I would love some reccomendations for decent Port at a moderate price -$25.

Try Fonseca, a Portugese brand. Good price and well known.

Are you a winemaker for a winery or a home winemaker? Or a sommelier?

Nice to have an expert aboard!

Dear Barnmom,
I work in a winery that has been passed down from gen. to gen. A family business. The trade was taught to me from my
Father, a very well known and respected winemaker. He has since retired. Thank You for the kind re-mark.
The Winemaster.

I have an interview next week for a position as a wine sales rep (to sell to restaurants) can you (or anyone) tell me just how difficult it is? I'm assuming it's not an easy sell because Restaurants have their list and I'm not sure how receptive they'll be to new wines. I've been in sales for eons but nothing like wines! I have an immense passion for wines so that part is taken care of (thus my screen name...my two passions...sking and vino!) If anyone has advice for a potential wine rep...would love to hear it. I've always wanted to be in the wine business so this, I'm hoping is a good start, but I just want to be fully prepared.

The wines will all be boutique Italian wines from small vineyards all over Italy.

Thanks

Dear Skivino,
What area in the states r u trying to get this to happen.
I hope you are Italian, because get ready to do some wheeling and dealing. That's just how they conduct business
when it comes to buying. One offer of advice is try to fit in, and don't come across as being soft, but not diffuclt.
Try to be as flexable as you can. Set your prices and hold your ground. It is respectable in a buyers eyes. Trying to hard is a sign of weakness. Good Luck. Feel free to ask me if you have anymore issues. Winemaster

How long can I keep a bottle of sherry that has been opened?

Skivino,

I've worked for several large wineries, Gallo and Mondavi among them, in their creative departments. Though I know nothing about sales techiniques, I know that we produced materials such as menus shells and table tents that were custom imprinted for the restaurants to help market the wines to the patrons. But the wine you are selling sounds more upscale. We also created "tip cards" and such for the waitstaff so they could recommend the wines with knowledge of food pairings etc for more boutique-y wines.

We produced leave behind sell sheets as tools for the sales staff. The luxury wines had beautiful photography and wine makers notes as well reviews from Wine Spectator, et al. Sometimes they had nice folios into which these materials could be placed and presented.

Will the company you want to work for supply you with appropriate materials ro will you be asked to make your own? At Mondavi, the sales people had access to online print as needed materials for some brands.

Hi, Winemaster...so glad you have joined the forum!!

We have a small vineyard (150 vines, or so) and we have a LARGE blackbird population. Can you suggest the right type of netting to keep the birds out??? The few websites that I have visited only have info for large vineyards, draping the netting completely over the vines, using a machine. Do you have any first-hand knowledge regarding the easiest and most effective way to net???

Dear Margad, sorry I took so long to repond. It has been a busy time. As for the sherry, the time, why would you keep
it for such a long period of time? As long as you keep it in a cool place ( not above the stove ) it should be fine.
If you have a cellar keep it there. Try to keep it at least seven degrees below room temp. A little humidity would help as well. If all less fails, the fridge would be the next option. Try not to keep very long.
Thank You

How are things going? Did my advice help?

What percentage of alcohol is in Sutter Home's Mosacot?(sp?)

My question would be, how much and how often does one have to drink wine to be considered an Alcoholic? I enjoy my wine, and have one to two glasses every day, I guess I am now worried because I know I enjoy it and it certainly helps to relax and sleep...........Wayner

Thanks for answering my question about sherry. I will definitely follow your advice.

Winemaker. I truly appreciate your input on EVERYTHING. Do you want us to continue to post here????

Hi...me again. My DH has decided to turn off the water! We have a small vineyard on drip in Temecula. The vines are healthy, and we have not done much watering except for the first year we planted. Our soil is sandy, weather is hot and dry. Previously we watered once a week for about 2 - 3 hours (5-gallon drip per hour). We are on our third year and we have healthy vines and quite a bit of fruit. His reasoning is too "stress" the vine to get more intense flavor in the fruit. Would you say we can stop the water completely at this point in time??? I know there is that thought up your direction - but your area gets more rain then we do! What are YOUR thoughts on this???

I got a friend in Lodi; will ask what kind of weather you have getting-will respond soon. Remeber too much water could do damage. I still need to know what type of grape u r growing. In Ontario its quite tricky. Thats why we are well known for Ice Wine. Season end is around the corner-relax let nature take its course. Grapes are like cats to water. Only use it when you have to. Still need to know what type of Grape. DH is right. Contact here is fine. It's a pleasure to help.

Oh....I thought you were in Napa!!!! Well, Ontario, now that's a different story. Of course you wouldn't know about our weather. Hot, windy, dry (90-100 during our veraisan months). We are growing Cab and syrah. Temecula is becoming quite the wine-growing region....lots of good reds!!!!

