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Courtesy Disney
Sure, cruise ships may all look somewhat similar when you're browsing the lines' websites, but in reality, as with hotels, cruise lines have their own personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, and you have to pick the best one for you. Disney Cruise Line, for example, occasionally offers fares that are similar to those of Celebrity Cruises, but the experiences are very different: While Disney serves boisterous families with young children best, Celebrity is the better choice for empty nesters and retiree couples looking for a quietly chic experience. It's also worth keeping in mind that reduced cruise fares on a particular sailing sometimes occur during the less-popular "shoulder season," which can translate to a trip during unpleasant temperatures or amid choppier seas. And while luxury cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas and Crystal may charge considerably more for their upfront fares, their all-inclusive pricing models can pay off in the end, when factoring in value-add extras like gratuities, alcohol, or shore excursions. In all, it pays to do your homework before plunking down your deposit.
Picking a cabin category can be tough—the industry's biggest ships often have more than 20 varieties spanning different sizes and features—so make sure the one you choose is a good match for your own personal cruising style. Lowest-priced cabins, for example, might carry an attractive fare, but result in potentially claustrophobic and windowless "inside" quarters. If you're planning on being out and about on the ship and in port for the vast majority of your sailing, though, there's little point in splurging on a top-tier suite: Factor in preferences like size, views, amenities (do you need a bathtub…or a butler, perhaps?), and price. Individual cabin location is another important parameter: Consider where you will be spending most of your time on board (you might want the spa or pool deck within skipping distance, for instance), nab a good spot for stability if you're prone to seasickness (on a lower-level, mid-ship deck), and be sure to avoid potentially noisy staterooms under the pool deck or nightclub.
Unlike on a land vacation, your holiday actually has a firm departure time. Cruise ships don't wait for delayed flights, so if you're not within driving distance of your embarkation port—especially if you're cruising in winter, when snow can ground planes—you'll want to fly into port the day before your sailing. The price of an overnight hotel stay is well worth the peace of mind you'll get in return. Plus, you'll get to take full advantage of that first cruise day, or have an added day of sightseeing to tack onto your trip. One exception: If you live in a major city and have a non-stop flight to a well-trafficked locale like Miami, and there are several more after yours that would get you in before the ship sails away, we might look the other way if you fly in that morning.
In cruises, as in life, some things require advance planning. While the allure of cruising for many is the ease with which you plan your trip—one upfront purchase gets you most of your vacation on the spot—it's important not to take that too literally. Spa treatments on sea-day afternoons, top shore excursions, coveted tables for two at small specialty restaurants, and even seats for blockbuster evening productions tend to fill up fast. Check out your line's website and see how early they allow you to book, and then take advantage of the opportunity to pin down just what you want long before it's anchors away. Not only will you get first dibs on your preferred times and dates, but you'll avoid getting caught up in the mad grab for whatever slots are left over on the first day of the sailing.
It's a fairly common misconception among new cruisers that the time spent in port is limited to the shore tours that the cruise line advertises. This isn't the case—you're a free agent in port, and if you're craving a little independence, or looking to experience something locally that's simply not offered by the line, feel free to go it alone. You could save some money in the process, since excursions booked through cruise tend to be more expensive than ones you book directly. Depending on your comfort level and degree of travel autonomy, plan ahead and research reputable independent local tour operators for either group or private tours, or simply design your own itinerary and go it alone. Just some caveats: Excursions booked through your cruise line come with certain guarantees and protections, which is why they cost more: They've vetted the tour operators in advance, and the ship crew works with those operators in case any hiccups occur. If you're on your own, it'll be your job to make it back to port in time for the ship's scheduled embarkation; unlike with ship-sponsored tours, it won't wait to depart if you get held up while venturing off on your own.
There's perhaps no quicker way to undo that onboard R&R than with an unexpectedly huge bill at the end of your sailing. Unless you're cruising aboard an all-inclusive luxury line, on which many of the incidentals are covered with the fares you pay at booking, the many "extras" common to standard cruise vacations can add up fast. Staff gratuities, bar drinks, shore excursions, Wi-Fi packages, and spa treatments can easily fatten up the cumulative bill. Keep your financial expectations in check by keeping tabs on your shipboard account numbers every few days throughout the sailing.
If you're going to let the ship take your bags at the dock and deliver them to your cabin later (which we recommend), you'll want to make sure anything you need for those first few hours on board is in your carry-on. Some ships allow passengers to board as early as the late morning, but might not get around to delivering your suitcases until closer to dinnertime, meaning you've got hours before you're reunited with your things. If you plan to spend the first day at the pool or the gym, you'll want to make sure you have everything you need with you—or risk finding yourself sans swimsuit on the Lido deck. If you're traveling from somewhere with a considerably colder or hotter climate, you might need a change of clothes on hand to quickly adapt (you don't want to be stuck wearing UGGs in sandals weather, after all). And make sure to carry on other key essentials, too, like medications, sunscreen, sunglasses, important documents, stuff for the kids, or toiletries for a quick refresher.
If there was ever a time for a digital detox, this is it. Many cruise ships still charge pricey rates for Wi-Fi, which can be spotty and, at worst, totally unavailable for large swaths of time, given that you're out at sea or possibly sailing to less-trafficked destinations. Be sure to take care of your major Internet needs before you go, and turn on your out-of-office message on your work and home emails, so that you don't waste your precious vacation time or budget navigating painfully slow and expensive onboard connections, or hunting down a Wi-Fi hot spot in port.
On most ships, there aren't enough perfectly placed lounge chairs to go around. The fastest way to make enemies onboard? Put your stuff down in the morning of a sea day, and then disappear for hours—to breakfast, the gym, the spa, for lunch. Return in the afternoon and, if the staff hasn't taken your belongings off the chair, the scowls from fellow passengers will make you wish they had.
