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If you could choose to experiment different flavours in your spirits, that brings sensations beyond your traditional spirits, wouldn’t you, do it? But do you know what makes the big difference in these spirits? The answer is Still spirit bases. Still Spirits bases are used to create a sweetness in your liqueur drink and gives you the right spirit flavour of choice for the spirit. Keep reading to discover this world and the recommended base for each flavour. Easy making spirits in 3 steps Thanks to essence bottles, you can make alcohol in no time. To make any still spir- its alcohol, follow these steps: The Still Spirits Bases When it comes to make your alcohol, the main ingredients would be still spirit bases because it would create the actual flavour for your liqueur drink. Each flavour must have been combined with the recommended liqueur base. First, we start with the obvious one: Liqueur Base A which comes in a 220 g pouch. Liqueur Base A gives you the ideal finished thickness and sweetness to liqueurs. Liqueur Base B is similar to Base A giving you that finished smooth texture to your drink and sweetness to liqueurs. It comes in a 260 g pouch. The difference between Bases A and B is the quantity in the packet. The composition is the same, but one contains more to impart different levels of sweetness. Both bases A & B are intended to make the same 1.125 L volume of alcohol, Base B is designed to make a sweeter liqueur drink than Base A making the final ABV content on B is lower than A. Add the alcohol indicated on your essences bottle in a large mixing bowl or jars. Slowly add your base pack while stirring with a whisk. Now add your favourite essence and top it up with water. Once you add the water, you can transfer the contents from the bowl to a Spirit bottle giving it a nice look and share it with your friends and family. Liqueur bases The best way to know which base is best for your liquor is to see the individual essence bottle notes, which will give you an idea of what base to use with it. Liqueur Base C comes in an even bigger pouch of 320 g. Base C will make the sweetest Liqueur with a lower final ABV. Schnapps Base is ideally designed to add to any schnapps Liqueur Essences giving the ideal finished thickness and sweetness to your spirits. Cream Base comes in a 400 g pouch. It is often taught to be difficult to mix. It is designed to add to cream liqueur essences to make 1.125L of spirit. In a mixing jug, add 200ml of hot water and 200ml of filtered alcohol or vodka at 40% ABV. Add your cream base and whist vigorously until the base dissolves completely with water and alcohol. Pour the contents in a spirit bottle (750ml) and add your Top Shelf Cream liqueur essences. Shake until dissolved and top it up with vodka or filtered alcohol at 40% ABV.  

Now that we’ve learned everything about wine making, it’s about time for you to make a decision regarding the cork to be used while preserving your wine for that perfect occasion. But, how do you make such decision? Aren’t all the corks the same? Well, you’ve come to the right place because today with The Artisan’s Bottega you will learn all about wine corks. Let’s get into it! A little bit of history: Corks became the sealing material for wine in the late 1600’s, when it became impossible for wine makers to create glass wine bottles with a uniform shape and design, making it difficult to seal and preserve. Over a 100 years later, easy-use corkscrews started to be popular among wine lovers and tavern owners. Flash forward to 21st century with the technology and innovation of years and years of wine making, and now we are able to purchase corks individually. They’re even designed to allow close 1 milligram of oxygen to enter the bottle per year, which represents the right amount of air to make sure that the sulfites added in the process are removed, keeping the wine fresh and tasty as we all know and love it. So, as you may notice, corks play a starring role in the whole wine making process. But it’s important to make informed decisions in regards of the types of corks that exist and their benefits for your homemade wine. For obvious reasons we will disregard synthetic options because we know that as a true artisan at heart, you will definitely prefer a more elaborate option, which leaves us to agglomerated and natural corks:   1. Agglomerated cork: Within the agglomerated cork bracket, you can opt for micro-agglomerated (with 0.5 to 2.0mm granule size) which have the advantage that they are stronger and harder wearing that standard agglomerated corks and then you can choose between extruded and moulded agglomerated corks: extruded agglomerated corks are the cheapest cork option and the reason is because they are not very strong, so more likely to break when uncorking a bottle and giving a less reliable seal to the bottle. Moulded corks (which are always micro-agglomerated) are a much higher quality option and are becoming increasingly common in the industry now, because they are much stronger and their reliability/consistency is much better than extruded corks, but they are twice the price of extruded corks. 2. Natural cork: Increasingly moulded agglomerated corks are taking market share from natural corks and the simple reason is price. Natural corks are extremely complex to produce given the fact that they have to be produced from uneven cork bark and then selected and divided by quality (and then selected and divided again after treatment) and are less easy to sterilise than agglomerated corks. This makes good quality natural corks expensive and there is no point pretending otherwise, but is the extra money worth it? The choice is up to you! Some of the great advantages of natural corks are: Its natural porosity will allow a wine to age in a bottle that an agglomerated cork would not. Agglomerated corks contain synthetic binding agens, which although food-safe are not ideal to be in contact with the delicate flavors that many drinks have. Natural cork looks beautiful and organic, whereas agglomerated cork is uniform and looks semi-synthetic With that being said, we can definitely conclude that natural corks are the best closure for high quality and spirits, because they confer a feel of quality and a nature to drinks that are bottled with them. Putting it in another words, you can see a natural cork as steak, compared to agglomerated corks that would be like ground beef for burgers. They both have their place in the food market but when making the final decision between natural and agglomerated, you need to decide if you are enjoying fast food or fine dining. Once again, the decision is yours! Thank you for reading our articles and allowing us to share our artisan expertise with you. If you happen to follow our tutorials for wine making or if you share this information with your friends and family, don't forget to tag us on our socials @artisans.bottega sharing your pictures! We love checking up on our Artisans Family.

