Winemaking 101A and 101B - Saturday, August 2, 2008
Back by popular demand, SHW will be offering Winemaking 101 again this summer. Geared toward the new winemaker, the morning session will cover the basics - grape sourcing, winemaking equipment, chemicals, yeast and nutrients, taking the wannabe enologist through the beginning winemaking steps.
After lunch, we?ll discuss racking, aging, more chemistry, oak additives, possible fixes to problems, filtering and bottling. The afternoon is for both new and novice winemakers. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions.
Linda and J. Page have again generously offered their winery and home in Elverta as the training site. We anticipate each session to last 2-3 hours and participants are welcome to attend one or both sessions. There is no charge for either session; there is a small charge (under $10) for lunch.
Seats are limited so to secure your place, please contact Gin Yang-Staehlin at ginyangstaehlin@yahoo.com or (916) 217-0294.
Non-SHW members are welcome.
Some past meeting summaries:
April 16, 2008 Program
It's that time of year again! Red wine
evaluations! Oh, wait -- this year we split it in
half! Twice the fun!
Bordeaux wines first! On April 16 we will host
Mike Ramsey, Laboratory Manager of UCD
Enology Department, and Chik Brennerman,
Cellarmaster of UCD Enology Department, as
they swirl, sniff, and sip their way through our
interpretations of the Bordeaux region
varietals. So grab your Cabernet Sauvignons,
Merlots, Cabernet Francs, Malbecs, and Petite
Verdots, and any combination of them, and come
to the meeting!
We split the red wine evaluations because there
was so much participation that our evaluators
were having trouble focusing ... Imagine that! So
if you put 5% Syrah in your Bordeaux Blend,
bring it. But, if the Syrah is predominant in the
nose, save it for next month when Darrell
Corti will sample all other reds.
Bring your glasses and we'll see you there! REMINDER--only active members can have their wines evaluated.
April 12, 2008 - Measuring SO2 Using Aeration-Oxidation Method
Workshop with Winemaker Jason Fernandez
Measuring SO2 Using Aeration-Oxidation Method
Workshop with Winemaker Jason Fernandez
SO2 in your wines ? having the right amount is so necessary yet so difficult.
Total SO2, free SO2. When testing reds, does the Ripper/titration method
leave you a bit unsure WHEN you?ve reached the end point? You?re not alone.
The other common way for measuring SO2, with a more accurate end point, is
the aeration-oxidation method. Jason Fernandez, co-owner and winemaker
of Revolution Wines has graciously offered to demonstrate this industry standard that he and
other wine professionals use. The necessary lab tools to perform the aeration-oxidation method
is more costly than the alternative method, but think: no more crossed fingers hoping that
you?ve added enough SO2 to protect your wines.
Join us for Jason?s one-hour workshop on Saturday, April 12, starting at 3 PM, at
his winery at 2116 P Street (21st and P) in midtown Sacramento. While we?re there,
we?ll have the opportunity to taste Revolution?s wines (thanks, Jason!). This winery is believed
to be the first winery to operate within Sacramento city limits since Prohibition. Check out
Revolution Wines website for more information: www.revolution-wines.com.
If you haven?t already, please R.S.V.P. for this workshop so that we can inform our host of the
body count and plan the snacks. Call Gin at 916 217-0294 or email her at
ginyangstaehlin@yahoo.com.
And, while you?re in the midtown area that afternoon, April 12 just happens to be the second
Saturday of the month, which means that many midtown art galleries and businesses will be
open into the evening for the Second Saturday Art Walk (2nd-sat.com). After visiting
Revolution Wines, grab a light dinner (some art galleries offer munchies and wine), and then
stroll the streets enjoying music, art, and all that the midtown grid has to offer
(midtowngrid.com).
Winemakers' Harvest Dinner, Sunday, November 4, 2007
Back by popular demand, this year's SHW Winemakers Harvest Dinner is to be held at Aeoli's Bodega Española, for the third (3rd) time! Aeoli's is the wonderful Spanish (not Mexican) Restaurant in downtown Sacramento. Weather permitting; this will again be a pleasant afternoon/early evening in the back patio of the restaurant, located at 18th and L Streets (1800 L), in Sacramento on Sunday, November 4, 2007 @ 4:00 PM.
