Thursday 6 February 2014

Wine of the Month (February)

Verdicchio
Verdicchio is a white Italian grape variety from the central region of Italy known as the Marche region. This type of grape has been growing there since the 14th century. It is also thought that the Verdicchio varietal may be indigenous to the Marche. There are clones which share similar genetic info as the Trebbiano and Grecogrape varieties grown in the Lombardy and Soave areas.

 The wine is not very aromatic, but it does offer elegant armomas of citrus and nuts, in particular, lemon and bitter almonds. Often, the grape lends itself well to the production of spumante (sparkling) wines, a specialty on the Adriatic coast. It is best mached to broad bean salad with peanut dressing, fish and the very tasty, roasted peppers.

Vieux Château du Roi (Château Neuf Du Pape)
Vineyards located at Château Neuf Du Pape
The name roughly translated is "old house of the king".  Vieux Château du Roi or VCR is a name that wine kits makers' use to represent Château Neuf Du Pape ("new house of the pope") like wine blends.  The original name was coined from the time when Pope Clement V moved to Avignon in 1305 due to a conflict between the Papacy and the French Crown in the historic region in the southern Rhone Valley in France. Apparently, the Pope was an avid wine lover. Aside from being infatuated with wine, Pope Clement V's other memorable historical note was that he was ultimately responsible for suppressing the order of the Knights Templar.

Getting back to the subject of wine, in California, VCR is produced from a blending of a variety of grapes to imitate the complexities possessed by the original Château Neuf Du Pape. Such attributes as the ripeness of the grapes and the oak barrels used in ageing the red wine creates a lush wine with a polished texture.

References
  1. The Wine Rambler
  2. Reinhold Haart
  3. Wine-Searcher
  4. The Wine Cellar Insider

Sunday 5 January 2014

Custom Wine Making


When we make wine we follow the recipes and instructions that have been developed by Wine Kitz over many years. The ingredients used, and the procedures we follow, produce reliable and consistent results when we make our wines – something Wine Kitz is well known for.

From time to time, however, we are asked to adjust our recipes to achieve a slightly different result. The most common change we are asked about is reducing the sweetness of a given wine. Many wines can be made less sweet by adjusting the recipe – something my wife usually does when she makes Riesling. At other times customers may have sensitivity to the preservatives or stabilizers used and we adjust the ingredients accordingly.

Occasionally we are asked by a customer for a match to their favourite wines when we do not have a kit of that type. An example of this came from a customer who was looking to make a wine comparable to Barefoot Moscato - a popular, lower alcohol wine with a sweet and fruity taste. In order to meet the customers need, a custom recipe was crafted by the Winemaker at the Wine Kitz Head Office that would match the profile of the wine. This recipe uses a Traditional Vintage Piesporter white wine kit with the concentrate divided between a base and a sweet reserve with adjustments to the stabilizing agents and procedures. The result is a sweet, fruity wine with the higher sugar (~64g/L R.Sugar) and lower alcohol (~9%), and comparable to a Moscato.

For this, or any other custom recipe, come in and see our winemaker. We are always here to help.