On this journey of sharing all of our artisan expertise about wine bottles, we have decided to share with you a complete guide for wine bottles, considering that depending on the type of wine, there are different shapes and sizes for different purposes, allowing you to know which kind of wine is there the grape variety it was made with (even the region from which the wine is from) As you probably know, wine bottles are typically made of glass and they are not just containers, but they carry many details about the wine. All wine bottles have a very specific and unique structure according to the wine they carry and of course, the parts of a wine bottle have a specific meaning. Are you ready to learn them all? Parts of the bottles: Closure: these are used to seal your wine bottles. There are several types of these closures such as Cork closures and Screw Cap and as we have learned before, there is even a special kind of wine cork that guarantees the best preserving process and flavour. Cork Closures: as we have discussed before, these closures allow the wine to be exposed to a very small amount of oxygen. If you want to deep dive on this aspect, visit our blog about agglomerated or natural corks: https://artisansbottega.com.au/agglomerated-or-natural-corks/ Screw Caps: a screw cap is a budget-appropriate alternative for wine making. However, this does not mean that wines under screw caps are always cheap, because some of these types of caps allow wine to breathe while maturing. Unlike cork closures, the wine under screw cap will not be affected by cork-taint. Capsule: it is a metal paper wrapping around the closure that holds the cork tightly to prevent the wine from drying up or evaporating faster than expected. Neck: it is a delicate part of the bottle bellow the closure that is used grip to hold it and to make it easy for you to user your hand for uncorking. In terms of filling up a wine bottle, the perfect level is when it reaches to the neck, and if the wine-level is lower than that neck, it is probably because the wine has leaked out or evaporated through the cork during the maturing period. Shoulder: is the slopping part after the bottleneck. Not all shoulders are same in all bottles and some are high, mid or low shoulder level. We have even seen some wine bottles that do not have clear shoulders while some of them have shoulders that are more conspicuous. Body: is the main part of the bottle and it is usually cylindrical, but its diameter can vary. Label: it is a sticker on the body where you can find information about the volume of the liquid, alcohol content by volume, vintage, origin, varietal, etc. Punt: is an indentation on the underside of the bottle that is usually given to during the moulding process. It helps strengthening the structure of the bottle and ensures its stability. Heel: is the bottom part of the bottle and it helps the bottle to stand straight. Nevertheless, now that we learned the main parts that compose the anatomy of a wine bottle, it is also important to understand that their shape varies from one another, based on the type of wine it contains. With that being said, there are 12 types of wine bottles with different shapes and today, you will discover them all with The Artisan’s Bottega: Shapes of wine bottles: Bordeaux: these have a tall and straight structure with high shoulders. A dark green coloured glass will be used if it is intended for red wine, and if it is for white wine, a light green coloured glass will be used. The Bordeaux bottle is used for a variety of grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Bordeaux blends.   Burgundy: its main characteristics are a gently sloping shoulders and a little wider body, giving it a classic and elegant look. A green coloured glass is used for both red and white wines and this bottle is generally used for Pinot Noir, Aligote and Chardonnay. Because it is a very popular wine, you might come across some variations and styles and bottle makers often fabricate them with thicker glass.   Rhone: is a very similar to Burgundy in regards of its look, but it is a bit thinner and taller. A green coloured glass is used for red wines, while white and rose wines use clear glass. This bottle has a longer neck, often embossed with a coat of arms, and more angular sloping shoulders and this kind of bottle is generally used for Mourvedre, Grenache and Syrah.   Champagne: this olive-green bottle is often spotted at parties and celebrations and despite its sturdy design, it is still considered very graceful. It has thick glass for holding up to 80 to 90 PSI on the pressure inside the bottle and it counts with a gentle sloping shoulders and deep punt. Back in the day, these bottles used to explode during transportation. Therefore, they are designed baring technical necessities in mind.   Cotes de Provence: this clear glass bottle is often used for rose and red wines. There are still some remains of traditional winemaking in Cotes de Provence and some producers still use regional wine bottles. This bottle is also called ‘corset’ by the locals and it has been used for decades, with no chances of it going away anytime soon.   Mosel and Alsace: is tall and slim bottle with a long neck. Typically, wines from Mosel (Germany) and Alsace (France) use this bottle and wineries that use grape varieties such as Riesling and Muller Thurgau use it. The New World winemakers use this bottle for sweet wines.   Rhine: it is also a tall and slim bottle with a long neck, with quite a little punt. A dark brown coloured glass is used for this bottle which sets it apart from other bottles and from it’s often intended for grape varieties like Riesling, Muller-Thurgau and Bacchus.   Chianti: it has round body and bulged bottom covered with a straw basket. This bottle is also known as the fiasco and the basket around the bottom provides a flat base for the glass and extra protection during transportation and handling. The use of this bottle has been decreased over years and nowadays, most Chianti wine is now bottled in more standard bottles like Bordeaux.   Bocksbeutel: translates to “beer bag” but it is used for wine. It comes in the form of a flattened ellipsoid and contains the same volume of wine as other bottles (0.75 Liters). It has a short neck which often features an embossed badge on the left shoulder. This badge usually represents the name of its domain. This bottle is manufactured with a flattened shape for a purpose – to carry it around easily and keep it from rolling away on the uneven ground.   Jura: this shape of wine bottle has short recognition and popularity, and it is made from light green coloured glass. The top half has inside curved shoulders while the bottom half is a little flared. The shoulders gently blend into its long neck. Grape varieties including Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay use this bottle.   Vin Jaune: has a highly unconventional shape. It is a short, stocky and heavy built bottle, legally authorized for Vin Jaune wine only.   