The menu is fantastic! And the space is limited, so please send in your reservation as soon as possible to guarantee your space (and to allow the chef to do his magic).
There is NO (zip, zero) corkage fee, so bring your bottles of prior years vintage to enjoy and share with other home winemakers. The cost is only 37.00 per person for the wonderfully varied menu above, plus unlimited wines of all types, great friends, conversation and relaxation! The crush will be over, it will definitely be time to celebrate! Again, space is limited so return the reservation form ASAP.
You must reserve by Monday, October 29, 2007. Call JUDY at (916) 319-0591 if you have questions.
November 14, 2007 Program Preview
2007
The November 14 SHW Club meeting is designed to electrify your senses. First, arrive on a timely basis since this meeting is also the Club's annual meeting when Club officers are elected for the following year. It's important to be there because, who knows, you might be elected to something if you aren't there (just kidding- or not!).
Following the annual elections, we'll have the honor of tasting Club members' wines that placed first in 2007 wine competitions. This includes golds, double-golds, best of class and best of shows. So, if you struck gold this year, please bring in 2 bottles of your esteemed wine for tasting.
Then, you'll be treated to a pairing adventure in Chilean wines and foods. Christian Ruz, a newer club member is a total foodie and will be sharing "his" Chile with us: the wine history, the geography, the climate, the different grapes, the wine styles, the culture. We'll taste Chilean wines and sample a few Chilean dishes prepared by Christian. Come with a partially filled tummy so that you'll have room to enjoy some tantalizing tastes.
Please note that the November 14 meeting is on the 2nd Wednesday of November. We'll meet upstairs in the Turn Verein, starting at 7PM.
May Club Meeting May 16, 2007
NOTE 6:30 PM Start: Red Club Wine Evaluation
May
16, 2007 Program Preview - New Red Wines Tasting and Evaluation May's program
will be the annual tasting and evaluation of members' 2006 red wines. Many members
see this session as an invaluable tool in assessing their new reds. Confirmed
panel evaluators include: Mike Ramsey, Teaching Lab Manager, UC Davis, Department
of Enology and Viticulture; Michael Williams, wine educator and judge; and Rico
Marisi, wine merchant. All three evaluators will offer analysis from different
viewpoints: technical-chemistry, wine competition, and sensory. If you'd like
to have your new red wine evaluated bring TWO 750 ml bottles of no more than ONE
wine to taste and for analysis.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday the May 16
and it will start at 7:00 pm, sharp, at the Turn Verein Hall located at 3349 J
Street. The SHW meets upstairs. Remember to bring your wine glasses for tasting!
April
Club Meeting April 18, 2007: White and Rose Club Wine Evaluation
April's
meeting continues the tradition of tasting and evaluating Club members' white
and rosé wines made in 2006. This is a great opportunity to receive feed-back
on the fruits of your labor before it's too late to address issues, if there are
any. This year's guest evaluators are Mike Ramsey, Teaching Lab Manager, UC Davis,
Department of Enology and Viticulture, and Peter Marks, wine production and marketing
manager for his Six Hands Winery in Walnut Grove. If you'd like to have your new
whites and rosés evaluated: Bring TWO 750 ml bottles of no more than TWO different
white and rosé wines to sample.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday the 18th and
it will start at 7:00 pm, sharp, at the Turn Verein Hall located at 3349 J Street.
The SHW meets upstairs. Remember to bring your wine glasses for tasting!
March
Club Meeting March 21, 2007: "Smelly Things in Wine"
One
of our favorite technical speakers, Sigrid Gertsen-Briand will be back at the
Club's March meeting to help us recognize the compounds that can impact the quality
of your wines. Sigrid, is part of Lallemand Yeasts technical support team in North
America. At this interactive session, you'll learn about the masks in wine: what
makes a wine clean and what makes a wine complex. Mark the date! Ad this is time
to bring that off-odor wine to find out what to do about it before it goes ove
the top! The
meeting will be held on Wednesday the 21st and it will start at 7:00 pm, sharp,
at the Turn Verein Hall located at 3349 J Street. The SHW meets upstairs. Remember
to bring your wine glasses for tasting!
February
21, 2007 Club Meeting: "Changing Course Off the Beaten Path"
Randall Grahm, president
for life, of Bonny Doon Vineyard
Join the club for a special evening with the Original
Rhone Deranger, the unpredictable and engaging Randall Grahm, president for life,
of Bonny Doon Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Randall's winemaking philosophy
makes simple sense: take chances, playing, always having fun.
