E. C. Kraus
HOME WINE MAKING NEWSLETTER

Issue Number 13

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*About This Newsletter*

The E. C. Kraus Home Wine Making Newsletter is a FREE publication
that covers issues and topics of general interest to the home
winemaker. You may pass this newsletter on to friends and others,
as long as it is used in its entirety.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

* How To Stop A Fermentation
    - Using Sodium Bisulfite or Campden Tablets
    - Using Potassium Sorbate
    - So, What Do You Do?
* Winemaker's Glossary
* Making The Right Choices When Bottling Your Wine
    - What Bottle Color Is Best?
    - Which Type Of Cork Is Best?
    - Which Wine Bottle Corker Should I Buy?
    - What Type Of Neck Capsules Are Available?
    - What To Look For In A Wine Label?
* Wine Making Quick Tips
* Additional Home Wine Making Information

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*HOW TO STOP A FERMENTATION*

Quite often we'll have someone ask us how to stop a fermentation
before it is ready to stop on its own. Usually the reason for
asking is because they have tasted their wine and they like the
amount of sweetness it currently has--sounds reasonable.

Stopping the wine from fermenting any further would preserve the
current level of sweetness. And likewise, allowing the wine to
continue fermenting further would only make the wine less sweet
with each passing day.

Eventually the wine would become completely dry at which time the
fermentation would stop on its own. This is because during the
fermentation process yeast turns the sugar into alcohol.

Wanting to stop a fermentation is all good in of itself. But
unfortunately, there is really no practical way to successfully
stop a fermentation dead in its tracks.


- Using Sodium Bisulfite or Campden Tablets

Many winemakers will turn to sulfites such as that found in
Sodium Bisulfite or Campden tablets for the answer. But, these
two items are not capable of reliably killing enough of the yeast
to guarantee a complete stop of the activity--at least not at
normal doses that leave the wine still drinkable.

Once the bulk of the sulfites from either of these ingredients
dissipate from the wine into the air--as sulfites do--there is a
very strong chance that the remaining few live yeast cells will
start multiplying and fermenting again if given enough time. And,
I might add that this usually happens at a most inconvenient
time, like after the wine has been bottled and stowed away.

For more information about the Sodium Bisulfite and what it can
be used for go to:
Sodium Bisulfite


- Using Potassium Sorbate

Potassium Sorbate is another ingredient that many winemakers
consider when trying to stop a wine from fermenting any further.
There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding this product.

It is typically called for by home wine making books when
sweetening a wine. This is a situation where the fermentation has
already completed and is ready for bottling. You simply add the
Potassium Sorbate along with the sugar that is added for
sweetening.

The Potassium Sorbate stops the yeast from fermenting the newly
added sugar. So, many winemakers assume Potassium Sorbate can
stop an active fermentation as well. But, nothing could be further
from the truth.

Potassium Sorbate does not kill the yeast at all, but rather it
makes the yeast sterile. In other words, it impairs the yeast's
ability to reproduce itself. But, it does not hinder the yeast's
ability to ferment sugar into alcohol.

Potassium Sorbate puts a coating on the cell wall of each
individual yeast in such a way that budding or multiplying is
next to impossible.

The idea here is that if you happen to have few cells of live
yeast remaining in your finished wine, they will be rendered
harmless if they are unable to regenerate themselves to great
enough numbers to invigorate a fermentation of any kind. This is
true even if more sugar is added to the finished wine.

For more information about the Potassium Sorbate we offer go to:
Potassium Sorbate


- So, What Do You Do?

Well, remember the original goal here is to have a wine that is
sweeter than what a natural fermentation will normally provide.
And what the above tells us is that stopping a wine's ferment-
ation in mid-stream when it is at the sweetness you like is not
the answer for the average home wine maker.

The most successful way for a home wine maker to have a sweet
wine is to let it finish fermenting completely to where it is
dry. Then let the yeast settle out to the bottom on its own over
a 2 to 3 week period. The settling process can be sped up with
the use of a clarifier such as Speedy Bentonite.

