene_correll/1063470
She is the author of many books which can be seen here http://stores.lulu.com/kate1031
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