For all of you who use the Nomacorc synthetic cork, just a reminder. After you cork your wine you should leave your bottles upright for at least 5 days, not the usual 3 days. Because Nomacorcs provide such a good seal (compared to natural corks) it can take more time for the air pressure to equalize. If you put your bottles on their sides too soon, as the air escapes, it may take a little wine with it.

Wine Sense Nomacorcs!

For those of you who have not used Nomacorcs, you should give them a try. They never break apart when you pull them out of the bottle and they have a zero failure rate due to cork taint. Most importantly Nomacorcs are a great improvement on the 400 year old technology of natural corks and are the best option available for the home winemaker. Let’s face it, if winemaking was invented today we would not be running into forests and digging into tree bark to seal our bottles!

 Nomacorc is an impressive company that looks beyond their corks and are considered an industry leader in all facets of storing wine including how oxygen affects wine, bottle shape and optimum cork insertion. I use Nomacorcs for all of my wines and recommend them to my customers. Click here to read an impressive Wall Street Jounal article about Nomacorc.

Wine Sense currently has all of our corks on sale for 20%off so it’s a great time to give Nomacorcs a try or to stock up on your cork needs. (offer ends July 3rd, 2010)

Cheers,

Bruce, Manager (Wine Sense- Pembina Hwy)

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Filed under: Equipment by Craig

With Summer just around the corner I thought I would suggest a couple of my favourite white wines. We often think red wine once barbecue season is upon us but white wine has its place as well. Grilled chicken and fish, lighter salads and meals that don’t heat up the kitchen all pair nicely with a good white wine. There’s also nothing like a nice chilled glass of white wine on the patio.

Small Lots Estate Series BC Chardonnay-

The Estate Series BC Chardonnaywas first released about 10 years ago as one of 2 original Selection Estate Series wine kits. Winexpert sent us an 11.5 litre demo kit to make. I made it without oak as I was not a big fan of oak back then (how things change). I tried four bottles at certain times to see how it changed with ageing. Of course I tried the first bottle at day 1 of its life. I thought that it was good but very sharp (gee I wonder why). It continued to age nicely with nice ripe fruit showing through. When I had the last bottle (over 1 year old) I said that ‘this was the best white wine I had ever made’. It was quite fragrant with notes of fruit and honey and the taste was of peach, apple, pear and a hint of butter. It also had a mineral after taste… so good.

Needless to say I am very excited to have the opportunity to make it again! Keep in mind that it is currently released as a ‘Small Lot’ wine, which means it’s only available for a little while.

Selection Symphony-

Originally released as a Limited Edition wine and now available as a Selection Original kit, Symphonyis one of my all time favourites. I’ve entered this wine into the Winemaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition three times now, and have medaled each time (It’s not that I’m a pro to get these awards, but that I make quality kits and follow the instructions).

I love Symphony because it is light, fragrant and loaded with fruit- think of fruit salad in a glass. To me this wine tastes great from day one and the intensity of fruit increases with each passing day. At about one year of age the wine almost tastes like it’s carbonated because of the powerful fruit. This to me is a summer must do wine kit- you can make it now and have it ready to drink by the end of July.

Cheers,

Bob, Manager (Wine Sense- Springfield Road)

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Filed under: Wine by Craig

No Mosquitos, just Mojitos!

Who needs to be in Cuba,when you can be in Winnipeg sipping a chilled Mojito on your deck.

 With the soaring temperatures we have been having this past week, and my first batch of Twisted Mist Mojito being ready, the timing was just perfect! So it was BBQ time with neighbours to put it to the test, and everyone was more than a little impressed with the quality of the Mojitos.

Tiki says: 'Try twisted Mist!'

Served over ice with a slice of lime, it was the perfect drink for a hot “Summer” evening in May.

These were people who would usually be drinking my best red wine, but I think at least for the summer I might be able to reserve it now that I have them hooked on Mojitos! Quote from neighbour, “perfect for my hot tub”!

At the initial rate of consumption I’m thinking I will be having to start another batch soon!

Twisted Mist is on sale until this Saturday, May 22nd, 2010!

Happy Mojitoing folks!

Diane (Wine Sense- McPhillips)

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Filed under: General by Craig

Questions we get asked a lot at Wine Sense include “Can I use screw top bottles instead of corks?” and “Why can’t I just serve my wine straight from the carboy?” What is the difference, anyway?

Sure, serving directly out of your carboy or simply screwing on a cap do seem like time savers, but there are a lot of aspects of not bottling properly that may become damaging to your wine in the long run, such as oxidization.

Oxidization occurs when too much oxygen comes into contact with your wine, giving it odd colours and tastes. This can happen many different ways, but re-using screw top wine bottles with loosened threads is one of them, as the oxygen has the ability to sneak between the threads to get at your wine. New screw caps are not really an option for the home winemaker. Commercial wineries have very expensive machines that actually mold the cap to the bottle neck. Nice yes- but not affordable for the home winemaker.

A winemakers best friend!

The other common way for oxidization to occur is serving your wine directly out of the carboy. As the level of the wine goes down, the wine comes into contact with more and more oxygen.

So, whats the solution? Cork! Corks are able to form a barrier between the oxygen and your wine, allowing it to age and mature as it should in the bottles.

If the trouble of bottling is still deterring you from storing your wine in a safe way, there are a few tools that can make your job easier. Our “Wine on Tap” system allows you to have wine at your fingertips by bagging 7 litres of your wine into one bag. This keeps your wine safe, easy to access, and saves you from bottling!

The Wine-On-Tap works great on the counter or in the fridge!

Bottle fillers, bottle trees and avvinators are also great tools to help you in the bottling process. Stop in or call your Wine Sense to get more information on these pieces of equipment!

Obviously storage of your wine is vital — so put a cork in it!

Cheers,

Megan, Manager (Wine Sense- Portage Ave.)

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Filed under: General by Craig