If you don't know whether you're prone to seasickness, this isn't the time to find out. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and thankfully, there are some easy precautionary measures you can take to ensure smooth sailing on your voyage. Among them, stay hydrated, get enough sleep, steer clear of sitting or standing opposite to the ship's direction of motion, and avoid activities like reading or staring at a computer screen for too long. If you can, book a cabin that's located mid-ship and on a lower deck, where the ship sway is most stable, and if you start to feel your equilibrium getting off-balance, staring out at a fixed point on the horizon from the deck or your balcony can have a soothing effect. Avoid booking a trip on a smaller ship where stabilizers aren't likely to be as efficient as they are on the larger vessels, and steer clear of waters known for rougher seas (that expedition to Antarctica, for instance, might not be the best idea). To be on the safe side, consider bringing along a prescription drug from your doc or some over-the-counter meds like Bonine or Dramamine, or trying homeopathic methods like acupressure wristbands or ginger pills, all of which can help prevent and treat seasickness.


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Band appear at Vector Arena for first date since 1996
The Stone Roses performed their first gig in New Zealand for 17 years last night (February 26).
The band were down under for a performance at the Future Music Festival in Brisbane, Australia and played the warm up show at New Zealand's 10,000 capacity Vector Arena venue. The Stone Roses opened with 'I Wanna Be Adored' and went on to play a 15-minute version of 'Fools Gold' before closing their set with 'I Am The Resurrection'. The New Zealand Herald reports that 'Waterfall' had to be started three times with Ian Brown "giving poor old Mani a telling off".
Earlier this year, it was announced that The Roses will be headlining the opening night of Coachella along with Blur. The line-up for the California festival, which takes place over two weekends in April (12-14 April and 19-21 April), was announced in January. However, some US fans were left bemused by the announcement that the Madchester legends were headlining the bash – leading to the creation of a Tumblr blog, called Who Are The Stone Roses?.
Also performing on the Friday of the festival will be Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Johnny Marr, Lou Reed, Modest Mouse and Jake Bugg. Phoenix will be the festival's second headliner, appearing on a bill which also includes The xx, Postal Service, Sigur Ros, New Order, Hot Chip, Grizzly Bear, Two Door Cinema Club, Biffy Clyro, Foals and Franz Ferdinand.
The third and final Coachella headliner for 2013 will be Red Hot Chili Peppers. The veteran rockers will close the festival on both weekends, topping a bill which also includes Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Vampire Weekend, Jessie Ware, Tame Impala, James Blake and Grimes.

subset: commoncrawl


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Docker Randstad Meetup: June 2016
Yesterday I was together with two KPN colleagues at the meetup from Docker Randstad. The meetup was hosted by Blendle in the center of Utrecht. Blendle also arranged the food and drinks. After everybody had some time to eat a slice of pizza, the official part of the evening started. Before the sessions started, Blendle … Read moreDocker Randstad Meetup: June 2016


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Eric Hanson and Greg Downing from xrez.com invited me (and 70 others) to take part in the Yosemite Extreme Panorama Project. The project attempts to make an almost complete virtual panorama of the walls of the valley, in insanely high resolution. Teams went to 24 locations with gigapan bots and Canon G9s and shot each a 3-4 gigapixel panorama of the opposite wall. Sometime later this year they will map those panoramas onto a 3D model of the valley, but you can see the individual results now (Silverlight plugin necessary, use your scroll wheel for zooming in).
Update: the first previews of the 3D renderings are online: HDRlabs blog and Autodesk blog
Of course, I tried to shoot some panoramas, in the beginning with great effort, towards the end of the weekend with a bit less, since I was running out of memory, and nature is great, but not my thing.
Here are the results, and more after the jump:


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Senior Lecturer FAQ
How do I order regalia and register to participate in Commencement?
he online form to register to march and to order regalia is now closed—please contact Kimberly Nelson directly.
Is there someone with whom I can talk about participation and my role that day? I'd like to learn more and/or have specific questions.
Leslie Kolodziejski, Faculty Marshal, is available to address any questions you may have. Kindly send her an email. If you have general questions about Commencement logistics or arrangements, please direct them to Gayle Gallagher, Executive Officer for Commencement.
Where do I pick up and return my rented regalia?
Information about regalia rental may be found on the regalia and tickets page.
Where is assembly for Senior Lecturers on Commencement morning?
Senior Lecturers are asked to report to the assembly tent on Kresge Oval on Friday, June 7, by 9:15 am for robing and assembly; the procession departs at 9:45 am. Continental breakfast will be available at 8:30 am. Arrival and assembly details were emailed to participants on May 31 by Leslie Kolodziejski, Faculty Marshal: if you did not receive this message, please ping us to request a copy.
How long are the Commencement Exercises?
The Commencement Exercises, which officially begin as the Academic Procession enters Killian Court at 10 am, conclude at approximately 2 pm. The names of graduates are read in alternating order between undergraduates and Master's candidates.
Do I need a ticket to participate in Commencement?
No. If you are marching in the Academic Procession, you will be seated on the stage so you do not need a ticket. Please note: Due to the increase over recent years in the number of graduates and their guests at the Exercises, the Commencement Committee regrets that senior lecturer guest tickets will no longer be offered as a matter of course. However, individual requests will be reviewed by Chancellor Eric Grimson—kindly send a note with the pertinent details.
Can I greet a special graduating student at Commencement?
There is limited space for moving on stage during the ceremony, but our faculty marshals work to allow Senior Lecturers to find a way to greet special students.
Can I leave the stage and return during Commencement?
Senior Lecturers are an important part of the greeting during Commencement and are therefore asked to remain on stage. However, if you need to leave, there are stairs off the back of the stage and the faculty marshals can help you leave and return to stage once the actual awarding of degrees begins.
What happens after Commencement?
All are invited to the individual School and department receptions held across campus.


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What began with pro-EU protesters in Kiev in November of last year has led to a referendum that could divide Ukraine.
