"Hi Joe,
Myself and my entire team absolutely LOVE the hopper! It’s a game-changer for sure. Should have purchased this years ago but, you know hindsight. Anyway, it works perfectly and allows us to process fruit way more quickly and easily and yields much better results through the destemmer. Win all around. Let me know if you ever need me for a reference on this unit. Cheers, Rich" Richard Olsen-Harbich Winemaker Bedell Cellars The Barrel Associates family includes their American Oak barrels (under their name) offered in water bent, fire bent, or a combination method (“Deep Toast”) wherein the lingen in the barrel is broken down due to the more effective migration of the heat. Once the hot water saturation step from the water bending is done, they go straight to the fire for shaping on the Deep Toast method. I compare this to a wet dish towel on a hot casserole- surprising how well the heat travels! With this makes the American wood taste much more like French because the lactone is diminished and the tannin remains. These are a great, cost- effective barrel.
D&J (Dargaud et Jeagle) are the absolute top of the California Pinot Barrel “Cult Barrel” heap. Started in Beaujolais over 100 years ago, the reputation for gentle, polished, classy barrels which lift fruit, gently support the middle, and add a more linear finish is all due to the strict wood culling/ aging, the water bending process. These barrels are perfect for Old World style, Burgundian, or balanced but not bombastic wines. These are offered in forests or house recipe Selections. I trust the Selections, because Climate Change is happening whether its political or not. D&J is known and touted by customers for being absolutely consistent. Quality control is the top priority. And the appearance shows it. Vallaurine is what happens when the Jeagle family, engineers by trade build a custom cooperage facility replete with special machines designed by them. Vallaurine are fire bent barrels, but as different from a smoke & spice bomb fire bent French as you will find. Again, very gentle for what it is. These are VERY interesting, in that we offer regional barrels under this name. The two prevailing species of French white oak are represented here in geographical designations called Rive Gauche and Rive Droite. One lifts the fruit a little more; One rounds out the wine a little more. Both are great standard French, fire bent barrels. These are as beautiful to look at as they are to smell. Both of these French brands are toasted much less than their competition. Our medium toast looks like the next guy’s light. When you start with the best wood, you don’t need to hide it with char. I wasn’t selling these brands back in the old days. I took over the East for these guys in 2020 (just in time!). It has been great to sell these barrels with the support I get from Barrel Associates. Cloak and Dagger? Maybe. Legal? Yes. PSSSSSST! Hey!- I'm a wine guy at heart. But I can talk to you until either one of is exhausted about how much I love rum, like tequila, and can appreciate a good Rye. None of that matters. But IF the title to this blog entry got your attention, you are probably a Distiller. And you should know about this: Oak Extracts for Spirits Aging, Repair and Finishing Why? Because it's as natural as the barrels you use, totally organic, and it works to repair, preserve, and improve the good stuff (Bourbon, Whiskey, Rye, Rum, Brandy, etc, etc., etc.) you already made.
How would you like to compensate for that not so great batch of barrels you got? Would you like to sell a product that seems like it was aged a lot longer in a lot less time? With our oak extract, you can dial in the exact aspects of the barrel flavors that you want with razor sharp precision. Interested? Text "Hooch" to 607-426-0434. Let me know to call you from a secure location.
If you like podcasts or not, here is one which which might save you a lot potential headaches or help you avoid buyer's remorse.
Don't be caught unawares.. The next time you slip into paying attention to a sales pitch about why someone else's corks are SUPER reliable, be warned. Be aware of the market.
We have every product made every way in the cork family. Click here to see more about our processes. Seasoned, Grizzled, Salty, Veteran of Winemaking turned Academic, Drew Horton joins Joe to discuss the wonderful and amazing Carlsen Positive Displacement Pump versus the alternatives for pumping must or moving wines.
Sometimes a different set of eyes Most typically, when we get that call from the person who is looking to start a winery, I wonder if they have seen our How to Start a Winery page.
