Advantages of Stainless Steel Wine Barrels

Preparing wine in steel barrels is the most preferred method opted by winemakers all over the world. It has some advantages over the containers made of other materials like wood. This article explains the advantages of stainless steel barrels.

Wine making is a time-consuming process. It may take years to complete making wine right from selecting the grapes to bottling and packaging the prepared wine. Since the quality of the wine can't be compromised, we need proper equipment to store it. Barrels made of stainless steel are preferred by most winemakers around the world. It is also considered as the apt way for storing and shipping good quality wine. Some of the advantages of stainless steel wine barrels are discussed below.

* Durability: Oak barrels generally last for about three to five years, though there are barrels which last longer. The flavor of the wine in oak barrels decreases each time the wine is prepared. This does not happen in barrels made of steel. Steel wine barrels last for decades without changing the taste of the wine. To impart the "oakiness" to wine, a few chunks or planks of oak can be added. They also are easy to clean and handle.

Steel barrels have a classy look when compared to the other barrels.

* Low Cost: Steel wine barrels are an affordable choice to make great wine. Their initial cost can be recovered long before they have to be replaced.

* Prevents Oxidation: If the wine is prepared in wooden barrels, it is possible that the barrels may leave head space for air which can lead to oxidation, spoiling the flavor of the wine. This does not happen in the case of barrels made of stainless steel. Since the lids would be placed tight, it prevents oxidation and thus improves the quality of the wine.

* Neutral in Flavor: There is no influence on the taste of wine when it is prepared in steel barrels. This encourages winemakers to experiment with different flavors each time they prepare it. Steel barrels provide temperature-controlled conditions for the prefect blending of wine.

* Environment-Friendly: Using stainless steel barrels is also an environment-friendly method of storing wine. Instead of finding their way into a landfill as will used oak barrels, the metal from the stainless steel wine barrels eventually can be recycled.

* Better Wine: For those who don't prefer the "oakiness" in wine, steel barrels is the best choice to prepare great wine. The wine ferments well in these containers and turns brighter and better in its taste when compared to the wine prepared in oak containers.


* Shipping Purposes: Wine needs extra care even when it is being packaged and shipped to different locations. It is often considered a better choice to use stainless steel barrels for packaging wine as they are completely sealed and hence there's no possibility of any leakage of the liquid.

Taking all the above points into account, it is obvious that stainless steel containers are the best choice to prepare and transport wine. To get the best containers in the industry, you may contact a few stainless steel wine barrel manufacturers so that you can choose the best one. You may also import good quality steel containers to make wine. Online sources may also provide enough choices for you to select the right manufacturer of steel wine barrels.

The writer of this article is associated to Skolnik, one of the leading wine barrel manufacturers in the USA.

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How Many Wine Glasses Do You Really Need?

How many wine glasses you need depends on a number of factors. A serious hobbyist might have a different glass shape for several different wines - burgundy/pinot noir, cabernet/Bordeaux, chardonnay, sherry/port and champagne glasses, to name a few. Purchasing sets of this many different shapes could get expensive rather quickly. So how many does the average wine lover really need?

For a good everyday glass that can be used for red or white wine, look for an all-purpose goblet-style glass with a stem long enough so that your hand doesn't touch the bowl unless you choose to, and with a bowl wider than the rim. The glass should be thin rather than thick, and the glass should hold a minimum of 12 ounces. Libbey and Spiegalau are just two lines that have a good all-purpose glass. Crate & Barrel and Costco also offer other brands.

Once you begin enjoying wine a little more, however, you might want to have at least two styles of glasses - one for red wines and one for white wines. The most basic difference in wine glass shape is the size of the bowl. A red wine glass - whether Bordeaux or Burgundy, will have a larger bowl than a white wine glass or a champagne flute. Size of the glass follows from that - white wine glasses are generally smaller than red wine glasses. For red wines, look for a glass that is at least 12 ounces - this will allow you to give it a good swirl. I prefer a larger glass - 16 ounces or more - because I like to swirl and smell the wine.

