8/30/2004

Keeping Fermenters Cool During Hot Weather

Keeping wine cool during fermentation is a very important part of high quality winemaking. Fermenting musts under too much heat (remember, the process creates its own heat) creates hydrogen sulfide which is indicated by an awful, rotten-egg smell. In addition, the vigorous ferment can blow off the primary fruit aromas and have other deleterious effects on the resulting wine.

To help home wine makers deal with the problem of keeping fermenters cool, consider trying a cooling coil.
A cooling coil is essentially a stainless-steel coil; you can place it in your fermenter and run cold water through it to cool the juice or must.


Fantastic homemade wine resource: WineMaker Magazine published this great tip in 2002:

The first step is to make a coil out of one-inch or 1.5-inch stainless steel tubing. Coil the tubing into loose loops within your fermenter. CAUTION: do NOT use copper, as the Ph is likely to cause the copper to leach into the wine.

Next, weld on standard garden hose fittings. Once you can hook the loop up to your water source, turn the water on slowly and you have a constant source of cool water travelling through the tube and cooling your juice or must. It works much like the tank-cooling jackets large commercial wineries use but on the inside!

Oklahoma Wines at the Tulsa State Fair

The Wine Garden at Tulsa State Fair

Several of Oklahoma’s finest winemakers (I know Sparks Vineyard will be there, so far) and gourmet chefs will present products that will entice all your senses. Enjoy wine tasting, live music, and fine art viewing in an elegant and relaxed atmosphere.

Date: Sep 30 - Oct 10, 2004.
Place: Tulsa, Fairgrounds.
Phone: 918-744-1113
Fax: 918-748-0051

8/27/2004

Canopy Management and Trellising Article

Learn the advantages and disadvantages of the major wine grape trellis systems for canopy management: Cordon Training, Vertical Shoot Positioned Trellis, Scott Henry Trellis, Guyot Training, Geneva Double Curtain, U Shaped Trellis, etc.

The ideal in canopy management is to find for each vineyard an arrangement of vine leaves on the trellis that balances the many factors that influence fruit quality—and therefore wine quality. These factors include things such as: the number of shoots per vine and the way in which they are placed on the trellis guide wires, the number of leaves per shoot and their orientation to the sun, the number of grape clusters per shoot and their shading within the canopy, as well as many other factors.

Each different trellising system offers growers varying opportunities to influence the fruit quality through canopy management. - Cole Danehower


- from Trellising the Grape:
An Unsung Aspect of Wine Quality by Cole Danehower

Woods & Waters Winery Anadarko, Oklahoma

Woods & Waters winery and vineyards has a new website online. The winery near Anadarko is located in Caddo county. Their vineyard contains 8 varieties of wine grapes.
'The wines at Woods & Waters Winery are only produced form Oklahoma grown grapes and mostly from our own vineyard.'

Open Daily from Noon till 6:00pmSundays: 2:00pm till 6:00pm
For other reservations call: 580-588-2515

Governo Wine Definition from Wine Spectator

What is the governo method of making wine?

The governo method has been most frequently used in the Chianti region of Tuscany, and is therefore sometimes actually referred to as governo alla toscana. The governo method involves harvesting grapes in October and November, then setting them aside to dry. These dried grapes are later pressed, and their unfermented juice is added to wine that has already undergone normal alcoholic fermentation.

As a result of the governo method, the alcoholic strength of the wine will usually increase, as will the amount of carbon dioxide within it. The most important effect, however, is that governo encourages malolactic fermentation, in which harsh malic acid is converted into softer lactic acid. This malolactic fermentation (second fermentation) is desirable in wines with high acidity, but can be difficult to start in cool temperatures. Governo helps overcome this problem and allows the wines to be consumed at a younger age.

Governo Wine Definition from Wine Spectator

8/26/2004

Natura Winery Harvest Party Aug 28

Annual Harvest Party!!

Saturday, August 28th, at 7:30p.m.

Take a hayride through the newly harvested vineyard and let the winemakers show 11 varieties of grapes. Enjoy a harvest feast with some wine influenced dishes and even some grape stomping!

Enjoy wine tasting while listening to the DJ play some wine spirited music. The party starts at 7:30pm Saturday, August 28. Cost- $18 per person.
Please call Natura Winery and reserve by August 26, 756-9463.

8/25/2004

BBQ and Blues in Big Cabin Sept. 11

Cabin Creek Vineyards BBQ and Blues Event
Sept. 11
4-9 pm $15 per person

Head out to Cabin Creek Vineyards for some cool sounds and hot BBQ ...wash it down with their new Rodeo Red or Siren wines.

Call: 918 606 3608 OR E mail: Shirazccv@cox.net for reservations by Sept 8
Tell 'em Oklahoma Wine News sent ya!

