Personalized Wine Gift

Dear Mr. Kraus,

I am a winemaker and I use used wine bottles.  Used cork type wine bottles are becoming harder to find.  I was told by a winery around here that it is ok to use corks in screw type wine bottles as they both have the same inside neck diameter.  I tried corking one filled water and it seemed to work fine. I would like to get your thoughts on this.

Thanks
William  P.
----------
Hello William,

As you have already discovered, it is very possible to put cork stoppers into screw-cap...

[This is part I of a 2 parts]

Hello,

Your blueberry wine recipe on your website states you need 13lbs of blueberries for making 5 gals. Will using 20lbs of blueberries add more color and flavor to the finished wine?

Thank-you
Gary C.
----------
Yes, adding more fruit to any wine recipe is going to intensify the flavor and add more color. But before you go taking this bit of information and run with it, here are some considerations that you may want to think over first.

Do You Really Want More...

Greetings,

My son gave me a 5 gallon oak barrel as a personalized wine gift.  I have a batch of wine that I would like to put in the oak barrel and let it age a bit.  Do I finish the wine (use bentonite) and then put it in the barrel or should it go into the barrel now, let it age for a period of time then finish and bottle it?

Thanks,
David
----------
Dear David,

Thanks for the great question, and way to go son! An oak wine barrel is really one of the better wine making gifts you can receive as...

Christmas shopping for wine making gifts is not an easy task. You're trying to find a special gift for the home winemaker in your life when you barely know a wine press from a wine barrel. What could be more difficult. Well, we're going to make this holiday season a little more merry for you and give you a little help.

We've assisted all kinds of unknowing Christmas shoppers over the years, and here's what we've found. There is a group of wine making products that most home winemaker's don't...

In my own humble opinion, nothing describes Thanksgiving better than the word togetherness. Whether it be with family, friends, co-workers or someone you just met, being together is what seems to make Thanksgiving work. Togetherness is what makes Thanksgiving worth celebrating.

It is my deepest wish that where ever you may be this Thanksgiving holiday, that you my find and share some togethernesswith others. Break out some homemade wine. Maybe even pass a few bottles out as personalized wine...

Hello

I made wine from muscadines and gave a bottle to a friend they said that it gave them heartburn. Can you tell me what is in wine that would do that and can I make the next batch better..??

Thank you 
Chuck
__________

Hello Chuck,

That's a heck of a note. You give a friend a personalized wine gift like a bottle of your own personal wine stock. You probably had some customized wine bottle labels made up to make the bottles look all nice and everything, only to have your friend belch and say, "It...

Hello E.C.

My question is in regards to Splenda as a sweetener.  I belong to two wine making groups from Yahoo Groups and on occasion Splenda comes up as the subject.  There are both pros and cons regarding Splenda as a sweetener.  Would very much appreciate hearing your opinion on using Splenda as a sweetener. 

Thank you.
Melinda
__________

Dear Melinda,

This is definitely an area of home wine making that has yet to be covered in any wine making books or other instructionals that cover how to make...

Hi...

I am seriously looking at making my own wine ...my only hesitation is a concern that I can only produce a very mediocre wine .. one that does not come close to commercial wine offerings (I have a 200 bottle cellar and enjoy wines from around the world). So understanding there are no guarantees and I am responsible for making the wine, can one make a comparable wine to mid range commercial offerings? Also, assuming that is my goal, which homemade wine kits would you recommend that...

Hey I hope yall had a great week,

I have been thinking bout making a wine or mead for the holidays. Possibly something with a slight cinnamon or clove flavor or maybe a cider flavor as well. Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks for your help.
Steven 

----------

Hello Steven,

It's hard to beat a hot cup of spiced apple wine. This is called a mulled wine... when you heat it up with spices. It's great for the cold, winter months and holiday gatherings. A mulled wine kit can also make...

Hi,
I ordered a starter kit and some other cool stuff from you, and will be ready to bottle my first batch of wine soon. I would rather use regular corks instead of the plastic top corks in the kit. I have a hodge podge of scavenged wine bottles to use in the 750ml range (or what ever the regular wine bottle is). What size corks would you recommend for this? I didn't know there were so many different sizes to choose from, and what are the different lengths for?

Thanks,
Paul K.

----------

Dear...

Dear E. C. Kraus,

I was looking through your wine bottle labels. Can any of them be printed with a computer printer?

Thanks,
Mike

-------------

Dear Mike,

Thank you for the great question. If you don't mind, I would like to share the answer with everyone on our blog.

Currently, we have six different styles of wine bottle labels that can be put through a computer printer for customization. Each style comes four on a sheet, and we sell them in groups of 7 sheets for a total of 28 labels.

Running them...

Do you have a wedding in the family that's coming up? Why not present your own homemade wine as a personalized wine gift. It's a touching way of saying congratulations. 

You can personalize the wine bottle labels on each of the bottles with your own personal message to the bride and groom. We offer customizable wine labels that you can run through any computer printer to have them say anything you want. You can put there names on the label with the wedding's date, a toast, or anything else...

Imagine walking into your next dinner party with a bottle of wine--you personally made--in your hands. Whether it be Super Bowl Sunday, Forth of July, or just a Friday night with friends, a bottle of homemade wine makes a wonderful personalized wine gift that fits any occasion.

You can have fun customizing the wine bottle labels for different events: Poker Pinot, Barbecue Burgundy, Chris & Amber's Wedding shower--Congratulations! They also make wonderful wine making gifts during the holiday...