E. C. Kraus
HOME WINE MAKING NEWSLETTER

Issue Number 31

______________________________


*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.

______________________________


*GET STARTED NOW!*

To get a jump-start into the world of winemaking, take a look at
the following information listed on our web site:

"How To Get Started"

This article will quickly get you the essential information you
need to become a successful home winemaker. Whether you want to
make wine from your own fresh fruits or from packaged grape
juices we offer from around the world, this is the place to
start.

______________________________


IN THIS ISSUE:

* Get More Out Of Your Wine Making!
* Using A Wine Press: The How's, When's & Why's
    - Do I Really Need A Wine Press?
    - Choosing The Right Wine Press
    - Using A Wine Press
    - A Few Words About Crushing The Fruit
* Winemaker's Glossary: Ullage
* Letter: When Am I Suppose To Add Bentonite?
* Wine Recipe Ideas: Strawberry-Rhubarb Wine
* Top Ten Reasons For Fermentation Failure
* Wine Making Quick Tip
* Additional Home Winemaking Information

______________________________


*GET MORE OUT OF YOUR WINE MAKING!*

Looking for ways to improve your winemaking efforts? We have the
solutions. At ECKraus.com we are dedicated to making your wine
making experiences successful and enjoyable ones.

Our web site features recipes, articles and valuable bits of
information that will make your home wine making adventures a fun
and fascinating experience.

You can also place your orders on-line. It's safe, secure and
simple. Each item is listed, in detail with pictures and in-depth
information, so you can learn while you shop.

So, take a look! See what it's all about! Visit our web site and
experience all that E. C. Kraus has to offer. Our web address is:

http://www.eckraus.com

______________________________



*USING A WINE PRESS: The How's, When's & Why's*

Summer is here, and fruits are plentiful. Time to get your wine
making act into full swing... that is, if you haven't done so
already!

I thought this would be a good time to talk about wine presses
and the role they play in home wine making. So often we get
people asking questions about wine presses.... home winemakers
wanting to know how to use one; which one they should buy, and so
on. Hopefully, this article will clear up some of these issues.


- Do I Really Need A Wine Press?

The first that thing that might be going through your mind after
seeing this article is, "Wine press! Do I need a press just to
make a little wine at home?" And, the answer is, "certainly not."

In fact very few people who make their own wine at home have a
press. You can make wine by using the vast selection of packaged
wine making juices that are available today--no pulp involved.
Or, you can make wine using a few pounds of berries--very little
pulp involved. Neither require using a wine press.

But with that being said, there are many types of fruits that
could be handled much more easily and efficiently with the aid of
a wine press. The first fruit obviously coming to mind is the
ever-present wine grape.

If you are actually making wine from freshly-crushed wine grapes,
whether it be Merlot grapes from California or Concord grapes
from your own backyard, you may want to consider looking at
getting a wine press. The volume of grapes required to make each
gallon of wine almost dictates it--typically 12 to 16 pounds.
That's a lot of pulp!

With wilder grapes such as Scuppernong or Fox grape, water is
used to dilute the stronger flavor and acidity that these grapes
have. So, not quite as much pulp is involved--usually 25-50
pounds--to end up with 5 gallons of wine. However, having a press
even in these situations would still be of benefit in the sense
that it would allow you to extract more juice and flavor from the
grape's fiber, but this is a matter of production efficiency
rather than a matter of wine quality.

The same is true with other fruit wines such as blackberries,
strawberries, currants and others. These are all fruits that are
diluted with water and sugar to bring them into balance. But
again, flavor extraction can be improved by the incorporation of
a wine press into the process.

You may simply be making a lot of wine from berries. For every 5
gallons of berry-type wine you make, you will need anywhere from
12 to 20 pounds of fruit. If you are making 40-50, maybe even a
100 gallons of berry wine of some type, you may want to invest in
a wine press, just to make the process of handling the pulp
quicker and easier.


