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Restricted Quantities Varieties Released!
Once again we are excited to announce RJ Spagnols Cru Select Restricted
Quantities program (RQ 2004). Building upon the success of last
year's program RJ Spagnols bring you an exciting 2004 RQ season
sourced from the great wine regions of the world.
The Cru Select Restricted Quantities 2004 is a series of wine kits
exclusively designed for winemakers looking for a special, limited
release wine to enhance their cellars. These outstanding wine kits
are released one at a time in January, February, March, and April.
Winemakers
are still buzzing about last year's RQs and this year's release
promises to be just as good or better. Don't be disappointed - order
your RQ2004 kits and stock your cellar with the finest wines! We
had many disappointed winemakers last year who tried to get RQ kits
after the order cutoff date. This happens every year. People try
a friend's RQ wine and are so impressed that they come to our store
looking to get one for themselves. But it's usually too late. Don't
let it happen to you!
RQ2004
kits have to be preordered and will not be available after the order
cutoff date has elapsed. Remember these kits are exceptional and
unlike most other premium kits on the market. Release dates and
descriptions are listed below. Ordering Information will be sent
to all subscribers of this mailing list and previous RQ customers.
• British Columbia
Pinot Noir - early release in December’03
• Chilean
Cabernet Merlot Syrah - released in February’04
• German Gewurztraminer with Suss Reserve Pack™- released in March’04
• South African Pinotage Cabernet - released in April’04
British
Columbia Pinot Noir
The grape growing region in the Black Sage Bench is home to British
Columbia’s highest quality vinifera grapes.We bring you this medium-bodied
wine absolutely fresh from the vineyard to capture its silky, velvety
tannins and an expressive perfumy nose resulting in a smooth mouthfeel.
Chilean Cabernet
Merlot Syrah
With the Pacific in the west and the Andes in the east, Chile’s
central zone is a perfect climate for growing grapes. Extremely
fruity and clean, this full-bodied wine boasts complex flavours
of ripe black currants, plum and subtle oak tones.
German Gewurztraminer
with Suss Reserve Pack™
Located between France in the south (Alsace) and Rheinhessen in
the north, the Pfalz region is blessed with mild climatic conditions
and diverse soil types producing an excellent terroir. This wine
delivers deep, intense aromas of roses, lychees, tropical fruits
and delicious spicy notes. Complete with a proprietary Süss Reserve
Pack™, it finishes off on a fruity off-dry note.
South African
Pinotage Cabernet
South Africa is an extraordinary place where Pinotage thrives in
the lush valleys of the Cape mountain ranges. Traditionally a cross
of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, this Pinotage is blended with the rich
and lively Cabernet to produce a full-bodied wine with velvety texture,
refreshing berry fruit and complexity and depth of flavour.
Click
here for a full colour RQ2004 brochure. Acrobat Reader is required
to view.
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Wine
On Tap
Eliminate
time consuming messy bottling. Serve your wine on tap with
this great new product! The Wine On Tap dispenser keeps up
to nine bottles of wine fresh for six months. Store on a shelf
for reds or in a fridge for whites.
Includes:
One Wine on Tap container and spout retainer, one deluxe dispensing
tap, and one sanitized ready-to-use oxygen barrier bag. The
included Wine on Tap bag with deluxe dispensing tap is pre-sanitized
and intended for single use operation. Filling is easy and
only takes a few minutes. Replacement Wine on Tap bags are
available in packages of three.
We
have being using the Wine on Tap system and are delighted.
It’s ideal for your short term wines such as Orchard Breezin’
and Heritage Estates. We do not recommend it for premium wines
such as Cru Select and Selection. These wines should be bottled
and sealed with high quality natural corks.
More
information
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Wine
Kit Special of the Month
Every
month we feature two Grand Cru wine kits at a fantastic price. This is a great
way to try new varieties and to stock up your cellar with a cross-section of interesting
wines. Grand Cru are our most popular and best-selling wine kits. Manufactured
by RJ Spagnol's, one of the world's leading wine kit producers, you are guaranteed
exceptional quality. This
month's featured kits:
Pinot Noir
- A rich red wine, hearty in nature, smooth in flavour. The soft
texture and dark colour complement the flavours of berry fruit,
with a subtle raspberry undertone.
Liebfraumilch
- A delightful blend of Rieslings, fruity in aroma and clean
in taste. Well balanced as both a dry, crisp wine or as a medium
sweet wine. Pleasant in its youth.
Regular Price
$59.95 CAD $45.90 USD*
Sale
Price $51.99 CAD ($39.76 USD*)
Please visit
Clickabrew
to order online.
*
US dollar prices are approximate and may be more or less depending
on currency fluctuations.
Brew
King Products Now Available!
We now have
an extensive line of Brew King products in our stores. These include
Selection, Vintners Reserve, Island Mist wine kits plus Barons beer
kits. You
will be hearing a lot more about these great products over the coming
months as we integrate them into our award-winning selection of
wine and beer kits.
Brew
King also has a "Selection Limited Edition" series similar
to the Spagnols RQ series. We will be sending you more information
on this as it becomes available to us.
Cleaning & Sanitising your
Winemaking Equipment
Cleansers and sanitizers are not the same: cleansers leave your equipment bright
and clean; sanitizers keep bacteria and other spoilage organisms under control.