Fortified Wine: it is slightly similar to Bordeaux bottle thanks to its straight body with high, rounded shoulders. The neck has bulges, which prevent debris from being poured into the glass. Its dark black glass protects wine from light. This bottle is used for Fortified wines such as Vermouth, Port, Marsala and Madeira.   Apart from these last 12 bottles, some other types and shapes are also used by winemakers to attract and boost sales. Only Burgundy, Germanic and Bordeaux bottles are most commonly used around the world. And now that we’ve learned about their shapes, let’s go over some bottle kinds according to their size (yes, there are wine bottles that are bigger than the average 750.00 ml that are usually carried in most)   Name Size Additional Split 187 ml Quarter of a standard size bottle Half-bottle 375 ml Released for higher priced wines Standard Size 750 ml Recognised throughout the world Magnum 1.5 L Equal to two standard-sized bottles Double Magnum 3 L Equal to two Magnum bottles Jeroboam 4.5 L Equal to six standard-sized bottles Imperial Magnum 6 L Equal to eight standard-sized bottles, holds 6000 ml. Salmanazar 9 L Equal to twelve standard-sized bottles, holds 9000 ml. Balthazar 12 L Equal to sixteen standard-sized bottles, holds 12000 ml. Nebuchadnezzar 15 L Equal to twenty standard-sized bottles, holds 15000 ml.   But you might be wondering, why are there so many large-format bottles? The answer is very simple! Some large commercial brands of inexpensive wines use Magnum or other large-formats in an attempt to boost sales. Thank you for reading our articles and allowing us to share our artisan expertise with you. If you happen to follow our tutorials for wine making or if you share this information with your friends and family, do not forget to tag us on our socials @artisans.bottega sharing your pictures! We love checking up on our Artisans Family.

Are you ready for another wine making lesson? For this time, we want to make a graphic interpretation of the step-by-step process for white and rose wine making, so that you can understand it and put it practice easily. We know that in this process there’s a huge variety of components, ingredients and additives that come into the mix, so that’s why we will also tell you when you should use, mix and apply each and every of them. Now without further ado, this is our wine making flow: If you found this information useful, click here to download the image on your phone or computer and make sure to follow us on social media. We love getting in touch with our Artisans!

We’re know that you’re a definite wine making lover and you enjoy the process of making, producing, preserving and tasting your homemade wine. That is why today we want to dip dive a little further on this process for one specific step that could be confusing for some of you. Today we will teach how to rehydrate your yeast before adding it to your wine must. TAB Tip: What is “Must”? “Wine Must” is the freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. It’s one of the first steps in the wine making process. Before we begin, it’s important to bare in mind that you should rehydrate yeast before adding it to the must, because the correct rehydration of the yeast could boost the fermentation process, reducing the chance of wine spoilage by bad yeast and bacteria from grape skin. It’s also important to remember that yeast is more likely to ferment the wine completely dry and with a minimum residual sugar (only if the yeast us rehydrated properly) With that being said, let’s get started on this yeast rehydration: Procedure: The first thing you need to do, as we have discussed before, is to rehydrate the yeast with water before adding it to the must. Second thing is to measure the temperate of the must beforehand, because depending on its temperature, we have 2 different methods to hydrate and add the yeast: Method A: For red or white must (juice) at 20°C or hotter. Method B: For colder red must So now that you made sure that your yeast is re-hydrated and once you have taken the must temperature, you’re good to go! Method A: Step 1: Select the yeast type required for your homemade wine (could be aromatic, fast or slow fermenting, etc) and determine the quantity of yeast required. At The Artisan’s Bottega we recommend 25 grams of yeast per 100 litres of wine.To begin, you have to sterilize with boiling water (not with a chemical sterilizer) a suitable container in which you will make the process of rehydration. Allow the container do drain and cool and then part-fill a bucket or similar container with water at 38-40°C Step 2: Calculate the weight of yeast required and then, add ten times this weight of 38- 40°C water to the container you sterilized and place it in the bucket of warm water. Example: 25 grams of yeast requires 250 grams or 250 ml of water. Step 3: Weight the yeast and add it to the sterile bottle. Mix quickly with the water until the yeast is wet. Keep in mind that it’s time to stop mixing when the yeast is wet, and that’s when you will put the sterile bottle in the bucket for 15 mins without any more mixing. Make sure that the temperature is still 38-40°C by topping up the bucket with hot water (if it’s necessary) Step 4: After 15 minutes, mix the rehydrated yeast briefly and then add it to the must (only if it’s 20°C or hotter). Mix the rehydrated yeast through the must. Remember that if more than 15 minutes elapses (at 38-40°C) the yeast starts to die. Method B: If your must is colder than 20°C this is the method you should opt for: Prepare a plastic screw-top bottle of 4 to 20 litres capacity full of hot water from the tap. Place this bottle in the middle of the crushed grapes. Then follow steps 1-3 above and right before the end of the 15 minutes rehydration period, make sure you remove the hot water bottle while checking the must’s temperature on the place where the bottle was located at (it should be 20-25°C). Mix in a little cool must from the edge if it is too hot and then pour the rehydrated yeast into this warm area, making sure that you DO NOT mix and covering the must. After several hours, the fermentation process will start, first in the centre of the must and the it will spread throughout the must in a day or so. Once the skins rise up, plunge the fermentation as normal. For white must (juice): Before we give you this optional tip, it’s important to acknowledge that cold settled white must (juice) needs to warm up to 18-20°C before you add the yeast. Also, bare in mind that sulphur dioxide of the must can’t exceed the 10-ppm free SO2. In case you don’t know how to warm up the must, the answer is a microwave oven! And if by any chance, you want to ferment cold, start the ferment at 18-20°C and then wait for the must density to drop by 1-2° Baumé before cooling the must to the desired fermentation temperature. Congratulations, you’re now a yeast rehydration pro! And we know you’re ready to start this wine making process. In case you want to learn the whole process of wine making, we have several blog posts, depending on the type of wine you want to produce at home: Redwine Whitewine Rose Sparklingwine And if you happen to follow our tutorials while making your wine, don't forget to tag us on our socials @artisans.bottega sharing your pictures! We love checking up on our Artisans Family.