- Choosing The Right Wine Press

There are two basic styles of wine presses that are available to
the home winemaker. The first being the ratchet design and the
second being the cider design. Both are equally effective in
squeezing the juice from the pulp.

Ratchet Design:
This particular type of wine press is normally associated with
larger batches of homemade wine. Someone making 20 gallons or
more at a time might want to consider this type of press.

What makes the style of this press unique is that it has a
ratcheting head that works its way down a threaded, stationary
shaft that is secured at the base of the press. This ratcheting
allows you to easily apply the pressure necessary to separate the
juice from the pulp.

The ratchet press will usually have a two-piece break-away basket
design which will allow you to remove the spent pulp more quickly
between pressings--again, facilitating anyone who intends to do
many pressings per batch.


Cider Design:
This style of press is usually smaller and more appropriate for
someone who is making 5 to 10 gallons at a time. It will press
any kind of crushed fruit, not just apples. And, just like the
ratchet press, this press has a center-threaded shaft, but it is
the shaft that is being spun to apply the pressure, not a
pressing head.

This type of press can apply just as much pressure as the ratchet
press, however for someone who intends to do 10, 15 or even more
pressings per batch it can become cumbersome. But, if you are
making smaller batches this will not be much of an issue since
you will only be doing 3 or 4 press runs per 5 gallon batch.

To view all of the presses we offer, go to the following link
listed on our web site:

Wine Presses


- Using A Wine Press

As mentioned earlier, a wine press can be incorporated into the
production of any type of wine. However, how and when the wine
press is used can vary slightly from one style of wine to the
next.


When Should I Press The Grapes?
Contrary to many novice beliefs, the wine grape is not always
pressed at the very beginning of the wine making process. When
making wine from red grapes, the grapes are usually pressed only
after they have been crushed and fermented for a period of
time--usually 4 to 7 days.

The amount of time the must is fermented on the crushed pulp will
determine the resulting wine's color, body and flavor intensity.
The pulp, and more specifically the skin of the grape is where
most all of its color and body lies.

For the first 3 or 4 days of fermentation on the pulp, it is both
color and body elements that are being extracted from the pulp
and into the juice. After this time not much more color
extraction is noticed, but a continual increase in flavor
and--more particularly--body will be noticed.

Commercially made wines such as Zinfandel display an excellent
example of what pulp fermentation can do to change a wine's
character. The Zinfandel grape is actually a red grape. Yet, with
this single, red grape the wine industry is able to produce a Red
Zinfandel, Zinfandel Blush and a White Zinfandel. Three different
wines all coming from the very same grape. The difference being
the amount of time the crushed grape skins stayed in contact with
the juice.

White wines--or wines made from white grapes--are normally both
crushed and pressed at the very beginning of the winemaking
process. The goal for most winemakers when making a white grape
wine is to keep its character light, fruity and crisp. By
eliminating the pulp from the fermentation process completely
these characters will be more present within the wine.

However having said this, there are some exceptions. Heavier
white grape wines will at times be fermented on the pulp for a
short period of time. Some examples of these types of wines would
be Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc--white wines with
very full body. These pulp fermentations usually are not done any
longer than 3 days and most often less than 1 day.

It should also be noted that fermenting a white wine on the skins
will intensify the yellow color of the wine, at times bringing it
close to a straw color. So, if you do not prefer this type of
color, you should stay away from fermenting white grape on the
pulp.


When Should I Press Other Fruits?:
Well, this would depend on the fruit and the character you are
trying to bring out in the wine. The ideas are the same as
described above with the red and white grapes; you just need to
apply these ideas to the fruit you are dealing with.

For example, when making wine with apples, pears, gooseberries,
grapefruit and such, you will probably want to eliminate the
fiber and skin of the fruit in the very beginning. If you are
making wine from darker fruits such as blackberries, raspberries,
elderberries and such, you could ferment on the pulp for up to 8
or 9 days to produce a very heavy, bold wine. Or, you could
ferment on the pulp for just 1 day to produce a lighter-bodied,
blush wine with more fruity, crisp characters.