As the Crimean people vote on whether to stay in Ukraine or not, Chief Foreign Correspondent David Blair looks back at how the protests in the capital started a chain of events that has implications for the stability of the entire region.
Blair recalls what he witnessed on February 20th, the deadliest day in the country's history, when demonstrators in Kiev's Independence Square were fired upon by snipers. The protesters' persistence forced the resignation of the country's President, Viktor Yanukovych - but their victory was short-lived.
Demonstrations against the new government, and in favour of Russia, quickly flared up in Crimea - and President Putin has repeatedly asserted his right to exert influence in the area.
In this video report - shot by Telegraph videographer David Rose - Blair explains how events in Ukraine have developed since November last year.


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Earl Peel: I am grateful to the Government for introducing the amendment, not least because I was going to cite endless cases. I no longer have to do so, which is a relief for me and will be much more a relief for Members of the Committee.
As regards subsection (3), which seeks to insert new subsection (1A) into the 1994 ActI believe there is a misprint in that there are two paragraphs "(a)", the second of which should be paragraph "(b)"I believe that the Minister said that both paragraphs (a) and (b) specifically refer to indoors and outdoors gatherings. I believe the noble Lord said that but I want to seek absolute confirmation.
Paragraph (b) of proposed new subsection (7A) refers to a period of 24 hours. I very much welcome this provisionit goes further than the amendment of my noble friend Lord Dixon-Smithbut I wonder whether 24 hours will be enough. If there were a further extensionsay to 48 hoursit would obviously act as an additional deterrent, not least because people can remain in an area for 24 hours without too much discomfort whereas if the period was 48 hours they might be more inclined to return from whence they had come. Perhaps the Government will consider extending the period of 24 hours. I very much welcome the amendment. It is a major step forward.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is our intention to cover indoor and outdoor raves. The noble Earl has clearly understood what I meant.
The question of hours is a difficult point. Certainly, thinking back to one particularly perverse experience in our locality, the noble Earl is quite right. The 1994 Act was in place and law enforcement officers felt unable to move against a particular rave that had gone on over two days. I can see the difficulty that, having displaced it and moved it on, they may well experience similar caution in wanting to take decisive action.
I do not want to make a promise from the Dispatch Box that I cannot fulfil. I have noted the noble Earl's comments; I will say no more than that. Obviously Ministers and officials will want to look closely at what the noble Earl said and it may well be that they will wish to give the question of 24 hours vis-a-vis 48 hours further consideration. I can say no more than that.
Lord Dixon-Smith: If I had had the opportunity I would have welcomed Amendment No. 200ZA quite warmly and we would not have had to wait quite as long to reassure the noble Lord, Lord Bassam of Brighton.
The amendment is welcome. It may not be perfectmy noble friend Lord Peel raised an interesting point which is worth further considerationbut, on the strength of Amendment No. 200ZA, I am happy not to move my amendment.
Lord Avebury: If this problem has been so widespread, why was it not noticed until after the Bill was drafted and therefore necessitated an amendment being brought forward at this fairly late stage? The 1994 Act had been on the statute book for nine years before these proposals were brought forward. They could have been incorporated in the Bill when it first came before another place if the evidence had been available to support them.
The noble Lord referred to submissions by ACPO. I have not seen them. That does not mean to say that other Members of the Committee are not aware of representations by ACPO on the matter, but it would have been useful if that evidence had been laid before the Committee to support what is quite a drastic extension of the 1994 legislation, which is designed to prevent huge outdoor parties causing a nuisance and is now to be extended to quite small indoor parties.
Is it contended that the local authorities do not have adequate powers to deal with noisy parties in urban areas and that local environmental health officers are not fully discharging their duties to shut down illegal parties or to ask people to turn the sound down when complaints are made? If that is the case, we need to know why the existing legislation on these matters has not been effective and what representations the Government have had from environmental health officers or the local authorities. If the Government have evidence that widespread nuisance is being caused by small parties and that local authorities have expressed the view that their existing powers are inadequate, we are open to persuasion. On the whole, however, I am not keen on the proposal to extend the range of criminal offences without good reason, as this clause does, especially not when those offences attract custodial sentences.
Our other concern is that demonstrations frequently require the use of a sound system. We would not like these powers to be used to prevent the legitimate expression of views of political importance by small numbers of people who would, on the face of it, be affected by these provisions.
Lord Bassam of Brighton: I think I will deal with the last point first. It is not our intention for this legislation to fetter the rights of people quite properly to express their views on matters of a political nature.
On the noble Lord's other points, separate legislation can be used to deal with noisy parties. What we are talking about here is rather different from noisy parties; we are talking about situations in which a small number of organisers take over and occupy for a period of time a building or a piece of land. When they realise that the game is up because of the nuisance they are causing, they move on and do the same thing somewhere else in a pre-prepared, carefully worked out scheme.
I do not know how much experience the noble Lord has had of these events, but I can tell him they are a major headache for those charged with the responsibility of investigating the nuisance, taking enforcement action and making sure that those involved are deterred from a repeat exercise. I had a lot of experience of this as leader of my local authority back in the mid and late 1990s. I have some very good examples of the circumstances in which complaints have been made and the police have not felt able to take swift and effective action.
I can see that the noble Lord is bursting to speak, and I will give way. Let me first say that we are trying to deal with a real and genuine nuisance that has come to light through correspondence. It has been drawn to our attention by Members of Parliament and has come up during debates on this legislation which deals with anti-social behaviour. We think it is proper to respond to that.
The views of the Association of Chief Police Officers are plain and clear on this. Its members understand the need for this legislation and are very supportive of the approach that we are adopting.
Lord Avebury: I was certainly not challenging the noble Lord's anecdotal accounts of these raves. I am conscious of them, having received correspondence about them. I was simply asking him to produce evidence in the form of representations either by local authority associations or by ACPO. He says that ACPO has made representations; could we see the copies? Could he place them in the Library of your Lordships' House?
