Wine is a great gift because the recipient can use it and recycle the leftover bottle either in the recycling bin or into a timeless candleholder. There are plenty of things that make a good wine gift from the inexpensive to the extravagant.

Hardware

A serious aficionado will already own one corkscrew, maybe more. Unless you can find a unique ergonomic corkscrew or some piece of art, you may have to be more creative about your wine gift.

More and more kitchen stores are selling cute corks, decorated with motifs from golf to animals. Some less-expensive bottles of wine come with plastic corks but will keep better after being opened with a real tree-bark cork. Or maybe your friend just likes a kitchen decorated with their college mascot or her favorite flower.

As wine gets more popular, more stores are selling interesting wine racks, even just for a single bottle of wine. Stores that push fine design will have the most creative racks to give as a wine gift. From the inexpensive but chic at Ikea or hand-sculptured racks made by artists, your favorite aficionado will appreciate a stylish way to store wine. Be sure to pick a rack that stores the wine horizontally so that the wine touches the cork from the inside.

Nobody exactly wants to write their name with a magic marker on their wine glass. A good accessory wine gift is a little box of wine charms. These small metal rings clip around the stem of a wineglass – just remember the decoration on your wine charm, and you know your glass.

For The Collector

Many people really “collect” the wines they drink, maintaining a list of their favorite wineries and vintages.

An old jar full of corks may be memory lane for a wine drinker, but you can give a wine gift to incorporate and display the collection. Look for kits that allow people to glue corks into a frame that becomes a bulletin board or tray when it is full.

Stores also sell creative wine diaries. A book with a wine-related cover and pages printed with forms ready to receive information and comments is also a good wine gift. To go all out, pick out matching coasters.

Plenty of people pick out wine by the label – that is, how pretty or interesting the label is. These labels make a nice collection too. People steam the labels off an empty bottle of wine and save them somewhere either as a record or just a thing to look at. Think about a picture album to hold your friend’s label collection.

James Wilson

What is wine fermentation?

In short, it is the complex action whereby the living organism of yeast breaks the sugar down into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The action of the yeast on the sugar continues until the volume of alcohol has reached somewhere between 12.5% to 14%.

At this stage, the yeast organism is destroyed by the alcohol it has produced and fermentation ceases. This is what is known as a natural wine. Most commercial products come under this category until they have been fortified. This period of fermenting in the tub can be a dangerous time. Because of this, the fermentation process should be completed as soon as possible (even at the risk of losing a little of the wine’s bouquet).

Next, we must then keep the brew warm. Our goal here is to bring about ideal conditions in which the living organism and yeast cells can multiply more rapidly. Warmth helps to ensure this. The faster they multiply, the more rapidly they convert the sugar into alcohol and therefore, the sooner the yeast destroys itself.

Do not be tempted to keep a brew hot during fermentation. During warm weather, any odd spot will do for a fermenting brew. Also, a warm spot in the kitchen or in an airing cupboard is as good as any during the winter.

After 14 day of fermentation in a warm place, the wine can be bottled or put into stone jars. This is the time to add the isinglass.

Adding the Isinglass:

Isinglass is not needed to clarify flower or fruit wines made with the recipes given at www.e-homewinemaking.com. These wines will clarify themselves quite readily within a few weeks of fermentation. Nor is isinglass an absolute need for clearing root wines. However, I have found that root wines and wines made from a mixture of roots and fruits, do clear more readily with the help of isinglass. For this reason, some recipes will instruct you to “proceed with isinglass and bottling”.

When put into wine, isinglass forms an insoluble cloud which surrounds the minute solids in the wine and gradually forces them to the bottom of the bottle.

Besides assisting the clearing process, isinglass helps to solidify the lees, thereby rendering them less easy to disturb while moving the bottles or when wine is poured from a bottle containing lees.

There are many methods of using isinglass, but the one I use myself without fail results is as follows:

Take one quart of the wine and warm it very slowly in a saucepan. Next, crumble 1/8 of an ounce of isinglass over the surface of this wine and then stir with a fork until everything is dissolved. Then pour it into the rest of the wine in a circular motion.

Many people advise dissolving the isinglass in a small amount of water. As we’ve seen, ordinary tap-water quite often contains wild yeast; the very act, then, of using water might well ruin all of our efforts to keep wild yeast out of the wine.

When purchased from a chemist in 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce quantities, the amount required is easy to calculate, and this is usually plenty for one gallon of wine.

When the isinglass has been added, put the wine into sterilized bottles or jars and cover as already directed. The wine must then be returned to a warm place, and kept there until all fermentation has ceased.

If the wine were put in a cold place the yeast might go dormant and the wine would not be able to ferment. If it were later moved into a warm room, or the weather happened to turn very warm, the yeast would become active and start fermenting again. In a warm place, fermentation will not fail.

If you happen to notice that the top half-inch of wine has become crystal-clear, seal the bottles at once! This is a clear indication that fermentation has stopped. Unfortunately, we rarely get this invaluable guide.

When all fermentation has stopped and when no more small bubbles are rising to the top, the yeast is dead. Fermentation cannot begin again unless wild yeast or bacteria get into the wine and start that souring ferment that I’ve previously mentioned. Perfect air-tight sealing at the earliest possible stage of production is critical.