Once this happens you can then siphon the wine off of the yeast
settlings and add Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Bisulfite as
directed on their packages. Once you have done this you can then
simply sweeten your wine to taste with a sugar mixture of your
choice.

It is important that the wine's fermentation process be complete
before adding more sugar along with Potassium Sorbate and Sodium
Bisulfite to a wine. One way to make absolutely sure is to check
the wine with a hydrometer. The wine should have a reading of
1.000 or less on the hydrometer's Specific Gravity scale.

You might want to take a look at another article on our web site
titled, "Making Sweet Wines" listed at the link below. It covers
in detail the process for making a sweet wine.

"Making Sweet Wines"


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*WINEMAKER'S GLOSSARY*

FINING:
The wine making technique of adding substances to wine to aid in
its clearing. Some of the more common fining agents are

Bentonite, Sparkolloid and Isinglass.

For more information on the fining agents we offer go to:

Fining Agents

For more information on Bentonite and its use, see the article

at the following link:

"Using Bentonite As A Wine Clarifier"

To see more wine making glossary terms go to:
"Winemaker's Glossary"

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*MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES WHEN BOTTLING YOUR WINE*

Bottling can be a very exciting time, particularly if it is your
first batch. This is the time that all your efforts and
aspirations are captured into a bottle--a nice, neat little
package that you can save for your own consumption or that you
can pass along to family and friends.

When it comes to bottling your wine, realize that there are some
choices you can make. Some are a matter of practicality other
choices are just for fun. The bottle color, the type of corker to
use, as well as the style of cork will all need to be given some
consideration.

Also, you have available to you an assortment of decorative neck
seals and bottle labeling to add to the excitement. These items
will give your bottles a professional look. So, lets start at the
beginning.


- What Bottle Color Is Best?

There are three different bottle colors we have available: Green,
Blue and Clear. Colored bottles were originally designed to
reduce the light exposure to your wine. Excessive light exposure
over time promotes oxidation in wines.

For more information about wine oxidation see the article,
"Controlling Oxidation In Your Wines" listed on our web site at
the following link:
"Controlling Oxidation In Your Wines"

If your wines are stored in a dark place then the wine bottle's
color makes no difference--choose whichever bottle color that
pleases your liking. But, if you store your wine in the kitchen,
dinning area or some other area where there is light, then our
green wine bottle would be your best option.

For more information on the wine bottles we offer go to:
Wine Bottles


- Which Type Of Cork Is Best?

If you plan on storing your wine for 18 months or longer we
strongly recommend that you use the Superior Grade, Size #9
Straight Cork listed at the link below:
Superior Grade #9 Straight Corks

Straight Corks are the same type of cork you will find in most
all commercial wine bottles. Straight corks require a corker to
press them into the neck of the bottle.
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If you are making an extremely full-bodied wine or plan on
storing your wine more than 3 years, we would then recommend
using our Extra First Grade, Size #9 Straight Corks listed at the
link below:
Extra First Grade #9 Straight Corks

These are the same diameter as the "Superior Grade" corks,
but are made from a denser cork. They are 1-3/4 inches long as
opposed the the "Superior Grade corks that are 1-1/2 inches long.
These corks require a corker as well.
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And finally, if you plan on drinking all of your wine within 18
months, then our Mushroom Corks listed at the link below will be
suitable. Unlike the Straight Corks mentioned above, these can be
put in by hand:
Mushroom Corks


- Which Wine Bottle Corker Should I Buy?

All of the corkers we offer put Straight Corks into a wine bottle
equally well. They all utilize a compressing iris to compress the
cork down to a diameter that can be easily plunged into the
bottle. The main difference between these corkers is how fast
they can be operated.

The most economical corker we offer is called the Gilda
Compression Hand Corker it can be viewed at the link listed
below. It is well suited for corking 5 or 10 gallons of wine at
a time:
Gilda Compression Hand Corker

If you plan on making more than 10 gallons of wine at a time, or
you plan on bottling more than 200 bottles a year, you would
probably rather have the Floor Model Corking Machine listed at
the link below. It is a little faster, making larger bottling
jobs a little easier to manage:
Floor Model Coker


- What Type Of Neck Capsules Are Available?