Lord Bassam of Brighton: I did not actually say that ACPO had made representations on specific cases. I have three very good examples which I am happy to share with the noble Lord.
In September 2000 there was a rave in Tolworth in Surrey. Massive disruption was caused to residents after a weekend-long rave took place on farmland. We received several letters on the issue from the local MP as well as residents.
In December 2001, Graeme Stephens, a farmer in Essex, had one of his barns broken into, and an illegal rave then took place. Police could not take any action as the rave was indoors and attended by less than 100 people, hence our desire to shift the threshold. The farmer was arrested for a breach of the peace when he tried to break up the event, and this made national press headlines.
There was a rave in January 2002 in Lincolnshire. Over the Christmas and New Year period in 2001, a farmer called Mr Benton and his family had one of his buildings broken intodamage caused by an illegal rave that took place on their premises. Police could take no action, as yet again the event was indoors and attended by fewer than 100 people. Again, that story made the national press.
Those are anecdotes, but they are well recorded ones. I am confident that the department could bring forward other examples. It is for those reasons that ACPO is firm in its support for our proposed changes.
I believed that there would be all-party agreement on the issue. I understand that the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, comes from a particular political perspective. However, if he argues against the measure he is arguing in a strange sort of way to protect the civil rights and liberties of a minority of those who wish to organise events that, in themselves, can overtake people's lives in a particularly unpleasant and dramatic way, causing noise, nuisance and disturbance over long periods of time, and considerable disruption to people leading a peaceful existence and going about their ordinary business. I am sure that it is not his intent to protect the civil rights of those who are out to cause a nuisance in that way, but it is sounding awfully like it as I listen to this evening's discussion.
Lord Avebury: I do not want to prolong these proceedings, but I have asked the Minister the question twice, and I shall put it to him a third time. Will he please let me have any evidence, in the form of statements or representations by either ACPO or local authority associations, which he has received in his department?
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Anecdote - Making Strategy Stick
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Last week I started a new Making Strategies Stick project with a large IT company. The guys I'm working with are the technical sales folk and as we were working out their strategic story they mentioned that the passion that was once there for their products seemed to be waning among some of their technical specialists.
These guys work closely with the sales people. The way they work together, however, varies dramatically from being merely instructed by the sales people to do demonstrations of the product (they call this being demo dollies) to working collaboratively as peers with the sales people.
I asked whether those who showed a lack of passion were also the ones treated as demo dollies. Th answer was yes.
Dan Pink has done a good job in his latest book, Drive, to show that there are three important factors that affect our motivation: purpose, mastery and autonomy. It seems that in this case those treated as demo dollies were losing their autonomy (and also unable to apply their mastery) and were losing the spark for the product. Collaboration (where collaboration is when peers work together to tackle complex activities–see our paper), on the other hand, provided all three factors.
Another good reason to get serious about collaboration in your business.
About Shawn Callahan
Shawn, author of Putting Stories to Work, is one the world's leading business storytelling consultants. He helps executive teams find and tell the story of their strategy. When he is not working on strategy communication, Shawn is helping leaders find and tell business stories to engage, to influence and to inspire. Shawn works with Global 1000 companies including Shell, IBM, SAP, Bayer, Microsoft & Danone. Connect with Shawn on:
Jo Jordan Says:
February 15th, 2010 at 8:06 pm >
PS the Pink model is a standard one found in Hackman and Oldham (mid 70's), German action theory (Hacker), Ryan and Deci. Also used by Jane Mcgonigal (see current TED). Every qualified psychologist should have this off pat and be able to apply it.
But good point. We are over managed. Our basic idea of 'using' other people has to change.
Shawn Callahan Says:
February 16th, 2010 at 6:48 am >
Hi Jo, it's good to know the heritage of these ideas. The thing I find, however, is that many managers have little idea about these things and therefore don't but two and two together. Dan's book helps somewhat but the other problem is that most managers don't read management books.
Sahana Says:
February 21st, 2010 at 3:09 am >
I follow your blog regularly. I am a firm believer in storytelling as a means of "making sense of the chaos" and a collaboration evangelist. This post and your earlier ones have helped me to understand a lot of my personal reactions to situations. Thank you for that. I have responded to this in my blog.
In Response to Collaboration Provides Autonomy
Lori Says:
July 20th, 2012 at 9:03 am >
Hello Shawn,
I am a doctoral student who is working on a dissertation studying the perceptions of online college faculty on collaboration. I am currently searching for a validated survey instrument that can be used or modified for the purposes of my study. Are you familiar with any instruments developed and validated for measuring perceptions of collaboration?
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I'm a 5th year winemaker, and last year my 60 gallons of red Zinfandel wine came out
with a fizz. Almost like Champagne, how can I get rid if it? Joseph Russo
The problem you describe is one of gas (I prefer the European "gasse," which means gas trapped in liquid). The gas gets into the wine in two ways. The most common way is during normal fermentation. CO2 is naturally produced by yeast and most of it escapes through the airlock, but some of it is simply absorbed into the wine. This gasse is released through normal handling of the wine -- racking, fining, filtering, bottling. If the wine is handled too gently, the gasse thus trapped can remain. When the cork is driven home, positive pressure in the bottle is gradually released during the first 2-4 days while the bottle is standing upright. When the cork is removed sometime later, the pulling of the cork creates negative pressure in the bottle and this forces the gasse to begin escaping the wine.
However, if the wine is bottled with any amount of residual sugar AND a few viable yeast cells, fermentation will continue after the wine is bottled. The CO2 created during this fermentation is trapped inside the bottle by the cork, so the only place the gasse has to go is into the wine. The amount of gasse produced depends on the amount of residual sugar that was fermented inside the bottle. If the wine is very sparkling (like Champagne), then as much as 3% of the residual sugar could have been fermented.
