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78 W i n e s & V i n e s O C T O b e r 2 0 1 4 arbitrary Brix goal, you may find your fruit out of specs on other things much harder to remedy than low sugar. I have harvested Valvin below 16° Brix based on flavor and TA, and even in retrospect I am certain it was the best decision. The flavors were fully developed, and the wine was balanced and delicious and went on to make the market- ing department very happy. Other winemak- ers I spoke with specifically mentioned that they have never harvested higher than 17° Brix. The general feeling is later harvesting negatively impacts wine freshness. Some winemakers I polled utilized skin contact, but most did not. Cornell Exten- sion associate Chris Gerling believes some skin contact prior to fermentation can help boost the aromatic intensity. He stressed that cold temperatures during skin contact are important, adding that their experi- ments with extended cold soak (up to a week) were not beneficial. More experi- ments with skin contact and maturity levels are in the works. Winemakers' choice of yeast varied, but all were among the typical aromatic white selections: Some favorites were Epernay II or Red Star's Cote de Blanc and QA23. All winemakers I talked to employed a cool fer- mentation in stainless steel tanks. Whether fermentation was arrested or carried to dry- ness and back-sweetened, all Valvin wines I've encountered so far were finished with some residual sugar, with a majority of pro- ducers settling in at 20 g/L or higher. At Villa Bellangelo (Dundee, N.Y.) on Seneca Lake, Valvin Muscat is used to produce two styles of wine as well as a blending component in a third. Owner Chris Missick has always favored a frizzante style with their Valvin, leaving enough CO 2 to balance the fruit and residual sugar, which runs around 50g/L. Capping the tank toward the end of a cool fermentation preserves enough naturally evolving CO 2 to achieve the desired effect. In fact, manag- ing dissolved CO 2 at some perceptible level was a tool used by most Valvin producers. Swedish Hill leaves a little effervescence in their offering, as does Heron Hill. At Lake- wood Vineyards, we arrest fermentation with refrigeration and intentionally maintain cold temperatures all the way through bottling to hold some carbonation. WineEast Grapegrowing Mulling Spice For Wine In Tea Bags! An ideal compliment for your wine sales. The tea bags are all natural, no sugar! Can be used to make: Gl Glogg, Wassle, Gluvine or spiced wine. 8 bags in attractive box, 24 boxes per case. OLDE TRADITION SPICE 800-977-1117 www.oldetraditionspice.com