So how does Randall Grahm do this? When he switched
to Stevlin screw caps closures (no corks here!), he held funerals for the death
of the cork nationwide. The vineyards near his winery focus on lesser-known Mediterranean
varietals (no chardonnay or merlot here!) because the climate is more suitable.
The winery is known for their "on the edge" labels - both in artwork
and play on words - resulting in a State of Ohio ban of Ralph Steadman's Cardinal
Zin label (no fun in there!)
Come spend an evening with Bonny Doon's owner and
winemaker; he'll share with you his passions for biodynamic farming, reconnecting
with the earth, the winery's recent business plan change, and creating wines from
grapes you may not have heard of. Randall will bring some of his wines for us
to taste and he wants to taste yours, so please bring a few
The meeting will be held on Wednesday the 21st and
it will start at 7:00 pm, sharp, at the Turn Verein Hall located at 3349 J Street.
The SHW meets upstairs. Remember to bring your wine glasses for tasting!
January
17, 2007 Club Meeting: Acidity: The Impact on Your Wine Mike
Ramsey, teaching laboratory manager in the Department of Viticulture and Enology
at UC Davis, is back with more wine chemistry. At this month's Club meeting, Mike
will be sharing with us the importance of acid in wine. He will be discussing
many issues. -
types of acids found in wine -
total acidity vs. fixed acidity -
relationship between acidity and pH -
acid additions at harvest -
deacidification by biological and chemical methods
-
acid
effect on spoilage and on wine -
SO2 impact; and -
analysis and sensory effects of juice and wine acids.
Don't
miss this informative meeting and learn the importance of acid and its impact
on your wines. The
meeting will be held on Wednesday the 17th and it will start at 7:00 pm, sharp,
at the Turn Verein Hall located at 3349 J Street. The SHW meets upstairs. Remember
to bring your wine glasses for tasting!
November
15, 2006 Club Meeting: Annual Meeting and The 2006 Gold Harvest If
you can't make it to any other SHW meeting during the year, make it to this one.
The November 15th Club meeting is also the Club's Annual Meeting, where the Club's
officers for the next year are elected and, when present, other club issues are
decided. A quorum is required to elect each year's officers.
After the Club business, we'll be tasting and mingling
with the gold. The highlights of this special meeting will be the tasting of members
wines that took top wine competition awards in 2006, and a guest presentation
by the winning duo of Rex Johnston and Barbara Bentley. Club members receiving
top awards at any 2006 wine competition, including the SHW Jubilee, are invited
to bring their award winning wines (1-2 bottles) to the November club meeting
for tasting and discussion. This is your opportunity to show off the fruits of
your labor, so bring in your golds and tell us how you did it. And Rex Johnston
and Barbara will be there to tell you how they did it. This year, the couple took
one or more "best of shows" in every wine and label competition they
entered, for a total of 28, including SHW's June Jubilee. Rex plans to bring his
award-winning 2005 Gewurztraminer for tasting and Barbara will show off her creative
talents by displaying and talking about her spectacular wine labels.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday the 15th and
it will start at 7:00 pm, sharp, at the Turn Verein Hall located at 3349 J Street.
The SHW meets upstairs. Remember to bring your wine glasses for tasting!
Mateo
Munoz pointed us toward an in-depth article
on Robert Parker published on the Atlantic Magazine web site.
The El
Dorado Home Wine Makers site contains information about the club, their
meetings, winemaking information and a number of interesting links. Check it out!
 The Sacramento
Home Winemakers Club proudly managed the California State Fair Home Winemaking
and Label Competitions for over 25 years until 2004. In 2006, the Lodi Amateur Vintners Association (L.A.V.A.)
began managing the State Fair competition. Past results of the State Fair competition are published on the LAVA
website at Lodiamateurvintners.org.
The annual Sacramento Home Winemakers
Jubilee is the Club's current local judged event for home wine and labels.
Refer to the SHW Jubilee link SHW Jubilee for information on entering wines and labes to the
SHW competition.