We have two types of decorative neck capsules for wine bottles.
Neck capsules are actually sleeves that fit over the neck of the
wine bottle--just like what you see on commercial bottles at the
store.

While these sleeves do add decoration to the wine bottle they
also have a couple of other more practical functions. They help
to eliminate the growth of mold and bacteria on the outward
exposed surface of the cork while it is in storage. And, they
also help to keep the cork in place, should it decide to push out
of the bottle.

Our Heat Shrink Capsules are made of a thin PVPP plastic that
shrinks when they are exposed to heat. They can be applied to a
wine bottle very easily by placing them over the wine bottle's
neck and then dipping them into hot water for a few seconds.

Heat Shrink Capsules add a very professional look that grabs
attention. They come in nine different colors from gold to
burgundy.

For more in formation on the Heat Shrink Capsules we offer go to:
Heat Shrink Capsules
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We also have Gold Foil Capsules. They are similar to the Heat
Shrink Capsules in function, but are made of foil instead of
plastic. You apply them to the neck of the wine bottle by simply
crimping them down by hand.

The inside of the capsule is lightly coated with an adhesive that
will stick to the neck of the bottle when it is moistened.

The Gold Foil Capsules are a very flashy decoration that fits
well at a dinner party or celebration. For more information about
the Gold Foil Capsules go to:
Gold Foil Capsules


- What To Look For In A Wine Label?

Bottle labels are another way to bring flash and a professional
look to your own wine. We have an assortment of color themes to
choose from.

When deciding on which label to use you will want to take into
consideration a couple of things. First, the color of the neck
capsule on the bottle should also be on the label you select. It
does not necessarily have to be the main color of the label, a
few spots of it here and there is fine.

The color of the wine bottle being used should also be taken into
consideration. A green bottle will be more hospitable to certain
labels than a blue wine bottle and vice versa.

If you are using a clear wine bottle then obviously you will need
to consider the color of the wine when choosing a wine label. To
view the wine bottle labels we offer go to:
Wine Bottle Labels


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*WINEMAKING QUICK TIPS*

-- Sodium Bisulfite is very valuable to the home winemaker. Use
in a light dose of 1/16 teaspoon per gallon of fresh juice to
kill any wild mold spores or other micro-organisms.

Or, use in a heavier dose of 1 teaspoon per gallon of water to
create a sanitizing solution for your equipment and bottles.

For more information about the Sodium Bisulfite we offer go to:
Sodium Bisulfite

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-- Campden Tablets are the same as Sodium Bisulfite only in a
convenient pre-measured tablet form. Each tablet equals 1/16
teaspoon.

For more information about the Campden Tablets we offer go to:
Campden Tablets


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*ADDITIONAL HOME WINE MAKING INFORMATION*

- If you are new to home wine making and would like more general
information about making wine at home, see the following article

listed on our web site:

 "How To Get Started Making Wine"

- For a listing of our home wine making recipes, go to our

"Home Wine Making Recipe Page"

- Also, for a general overview of the home wine making process
see the article

 "The Seven Easy Steps To Making Wine"


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*VISIT US ON-LINE*

Visit our web site at www.eckraus.com to view the complete line
of products we have to offer. All products are listed with
detailed information so you can learn as you shop. Purchase
products on-line with our completely secure shopping cart. Never
has shopping on the web been more safe.

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*NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES*

If you would like to look through previous issues of this
newsletter go to our:

"Home Wine Making Articles Page"

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* The E. C. Kraus Home Wine Making Newsletter is produced by:

E. C. Kraus
Home Wine & Beer Making Supplies
733 S. Northern Blvd.
Post Office Box 7850
Independence, MO 64054
Phone: 1-800-383-1906
Fax: 1-816-254-7051

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* Copyright(c) 2004, Kraus Sales, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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