The choice is yours... this is part of what makes winemaking so
fun and interesting. It is the adventure of being able to play
around with all these little subtleties that allow you to make a
wine that is special to you and something you can call your own.


How To Do A Pressing?
Pressing the grapes and other fruits is a fairly straightforward
operation. Regardless of the type of press you are using, you
start off by dumping the crushed fruit into the press basket.

The first thing that will occur when you do this is juice will
start collecting and coming out of a spouted portion of the
press's collector. So, have a bucket or fermenting vessel already
in place before dumping in the crushed fruit to handle this
immediate flow of juice. The juice that comes off on its own
before actually pressing the pulp is known as the "free-run"
juice.

You may find it more practical to drain the free-run away from
the pulp even before dumping it into the press basket. This can
easily be done by first putting the freshly crushed fruit in a
fermenter or other vessel with a faucet at the bottom. Then use
the faucet to drain the free-run away from the pulp. Then dump
only the remain pulp portion into the press basket.

The free-run is often set aside by wineries and finished up
separately and sometimes even bottled and sold separately.
However, with the smaller batches that the typical home winemaker
deals with, this may not necessarily be practical.

The free-run produces a softer, fruitier wine with slightly less
color and considerably less body than then any press-run wine. It
also matures more quickly. Wines made only from press-run juice
tend to be richer, more earthy in character. Their body is fuller
and their aroma less fruity but with a more herbal or organic
impression.

In fact as the pressing plate becomes tighter and tighter on the
pulp, the more intense these characters become incorporated into
the juice. Each additional ounce of juice that is squeezed out
becomes stronger and stronger even to the point of becoming too
bitter. Which means that--yes--you can over press the pulp.

This is also a reason why you should consider keeping, at
minimum, a portion of the free-run with the press-run--to offset
any over pressing that occurs. Or, you can make the free-run and
press-run juices into wine separately. And then at bottling time,
blend them back together in a proportion that you determine by
taste. While this is definitely more work and probably not to
practical with smaller batches, it does give you full control of
the body of the resulting wine.


- A Few Words About Crushing The Fruit

There are no hard-and-fast rules about how the fruits should be
crushed other than to say they should not be over-crushed. This
rules out the use of food processors to blend or puree the fruit.
Doing so will not only give you a very bitter wine with only
marginal fruity flavors, but it will also give you a must that
will take much longer to settle out once the fermentation has
completed.

If you are making wine with berries you can often crush them
sufficiently with just your hands or possibly a potato masher.
You could also use the butt end of a 2X4 to crush them against
the bottom of a pail. This is assuming of coarse the the 2X4 has
been cleaned and sanitized first. Whatever means you can come up
with that seems practical for you, go for it.

Just remember that the only goal here is to break open the skin
of the fruit, anything more than this is just more work. With
larger fruit such as peaches, grapefruits, apricots--cut them up
first, pit if necessary, and then crush.

If you are dealing with larger batches of wine, 50 gallons and
more, you may want to consider investing in a fruit crusher. A
fruit crusher is a hopper that leads the fruit through two
rollers which do the crushing.

The fruit crusher we offer also has rotating knives within the
hopper as well, making it more suitable for larger, orchard
fruits as well as berries and grapes.

To learn more about the fruit crushers we offer, go to the
following link listed on our web site:

Fruit Crushers


______________________________



*WINEMAKER'S GLOSSARY*

ULLAGE:
The air-space that is within a finished bottle of wine. This is
typically anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inches between the wine and
the cork when the bottle is standing upright. The amount of
ullage in the bottle will increase slightly every year as
evaporation slowly occurs through the cork.

Ullage can also refer to the head-space within a larger vessels,
while the wine is in bulk storage. In these situations you want
to keep the ullage to as little amount as practical.

--To see other winemaking glossary words, go to the following
link on our web site:

Winemaker's Glossary


______________________________



*LETTER: When Am I Suppose To Add Bentonite?