This secondary fermentation occurs because the wine has been bottled without being completely stabilized. Dosing the wine with potassium metabisulfite or potassium sorbate prior to bottling will not stabilize a wine, as BOTH are required for stabilization. However, simply dosing the wine with both additives will not guarantee stability. The proportions need to be correct for the wine and the wine should essentially be dry when dosed. It can be sweetened back after being stabilized, but cannot be expected to be stabilized while natural residual sugar remains in the wine, for that tends to favor the presence of live yeast.
Potassium sorbate in the presence of potassium metabisulfite renders yeast infertile. They will no longer reproduce, but the living cells present could continue living for a considerable time -- long enough to gasse a wine. Thus, wine is stabilized by measured, progressive steps. It is allowed to ferment to dryness or a yeast is used that will die off from alcohol toxicity at a predictable point. In either case, most of the yeast will die and lay down a fine dusting of lees. The wine must then be dosed with potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate (to protect the wine and prevent the remaining yeast from reproducing) and fined (to remove dead yeast that have not settled, but some weak but still living cells will also be deposited by the fining). The wine should then be cold stabilized if possible while the fining agent is settling. If you can't cold stabilize, so be it. After a sufficient wait (I prefer two weeks if cold stabilized, 3 weeks if not), the wine is carefully racked and then sterile filtered to remove 95-98% of the remaining yeast. NOW the wine can be sweetened and bottled.
The steps listed above can be staggered more or switched around somewhat, and some steps can be left out if you haven't got the equipment necessary to carry them out (cold stabilization and sterile filtering are the two steps most home winemakers skip). But the bottom line is that the wine must be stabilized before sweetening and bottling.
But, we have all made unintentional sparkling wine when a still wine was intended. There are two courses of action. If there isn't much wine and you intend to consume it fairly quickly, you can decant it before serving and stir while decanting. This will release most of the gasse. The other choice is to pull the corks, degasse the wine in bulk and rebottle. No one wants to do this, but storing gassed wine in bottles not made for sparkling wine is dangerous. Either the corks or the bottles themselves can yield to the pressure with explosive consequences. The wine is degassed in a sanitized container by vigorous stirring with a glass rod, wooden dowel or large stainless steel slotted spoon. Some winemakers use an impeller blade on a long shaft attached to an electric drill, which is the fastest and surest way I know of. A sample of the wine should be tested for unbound sulfur (SO2) and redosed with potassium metabisulfite if need be to prevent oxidation and accidental contamination by spoilage bacteria.
Finally, I know a lot of winemakers who routinely stir their wine before bottling to release any gasse absorbed during normal fermentation. Again, the electric drill impeller blade is popular with them. You can find it at several on-line winemaking suppliers.
I just corked 6 gallons of Chianti but most of the corks are
turning red. I read a book which said to boil the coarks before
using them, so I did. Since then I've read some other things that
recommned just soaking them in a sulfite solution for 12 hours.... Jolie Bowles
Wisdom changes with experience and research. When I started making wine, you boiled corks also. Later, that changed to cold soaking overnight in sulfite solution. Now, I simply submerge them in sulfite solution for about two minutes.
Boiling is actually bad for the corks and renders them brittle as they dry out. Prolonged cold soaking is simply a waste of time because the sulfite solution sanitizes the corks within two minutes.
Your corks are probably turning red because wine has gotten between the cork and the sides of the bottle neck. This happens because when you force a cork into a bottle, the air between the cork and the wine gets compressed. If you leave the bottle standing upright for 2-3 days, the pressure will work its way out around the cork. If, on the other hand, you lay the bottle down immediately, the pressure pushes the wine (instead of the compressed air) out around the cork.
Leave your bottles upright 2-3 days, then lay them on their sides and watch them for a few days thereafter. The bottles should not leak. If they do, pull the corks and put in new ones. Most wine bottles are sized for #9 corks. Make sure your corks are the correct size for a good fit.
Many, many people have written asking how to extract all that
wine from their gross lees. Here are some thoughts. Jack Keller
A number of fruit put out a lot of pulp that forms what are called "gross lees." Gross lees are loose and harbor a lot of liquid in them, whereas "fine lees" are like a silt and are composed mostly of dead yeast cells. Mango, papaya, pineapple, apples, and most stoned fruit (peaches, cherries, nectarines, apricots, chokecherries, etc.) lay down a thick layer of "gross lees." These contain many, many times the amount of liquid in them than do the "fine lees" of dead yeast one normally sees.
The preferred method is to rack the wine normally and when you get to the layer of gross lees, put a large plastic funnel on top of your clean secondary lined with a double layer of sanitized muslin cloth. Then siphon the gross lees into the funnel. You'll have to pinch the siphon hose to slow down the flow. When the funnel is full of pulpy lees, gather the muslin and squeeze the juice out. Dump the compacted pulp, wash out the muslin, and continue doing this until you get down to the fine lees. Doing this, you'll recover more than 80% of the liquid you lost by leaving the gross lees undisturbed.
When the lees are thick with semi-compacted pulp, not gross but not fine either, I rack and then transfer my gross lees into a tall, skinny, cylindrical jar made for storing spaghetti. I have a Tupperware top that fits it that I drilled to accept a #2 bung with airlock After 2-3 weeks in this jar, the lees compact well and I can rack the clear wine off the top. This procedure usually yields 300 to 500 ml of additional wine.
I have a friend who uses double layers of coffee filters in a funnel to extract wine from lees. He lets the lees sit in a large jar overnight and the wine separates somewhat. The then pours the wine into the funnel and lets gravity pull the wine through. Because the filters clog up quickly, it takes hours to do this and during that time the wine is exposed to the air and airborne bacteria, so I don't recommend it.
An acquaintance of mine has made a centrifuge from an old washing machine and relies on it to quickly separate the lees from the wine. It is a very clever contraption, but I have no idea how to make it. He designed it and made all the parts himself one winter.
So, you can see that there are several methods for extracting wine from lees. You have to use the methods best suited to your circumstances and abilities.