8/24/2004

A Winery in Every One of the 50 States

USA Today has published an informative guide to U.S. Wine Production. Checkout the growth of wineries across the United States. The page uses Flash so be on the lookout for some strange navigation.
More than 80 years after prohibition crushed a thriving industry, winemaking has fully regained its footing in America. There is now at least one winery in every state. About 2200 wineries produce an array of offerings made from 50 types of grapes, other fruits and honey.

To learn more about the amazing history of American wineries check out: American Vintage - The Rise of American Wine by Paul Lukacs

http://www.usatoday.com/graphics/life/gra/uswine/flash.swf


8/23/2004

Harvest Celebrations Throughout Oklahoma

It is Wine Grape Harvest Season in Oklahoma!

It seems like every Oklahoma winery is having a party, grape stomping or other event in the next month or so. For folks interested in learning more about the emerging Oklahoma wine industry, Spring and Fall are the busy times. While Spring is the busy season for wine grape vine sellers and planters, Fall is the season for grape picking, Harvest parties and The Crush.

The Crush is the time of year when the grapes are picked and processed. Grapes for the so-called 'finer' wines are not literally and dramatically crushed, but are broken open to allow their juice to run out.


Saturday, Aug. 28, and Saturday Sept 4, watch as the grape harvest is brought to Tidal School winery for CRUSH! The grapes will arrive about noon on each day and you can see the Oklahoma Grape Harvest processed as the fruit begins its journey to become wine. While you are there get a free photo of yourself stomping grapes! For more information visit Tidal School Vineyards website: www.tidalschool.com or Call toll free 866 258 1903.

Join Summerside Vineyards & Winery in celebrating their Cynthiana harvest and crush at their 2004 Harvest Party on August 28th. Live the glamorous life of an Oklahoma grape picker for just one day! Start at 8am with a Continental Breakfast, Cynthiana Grape Picking, Stomping, Summerside Route 66 Red Wine souvenir t-shirt, ending with a wonderful Brunch for only $20 per person! This is a reservation only event and space is limited. For reservations call: (918) 256-3000, (888) 508-WINE, or visit their website at: www.summersidevineyards.com

Nuyaka Creek Winery be having their harvest celebration (no work, just a party!) on Sept. 18. They have a new Red and White wine to debut (a chianti and a Sauvignon Blanc), as well as hosting an OU Sooners watch party (sure beats picking grapes).
Moothfeathers winery is hosting a concert Aug. 21 and Stone Bluff will host their harvest event Sept 24 and 25, just north of Haskell, Oklahoma.

So, put on your party shoes Oklahoma...and celebrate the wine grape harvest!

8/20/2004

Oklahoma Restaurant Offers Oklahoma Wines!

For those of you who, like me, thought that there wasn't such a thing as an Oklahoma restaurant that offers Oklahoma wines...the times they are a changin'!

Polo Grill Restaurant Wine Dinner Oct. 9, 2004

Featuring the cuisine of The Polo Grill paired with the wines of Stone Bluff Cellars promises to be a wonderful event.

Saturday October 9, 2004 at 6:30 pm at The Polo Grill. Call (918) 744-4280 for reservations. Seating is limited.

Stone Bluff Cellars - tell 'em you heard about it on Oklahoma Wine News!

Concert in the Park - Moonfeathers Winery Aug 21

Troy Hardin will be appearing at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 at the Moonfeathers Winery, north of Guthrie at Exit 157.

Directions are 1/10 mile east of Interstate 35 and ½ mile north of State Highway 33; 282-8463.

Oklahoma Wine News

8/18/2004

New Oklahoma Vineyards and Winery in Chandler

Greenfield Vineyards and Winery is Coming to Chandler!

Although they don't plan to open for business until April of 2005, you can get a sneak peak now. Just stop by the Greenfield Vineyards page on OklahomaWines.org to see some vineyard pictures and make a dateto visit them. Tell 'em Oklahoma Wine News sent ya!

Tours available anytime by appointment. Winery opening April 2005!
Located only 4 miles north of Chandler on Hwy 18 then 1 mile east and ¼ mi north, driveway on the left (west).

New Oklahoma Winery and OGGWMA Member - Greenfield Vineyards and Winery

8/17/2004

Learn the PR Secrets of Successful Wineries

How do you compete against 10,000 wineries?

There are more than 2000 wineries in America, and many thousands more overseas, trying to sell wine to American consumers. To do so, they must find a way to gain favorable attention so they can sell their wine in spite of excess supply and tough competition.

A new book by Harvey Posert and Paul Franson, called Spinning the Bottle, provides a collection of essays written by public relations professionals in the industry, who tell war stories and offer tips on what to do and what not to do.

