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Notes From the
Vintner
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Welcome
to our column. We hope that you will return to
learn interesting notes on wine, and related
subjects. Wine is a great gift from God to be used
for the enjoyment of man. It is a food, and should
be treated as such. It is meant to lift up the body
and lighten the soul. 1/1/02
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Happy New Year !
! !
Here it is another
year, and I am still working on the early month of
2001… They say the time flies when you are having fun.
Well, I have news for them.... it flies all the time--fun or
no fun.
Last year was a
year of blessings, and sorrow…a year of joy and
sadness…a year of many good things, and a few bad. But
through it all, our Good
God has
given us wine to gladden our hearts. Let us not forget to
drink a toast to all whom died, especially on September 11,
and remember to ask God to bless this GREAT
NATION. We
are on a journey, and wine is given to us to help us enjoy
the trip.
Well it is time to
sneak a taste of the new wines. A time to see how we are
doing. Is this wine going to be better than the year before?
Some know it will be, and others pray it will be. In the art
of winemaking, we live for the next vintage…while
enjoying the last vintages.
If you have not
kept your wine racked, you need to clean the wine up and
remove the settings. It is these settings that can give your
wines an off taste. Your wine should be stored in a very
cool place. It would be fine to place the carboys on the
back porch when the weather gets down into the 30's. Do not
place them where the sun will shine on them, and do not let
them freeze. Carboys have been known to break from ice
buildup in the jars. This cold stabilization of the wine
will help clarify the wine of proteins, and prevent the wine
from having settling after bottling (even when the wine is
clear at bottling). A couple weeks of this stabilization
should be enough.
And again friends,
after taking care of the above, it is time for a glass.
Remember to enjoy your best wines while they are the best. A
glass enjoyed with a friend is the proper way to enjoy the
wine. And so my friend, To
US…
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