Dear E. C. Kraus,

In your article on bentonite you say to add it after
fermentation. In every wine kit that I have used they call for it
right at the beginning, as you are starting to add the
ingredients. Would you please clarify this for me?

Thank You
Ron G.

P.S. I enjoy your newsletter very much

_____


Dear Ron,

I assume that you are referring to the following article listed
on our web site:

"Using Bentonite As A Wine Clarifier"

This is a very good point that you bring up. I can understand why
there may be some confusion surrounding the use of bentonite,
particularly when you read one thing on our web site and then
read something different on the directions that come with your
ingredient kit.

Bentonite has two distinctly different uses in making wine. Ever
since the repeal of prohibition bentonite has been the primary
clarifier used by wineries in the United States. It is routinely
added at the end of fermentation to speed up the settling of
yeast and other solids that may be lingering in suspension.

But, in more recent times bentonite has also been found useful
for invigorating the level of yeast activity. When a smaller
amount is added at the beginning of fermentation the same
electromagnetic charge that is used to collect and clear out
suspended particles after the fermentation is now the source of
energy for the yeast--making them much more active.

You may be asking yourself, "then why doesn't the yeast get
settled out by this bentonite if it is added at the beginning?"
This is primarily because the yeast is in an active state as
opposed to being dormant as is the case when the fermentation is
complete. When the yeast is active there is a slow but constant,
upward churning of the must. This is due to the creation of CO2
gas by the yeast during this fermentation activity. The yeast
stay suspended by riding upward with the current of CO2 gas
bubbles it creates.

Another reason is because the amount of bentonite that is
typically used at the beginning of fermentation is less than one
would use to clarify the wine after fermentation. About 1/2 a
teaspoon for 5 or 6 gallons of must is what is normally used at
the start of fermentation.

If bentonite is used at the beginning of a fermentation it will
also contribute to the clarification of the wine after the
fermentation is complete. However, in the case of making wine
from fresh fruits--where pulp is involved--one may want to add
additional bentonite to supplement the clarification process once
the fermentation has completed. This is because the beginning
dose is usually not enough to do the job on its own.

So, as you can see bentonite is a product with more than one use.
Not only can it clarify a newly finished wine, it can also
"energize" the yeast as well.

The only warning I would give is that you can add too much
bentonite at the beginning of fermentation. There is a point
where the yeast cannot overcome the settling effects of the
bentonite. So, "more" is definitely not a good thing in this
situation.

If you are using a pre-packaged kit of some kind, then no
problem. Just add the provided packets as called for. But, if you
are adding bentonite at the beginning of fermentation on your own
accord, I would strongly urge you not to exceed 1/2 teaspoon to
every 5 or 6 gallons of wine.

I hope this helps you out.

Best Wishes,
Customer Service at E. C. Kraus


______________________________


"CAUTION:
This wine may have you giving back things that you never stole."

- On Arlen Blanchard's Bottle Of Homemade Wine

______________________________


*WINE RECIPE IDEAS: Strawberry-Rhubarb Wine

Here's a traditional, country combination that works just as well
for making wine as is does for baking a pies. This is a recipe
that has been made by several of our customer with great
success... thought you'd might like to try it as well.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Wine
(Makes 5 Gallons)

2 Cans County Fair Strawberry
5 pounds Rhubarb (cubed, meaty stalk only)
8 pounds Sugar
5 Teaspoons Yeast Nutrient
5 Teaspoons Acid Blend
1 Teaspoons Pectic Enzyme
5 Campden Tablets (24 hrs. before fermentation)
Water (To total batch to 5 gallons)
1 Pkg. Wine Yeast (Lalvin K1V-1116, recommended)
5 Campden Tablets (Before Bottling)

Use the "7 Easy Steps" procedures at the following link on our
web site for producing this recipe:

"The 7 Easy Steps To Making Wine"


______________________________



*TOP 10 REASONS FOR FERMENTATION FAILURE*

Reason #2
Adding Too Much Sugar At The Beginning Of Fermentation:

When a fermentation occurs what is really happening is the yeast
is consuming sugar and turning it into alcohol. So the amount of
sugar that is available to the yeast controls how much alcohol
that can be made. But contrary to reason, it is possible to have
too much sugar in a fermentation.