The winery giants of the Central Valley are well represented in the book, with chapters dealing with E.&J. Gallo, Bronco Wine Co. and Delicato Family Vineyards. Posert, a wine industry public relations veteran who directed PR at The Wine Institute and Robert Mondavi, has become the spokesman for Two Buck Chuck, Bronco's runaway success story. He writes about the lessons to be learned from that phenomenon.

Wine Industry Public Relations books like this one don't come cheap. For evidence of this, check the going price on: Successful Wine Marketing by Kirby S. Moulton and James T. Lapsley.

Shipping Wine and Gifts from Summerside Winery Vineyard and Inn

Intrastate Shipping

I never cease to be amazed at the incredible lengths Oklahoma winemakers go through to pursue their craft. Where are the free trade advocates when a small business needs them?


Currently, Oklahoma doesn't allow shipping to our customers who live in our own state. Please contact your legislator to express hope that Oklahoma will become a state that promotes a more open and competitive market.


The above quote is from the shipping policy posted online by Summerside Vineyards in Vinita. You can bet they have spent years interpreting Oklahoma's arcane alcohol regulations to create this page. Shipping Wine and Gifts from Summerside Winery Vineyard and Inn

It is worth a look to see that the Oklahoma legislature has managed to make shipping from Oklahoma wineries legal for the states of: AK, DC, GA, LA, NE, NV, NH, ND, SC, WY but NOT Oklahoma!

8/13/2004

Tres Suenos Winery Nouveau Festival October 2

Luther, Oklahoma's Nouveau Festival!
The annual Nouveau Festival will be Saturday, October 2, 2004. The festivities will begin at 11:00 a.m. and finish around 8:00 p.m. or until the last person leaves. We will have lots of great food, entertainment, free wine tasting and tours, and fun for the whole family.

If you have questions or need additional information concerning our events, please call: 405-277-7089 or e-mail: tressuenos@netzero.net

Tres Suenos News Page

Welcome to the Twin Lakes Vineyard

Oklahoma Welcome's Twin Lakes Vineyard

Grape varieties include: Steuben, Vidal, Cynthiana, Rivat 51, Zinfandel, Golden Muscat, Chardonnel, and Rubiayat.


Well their website is a little rough, but I say give 'em time.
Like my Dad, they are clearly willing to try some very non-traditional fruits in their wines.

Don, their vintner has even won a few awards for his wines:

  • 2002 Apricot Silver Medal

  • 2002 Jalapeno Silver Medal

  • 2003 Cynthiana Bronze Medal

  • 2003 Jalapeno Bronze Medal



i'll get back to you with info on their location and plans for opening.

Twin Lakes Vineyard

8/11/2004

How a Winery Operates - A Business Overview

How a Winery Operates

Initiated by Duckhorn Wine Company founder, Dan Duckhorn, this archival series on How a Winery Operates seeks to explain, in straightforward detail, the business-side of the wine industry. Although passion is a definite pre-requisite in the winegrowing community, understanding the finance and business aspects will hopefully further explain the challenges that face vintners in the Napa Valley and throughout the world.


Duckhorn Wine Company: How a Winery Operates

8/10/2004

How to Remove Red Wine Stain from Clothes

Recently, I stumbled onto an excellent new wine blog that offers a great tip on the age old problem of red wine stains on cloth. Check out the smal excerpt below then stop buy and visit Mariquita & Sharon's Wine Blog. Tell 'em Oklahoma Wine News sent ya!

...In a panic I searched on the web to see if anyone had come up with an easy way to remove red wine from clothing, especially from colors since it would be easy to bleach the whites. And the web delivered - we found a great stain remover that can be used on whites and colors alike without bleaching or leaving any remnants of the stain.


Here's her tip in a nutshell:
Mix Dawn dishwashing liquid soap with hydrogen peroxide...then pour on the stain and let sit as a presoak. CAUTION: neither of these ingredients works by itself, you must use them BOTH.

Check out the full article on Mariquita & Sharon's Wine Blog: Out, Out Damn (Red) Spot

New Wine Appellations Await U.S. Approval

Most wine producing areas have evolved appellations to identify and highlight specific growing areas. Official wine appellations facilitate the protection of geographical indications for wines. Earning the federal stamp for a U.S. appellation requires winemakers to submit paperwork documenting locally significant geography, climate and growing conditions that make their wine unique. The intent is to use knowledge of the appellation system for consumers to get a handle on wine quality. Soon Oklahoma's own Summerside Vineyards may succeed in getting their own appellation identified.

With a record number of petitions for American Viticultural Areas (AVA) in the hopper - 43 to be exact - the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has its hands full.

Of the appellation petitions in progress, 35 are applications for new AVAs: 18 from California, eight from Oregon, two from Illinois, two from Texas and one each from Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma and Washington. Some petitions represent regions long known for wine production, such as Calistoga, in Napa Valley. Other applications come from regions that are off the beaten path in terms of winemaking, such as Grand Lake O' the Cherokees in Oklahoma.