Top
of Page
Some wine tasting on the horizon: It appears to be heating
up! Please e-mail the SHW Webmaster
if you have any announcements. -
Elaine Smith from the SHW conducts educational
wine tastings. Please e-mail Elaine at elaine@winesavyconsulting.com for upcoming
events. -
Amadorwine.com
- Check this site for upcoming events involving Amador/foothill wineries.
-
Zinfandel.com
- Check this site for upcoming ZAP sponsored events -
Rhonerangers.com
- Check this site for upcoming Rhoneranger sponsored events -
Wine
Business Magazine Calendar of Events - A good list of events occurring
not only in California but also around the USA. In the left hand frame, click
on 'Calendar' under the 'OTHER' heading.
Top of Page
SHW
June Jubilee 2007 Results SHW
June Jubilee 2006 Wine and Label Results:
California Home Winemaking Competitions -
Sacramento Home Winemakers 2006 June Jubilee
The Club's annual Jubilee wine competition will be held on Saturday, June
3 in Rio Linda. Entries will be accepted from March 15 - May 17. Details and entry
forms are included in this newsletter. Many volunteer opportunities are still
available. For additional information, contact Judy Pinegar, SHW President and
Jubilee Coordinator at (916) 319-0591. Additional information and entry forms
are also available on the SHW website at Click
here for 2006 June Jubilee Wine and Label Entry Booklet in PDF format
-
El
Dorado County Fair Homemade Wine and Label Competitions
The El Dorado
Home Wine Makers Association is presenting the 2006 El Dorado County Fair's Homemade
Wine and Wine Label Competition and invites entries from all home winemakers.
Forms and entries will be accepted at the fair office from April 25 - May 5, with
the judging taking place on May 13. The fair runs from June 16-19. For additional
information, contact Mike Touchette at (530) 622-9660 or e-mail morningglory@morninggloryfermentation.com
-
San
Joaquin Fair Amateur Wine Competition
The Lodi Amateur Vintners Association
is coordinating the San Joaquin Fair's 2006 Amateur Wine Competition. Entries
will be accepted through May 13 from all California home winemakers. The fair
runs from June 14-25. Additional information can be found at http://www.sanjoaquinfair.com
or www.lodiamateurvintners.org
-
Calaveras
County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee Wine and Label Contests
The Calaveras
County Fair is accepting entries through April 14 for their 2006 Amateur Wine
and Label Design Contests. Wine entries must be produced from grapes grown, or
wines must be made in one of the following counties: Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado,
Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Tuolumne or Yuba. Label entrants must reside
in one of the counties identified above. The fair runs from May 17-21. For more
information and entry forms, go to http://www.frogtown.org
-
Santa
Barbara Fair and Expo Wine and Label Competitions
The 2006 Santa Barbara
Fair is accepting entries for homemade wine and wine labels competitions. Entry
forms are due by April 11. Wines entered may not be more than four years old.
The label competition is open to any home winemaker even if wines are not entered
for competition. Labels must have been designed, produced and printed in California.
The fair runs from April 26-30. Additional information and entry forms can be
found at http://www.sbfairandexpo.com
-
Salinas
Valley Fair Wine and Wine Label Contests
The 2006 Salinas Valley Fair
homemade wine and wine label contests are open to all Californians. Entry forms
are due by April 7. The fair runs from May 18-21. Additional information and entry
forms can be found at http://salinasvalleyfair.com
-
Orange
County Wine Society (Orange County Fair): A competition booklet in PDF
format is available at Orange
County Fair. -
Colusa County Fair Wine Competition: Colusa
County Fair Entry Office, 1303- 10th Street, Colusa, CA 95932. For more information
on entry forms/rules call Paulette at 530-456-2641 or Martin Giampaoli 916-630-1136.
-
Alameda
County Fair:
Wines can then be dropped off at BREW MASTER, 2315
Vema Court (on Marina Blvd.), San Leandro or NAPA FERMENTATIONS, 575 3rd St.,
Napa -
Festa
Italiana di San Mateo: Annual Home Winemaking Competition and Tasting: This
ones for a good cause! Proceeds benefit the Peninsula Association of Retarded
Children and Adults. -
Marin County Fair: For information call Bernie
Rooney at the Oak Barrel in Berkeley at 510-849-0400. -
27th Annual U.S. Amateur Wine Making Competition
Sponsored by: Cellarmasters, Woodland Hills, CA. Details available on their web
site at:
Cellarmasters Wine Club Website
|
