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IN THIS ISSUE:

* Watch For Our New Catalog In The Mail Now!
    - New, European Select 28 Day Wine Kits
    - New, Niagara Mist Wine Kit - Tropical Fruit Riesling
    - VacuVin Wine Saver Is Now Available
    - New Cork Retriever
    - Finally, Synthetic Corks
    - New, Imported French Oak Chips
    - Three New Heat Shrink Capsule Color Choices
    - Lower Prices
    - Talking Beer Bottle Opener?
* Tuff-Tanks Receive Thumbs-Up
* Getting To Know Your Hydrometer
    - How To Take A Hydrometer Reading
    - Different Scales On The Hydrometer
    - Learning About The "Specific Gravity" Scale
    - Learning About The "Potential Alcohol" Scale
    - Typical Example Of Hydrometer Use
    - In Conclusion
* Wine Making With Fruits
    - How Much Fruit To Use
    - Testing And Adjusting Sugars
    - Testing And Adjusting Acidity
    - Ready To Ferment
    - Final Adjustments
* Wine Making Quick Tips

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*WATCH FOR NEW CATALOG IN THE MAIL*

Watch for the E. C. Kraus Catalog #90 in the mail right now. In this issue there are many new items that have been added. Here are some of them listed below:


- New, European Select 28 Day Wine Kits:

We have added a completely new line of 28 day wine kits featuring juices imported from Europe. Eighteen different and intriguing varieties to choose Wrom: ZIDRE Tinto, Pinot Grigio, Barolo, Soave, Piesporter to name a few. These kits make 6 gallons and are very simple to use. All of the ingredients come pre-measured with complete directions and they are ready in just 28 days. To view our line of European Select 28 day kits right now on our web site go to:
European Select


- New, Niagara Mist Wine Kit - Tropical Fruit Riesling:

Niagara Mist has added Tropical Fruit Riesling to there line of 28 day wine kits. Rieslings are generally known for there citrus aroma and fruity flavors. Combine that with a tropical punch blend and you really have something special. To view our line of Niagara Mist 28 day kits right now on our web site go to:
Niagara Mist

(Don't Forget - We offer 10% off all concentrated juices, when buying two or more at a time!)


- VacuVin Wine Saver Is Now Available:

We think this is just a wonderful product. And, we are very happy to be able to offer it in our upcoming catalog. The Wine Saver is actually a pump that takes the air out of partially emptied wine bottles and seals them up tight with the aid of a specially designed stopper. Your wine will stay completely fresh for several days. To view the VacuVin Wine Saver right now on our web site go to:
VacuVin Wine Saver


- New Cork Retriever:

This is a handy little gadget we have just added to our catalog. Accidentally pushing corks into a wine bottle can be very aggravating. The Cork Retriever will pull them out quickly and easily. To view the Cork Retriever right now on our web site go to:
Cork Retriever


- Finally, Synthetic Corks:

Many of you have been asking for synthetic corks. You're not being ignored. We now have size #9 synthetic straight corks. These man-made corks work great with our Floor-Model Corker and Bench Model Corker. And, they'll seal a standard fifth size wine bottle without question. To view our corks right now on our web site go to:
Synthetic Corks


- New Imported French Oak Chips:

We now have oak chips imported from France. These particular chips have a very sweet character to them. When added to your wine during the aging period, it removes the wine's youthful harshness and adds back a nice, subtle hint of vanilla, a character found in premium wines. To view the oak chips right now on our web site go to:
French Oak Chips

- Three New Heat Shrink Capsule Colors:

We have added three new color choices to our line of Heat Shrink Capsules: Teal, Deep Purple and Rusty Orange. That now makes a total of 9 different colors to choose from. Heat Shrinks Capsules are decorative capsules that shrink to the neck of your wine bottles for a professional look. They also help to keep the cork secure in place. To view our Heat Shrink Capsules right now on our web site go to:
Heat Shrink Capsules


- Lower Prices

We've lowered the price of our Pressurized Filtering System. It was $99.90, now you can pick it up for $89.90. That's a savings of $10.00. To view the Pressurized Filtering System right now on our web site go to:
Pressurized Filtering System

We've also lowered the price of our Floor Model Corking Machine. It was at a reduced price of $79.70. Now, it's at an even lower price of $75.35. To view the Floor Model Corking Machine right now on our web site go to:
Floor Model Corking Machine


- Talking Beer Bottle Opener?

Alright, I know it's a little corny, but listening to it is even corny"er". Every time the bottle opener touches a metal bottle cap it say, "Oh Yeah, Time For A Beer" in a burley, husky voice that you can't help but laugh at. Fun and practical at the same time. Makes a great gift. To view the Talking Bottle Opening right know on our web site go to:
Talking Beer Bottle Opener

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*TUFF-TANKS RECEIVE THUMBS-UP*

In our last catalog we added a new line of fermentation containers called Tuff-Tanks. They are large size fermentation vessels that come in three sizes: 9, 14, and 22 gallons. Initial feed-back on them has been outstanding. Our customers are stating that they like the convenience and ease of use. Our customers are also liking the quality and durability of these particular vessels. Take a look and see what you think. To view the Tuff-Tanks right now on our web site go to:
Tuff-Tanks

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*GETTING TO KNOW YOUR HYDROMETER*

From time to time we receive calls regarding the use of the hydrometer: about how a reading is actually taken; what the readings actually mean and so on. Let's face it, unless you've used a hydrometer before it is somewhat of a foreign concept. I will attempt to clear up some of the confusion here.