Swirling aerates the wine, allowing it to come into contact with oxygen, thus releasing aromas. Red wine glasses have larger bowls so you can get your nose down in there. Much of what you perceive as taste is actually smell, so this is an important component in tasting wine.

For white wine, 10 to 12 ounces will suffice. You can go smaller, but small glasses can be difficult to handle for a large-handed person. Another reason that these are smaller is because white wine is chilled - the less wine in your glass, the more likely you are to drink it before it warms.

A typical Bordeaux glass will serve you well as a red wine glass. A Chardonnay glass will serve you well as a general-purpose white wine glass. You will also want to have champagne flutes. These specially designed glasses are tall and slim, allowing those gorgeous bubbles room to fizz up.

If you expand your wine glass collection further, add a Burgundy/Pinot Noir glass to your collection. These will have bigger bowls and small rims than the Bordeaux glass. A Burgundy is a more delicate wine than a Bordeaux, so this will help concentrate the aromas.

Beyond these basics, look for a style you like, make sure the glass is thin rather than thick, and choose glasses that fit your budget. There are dozens in every price range. If you're just starting out, a set of four white wine glasses and four red wine glasses should suffice. Add the champagne flutes next, and then add the second type of red wine glass. Adjust your collection as fits your personal taste. For instance, if you find during your wine appreciation journey that your favorite varietal is Riesling, then purchase a set of glasses designed for that. A glass designed for Riesling or other delicate white wines will have to be narrower and taller than a chardonnay glass in order to concentrate the aromas. These glasses are also usually smaller than a chardonnay glass.

Claus J. Riedel is considered the first glass designer to recognize that aromas and flavors of wine are affected by the shape of the glass. In the late 1950s and 1960s he began to produce thin, unadorned glasses that were shaped to enhance and harmonize specific varietals. Based on the idea of "form follows function," he revolutionized stemware design.

Today, Riedel wine glasses are considered to be the finest in the world. They are available in various collections. The Sommelier collection has about a dozen shapes. This collection is likely overkill for all but the most avid collector, but the reasoning behind the differences in shape makes sense. For instance, it includes a Sauvignon Blanc glass that is taller than the Chardonnay glass to allow the aromas to collect in the upper portion, a Zinfandel glass that is slimmer than the Bordeaux and Burgundy styles, and a Sauternes glass that has a wide, sharply-angled bowl to accommodate the heavy and sweeter aromas of this dessert wine.

Your wine glass collection can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose. Consider the wines you drink most often, the styles your prefer and your budget, and go from there.

For more information about the various shapes of wine glasses, visit The Shape of a Wine Glass

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Hand Blown Wine Glass - Unique and Impressive

Hand blown wine glass is said to be one of the best options for people who are looking for ways to impress their visitors because it offers a lot of things. This is also the reason why there are a lot of people who are saying that using this glass for special occasions is highly recommended. Unfortunately, there are also some people who are saying that a hand blown wine glass is so expensive that an ordinary person won't be able to buy for themselves. In this article, we will be clearing some of these speculations, and will show you why this glass is still a top choice for everyone.

Yes, a hand blown wine glass may be expensive, but this glass is made by hand. Unlike other glasses that are mass-manufactured, if you have this kind of glass, you are the only one who has it. Just think of it as spending money in order to get your hands on something that no one else has. Although there are some that may look like the one you have, it is still a bit different. This is the reason why there are a lot of people who are using hand blown glasses, and using it to impress their visitors.

The taste of the wine will also depend on the type of glass that you are going to use, and a hand blown wine glass is specially made to make your wine taste better. If you want to be sure that your glass really has the capability to improve the taste of your wine, you can test it first. All you have to do is to place your favorite wine in it and smell it. You'll immediately notice the difference in the aroma of the wine, and you don't even have to taste it just to be able to determine whether the wine tastes better or not.