I'm at the start of your Jalapeno recipe and am wondering if there
is a way to CLEAN the HOT STUFF off equipment (man that stuff
really singes the fingertips)? Don Edl
Capsaicin (or capsicin) is the stuff in the jalapenos (and other members of the genus Capsicum) that provides the "heat" chile lovers are so fond of. It is an oil, so it does not shed easily when washed with water. To clean up after handling any kind of chile pepper (except bell peppers), put 2-3 drops of oil (olive, corn, canola, etc.) and 2-3 drops of liquid detergent in one hand and work it well between both hands while running the water warm-to-hot. After rinsing, repeat with just the detergent and rinse again. Clean equipment the same way.
Because capsaicin is not water soluable, drinking water after eating a few hot peppers will not get rid of the heat. Instead, drink some whole milk. The fat in whole milk will cut the capsaicin and relieve you of the irritation.
To keep from burning the fingertips, wear rubber gloves when working with hot chile peppers. Be sure to clean them well afterward.
Why wait 12 hours to add pectic enzyme? I've seen other recipes
that added it with other ingredients. Do you have a preference
of vessel for fermenting 1 gal recipes? Don Edl
The reason I add crushed Campden, wait 12 hours and add pectic enzyme, and wait another 12 hours before adding yeast is because both Campden and pectic enzyme release gases after being introduced. While the gases released by pectic enzyme are not really "harmful" to yeast, I once forgot to add pectic enzyme and added it to the fermenting must and watched my fermentation almost stop. It didn't really stop, but it came close. Ever since, I have chosen to err on the side of caution and let the pectic enzyme sit in the must 10-12 hours before adding the yeast culture.
This also works well for me because I usually add Campden in the evening, pectic enzyme the next morning, and yeast that evening, and the three-step process gives me "something to do" besides look at my checklist. Also, when I add the crushed Campden I also put my dried yeast in a starter solution (1 cup warm water, 1/2 tsp sugar, pinch of yeast nutrient, 2 drops of lemon juice) so it is activated when I add it the following evening.
I have a number of one-gallon primaries, each of which is between 5-6 quarts in size. My favorites are two goldfish bowls I picked up at yard sales for $2 each. I had to clean calcium deposit rings off their inner surfaces (vinegar is cheap and does this well, but clean out the vinegar well before using), but they are great primaries. My wife made elastic-rimmed tops for them out of heavy muslin to keep bad stuff out of the ferment.
I also use a couple of small fermentation crocks as primaries and a couple of liners for crock pots. These work very well, have their own covers and are easy to clean.
Finally, I have an assortment of plastic "ice tea" containers I use as primaries, several one-gallon pickle jars and some stainless steel mixing bowls. The jars are not the best primaries for fermenting crushed ingredients because they aren't big enough to hold a rising cap of pulp, but they work okay for juices.
I didn't realize how filthy mustang grapes were until I picked some.
Is there a correct way to pick and clean them? Anonymous
How do you get the grape off of the vine and rinse without loosing
some of the juice? Eric Yendrey, Bryan, Texas
These are two similar questions, so I'll combine them.
All grapes are pretty filthy until washed, but wild grapes like Mustangs simply have more "wild things" living amongst them. Thus, picking them can be an experience. Pick the stems supporting the bunches to reduce premature juice loss. If you grab the stem between thumb and forefinger and push (or pull) in the direction of the main vine, the stem will break off rather easily. If you push (or pull) toward the growing end, the stem will resist release, ripe grapes may drop with the force required to break the stem, and the growing tip may break off.
When you wash your grapes, the real goal is to get the really coarse stuff (and the various spiders and bugs) off them, not get them pristine clean. The crushed Campden tablets (or, in the case of my recipe #4, the cooking) will take care of the wild yeast and bacteria, and racking will get rid of any small bits of gunk that might have escaped washing. Still, I have many friends who go through various rituals involving their grapes. A couple of them actually mix a 2-1/2% solution of metabisulphate and soak their grapes in it for a quarter-hour or so before rising and destemming. Several do the same thing with a Campden solution. And others do what you did -- destem and then wash, preferring to sacrifice some juice for the assurance that their grapes will be "very clean" before being crushed, fermented on the skins and pressed. I find these steps to be unnecessary and simply wash mine (destemming them after washing is an option), but you can do whatever makes you feel best about your grapes and the resulting wine.
Indeed, you might try doing several batches -- each a different way or using a different recipe -- to get a real feel for the variations and the grapes. Once the wine is made, no matter how much you make, you're going to be upset with yourself for not having made more.
I have a really good friend who has the biggest chest freezer I've ever seen outside a supermarket sitting in his garage, and it is about one-quarter full of mustang grapes. He picks the grapes, washes and destems them, and puts them in one-gallon Ziploc freezer bags. He than weighs each bag, labels it, and puts it in the freezer. He claims the freezing concentrates the sugar, breaks down the cell-walls in the pulp (for easier juice extraction), and results in better wines. He must be right, because his Mustang is a fairly consistent "Best of Show" in San Antonio and South Texas wine competitions. It also allows him to make wine when there are no grapes out there to pick.
Whenever I rack my wines, it seems like a lot of good wine is lost
in the lees. Is there a way to filter or otherwise get the wine
out of the lees? I hate wasting all that wine and diluting what
I rack by having to top up with water. Anonymous
Good question. There are several ways to answer it, but I'll keep my response short and sweet.
Lees will plug up any filter you might use faster than you can say, "My filter's plugged up!" But you can extract more wine from the lees than you're probably getting right now by doing the following. After racking, pour the lees into a tall, sterilized, narrow jar, such as an olive jar. You could also use the cylinder you hold samples in for hydrometer readings. The lees will settle fairly rapidly (a few hours) and the reduced diameter of the vessel will compress the wine into a thicker layer which can then be siphoned off. Depending on the size of the primary or secondary the lees came from, you might extract anywhere from a half-cup to a pint more wine from the lees this way. You'll probably still have to top up some, but certainly not as much as before.