Preparing wine is a process that requires a lot of patience and attention to detail. From vine to bottling, there are many stages that modify the taste of wine. Making quality wine is not cumbersome as it is an enjoyable process. Bring your friends and family together to help.  Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make Red Wine. Sourcing grapes This step is important for all kinds of wine. Depending on the variety, the harvest period for grapes can range from mid-January for the very earliest of varieties all the way through to mid-May for the latest season grapes. The grapes should be picked when they are physiologically ripe. Once the grapes are harvested, the physical and chemical components of the grape which will influence the wine’s quality are essentially set so determining the optimal moment of ripeness may be considered the most crucial decision in winemaking. Great wine can only be made with great grapes. The best flavour and aroma is generally considered to come from grapes that were growin in cool climate areas where the fruit has a longer ripening period. Also, grapes should be in good condition. Crushing as soon as possible after picking is ideal and remember to avoid any squishy, old mouldy grapes. As a general rule its best to try to use wine grapes to make wine and eat table grapes. Some table grapes could be used as fillers or for additional flavour but not as the main winemaking grapes. So most of us are looking for Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot and a small range of other grapes that by experience have taught us all to make the best wine. Grape buying tips: Every grape harvest in every region will have different quality levels every year depending upon the weather and growing conditions from the period of bud burst (shoots sprouting of spring) to the ripening period of the warmer summer. Its wise to talk to your grape vendor to understand what varieties they can offer, from where they source from and when harvest occurs?  At the markets, often they will say best grapes from South Australia- however its unlikely to be from premium Barossa valley region @$2-6K/ ton, but more likely the irrigated plains of the Riverland’s where the bulk wineries also source the cheapest fruit from $600-1200/ ton. Alas, makes it more viable to sell at $16-24kg box in Melbourne Area. So, provided your grapes are fresh- (No mould etc) plus you are methodical with cleaning equipment and regular monitoring your process (Plus using our awesome products & services) you should be able to produce a quality wine at home to the level of most commercially made wines. Avoid buying grapes on your first visit to the market just because they have yesterday grapes available. Instead use it as a gauge of what they can offer, and the price average expected. Try strike a win-win relationship with the vendor, where by you leave a small deposit with them for your agreed 10 to 40 boxes so you can collect from them next day (or when ready) as the truck arrives at 6-8am with fresh grapes that were just picked less than hours ago! Be a wise grape buyer!  And remember the trust of the grape vendor is earnt in the proof of the quality grapes delivered, i.e. before paying that balance payment, turn one foam box over into empty 50 lt crate you have brought with you, to inspect the contents – That the grapes are all the same, i.e. same variety / size of fruit throughout. You shouldn’t pay extra for Shiraz, if they give you it’s cheaper clone Mataro grape variety. (Still nice blended though) More importantly check that the stems look green (not brown/ woody) and there are no traces of mouldy bunces below, as this will leave off flavours in the final wine. So, either reject or settle on price reduction with seller and ensure you pick out as many of these bunches out prior to crushing them.  Plus consider using our condensed tannin Rouge added at the crusher to salvage the best wine possible. (Also use high dosage of High vanilla American oak chips amongst the skins for the 7-10 day ferment, which will improve flavour profile and mask any odd mouldy smells). To understand winemaking- knowledge, industry networking and hands on experience are key to slowly improving your craft toward being able to produce quality wines at home. For assistance with product, selection come see us instore for further helpful advice.  Where you might need a little more guidance, we do offer instore wine tests, and during these sessions you will be able to have many of your simple questions addressed.  During the vintage period we are at our busiest period dealing with retail equipment sales Australia wide, so it is a little more challenging for senior staff to offer longer consultative winemaking advice during retail operating hours.  So, to assist customers who would like to gain further knowledge in a more relaxed environment The Artisans Bottega has setup various winemaking workshop for small groups to learn more about the wine process, what additives to use in which situations and perform some hands on juice testing and wine tasting.   