Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/66144
WINEMAKING Several more steps up is the use of a centrifuge, either at the winery or through a testing service. A small volume of juice gets spun for a few minutes, then the plug of solids is measured and the propor- tion calculated. Many French enologists prefer to use a turbidity meter (neph- elometer), which measures the scattering of a beam of light as it gets reflected off the suspended particles, resulting in an NTU (nephelometric turbidity unit) rat- ing rather than a percentage of volume to volume. In California and the rest of the United States, solids tend to get measured with centrifuges, with the turbidity meter reserved for measuring protein haze later on. Either of these machines can cost be- tween $2,000 and $3,000. One final option is inline monitoring, using an alternative method of measuring turbidity, looking at light absorption, not scattering. This method has the potential to measure not simply the overall vol- ume of solids but to discriminate particle size—one more clue to the content of the solids. While mainly the province of big- ger players in the U.S. wine industry, this approach has made bigger inroads into craft brewing. Equipment costs range from $3,000 to $10,000. Sludge is all that's left at the bottom of a fermentation bin at Casa Vin Arte in Fairport, N.Y. All of these methods, of course, depend on careful collection of samples to be test- ed. Juice from the top of the settling tank will have fewer solids than juice at the bottom; but since the point is to settle the lees, you don't want to mix it up all over again. And so on. If the volume of solids is the one factor you can determine and alter, might as well get it right. As to all those intriguing issues of the composition of any given layer of lees and what they might do to your wine, you may have to wait to find out. Fer- mentation product suppliers will be hap- Tasting Room Focus WISE Bites Analysis, Best Practices & Trends: Directed to tasting room personnel to help improve sales, efficiencies and understand current trends of the DtC channel. What is your brand messaging? Are you a boutique, family-owned winery that makes hand-crafted wines? That may be true, but it is not a unique brand story. What makes your brand different from your neighbors and other winer- ies sells the experience. What you and your team think of as your brand story may not be the message that your customers perceive. Do the "gut brand reality check" to see what others describe as their gut feel- ings about your winery's unique brand personality and promises. If these reac- tions are significantly dif- ferent, it's time to re-align. Work with your team to develop sound bites that work for your brand. Source: WISE Academy, wineindustrysaleseducation.com 60 Wines & Vines AUGUsT 201 1 py to offer you packaged solids to add to the brew, and they may very well help in many situations. But for the most part, what we know about solids and wine- making is a list of things we don't ex- actly know. Tim Patterson is the author of the newly re- leased "Home Winemaking for Dummies." He writes about wine and makes his own in Berke- ley, Calif. Years of experience as a journalist, combined with a contrarian streak, make him interested in getting to the bottom of wine sto- ries, casting a critical eye on conventional wis- dom in the process. Featured Tasting Room Advertisers Wine Barrel Designs- Unique handcrafted wine barrel decor Fine furniture and decor made from retired wine barrels. Unique conversation pieces for your tast- ing room or wine cellar. Made in the USA. (609) 374-0201, wine- barreldesigns.com G3 Enterprises specialized bottle and glass decorating Commemorative bottles, replica logos, labels, portraits and unique etched signage. (800) 321-8747, g3enterprises.com Longview Fibre fills your paper and packaging needs Let us help you create graphics packaging through our direct print to corrugated, litho and preprint process. Structural and graphic design available. (510) 569-2616, longfibre.com Bufkor has satisfied custom- ers for more than 100 years Printed cartons, cardboard tube packaging, luxury bags, custom wood boxes, labels, decals, point- of-purchase displays and creative design services. (800) 365-9991, bufkor.com Unique wine art from Beyond Wow Signature Collection Full line of Gérard Puvis wine art reproduced by Susan Moore on stone tile for decorative murals. Ideal for tasting rooms, wine cel- lars and outdoor areas. (770) 639- 1488, beyondwowtileart.com Salina Glass factory direct custom printed glassware Eco-friendly and lead-free inks, order our quality stemware now and save 40-50% off retail prices. (866) 632-2188, salinaglass.com Fleetwood-Fibre custom cartons, corrugated packaging and point- of-purchase displays Innovative, attractive and environ- mentally responsible solutions to showcase your products and impact sales. (925) 736-9108, fleetwood- fibre.com CARRIE J. EBERHARDT