There is a better way, I think. I simply try to make more wine initially than my secondary will hold. When I rack into the secondary the first time, the excess wine goes into a small wine bottle (750-ml, 375-ml, 250-ml, 187-ml, or 150-ml) just big enough to accommodate it and fitted with a Number 2 stopper (bung) and airlock. The Number 2 stopper will fit any wine bottle from 1.5-liters down. When I rack next time, I top up my secondary with the extra wine in the wine bottle and transfer any wine still remaining to an even smaller wine bottle. This is used to top up the next time I rack.
Is there a substitute for pectic enzyme? I am having trouble
getting it in this part of the country. Jannie van der Westhuisen
The best substitute for pectic enzyme is papaya peel. The layer of green immediately under the skin of the papaya contains natural pectic enzyme. Use the peeling from half a papaya as a substitute for one teaspoon of pectic enzyme. You can freeze the other half in a ZipLoc bag for later use. Just put the peeling in the primary and ferment it along with the other ingredients. It would be best, however, to order some pectic enzyme from a winemaking supplier over the internet.
Do you have any recipies using bottled grape juice of Austrian
origin. I am currently in a country that does not sell alcohol
or equipment to manufacture it. Gareth Askew
Making wine from commercial grape juice is problematic. There are several reasons, but the two biggest are that grape juice is usually heavily sulfited so it won't ferment during storage and it is usually less concentrated (i.e. it is watered down) than desired for winemaking. Now, if you can find frozen grape concentrate that isn't too heavily sulfited, you can make wine. You still need some equipment and supplies though. For example, you'll need a hydrometer, a jar, bowl, crock, or pail (primary) large enough to hold the juice with some extra space, a jug (secondary) exactly large enough to hold the juice, an airlock, a 4-6 feet length of racking tubing, yeast nutrient, wine yeast, and some sodium or potassium metabisulfite for sterilizing you equipment. You'll also need a hand corker and bottle corks. You can order all of this through the mail or from one of the online suppliers on the internet.
In a primary, dilute the juice according to instructions, but withhold 1/2 measure if water. For example, if the instructions say to mix one can of concentrate with 5 cans of water, only use 4 1/2 cans of water. Use the hydrometer to measure the specific gravity of the diluted juice. You want a reading between 1.090 and 1.095. Stir in sugar (mixing well to dissolve it completely) until you reach the desired reading. The table on my hydrometer page may help you. When the reading is correct, stir in one teaspoon of yeast nutrient per gallon of juice, then sprinkle the yeast on top of the juice. Cover the primary with a sterile cloth and set it aside in a warm place. In two days, the juice should be fermenting nicely. Ferment it five days and then transfer it to the secondary and fit the airlock. Ferment 30 days and rack into a clean secondary. Top up with juice or water and refit the airlock. Ferment three months and rack again. Top up, refit the airlock and set aside for another 3-4 months. Rack into bottles and set aside to age. It will be drinkable right then, but will get better with aging.
If you have problems getting the juice to start fermenting (because of too much sulfites), aerate the juice by pouring it back and forth between two containers a half-dozen times and follow the procedure below in "Wine Won't Ferment."
If you want to understand some of my misgivings about making wine from concentrates, read the item below entitled "Grape Concentrate vs. Grape Juice" and my separate section on grape concentrates.
When a recipe includes wheat, is this wheat malted, fresh (ready to
plant in the field), roasted, or what? I didn't think twice
about this until I looked at a recipe for beer that used
malted wheat. Wayne Harrison
Winemaking recipes that call for wheat almost always mean whole wheat, cracked but not malted. Whole wheat kernels can be cracked by putting them in a nylon grain bag, tying it closed, and rolling a rolling pin over the wheat with a bit of force downward. It makes no difference if the wheat has the chaff intact or removed. Simple enough.
I am a winemaker, but I only make a few gallons per year. Lately
I've had a problem. After the wine has been bottled for about 3
weeks I seem to be getting a dusty deposit in the bottle. It does
not look like normal sediment but, as I said, a dark dust. I have
had it with kits and with a tea wine. Any ideas would be appreciated. Tim Pace, UK
I have had this occur in my wheat wines, where tannin was added. I always assumed it was the tannin I added precipitating out, but more recently it occurred in a grape wine to which no tannin was added. I discussed it with a highly regarded winemaker friend and was told it could also be (1) metallic ions (from an aluminium funnel I sometimes use) precipitating out, or (2) suspended pigments from the grape skins settling, or (3) very small tartaric acid crystals. I dismissed the third option, as the particles were like a very fine dust. In truth, I don't know what exactly they are, but I do know how to get rid of them.
Uncork the bottles, filter the wine, and then rebottle and recork it. It can be done quickly with a vacuum pump filter, thus avoiding prolonged air exposure and the threat of oxidation. If you don't have the required filter, use a paper towel in a large plastic funnel and let gravity do the work. It will take considerably longer, but it will get rid of the suspended particles.
Another friend told me to ignore the dust. "It happens," he said, "and, although unsightly, it doesn't hurt the wine." I filtered anyway. I hope this helps.
I have a site about Silas McDowell (1795-1879) (http://www.rabun.net/~phillips)
an apple and grape grower who introduced many new apple
varieties and, late in life, became interested in viticulture.
I have been able to find little about a grape variety he
worked with - Isabella. He apparently obtained cuttings from
the Cherokees and tried to improve them. Do you know anything
about this grape variety? Duane Phillips
Isabella (Vitis Labrusca var. Isabella) has a long history and questionable origin. U.P. Hedrick, in his 1908 work The Grapes of New York, lists it as a probable cross between Labrusca and Vinifera. It was originally secured by William Prince of Flushing, Long Island from Mrs. Isabella Gibbs, the wife of George Gibbs, a merchant then living in Brooklyn. Prince named it after Mrs. Gibbs and states in his 1830 Treatise on the Vine that Mrs. Gibbs had reported it came originally from the vicinity of Dorchester, South Carolina.