Here is an easier way to get a lot of that same information: The Enotools University podcast. My Industry Partner Who Makes Tannins Well, Doug Manning (ex Napa, surrounding area winemaker, etc.) isn't making them by hand, his partner is our partner and he's our partner and one of us is making the stuff in France. We distribute a line of tannins called Amedee. ANYWAY! Here's what happened: I asked Doug about timing on when we should start gently distributing information on our liquid tannins (pure oak extract) to help folks make a better "fast to market" wine. You see, I am trying to have a good seat when the post- harvest fray starts and everyone is scrambling for corks, etc. to get those less complex wines ready to pay some bills. I mean seriously! Our liquid tannins are going to be great for helping you keep color, clarity, aromas, etc. in the wines in queue for this next surge of bottling. You can add them two weeks before bottling. So I email Doug asking for some timely info from a winemaker's perspective on what you should know on this topic before you order (something not as good) from a competitor. Holy cow. This is what he sends: from Doug Manning Consulting Oenological Tannins In The Oxford Companion to Wine, Jancis Robinson describes oenological tannins as "commercial tannins produced by extraction of tannin from oak, chestnut, or birch woods and other suitable plant sources, including grape seeds." Commercial enological tannins are approved wine additives, which have the generalized potential benefits to wine production:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23301601/ We worship the O.A.K. B.A.R.R.E.L.……..if it is from France (think EU) we prostrate ourselves (spelled that right, eh?) as the flavor and texture of the O. B. gives our fermented grapes a standard to which we aspire (angels singing here “ahhhhh…..) So what is this about tannin that limits it to these tasks of repair and enhancement?
Here is the deal…..the O.B. imparts a rather narrow range of flavors and aroma into the wine. Remember you are adding an alcohol solution at a certain pH range and temperature for a certain amount of time Again: ALCOHOL pH TEMPERATURE TIME N.O.W. compare this extraction process of barrel aging to 2) above [We are not cooking our wine, we control the pH between 3 – 4, we work at cellar temperature, we take our time] N.O.W. perhaps our understanding of tannin can Elevator Pitch 1st Floor EBX Tannins are produced by soaking only aged French and American Oak in cold RO water, extracting the flavors and aromas you would expect from filling a barrel with wine and waiting. An oak extract from French or American Oak. 2nd Floor Age your wines in a barrel, wait 6 – 12 – 18 months, finish and bottle. Add oak alternatives to your beverage and wait 6 weeks (chips), 4 months (7mm staves), then finish and bottle. Add EBX Tannin to your wine and wait 2 – 4 weeks, finish and bottle. Closing Are these processes identical? Nope Are they close and acceptable for most types of wines? Yup Are they cost effective and worth a try? (Oh Yes) You can see the above is not from the desk of ENOTOOLS. But if you want clarification on why any of this stuff should be in your wines, contact us.
Hindsight is 20/20. You usually know when it's too late to correct that you didn't have the right tannin on hand when the hurricane came in and didn't even have the common courtesy to rock you (Gen X link in text) in the process.
There's plenty of mediocre, bastardized tannin and accompanying advice out there. Armies of salespeople touting the latest thing until it becomes a cacophony of pseudo- science makes it hard to hear the voice of truth. The easy answer? Keep it simple with consistent, and reliable advice from Amedee USA and their EBX Tannins. From the desk of Doug Manning: "IF you decided to pick BEFORE THE STORM (or are forced to pick early) look at EBX 810* powder tannin to add back that ripeness, the maturity that Nature made you sacrifice. A low dose of 400gm/ 1000gl now, then half of that again after secondary fermentation. You are probably looking at a reasonable pH, but be mindful. Consider some EBX Protect instead of sulfites. See more info here. EBX 810 is pure French Oak tannin, untoasted, from 36 month aged wood. Technically a fermentation tannin, its’ use goes far beyond the actual fermentation. Mouth feel, softness and delightful and subtle French Oak aromas. This would be a great tool to keep on hand during those vintages when you think to yourself, "Here comes the rain; AGAIN!" *Add 15gm/hL (that’s 100 grams per ton) at pressing of the reds and another 10gm/hL after MLF (that’s 350gms per 1000gal). If you were unscathed by the hurricane and are picking at your leisure, think of EBX VBX2* powder as your color extraction, color stabilization tannin to add directly to the crushed fruit. High Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE), a blend of chestnut, grape seed and French oak: this tannin is a radical departure from other brands as the French Oak component softens the sensory and allows aroma development during the fermentation. Most other fermentation tannins have between 0 and none % oak, relying on other wood-type products. Often adding a bitterness, we confuse the post fermentation astringency with grape seed, stem, skin that requires removal later. Thus far, nobody measures the tannin effect of non-oak components in post fermentation flavors. *Add 80 - 120gm per ton of EBX VBX2 powder to your fresh grapes at harvest. KEEP IT SIMPLE: REHYDRATE AND ADD." The recommended dosage rate above do not equate to more, more, more. Please contact us with technical questions on the when, how much and why of Amedee USA's EBX Tannins. Doug Manning Doug Manning Consulting Learn more about Amedee USA at Enotools. |
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