Full article from Wine Spectator Online Daily Wine News: A Record Number of Wine Appellations Await U.S. Approval

Oklahoma Welcomes Parsons Vineyard and Winery

New Oklahoma Winery on the Way!

Pottawatomie County Commissioners approved an application for a liquor license for a new vineyard at their regular meeting Monday morning at the county courthouse.
Parsons Vineyard and Winery, LLC, is applying for the license as an Oklahoma winemaker. The vineyard will be at 15401 Gaddy Road on former Shawnee farm land.
Applicants are Joe Rick Parsons and Joyce Ann Parsons of Shawnee.

Shawnee News-Star Online story - Commissioners approve vineyard's application 07/29/04

8/09/2004

Oklahoma Wine Festival at Nuyaka Creek September 18, 2004

Nuyaka Creek Winery has announced a couple of welcome additions to their annual celebration of the grape harvest.

For the first time, Renegade Barbecue will providing the food concessions. Those of you who asked for more low carb food at the Spring's festival should be pleased.

Also, longtime Oklahoma music favorite Larry Spears will providing genuine Made-in-Oklahoma music. Larry is a longtime supporter of the Oklahoma wine industry and Nuyaka Creek. It is always a pleasure and an honor to have him perform.

Nuyaka Creek Winery will be pouring literally DOZENS of Oklahoma wines for tasting and purchase. Taste all of the wines just for buying a $5 souvenir wine glass; admission and parking are free as usual. Take advantage of our Fall sale on Oklahoma wine grape vines, while you are here.

Oklahoma Wine Festival at Nuyaka Creek Saturday September 18, 2004

8/06/2004

Plymouth Valley Vineyard Open House Aug. 8

Plymouth Valley Vineyard Open House
Sunday, August 8 2004
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 'Dark Thirty'
  • Vineyard Tours
  • Viewing of grapes ready for harvest
  • Grape Stomp
  • Join us under the tent for fellowship
  • Cold Refreshing “MIOâ€� Grape Juice
  • Watonga Cheese
  • Plymouth Valley Jellies
  • Homemade Zweibach
  • Fireworks at Dusk

Directions: Fairview – 5 miles South, 1 mile East, ¾ mile South OR South of Fairview @ Jct 58 & 51A – take 51A South ¼ mile – Turn East l mile (all weather road)

8/05/2004

Cabin Creek Vineyard Anniversary Party Aug. 13

Cabin Creek Vineyard One Year Anniversary Party
Aug 13, 2004 in Big Cabin, Oklahoma.
Time: 7-11 pm

Enjoy Cool Tunes, Sinful Desserts, New Wine Release and Name Cabin Creek Vineyard's Next Wine Contest.
Admission: $8 Per Person, Reservations Required. Please Reserve by Aug 10, 2004.
Contact: Call Pam at: 918-606-3608 or email: Shirazccv@cox.net

Learn more about Oklahoma Wines and Events at: OGGWMA Wine Tourism Site

8/03/2004

Bush Team Punts on Wine Shipping Reform

With business, evangelicals, free trade supporters and a wealth of special interests all weighing in heavily on the issue of wine shipments, don't expect clear leadership from Washington.
Thursday was the initial deadline for amicus - also called friend-of-the-court - briefs to be filed in two consolidated Internet wine sales cases. The cases challenge New York, Michigan and other states that require alcohol be sold through a network of wholesalers and retailers rather than directly to customers.

The Lodi, Calif.-based Lucas Winery is at the center of one of the lawsuits, which have pulled well-placed Republican attorneys in opposite directions. Former independent counsel Kenneth Starr, for instance, now represents California wineries that have high hopes for Internet sales, while President Bush's close ally Miguel Estrada represents the wholesalers who want to retain the current system.


Check out the full article: Bush administration silent on Internet wine sales By MICHAEL DOYLE August 02, 2004

Woodward Made-in-Oklahoma Wine Event Oct 15-17

The good folks in Woodward Oklahoma are looking for Oklahoma wineries to participate in their Annual Fall-A-Days Festival.

In the month of October, K-1O1/KWOX-FM, Z-92/KMZE-FM, and KOMI-TV here in Woodward will be hosting our annual “Fall-a-Days� trade show. This show has been a very successful annual event for the past 17 years. It is a show that attracts thousands of people and a large number of vendors.

For years we have tried to develop a plan that would attract MADE IN OKLAHOMA EXHIBITORS to this show. With the change in Oklahoma laws regarding Oklahoma Wine and Beer sales and “off premises� wine tasting allowed at Festivals, this OCTOBER we will change the setting and host Northwest Oklahoma’s first ever MADE IN OKLAHOMA PRODUCTS & WINE FESTIVAL in conjunction with our FALL-A-DAYS trade show.


Oklahoma Wine News - Your Source for Wine Events in Oklahoma