DAY 1 Step 1: Set Up Your Work Area Clean and sterilize all the equipment that may come into contact with the grapes. This step is vital and could make or break your recipe. Step 2: Crush Grapes In An Open Fermenter - De-stem (remove stalks) from the crushed grapes for the best results. Dissolve the pack “Day 1 No 1” in a glass of water. When dissolved, add to the must (crushed grapes). And mix well. “Day 1 No 1” is potassium metabisulphite, that kills wild yeast, bacteria etc. - Add “Day 1 No 2”. These enzymes help to improve the juice yield and to separate skins from pulp. After using “Day 1 no 1” you must wait 12 to 24 hours before adding the day 2 packs! - Take out a sample of the juice and test it with a pH meter. The pH should be 3.4 to 3.6. If the pH is higher than 3.6 then add Tartaric Acid considering the following indications: pH 4.0  - 3 gm/lt pH 3.8 – 2 gm/lt pH 3.6 – ½ gm/lt (It’s possible that the pH needs to be adjusted again after first fermentation) - Dissolve tartaric acid in some cold boiled water. When dissolved, add to the must and stir well. - At this stage, test the juice with a hydrometer. The ideal reading for making good wine should be 12.5° to 13.5°. If the must presents different readings, then grape concentrate, dextrose or water should be added. Consult our experienced staff for help. The quantity you might have to add will depend on the readings. Do not forget to cover the protect it from dust and insects. DAY 2 Step 3: Yeast Addition Rehydrate the yeast and pour it into the must. DAY 3 Step 4: Fermentation - Dissolve ¼ of the pack “Day 2 no 1” (yeast nutrient) in water, add to the must and mix well. - Plunge the must from the bottom to the top to help fermentation and aeration of the must. - Plunging and lifting is a very important part of the fermentation process of red base fruit (grapes, plums, berries) DAY 4 Onwards - Dissolve the rest of the pack “Day 2 no 1” (yeast nutrient) in water, add to the must and mix well. This will work as a “yeast booster”. - By now the must should be fermenting visibly. When the skins rise to the top of the must, push the skins down and mix with the must. If possible, draw must from below the skins with a pump or bucket and dump it in on top of the skins with splashing. The gas produced with fermentation will protect the wine from oxidation. - Repeat 3-5 times a day. Keep the must covered with a cloth that will still allow the must to “breath”. Once the fermentation starts, test the wine with a hydrometer. Check the colour and smell. Step 5: Pressing - It is time to press when the Baume` is 0-6 and the colour is satisfactory. Typically, this is between days 4 & 7 but it depends on the temperature. Now is the time to add Malolactic Bacteria and nutrient. - Process for Malolactic Bacteria is best done on fermenting grapes. Prepare these as per instructions on the packets and mix into a little wine. Distribute this evenly through the remainder of the wine. Fill the containers leaving space for bubbling and fit airlock(s). Malolactic Bacteria must be used only on wines with high malic acid levels. (hot climate grapes don’t always need malolactic fermentation.) Again, contact our staff for help with this process. Strain off the fermenting wine from the skins. Normally a wine press is used. If you used head boards, the quality of the “free run” and “pressings” will be equal so there is no need to keep them separate. Put the fermenting wine into your barrel, glass demijohns or Stainless-steel tanks, and place it in a warm place. As the bubbling in the airlocks slows down, top-up the containers as full as possible. Keep the wine warm (20-25°C) and check the wine with a hydrometer every day. Test the wine with a c meter, it should be 3.5 to 3.6. If higher, more tartaric acid can be added. At this stage, add half of the quantity previously suggested. Step 6: Completion of Fermentation Fermentation is complete when all these tests are true: No more bubbles come through the airlock Hydrometer reading is well below 0 Baume’ (-1.4 to -1.9 be’) The wine no longer tastes sweet You might need to stir the wine weekly to help the fermentation to finish. For best results we recommend testing the wine to prove that the yeast and malolactic fermentation have ended before you proceed with the next step. - Incomplete fermentation is a common cause of wine spoilage. When you are certain that the wine has finished fermenting, test the wine with a pH meter: ideally it should be 3.5 – 3.6. If higher, ask us before adding any more tartaric acid. If any tartaric acid is added, allow the wine to cool and settle for 2-4 weeks before proceeding with the next step. Step 7: Racking -         Prepare PMS (potassium metabisulphite), in powder or in tablet form) according to directions and add to the clean empty container (barrel, demijohn or s/s tank) your planning to put your wine into. - Take the wine out of the fermentation container and pour it into the above-mentioned container, over PMS. Be careful to leave all the sediments in the fermentation container. - Make sure that the container is full of wine (if using a wooden barrel, check every week and top up if necessary). Rack the wine a second time at the end of winter and clean the barrel thoroughly. Important to note: If the grapes were high quality and the wine already presents beautiful characteristics, it means that the “mother”/the lees are particularly good and healthy and they contribute in making the wine good and healthy too. In this case racking is not necessary until a very late stage, because “the mother” keeps feeding the wine good nutrients. Consult us for any doubt. Step 8: Maturing the wine - For a less “home-made” taste, you need to mature the wine properly. Oak staves/chips will give the wine oak flavour if you are using glass or stainless-steel containers. - PMS added in step 7 will preserve the wine for a limited time. Ideally, an addition should be made every 3 months until you bottle, when the wine requires a final addition of PMS. - Contact us for any doubt and to test the Sulphur amount in your wine, to check if the levels are enough for storage and bottling. (This test is lab made and requires 5/7 working days for the results to be sent to you). Step 9: Bottling - Bottle the wine when considered ready to drink. For best results, use red wine finings, then filter before bottling. We recommend that you get the wine analysed before bottling, in order to make sure that there is enough free sulphur dioxide (metabisulphite): the required levels will avoid spoilage and improve wine characteristics as well while maturing. - Use of insufficient preservative (PMS) is the most common cause of wine deteriorating in the bottle. Step 10: Enjoy your wine!  