Before you sanitize, everything must be clean. Rinse bottles, primary fermenters
and carboys as soon as they are empty to avoid scraping dried, caked-on residue
off them later.
Trisodium Phosphate (Saniton)
Description: Trisodium
Phosphate (TSP) is an unscented detergent.It helps take a lot of the work out
of removing stains and stubborn grime from equipment. TSP is especially useful
for stainless steel, which a chlorinated cleanser such as Diversol (discussed
below) could corrode. Cleaning Dissolve 2 g per litre of warm water (2 tsp. per
gal). Soak equipment for 20 minutes; scrub any stubborn stains. Rinse well with
hot water. Sanitizing TSP does not sanitize. You must use it in conjunction with
a proper sanitizer. Cautions Avoid contact with strong acids and pro- longed contact
with aluminum, tin, lead, and zinc since this will produce hydrogen gas.
Diversol (Sani-Brew)
Description: As well as being a
sanitizer, Diversol has the added benefit of being an extremely effective cleaner.
Available under a variety of trade names, you'll recognize Diversol because it
is a chlorinated pink powder. Cleaning Dissolve 3.5 g per litre of cold water
(5 tsp. per gal). Soak stained equipment up to 48 hours. Rinse thoroughly with
hot water. Sanitizing Fill primary fermenter with Diversol solution (3.5 g per
litre of cold water [5 tsp. per gal.]). Fully immerse all equipment: hoses, spoons,
bungs, hydrometers, thermometers, airlocks, and primary lid. Soak equipment for
at least 20 min. Remove lid, rinse carefully (but thoroughly) with hot water and
turn it upside-down on the counter. Rinse equipment, placing items inside sanitized
lid. To sanitize a carboy: With bung in carboy, slosh 9 litres (2 gal.) Diversol
solution all around inside. Repeat twice, with 5 minutes between repetitions.
Rinse after 20 min. Cautions Corrodes stainless steel. Can bleach clothing. Do
not mix with acids, amines, or ammonia. Such a mixture produces dangerous gases.
Bleach (Sodium
Hypochlorite)
Description: Unscented household bleach can
be used as a sanitizer and cleaner. For sanitizing, it is just as effective as
Diversol. For cleaning, however, either Diversol or TSP would be preferable. Cleaning
Mix 2.5 ml per litre of cold water (1 tbsp. per gal.) and follow the cleaning
instructions for Diversol (above). When rinsing, remove all traces of chlorine
smell. Sanitizing Using a solution of 5 ml per litre of cold water (1 tbsp. per
gal.) follow the cleaning instructions for Diversol (above.) Cautions See above.
Don't use scented bleach. Those 'spring fresh' and 'lemony' perfumes will sink
into equipment permanently. All subsequent batches will smell and taste like perfume.
Potassium
Metabisulphite/ Sodium Metabisulphite
Description: Sulphites
have been used in winemaking for hundreds of years. They are available as potassium
metabisulphite and sodium metabisulphite. Not only are they effective sanitizers,
they also prevent oxidation in wine. Cleaning Sulphites will not clean your equipment.
Use a cleanser such as TSP. Sanitizing Dissolve 50 grams per 4 litres cold water
(8 tsp.per gal.). Use a spray bottle to coat equipment with solution. Spray into
hoses and racking tubes. Allow equipment to drip dry for 10 minutes. Do not rinse.
Use the equipment. You can store your prepared solution in a tightly sealed container
and reuse it for up to 1 month. Cautions Dust and vapour from solution is irritating
to lungs. Avoid inhaling. Do not mix with alkaline solutions such as Diversol
or bleach. Will not clean dirty or stained equipment. Iodophor
Description: If you keep your equipment clean between brews,
Iodophor is a great sanitizer. (Your equipment will not be clean if you simply
rinse after use. You must use a cleaner, such as TSP.) Iodophor is excellent for
stainless steel- which Diversol will corrode- and all other beermaking equipment.
Mixed properly and used in a spray bottle, Iodophor is almost magical in its convenience:
there's no waiting and no rinsing. Cleaning Iodophor does not clean. Use a cleanser
such as TSP before sanitizing with Iodophor. Sanitizing Mix 1 ml per litre of
cold water. You must use a syringe for accurate measurement. Use a spray bottle
to coat equipment with solution. Shake off excess or allow equipment to drain.
Do not rinse. Use the equipment. It's that easy! Cautions When in solution, Iodophor
rapidly breaks down. Every time you use it, you must make a fresh solution. Not
effective unless mixed accurately. Use a syringe. Will not clean dirty or stained
equipment. Hazardous for those with iodine allergies. Concentrated solution stains
skin and fabric. FINAL
NOTES
If you keep your equipment looking, smelling and feeling clean,
even when it's not in use, you'll have fewer problems keeping everything sanitized.
Store your clean primary fermenters and carboys closed with a little chlorine
solution inside (one capful unscented household bleach per litre cold water).
Nothing will grow in them, so sanitizing will be a snap. If you get tired of scrubbing
and sanitizing, remember: lapses in sanitation are responsible for 90% of all
homebrewing failures. You can avoid them. Reprinted
courtesy of RJ Spagnols.
Last
Month:
Last month our
feature article was "The Ten Most Common Winemaking Mistakes".
We also announced our dealership for Brew King products and had
a tip on preparing fruit for winemaking. If
you missed these or other interesting articles you can view our
back issues at http://www.clickabrew.com/newsletters.html.
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