Push the cork down hard and seal with sealing-wax. If screw-top bottles are available, use these if you prefer. Personally, I never use any other kind when I can find them. Remember that the yeast is dead, so fermentation cannot begin again and explode the bottles or blow the corks unless wild yeast or bacteria reach the wine. Screw-top bottles are, then, the obvious choice.

About The Author

James Wilson owns & operates www.e-homewinemaking.com, a site providing wine-making tips, tricks and techniques. If you’re interested in making your own wine, visit www.e-homewinemaking.com today and sign up for the FREE wine-making mini-course!

Ben Bicais

Correct wine etiquette makes the tasting experience more comfortable and enjoyable. Like most interests, there is a set of protocol that most wine lovers adhere to. Good taste dictates that tasting at wineries, ordering wine at restaurants, and hosting a dinner party all require certain formalities.

Tasting Room Etiquette

In a winery’s tasting room, white wines are generally tasted first, followed by reds, and then dessert wines. Within these categories, lighter-bodied wines preceed fuller-bodied ones. Water and crackers may be offered to cleanse the palate between each wine. Correct wine etiquette does not require that you must finish every glass. Winery tasting rooms provide jars to dispose of excess wine. Do not feel that you need to sample every wine offered- taste what appeals to you.

If you ask for a second tasting of a particular wine, it is in good taste to buy a bottle. Many wineries charge tasting fees which are generally applied to any purchase. It is not mandatory that you buy wine; purchase only what you desire. That being said, if you have made an appointment at a small winery, it is in good taste to make a purchase.

General Restaurant Wine Etiquette

Wine service at a nice restaurant can be an unneccessarily difficult ordeal. The following tips will allow you to follow the customs of wine service with ease and confidence.

When choosing a wine from a restaurant’s wine list, the main goal is to accomplish a suitable pairing with the entrees of your party. If the food orders are too different to generalize with one wine, consider purchasing splits or ordering by the glass. Waiters and sommeliers are there to answer your questions, but availing yourself to their services and advice will be much more beneficial if your questions are relatively specific.

For example, don’t ask the sommelier, “What goes well with a rack of lamb?” Rather, ask, “I’d like to balance the spiciness of the lamb with a full-bodied, Syrah-based Rhone. Do you have any favorites?” Your effort will be appreciated and service and interaction will be more seamless. I guarentee you will be pleased with the outcome.

After ordering, the waiter/sommelier will retrieve your selection, and then present it, label forward, to the host of the party. This is merely to verify it is the correct wine. The cork is removed and placed on the table. Unless it is clearly tainted, (the waiter/sommelier should notice if it is) do not touch or smell it, as it means nothing.

A small amount will then be poured for the host. Swirl the wine in the glass, smell, then taste. This is to make sure the wine is not spoiled and it is not an opportunity to send back a sound wine that you are not crazy about. After approval, the wine will be poured clockwise to the right, ladies first. The host’s glass will be topped last.

Corkage Etiquette

It is increasingly customary in many parts of the country for restaurants to extend corkage policies for patrons whom wish to bring their own wine. However, this is not the case everywhere, (especially on the East Coast), and proper wine etiquette dictates that several things be kept in mind.

Always call the restaurant in advance to verify that corkage is allowed. Ask what the fee is to avoid any surprises. In my experience, very few restaurants charge over $20 as a corkage fee. Some restaurants will waive this fee if an additional bottle is purchased from the wine list, but do not assume that this is the case.

Wine brought to a restaurant should be relatively unique or rare, and definitely should not appear on the restaurant’s wine list. After the waiter/sommelier opens and pours the contents, proper wine etiquette requires that you offer them a taste. Following these guidelines will ensure an enjoyable corkage experience.

The Duty of the Host at Dinner Parties

The duty of the host toward his/her guests is one of the most ancient and enduring forms of etiquette in human civilization. When serving wine, making sure that your guests are comfortable with the process is your paramount concern.

Before serving, always allow wine time to breathe at room temperature. Never pour wine for guests immediately after opening. It is the host’s responsibility to discreetly ensure that the wine is sound and unspoiled. This should be done away from company, and a small amount should be sampled.

Always serve wine to your guests in clean, spotless glasses. This may seem obvious, but it is a very common mistake. Additionally, if more than one wine is served, make sure that they are poured in a logical progression.

Especially with older wines, be aware that there may be a significant amount of sediment at the bottom of the bottle. Keep this in mind when deciding the portion given to each guest. Avoid the embarrassing situation of the last person receiving an unacceptable amount of solids in their glass. If this is a concern with a particular bottle, refrain from pouring the last half glass.

It may be necessary to decant a wine to either remove sediment or to expose it to oxygen. Be cautious with this practice, as older wines may quickly fade if left in a decanter for too long.

Wine enjoyment should be an enjoyable and unintimidating process. With these tips in mind, you are prepared for the majority of social situations that involve wine.

Ben Bicais lives in the Napa Valley and is the webmaster of www.california-wine-tours-and-accessories.com.

ben@california-wine-tours-and-accessories.com