White epitomizes purity. And white wine fits into the same category. A beautiful tasting wine that is fermented without any kind of skin contact. White, pristine and pure. The colour however varies: straw-yellow, yellow-gold or yellow-green depending on the method of preparation. Alcoholic fermentation of the non-coloured pulp of grapes results in this elixir. Making wine might sound like a cumbersome process, especially when there are inexpensive bottles available in the market. But making your wine has its own perks. It is pure. Every ingredient that goes into your wine is under your control. You can make as much wine as you need and want. It is a wonderful gift too. Most importantly, the process is a lot of fun and can act as a great opportunity to bring your loved ones together. Here is a simple guide to help your make professional, white wine at the luxury of your abode. Read on to know more: DAY 1 STEP 1. Prepare your Work Area Clean and sterilize all equipment that may come into contact with the grapes or juice. Make sure that all the sterilizer has drained out of containers before using them. STEP 2. Crush Grapes into the Wine Press - Destemming is not necessary for good results. - Crush directly into the press, or crush into a bucket and tip the bucket into the press. - Collect the juice in a food grade container. Dissolve the pack “Day 1 No. 1” in a glass of water. When dissolved, add to the juice. Mix well. “Day 1 No. 1” is Potassium Metabisulphite and it is used to kill wild yeast, bacteria etc. - Take out a sample of the juice and test it with a pH meter. The pH should be 3.1 to 3.4. - If the pH is higher than 3.4, add Tartaric Acid, considering the following indications: pH 4.0 pH 3.8 pH 3.6 pH 3.5 Dissolve tartaric acid in some cooler-down, boiled water. When dissolved, add to the must and stir well. Test the juice with a hydrometer: - The ideal reading for making good wine should be 12 to 13.5 Be’. If the must presents different readings, then grape concentrate/dextrose or water should be added. - For every Baume’ degree less than 12, ad one liter of grape concentrate/dextrose (per 5 boxes of grapes) - For every Baume’ degree more than 13, add ¾ liter of cold boiled water per box of grapes. Take out a glassful of juice and mix “Day 1 No. 2” in. Enzymes help to improve the juice yield and to separate skins from pulp. Add the mixed enzymes to the rest of the juice and stir well. - Cover the must to keep it free from dust and insects. After using “Day 1 No. 1” you must wait 12~24 hours before adding the day 2 packs. For better results, the juice should be refrigerated. DAY 2  STEP 3. Transfer the Juice into your Fermentation Container - Make sure that you leave the sediments behind. - The fermentation container needs to be only 2/3 full. - Put the rest of the clean juice into another sterilized container and keep it cold. -  You will use this on day 5 or 6. STEP 4. Yeast Addition - Rehydrate the yeast and pour into must. - Do not mix. - Fit an airlock onto the container/barrel/tank. DAY 3 STEP 5. Fermentation - Dissolve ¼ of the pack “Day 2 No. 1” (yeast nutrient) in water - Add to the must and mix well - Plunge the must from the bottom to the top to help fermentation and aeration DAY 4 Onwards - Dissolve the rest of the pack “Day 2 No. 1” (yeast nutrient) in water, add to the must and mix well. This will work as a yeast booster. - By now the must should be fermenting visibly. Bubbles will be coming through the airlock. - As the bubbling slows down, top up the container with the juice that was stored in the refrigerator. - The aim is to fill the container(s) as much as possible, leaving space for bubbling, so that when the fermentation is over the container is full. - Keep the wine warm, ideal temperature range would be 18-20°C. STEP 6. Completion of Fermentation Fermentation is complete when all these tests are true: -  No more bubbles come through the airlock -  Hydrometer reading is well below 0 Baume’ (-1.4 to -1.9 Be’) - The wine no longer tastes sweet If the wine gets too cold, you will need to warm it up to 18-20°C to make sure sugar fermentation is complete. Test the wine with a pH meter: ideally it should be 3.2 – 3.4. If higher, ask us before adding any more tartaric acid. STEP 7. Bentonite Treatment When you are certain that the wine has finished fermenting, prepare the bentonite in water, following instructions on the packet. - Add the prepared bentonite to the wine and mix strongly. The correct procedure for using bentonite is to do a fining trial to determine the minimum quantity necessary to keep the wine from going cloudy in the bottle. - Wait about 2 weeks before proceeding to the next step. - Do not disturb the wine during this two-week period, so as not to interfere with the clarification process. - It is best to refrigerate the wine to 5°C during this period to prevent crystals from forming in the wine after bottling. STEP 8. Racking (Changing or Cleaning the Wine) - Prepare PMS (Potassium Metabisulphite: in powder or in tablet form) according to directions and add to the clean empty container (barrel, demijohn or stainless-steel tank) you are planning to put your wine into. - Take the wine out of the fermentation container and pour it into the above-mentioned container, over the PMS. - Ensure to leave all the sediments in the fermentation container. Make sure that the container is full of wine (if using a wooden barrel, check every week and top up if necessary). STEP 9. Maturing the Wine - White wine needs little maturing. If it was clear at Step 8 (Racking), then it will be ready for drinking/bottling in 3 to 4 weeks. - If the wine does not come clear in this 3 to 4-week period after racking, more bentonite may be needed. - Bring us a sample of wine for further advice if this happens. - Before you bottle the wine, we strongly recommend to test the Sulphur amount in your wine, to check if the levels are enough for storage and bottling. (This test is done in the lab and requires 5/7 working days for the results to be sent to you). STEP 10. Bottling Bottle the wine when considered ready to drink. We recommend that you get the wine analyzed before bottling, in order to make sure that there is enough free Sulphur Dioxide (Metabisulphite): the required levels will avoid spoilage and improve the characteristics of the wine. - Use of insufficient preservative (PMS) is the most common cause of wine deteriorating in the bottle. STEP 11. Enjoy Your Wine!