If you are going to use a hand blown wine glass, you will be spending more, but the benefits that you can get from it will pay-off for its price. There are a lot of people who are spending thousands of dollars just to be able to get a better wine, but if you are going to use a hand blown wine glass, you will be able to serve better-tasting wine without spending a lot of money. Aside from this, you will also be able to impress more people, since you will be using different glasses that are not close to what they have seen before.

Visit our website now if you are looking for a place where you can get a hand blown wine glass. We can provide you with all the glasses that you need, and you can be assured that they are the best that you can purchase. Check us now and find out why we are the best place where you can get a hand blown wine glass.

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How to Make Homemade Wine: Don't Miss These Wine Making Tips

If you love wine, you've probably had thoughts of learning how to make homemade wine!

Many of us remember our parents making wine and perhaps for some it wasn't such a fond memory, especially when as a kid you weren't old enough to drink wine. Did you have to pick dandelions for your dad's dandelion wine? If so, I can empathize with you because so did I. We lived in the country where dandelions grew abundantly and freely, unlike my suburban lawn today where the sight of even one dandelion becomes the neighborhood eyesore.

Hopefully, your tastes in wine, like mine, have matured and taken on new levels of wine appreciation, opting for the sophisticated flavors and aromas of red wine types like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Zinfandel or those found in white wine types, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Moscato - none of which requires us to pick dandelions if we want to indulge in some wine making of our own.

Learn How to Make Homemade Wine that Tastes Great!

You are probably wondering if the homemade wine will taste any good, and it will be helpful to know that award winning homemade wines do exist and are quite easy to make. Homemade wine can yield the same excellent complexity, flavor, and aroma of many vineyard wines.

The following information provides you with the wine making supplies and instructions for making that award winning bottle of wine. The instructions are easy to follow, but to make a good tasting wine requires a bit of aging. So, we must patiently wait for our wine to ferment properly, which can take 3-6 months or longer. The wine will be ready to bottle after one month and could be drinkable in another month, but longer might result in a better tasting wine, particularly with red wine.

I know it will be difficult to wait, but it will be worth it! You can label your wine, naming it after yourself, your dog, a certain whimsy, or anything else that meets your fancy.

How to Make Homemade Wine - Wine Making Kit

To learn how to make homemade wine, I think it's best to start with a wine making kit. There are a number of websites that sell the kits. Many of the kits are quite nice as they come packaged with reusable equipment, quality ingredients, and easy-to-follow wine making instructions.

You could make homemade wine from scratch, without using a kit, but you'd still have to purchase some basic wine making supplies, the fruit juice, wine yeast, sanitizers, etc. If you purchase a wine making kit, all of the items that you need to make wine at home are included.

How to Make Homemade Wine Simple Recipe - Let's Get Started!

For beginners, it's best to start with a small batch of wine. We'll use the following simple recipe to make our wine, and it can be adjusted for dryness or sweetness depending upon your tastes.

Wine Making Ingredients

1 1/2 Quarts (48 oz.) 100% grape juice: white, red, or blue grape juice* at room temperature between 65 and 75 °F
1/2 package dry yeast**
2 1/2 Quarts cool water
3 1/4 Cups sugar (for a sweeter wine add up to 5 cups of sugar)

*Make sure that the juice doesn't have potassium sorbate in it, it will prevent the fermentation process from occurring properly. We will, however, add potassium sorbate later in the process to add stability to the wine. You can purchase concentrated "wine grape" juice (i.e., the juice from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay grapes) from wine making suppliers and that would really be the best juice to use. However, for a first attempt at how to make homemade wine, you may want to stick with the frozen concentrate from the grocery store.

** You can get wine yeast from a wine making supplier, but some winemakers use bread yeast. If you get wine yeast, refer to the yeast packaging for the proper amount to use.

Wine Making Supplies

As you learn how to make homemade wine, you will also learn that many wine making supplies are reusable, which cuts down on the cost of making it. You will need the following basic equipment and supplies, many of which you can get at a wine supply store online, along with books on how to make homemade wine.

