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W i n e s & V i n e s A P R i L 2 0 1 4 75 WineEast N E W S O F G R A P E S A N D W I N E S I N E A S T E R N N O R T H A M E R I C A I N T H E N E W S p 7 5 W I N E M A K I N G p 7 8 - B E C O PA D - Y E A S T & E N Z Y M E S - C R U S H PA D E Q U I P M E N T - S T E R I L E F I LT R AT I O N - W I N E R Y H O S E - O A K A LT E R N AT I V E S Case By Case Wine and Grape Supplier Your Source for World Class Wine Grapes and Bulk Wines Serving wineries nationwide on a Case By Case basis East and West Coast varieties available: R Winegrapes R Bulk Wine R Juice R Shiners Jim, Owner Northern California Office (707) 671-4126 • jim@casebycasebrokers.com Tom, Domestic and International Sales Southeast Office (864) 401-2297 • tom@casebycasebrokers.com www.casebycasebrokers.com Distillation: Turning Lead Into Gold? Eastern Winery Exposition workshop looks at issues involved with distilling L ancaster, Pa.—Can a winemaker take a flawed wine and make it into a prod- uct the winery can sell? Sometimes, says Denise Gardner, the extension associate in enology for Penn State University who spoke at the Distilla- tion Workshop following the Eastern Winery Exposition in Lancaster, Pa., on March 6. Gardner noted that unpleasant, undesirable aromas and tastes in wine are usually the result of poor viticultural practices, winemak- ing issues or storage problems. "Flaws related to key impact compounds and odor-related chemicals can be identified," she stated, "and some of those flaws are fixable." Gardner identified oxidation and high levels of volatile acidity as two problems that usually can be remedied by distillation, while cork taint and green, unripe flavors cannot be totally removed from the final product. The "may- be" list of problems that can sometimes be cured are reduced wines, those with high free sulfur levels and wines with too much Brettanomyces. The three panelists at the workshop em- phasized that the best way to create a qual- ity distilled spirit is to begin with the best fruit. Thomas Earl McKenzie, co-owner of Finger Lakes Distilling in Burdett, N.Y., said he prefers to use hand-picked fruit with no sulfites added to the picking bins. He uses native and vinifera wine grapes and adds yeast ap- propriate for the varietal and nutrients, then ferments at about 80° F. Jason Grizzanti, co-owner and master distiller at New York-based Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery and Black Dirt Distill- ery, avoids adding pectic enzymes, which increase methanol in the final distillate. He uses a pot still with a reflux column and puts the product through in a single pass so he doesn't have to heat the product twice. Mike Fiore, co-owner and winemaker at Fiore Winery in Pylesville, Md., makes grappa and limoncello, and he plans to add bourbon and a brandy. He noted that the amount of energy the still uses should be a major consideration. "You need to know how many passes you can make before the energy costs make it not worth the effort," Fiore said. —Linda Jones McKee winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Distillation workshop." Denise Gardner