DAY 1 Step 1 Sterilise all equipment to be used for day 1. For sparkling red wine, follow steps 1 to 7 from the “How to make Rose” blog. After that step, you need to rack the wine with no sediments. And then switch back to this recipe to make it sparkling. Step 2 - Crush the grapes and load it into the press - Squeeze the pulp - Over-extracting the skins can make the pulp bitter. The pressed pulp should be about 1/4th the size of the press when done extracting - Add packet A from the kit (as per the instructions) - Add packet B immediately after adding packet A Step 3 Grab a sample of this juice and test its baume and pH. Check this table to understand if any additives are necessary. Baume Level Action required Ph Level Action Required <12 Baume If it is at 11 Baume then add 1 L of Grape concentrate for every 45 L of must. (Equivalent to 5 boxes of grapes).If at 10 Baume then double the amount per 45 L of must. < 3.2 Add Potassium Bicarbonate. Check the store for details. 12 to 13 Baume No action needed Ph 2.9 - 3.3 No action required > 13 Baume It is not recommended to use this wine to make sparkling at this sugar level. > 3.3 If 0.2 over, then add 1 gram per litre of must. If 0.4 over, then add 2 grams per litre. If more than 0.4 then please have your wine assessed in store.   For best results, store in a wine cooler. If leftover night, grape solids will settle. The clear juice can then be siphoned off and stored in a demijohn or stainless-steel V/C tank. DAY 2 Step 4 - Ensure that only 2/3rd of the demijohn is full. This will help with the fermentation - The remaining 1/3rd must be placed in the refrigerator - If a V/C tank is being used, then leave 10% head space - Now add packets C and D as per the instructions - The wine will start bubbling in the next 24 hours, else bring the wine for an assessment - On a daily basis add a little juice till the container is full. The frothing will start to slow down - Add judiciously and ensure the container does not overflow DAY 3 Step 5 Measure the fermented wine’s temperature regularly. If it exceeds 30 degrees, then cool it down using artificial means like – wet towels. Ice over the container or switching the room’s cooling. Such wine best ferments in a room 18 to 25 degrees. Check the wine’s pH after 5 days and adjust based on the above table. After day 3 check the wine’s baume. Once is reaches 0, proceed to the next step. Step 6 Within a week the fermentation should slow down. At this stage check the below table –  Tannin With some wines they require tannin to balance fruit, oak and acid Add tannin at the rate stated on the packet. Ask our staff for recommendations regarding different types of tannins and your preferred wine.   - Every week test the baume and pH of your wine. - We are looking for a pH of 3.3 to 3.6 and a baume of -1. - If pH is above this then adjust as per the table above and if baume has not reached -1 after the first two weeks, then stir lees at the bottom of the container for 30 seconds and put the airlock back on. - Do this twice a week for two weeks. -If the wine has not gotten to -1 by the end of this stage, then bring in the wine for an assessment. Step 7: Fermentation is considered done when we have the following conditions: Wine does not taste sweet -1 baume has been achieved (check with the hydrometer) Airlock stops bubbling Step 8: Once the fermentation is complete the wine needs to be racked from the lees. Smell and taste the wine at this stage. You should be getting a fruit-driven oak through to buttery or biscuity aroma and taste. If you get any vegetable, vinegar, sulfurous or other smells then bring your wine into the store for an assessment. Once the wine is clear of any sediments, it can be put into Champagne bottles. The pressure of a sparkling wine can only be handled by a champagne bottle, so this is a mandatory step. Step 9: You must ensure a few things before bottling: - The wine’s specific gravity (SG) must be 1000. If not, you will have to adjust the amount of sugar that needs to be added for secondary fermentation - Bottle explosion can occur if there is a lot of residual sugar - Dose wine with these electives – 16 g/ L of dextrose and 0.2 g of yeast per litre - Make the entire mixture and then start bottling You could at this stage use a bench capper and close the bottle with a tirage cap. Once bottled, the bottle can be stored anywhere between 6 months to 2 years (on the side only). Step 10: Get your protective gear ready. Once the wine has reached this certain level of maturity, the sediments need to be riddled. And moved to the neck of the bottle. Every couple of days over a span of four weeks, nudge and tilt the bottle gently. Continue doing this till the neck is upside down and the yeast is in the neck. - You could use a strong crate with divisions or a riddling rack to complete this process - Disgorge only after the bottles are completely upside down Step 11: - Keep some wine aside for topping up. All disgorging must be done only after the bottles are chilled or in a cool room. This ensures that the least amount of wine is lost in the process. - The disgorging process can be messy. Ask a loved one to help and keep the area and tools ready. - Disgorge and recork the sparkling wine bottles as quickly as possible. Time plays a critical factor during carbonation. This part can be a little dangerous if not done right. Please use protective gear/clothing and especially cover your face and hands. The bottles need to be stored right and the necks need to be frozen before moving to the next step.   Step 12: - Place the bottle against your thigh - Use a bottle opener. Aim away from your body and quickly open the bottle. - This will shoot the ice plug with the yeast - Quickly cover the neck and return the bottle into an upright position -        Plastic champagne stoppers are easy to use -        Try this process for a couple more bottles. Use the wine from the first bottle to top them. Immediately apply a plastic stopper and wire the bottles and place them back – for maturing. -        Ideally store in a cool cellar. Sparkling wine can be stored for up to 12 months.