Wayner2000, two drinks a day for men and one for women fall within the USDA's 2005 dietary guidelines.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wine Institute Statement On 2005 Dietary Guidelines

Cecilia, thank you for the info, I was beginning to think my question was far fetched. You have put my mind at ease, reading the article made alot of sense...Thanks again, much appreciated...........Wayne

Ok, here's one for you...
I'm getting my wife a custom engraved wood wine box for our 5th anniversary (along with a surprise B&B trip).
Can you recommend a good wine to go in the box. She mostly drinks white zin, but I would like to get her a nice wine that you can't find for $8 in every grocery store.
Any thoughts?

Thank you,
Lee

"Ok,here's one for you"
I am doing this at my own free will. Please show a bit of respest.Custom made box? Why a cheap wine? I don't know what kind of wines are sold in your region. I would recommend a Matues rose.It is quite spectacular.

Winemaster, I think you misunderstood Lee. He seems to be looking for something you CAN'T find for $8 in every grocery store. So he must want something she might like as well as her usual white Zin but better. Nothing specific leaps to mind but you might try a Sangiovese Rosato which is a white Sangiovese. Rosy hued like a white Zin but is supposed to lack the cloying sweetness. I've never tried one. Still won't be a high priced wine, maybe 15.00.

Winemaster,
I'm not sure where I disrespected you in any way. "Here's one for you" was just a phrase meant to convey that I had a unusual/difficult request.
Also, as the person below your post explained, you misunderstood my request.
As for the "custom box", since wood is the traditional gift for 5th anniversaries, I am having a nice wooden wine gift box engraved with the date of our anniversary. I thought it would make a nice way to present a good bottle of wine as well as a covering the "traditional" gift category.
Hopefully that explains things to your satisfaction.

I was simply looking for a nice bottle of wine that would be somewhat similar to her drink of choice so that I was not wildly out of her comfort zone.

Obviously it was my mistake to waste such an important person's time. (cough)

Lee

Dear Lee,
I am not an important person by no means, and with that this will be my last post. (COUGH)

Thank You all who showed that I was welcomed.
ENJOY YOUR WINE, AND DRINK AND BE MERRY !!!!
All the best,
The Winemaster.

come on, Winemaster, don't let one person chase you away!

Sigh. This is a fun new forum, we need everyone!

Ditto to what tressa wrote!

Please, WineMaster don't go. I need to ask you a question for my DH.

Please view my post "Grape vine growing wildly...keep pruning?"

Interesting thread that just disappeared. But Margad, if you are reading, the advice you were given was not that great. How long you can keep your sherry depends very much on the sherry. If it is a fino or a manzanilla, for example, it will have a very short life once opened and will have a short shelf life as well. You drink them before the next ones are released.

If it is an oxidized sherry on the other hand, you can keep it opened for a long time. It has already spent probably several years exposed to oxygen, which is what you normally don't want your wine exposed to. So you are not damaging it at all by leaving it opened.

Postal - maybe it is way too late but I just found this forum. Anyway, white zin? If she likes that, remember that it is a rose. So why not buy her a nice rose? A very nice one, if you can find it, is Estancia Piedra from Spain. They were looking to make a wine for around $10 for the US market. They couldn't come up with anything. But they make a great red. To concentrate it, they bled off some of the juice. This is the rose, or since Spanish, the rosado. This is the way most rose is made, but this juice was left in contact with the skins for a little while so this is actually a light red more than a rose. Goes for under $10 and it is fantastic.

It is a big one, however. There are a few from Australia that are also rather large roses.

Alternatively, you can get a much drier wine, perhaps more traditional. Something from the Loire will be much crisper with less of the up front fruit. And if she likes the relatively sweet flavors of white zin, you might also try a reisling. Don't get a QBA or Kabinett, get a Spatlese that is halb trocken. Will probably cost you more than $10, but hey, it's your wife. The only down side is that she might develop a taste for riesling, which is one of the world's great grapes.

What's a good homemade cleaner to use in winery and on equipment and f ermenters

"Homemade cleaner"?

As a cleaner, I use unscented Oxyclean. It's not a sanitizer, but it's a very good cleaner available almost anywhere.

why am I getting a thick slim-pulpy layer on top of my fermenting tame blackberries. strained 3 times keeps coming back

richard - sounds like organic matter leftover from fermentation. Has the wine been suphited? if not you may have a condition called "flowers of wine" starting - sulphite and top off to reduce air/head space.

DC- home wine maker/grape grower & wine rep.

Can I make wine in an empty 5 gallon say sauce container?

Questionable on re-using the soy sauce container - if plastic I would not recommend as it may be difficult to remove any built up soy particulates and odors. IF glass - thoroughly sanitize and go. That said if the 5 gallon container has a small neck and glass it would be good for your bulk aging. Primary fermentation requires a larger open top.