If the sugar concentration level of the must becomes too high at
any given point--either at the beginning or during the
fermentation--it starts to have an inhibiting effect on the
yeast's ability to produce alcohol. In other words, the higher
sugar concentration starts to act as a preservative effecting the
fermentation in a negative way.

Before you add sugar to a batch, it is necessary to know how much
sugar is already being provided by the fruit. This can vary
dramatically from one fruit to the next. For example, in the case
of most California grown grapes, no sugar is required at all to
produce a wine with a reasonable level of alcohol--say 10 to 13
percent--but when making berry wines a considerable amount of
sugar is required to obtain those same levels.

If you have a good recipe from a reliable source, such as a book
on winemaking, you can normally depend on the amount of sugar the
recipe is calling for. Or certainly if you are following
directions that were provided with a wine making kit, your sugar
level should be no issue whatsoever, just follow the directions.

But if you have a recipe from a questionable source or you are
going it alone, it is strongly recommended that you control your
sugar levels with the aid of a hydrometer.

The hydrometer can tell you how much sugar is already in the must
as well has how much sugar to add to end up with a potential
alcohol level that is desirable.

It does this with a scale that is called "Potential Alcohol." The
more sugar that is in the must, the higher the percentage reading
will be on the Potential Alcohol scale.

For more information about the hydrometer and its use, see the
following article on our web site:

"Getting To Know Your Hydrometer"

At the beginning of fermentation having "Potential Alcohol"
readings higher than 13% will usually interfere with the yeast's
ability to start fermenting. Realize that most all wines you buy
commercially are between 10% and 13%, so this is really no big
issue.

But there are some of you out there--and you know who you
are--that seek to drive the alcohol as high as possible. This is
okay, but it is necessary to feed some of the sugar throughout
the fermentation instead of adding all of it to the must up
front.

By feeding sugar in this way you will be able to achieve higher
alcohol without getting your sugar concentration levels too high.
You are giving some of the original sugars time to turn into
alcohol. This in turn will make room for the additional sugars
you are feeding.

If you do not feed sugar in this way when attempting to achieve
higher alcohol levels, you will be setting yourself up for
potential fermentation problems.

- For more information about making high alcohol wines, see the
following article listed on our web site:

"Making High Alcohol Wines"

-- To read about the other "Top 10 Reasons For Fermentation
Failure," go to the following link on our web site:

"Top Ten Reasons For Fermentation Failure"


______________________________



*WINE MAKING QUICK TIP*

-- Not sure what size corks, screw caps or plastic stoppers you
need for your jugs, bottles and other various containers? Then
get our "Assortment of Closures". It contains one sample of each
of the various sizes and types of bottle closures that we offer.
Each is clearly labeled for easy identification. So, you can be
sure you are ordering what you need.

For more information about our "Assortment of Closures" go to the
following link on our web site:

Assortment Of Closures


______________________________

 

*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"


______________________________


*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.

______________________________


*NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES*

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

"Home Wine Making Articles Page"

______________________________


NOTE: If URLs do not appear as hot links in your e-mail program,
please cut and paste the full URL into the location or address
field of your browser.

______________________________

* 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

______________________________

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


*TO SUBSCRIBE*

This is a FREE newsletter. If you are not currently receiving
this newsletter and would like to have your own FREE subscription
go to our:

"Wine Making Newsletter Sign-Up Page"

______________________________


*TO UNSUBSCRIBE*

You have received this newsletter because of previous contacts
you have personally made with E. C. Kraus. If you do not wish to
continue receiving this free newsletter from E. C. Kraus, please
"Reply" to this message with "REMOVE" typed in the subject
header.