DAY 1 Step 1: Sterilize all equipment to be used for Day 1. Step 2: -        Crush and destem grapes into a food grade fermentation vat. -        Add packet A from the wine kit as per the instructions on the packet. -        Directly add packet B as per instructions on the packet. -        After step 2 plunge grapes 3-5 times per day. To Produce rosé Style wines You have 3 choices. Check out the table below:   Method Action Required Recommendations Bleeding When pressing, the juice that comes off before you actually start squeezing, is kept for rosé wine. Follow our red wine making sheet from the start and at the pressing stage separate the free run juice and follow step 7 on this sheet to complete the rosé wine Extraction After a few hours (maximum of 24 hours), a percentage of juice is removed from the skins. This juice is then used for making rosé. Good method for quick color extracting wines such as ruby Red Infusion After a few days - when you are happy with the colour then a percentage of juice must be removed from the skins or the entire vat is pressed. This juice is then used for making rosé . Suggested method for light red color production   If you decide to follow methods 2 and 3, then the wine once separated from the skins needs to be treated as a white wine. Follow the instructions below: Step 3: Grab a sample of the juice and test its Baume and pH. The table below is a recommendation of additives for particular grape conditions:  Baume Level Action required Ph Level Action Required <12 Baume If it is at 11 Baume then add 1 L of Grape concentrate for every 45 L of must. (Equivalent to 5 boxes of grapes)If at 10 Baume then double the amount per 45 L of must. < 3.2 Add Potassium Bicarbonate. Check the store for details. 12 to 14 Baume No action needed Ph 3.3-3.5 No action required > 14 Baume At 15 Baume add 0.75 L per 10 L of must of cooled-down, boiled water to reduce baume. At 16 baume add 1.5 L per 10 L of must of cooled-down, boiled water to reduce baume. At 17 baume, please have wine assessed in store. > 3.5 If 0.2 over, then add 1 gram per litre of must. If 0.4 over, then add 2 grams per litre. If more than 0.4 then please have your wine assessed in store. If you are using the Extraction method, you can press the wine now and follow the instructions below DAY 2 Step 4: -        Make sure the demijohns are only 2/3rd full to allow for fermentation frothing. -        The other 1/3rd portion of juice should be kept in the fridge. -        If you using v/c tanks, then leave a good 10% head space. -        Add packets C and D as per label instructions. -        Within 24 hours of adding packet C and D you should see bubbles forming -         If you don't see any bubbling by this time, then bring in a sample of juice for assessment. As the frothing slows down, add more juice, one day at a time, till containers are full. You will need to judge how much juice needs to be added without letting it overflow (if unsure ask our staff in store for more information). DAY 3 Step 5: Measure ferment temperatures regularly. If they exceed 30 degrees, then decrease the temperature by artificial means, wet towels, ice over containers, cooling the room the juice is in, as most rosé prefer to ferment in an 18 to 25-degree bracket. - From day 3 onwards, measure the baume of the wine. Once it reaches 0 baume then proceed to step 6. - If you are following the infusion method you can press the wine at this stage. - Also, measure the pH of the wine after day 5 and adjust as per above table. - When you are happy with the colour, maintain the ferment temperature between 18-25-degree bracket for ideal results. Step 6: Within approximately a week, the fermentation should start to slow down. From this stage, you should assess the wine for the following additions:  Tannin With some wines they require tannin to balance fruit, oak and acid Add tannin at the rate stated on the packet. Ask our staff for recommendations regarding different types of tannins and your preferred wine.   - Every week test the baume and pH of your wine. - We are looking for a pH of 3.3 to 3.6 and a baume of -1. - If pH is above this then adjust as per the table above and if baume has not reached -1 after the first two weeks, then stir lees at the bottom of the container for 30 seconds and put the airlock back on. - Do this twice a week for two weeks. - If the wine has not gotten to -1 by the end of this stage, then bring in the wine for an assessment. Step 7: Fermentation is considered done when we have the following conditions: Wine does not taste sweet -1 baume has been achieved (check with the hydrometer) Airlock stops bubbling Step 8: Once the fermentation is complete the wine needs to be racked from the lees. Smell and taste the wine at this stage. You should be getting a fruit-driver aroma and flavor. If you get any vegetable, vinegar, sulfurous or other smells then bring your wine into the store for an assessment. The wine should be checked regularly. Once you have decided to rack the wine follow these steps: - Prepare a new container for the wine to go in - Siphon or pump wine into these new, sanitized containers, making sure that all the containers are full when you finish - If not place in smaller by full containers. This can even be 1 L bottles. - V/C tanks are the best option. No other container is required. - Ensure that the wine has been dosed with PMS after racking. - Have the wine assessed for dosage. Tannin With some wines they require tannin to balance fruit, oak and acid Add tannin at the rate stated on the packet. Ask our staff for recommendations regarding different types of tannins and your preferred wine.  pH  If wine is above 3.7 Add tartaric acid at the dose mentioned at the beginning of this blog.   Check if you are satisfied with the level of maturity of the wine. It can have finings put in and racked or you could filter the wine. Adding tartaric acid late in the winemaking process adds to the acidic taste of the wine. If unsure, bring it to the store. After these additions, wine can be matured as per cellaring and wine quality conditions. While fining rosé wine, the most common agent is bentonite. General rule for rosé is that they should drunk within 12 months as it is best consumer young. If leaving residual sugar in wines, then you will need to dose the wine with preservatives. Add Potassium sorbate and filter the wine with 0.25-micron pads. This style of rosé should only be attempted by competent winemakers. Easy method for making a sweet rosé would be to make the rosé dry and then adding a bit of castor sugar before consumption. Step 9: For bottling, the follow rules should be followed: - Make sure that the wine is below 3.7 pH - Baume of the wine is at -1 before bottling - Wine does not fizz or produce smoke when left in half-filled plastic bottles for half an hour - It does not taste bitter, acidic, medicinal or vinegary. If any of the conditions are not met, then your wine is not ready and needs an inspection. Step 10: Enjoy your rosé!