What the hydrometer can do for you is two-fold. First, it allows you to track the progress of your fermentation by taking readings throughout the fermentation. Secondly, it can tell you what the alcohol percentage of your finished product is by taking a reading before fermentation and one after fermentation and comparing the two.

- How To Take A Hydrometer Reading

To take a reading with the hydrometer it is required that you get the hydrometer to float in the juice to be tested. Weather it is floating in the plastic tube it came in, in a test jar you purchased, or floating in the entire batch makes no difference, as long as it is floating you will be able to take a reading.

Once the hydrometer is floating, you take the actual reading by seeing where the surface of the liquid crosses the scale on the hydrometer.

- Different Scales On The Hydrometer

Typically, there are two scales on the hydrometer that you are concerned with: the "Specific Gravity" scale (normally labeled as S.G. or SP GR) and the "Potential Alcohol" scale.

Specific Gravity is referred to by most books and recipes. It is simply a scale based on the weight of water. The "Potential Alcohol" scale is used to easily determine how much alcohol was made or can be made.

- Learning About The "Specific Gravity" Scale

Just for fun, if you float the hydrometer in water and read the Specific Gravity scale, the surface of the liquid would cut across the hydrometer at the 1.000 mark, towards the top of the scale. Most hydrometers are calibrated to be most accurate at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if the water is warmer or cooler, the reading may be off just a hair.

When you take a reading in fruit juice or water that has had sugars added to it, the hydrometer will float higher than before. This is because the liquid is now heavier than water which in turn increases the buoyancy of that liquid.

For example, it you completely dissolve 2 pounds of cane sugar into 1 gallon of water, you will have a Specific Gravity reading of 1.068. You will find this on the Specific Gravity scale by going down from the 1.000 to the 60. The 60 represents 1.060. In between the 60 and 70 you will see several tick marks. Each one represents two points. So, the fourth tick would be the 8. This is the point on the hydrometer that represents 1.068.

- Learning About The "Potential Alcohol" Scale

If you put your thumbnail at the 1.068 mark mentioned above and roll the hydrometer around to the Potential Alcohol scale you will see it matches a reading of 9%. What this means is that if you where somehow able to get this liquid to ferment all of the sugars it contained into alcohol, the result would be a liquid with 9% alcohol by volume.

As the wine ferments you will see the Potential Alcohol reading becoming lower and lower. What this means is that as the sugars in the juice are turned into alcohol the potential for more alcohol is reduced.

To find out what the actual alcohol percentage of a finish wine is, you would subtract the ending fermentation reading from the beginning fermentation reading.

- Typical Example Of Hydrometer Use

For example, lets say you have 5 gallons of freshly pressed grape juice. You take a beginning reading of 12 percent on the Potential Alcohol scale of your hydrometer. When the fermentation is complete, you take another reading with the hydrometer that indicates a Potential Alcohol of 1 percent. You then take the 1 and subtract it from the 12, giving you a total of 11 percent alcohol. This means that the fermented juice now has 11 percent alcohol by volume.

- In Conclusion

If you are not currently using a hydrometer, I would suggest that you might consider using one in the future. While it may be a little intimidating at first, once you use one you'll soon discover that there is not much to it. The benefit is the hydrometer allows you to have much more control over your batches. With the hydrometer you can control the alcohol content of your wines, monitor the fermentation's progress, as well as determine when the wine is actually done fermenting.

* To view the hydrometers we have right now on our web site go to:
Hydrometers

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*WINE MAKING WITH FRUITS*

It seems as though when we think of winemaking, we think of grapes. Walk into your local liquor store. The racks are filled with countless wines produced from Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet and other notable grapes.

But what about wines made from fruits other than grapes? Since the development of winemaking as a hobby, it has become very easy for the individual home winemaker to make wines from affordable fresh fruits of the garden variety.

And, don’t equate these wines to back-shed hooch. Today, you can make tremendous fruit wines: apricot wines that rival the complexity of any $15 Chardonnay, red currant wines that go just as good with prime rib as a hearty bottle of Merlot.

Fruit winemaking is no more difficult than making wines from fresh grapes. The basic process is the same, and consideration is given to the same aspects as when preparing grape juice for winemaking.

Grape juice is naturally well-suited for winemaking and needs little adjustment prior to fermentation. In many parts of the world, California included, winemaking grapes supply enough sugar and are low enough in acid to produce stellar wines without doing anything to them except to let them ferment, but none the less they are still checked and at times slightly modified.

With fruits other than grapes, adjustments are almost always necessary during the winemaking process but are very easy to accomplish:

The amount of fruit used per gallon needs to be determined.
The amount of available sugars needs to be tested and adjusted. And, the fruit juice’s acidity needs to be tested and adjusted.

While this may seem like a lot to concern yourself with, in fact it is very easy and requires little time to do. The trade off is it allows you to take just about any fruit you can imagine and produce a notable wine that quite often will surprise the winemaker who made it. . . .

* To continue reading the rest of this article go to:
"Home Wine Making With Fruits"
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*WINE MAKING QUICK TIPS*

- The number one reason a fermentation fails to start is because of the temperature of the juice. The ideal temperatures for a healthy fermentation is between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

- The number one reason that a wine fails to clear up after fermentation is that it is still fermenting. A very slight fermentation can keep a lot of sediment stirred up. Check the juice with a hydrometer to see if residual sugars are the problem.

- When making elderberry wine, plan on it tasting horrible when it is first done. But, also plan on it tasting incredible once it has had time to age. Elderberry wine is very high in tannic acid which makes it taste very harsh in the beginning. But, it is this same tannic acid that also allows this wine to take extreme advantage of the aging process.

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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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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
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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) 2002, Kraus Sales, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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