• Chlorinated detergent sanitizer
• 1 lidded primary fermentation vessel (a bottle, vat, or bucket that holds more than the carboy) 
• 1 gallon carboy (a glass or plastic container used to hold acidic liquids, like wine)
• Siphoning tube
• 1 bung and airlock (used in fermentation to allow carbon dioxide to escape from the carboy and protects wine from outside dust or other contamination)
• 1 hydrometer (measures sugar, gravity and alcohol in wine)
• Stabilizers - one package of metabisulphite and one package of potassium sorbate) 
• 1 thermometer
• Wine bottles and screw caps

How to Make Homemade Wine Step-by-Step

How to Make Homemade Wine Phase 1 - Initial Fermentation

Steps:

• Sanitize primary fermentation vessel - to prevent wine contamination and spoilage, do not skip this very important step.
• Place juice, sugar, and yeast into the sanitized primary fermentation vessel, and mix it gently, but well, with a wooden spoon or place the cover on it and gently shake it.
• Fill the remaining space in the vessel with water, leaving 1/2″ at the top.
• Using a hydrometer, measure gravity; you should get a reading anywhere from 1.070 to 1.080.
• Place the lid on the primary fermenter.
• Put fermenter in a location that keeps a temperature in the range of 65-75 °F. Within 48 hours fermentation begins.

 How to Make Homemade Wine Phase 2 - Second Fermentation

On the 7th day, transfer wine to the carboy in the following way:

Steps:

• Sanitize carboy and siphoning materials - to prevent wine contamination and spoilage do not skip this very important step.
• Using the siphoning tube, siphon the wine into the sanitized carboy without disturbing sediment in the primary fermentation vessel. You will want to keep any sediment in the primary fermentation vessel. Upon siphoning, you will most likely see extra space (due to the sediment left behind) in the carboy, but don't top it off just yet.
• Using a hydrometer, measure gravity; you should get a reading of 1.010 or less.
• Attach bung and air-lock to carboy (read air-lock directions for attachment - fill halfway with water).
• Leave carboy in fermentation area for 10 days.

 How to Make Homemade Wine Phase 3 - Stabilizing

On the 17th day, re-measure the wine's gravity; you should get a reading of 0.996 or less. Re-check the gravity the next day to verify that the wine has a stable reading. Repeat this process until the wine has two consecutive days of stable gravity.

Stabilization:

• Check the temperature of the wine to ensure that it is between 65 and 75 °F. If the temperature is below this range, the wine may be slow to stabilize and you may have high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2). If the reading is not in the appropriate range, either adjust the heat in the fermentation area or move the wine to an area with the appropriate temperature.
• If the wine is not clear, it may be caused by too much CO2. To adjust this, add the stabilizers: 1 package of metabisulphite and 1 package of potassium sorbate to one-half cup cool water and mix to dissolve. Then add the mixture to the carboy, stirring vigorously for a couple minutes to distribute stabilizers and break up the CO2.
• Add water to top off carboy up to 2 to 5" of the carboy's neck.
• Re-attach airlock.
• Allow the wine to clarify for 8 days.

 How to Make Homemade Wine Phase 4 - Clarification and Bottling

On the 25th day of your how to make homemade wine adventure, check for wine clarity.

• Draw a sample of wine into a glass and examine it under good lighting. If the liquid isn't absolutely clear, leave it alone for 7 more days. Cloudy wine won't clear after bottling, so don't bottle the wine until it's completely clear.
• When the wine is completely clear, siphon it into sanitized wine bottles, and then seal the bottles with a screw cap.
• If you use a screw cap, you can leave the bottles standing upright; if you use a cork, you must leave the bottles standing upright for 3 days, and then lay them down on their side, elevating them, as with a wine rack, to keep the cork moist; otherwise the cork will dry out and air will seep into the wine and contaminate it.
• And now is where your patience will reward you. Now that you've learned how to make homemade wine, your delicious wine will benefit much by allowing it to become even more delicious by aging it in the bottle for at least 3 months!

If you're a wine lover, you've probably thought about learning how to make homemade wine; to find out just how easy it is to make homemade wine, read this. Want to know more info, visit our website regarding how to make homemade wine.

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