Nicholas Herbemont, in Southern Agriculture (1829), expressed doubts as to Dorchester being its origin. He found that it was only known there as a cultivated vine with a tradition of having been introduced by a gentleman then dead. There were various accounts of it having originated in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and Europe, but none of these were given any credence.
In the early days of American viticulture, Isabella was the grape of choice in New England, while in the South Catawba was favored because it better fit the longer growing season there. Isabella has been almost totally replaced in the North by Concord and other hardier and more productive Vinifera varieties and can only be found now in collections of experimenters, amatures and breeders.
Isabella has large, well formed clusters and attractive, deep black berries with thick bloom. The flavor is good but the thick skin and muskiness in taste are objectionable for the table. It has a lustrous green, ample foliage which remains late in the season, and these characteristics and its vigor make it an attractive ornamental suitable for arbors, trellises and porch supports.
It was introduced into Europe before 1830 where it was extensively cultivated for the manufacture of a low-grade wine, and Hendrick considers it quite probable that the phylloxera, which later decimated the vineyards of Europe, was introduced on the roots of the Isabella.
Isabella is generally classed as a pure Labrusca, but the evidence for it being a cross between Labrusca and Vinifera is strong but circumstantial. Among these are the shape of the berries, certain characteristics of the seeds, and the susceptibility of the vine to mildew and the berries to black-rot. Hybrids of it with Vinifera are usually worthless, lacking in vigor and hardiness. The Isabella X Vinifera progeny are so much more substandard than those of other pure American grapes X Vinifera that this further suggests a Vinifera lineage in Isabella. Such hybrids (Isabella X Vinifera progeny) usually bear a stronger resemblance to Vinifera than do offspring of other pure-bred American and Vinifera parents.
The thick skin adheres considerably to the pulp and is astringent. The flesh is pale green, sometimes with a yellowish tinge, and is quite translucent. It is juicy, fine-grained, tender but meaty, somewhat stringy, and is inclined to foxiness but is sweet to agreeably tart at its center. The pulp is slightly astringent when not mature and separates from the seeds with some difficulty. In winemaking, the must ferments best at 60-79 degrees F.
Varieties and synonyms of Isabella include Alexander, Black Cape, Cape, Captraube, Champania, Christie's Improved Isabella, Conckling's Wilding, Constantia, Dorchester, Framboisier, Garber's Red-Fox, Gibb's Grape, Hanover, Hensell's Long Island, Isabella d'Amerique, Lespeyre, New Hanover, Paign's Isabella, Payne's Early, Raisin de Cassis, Raisin du Cap, Raisin Fraise, Raisin Fromboise, Sainte-Helene, Saluda, Uva Fragola, Vernet, and Woodward. Isabella is possibly the grape referred to as Cherokee, Sandbornton and Schuylkill. Two once-notable varities of Isabella are Isabella Seedling (originated by G.A. Ensenberger, Sr.) and Isaraella (originated by Dr. C.W. Grant).
Because Isabella is no longer a commercially important grape, you won't find many (if any) modern references to it. Most of the literature in which I have found it mentioned is old and increasingly difficult to find. I mentioned Hendrick's The Grapes of New York (1908), Prince's Treatise on the Vine (1930), and Herbemont in Southern Agriculture (1829), but you might also try Alden Spooner's The Cultivation of American Grape Vines (1849) and Traite' General de Viticulture (in French, 6 volumes, Paris, 1903).
I hope this is of some help to you.
I enjoyed a quick look at your web page and have bookmarked it to review in more detail later. I am looking for some tips on bottling and corking some wine, which we have begun from a grape kit. The instructions in the kit were pretty good until it came to the bottle/cork phase. Can you point me in the direction of some information? Also, do you sanitize with Campden tablets? I brew beer and use iodophor solutions. It seems like this would be easier to use. Any thoughts? Terry Draper
You raise an interesting question. I haven't posted much on the subject of bottling and corking because I've always taken it for granted that everyone knew about it, but the volume of mail I've received on the subject proves otherwise.
Since you are a beer brewer, you probably already know that a lot of beer makers who have invested many bucks in a huge supply of beer bottles and a bottle capper use beer bottles for their wine. There is nothing wrong with this practice, as one beer bottle of wine will adequately provide 2-3 people with a glass at mealtime. It just doesn't look right to some of us, so we use wine bottles.
Collect your wine bottles however you can. You can save bottles from commercial wines you and your frinds drink, buy bottles from any home brewing and winemaking supply shop, or have a restaurant save then for you. If you follow the latter route, be sure to collect the bottles every night until you have enough. Most restaurants don't have the space to save too many bottles, and if you cause a problem for them, they won't cooperate in the future. Most good Italian restaurants and steak houses sell a lot of wine with meals, so approach the owner or manager and explain your needs. I have found that most will cooperate on a trial basis, even boxing up the empties so you can remove them easily. You might stop by a liquor store and collect a few empty wine cases in the event they don't box them for you.
Wash the bottles at once and store them upside down in wine cases. This will keep them from being contaminated by dust and insects, but not germs. You'll still have to sterilize them before using. Personally, I like to soak the old labels off so I can apply my own labels. Many people don't bother and simply stick a pregummed label over the old one. When you come home with 16 cases of used bottles, each with a label, soaking them off can be an overwhelming chore. Do whatever you like.
Since I use used bottles, I find it easier to sort them first by color, shape, and other characteristics, wash them, and then store them already sorted. I pay particular attention to hole sizes and try to avoid storing bottles requiring a number 8 cork with bottles requiring a number 9. Always make sure you have an adequate number of corks in the required sizes long before the wine approaches finish. Order unusual sized corks early, as they aren't always available. I've found it more and more difficult, for example, to find number 7 corks.
When bottling day finally approaches, make sure of two things. First, make absolutely sure the wine has fermented to bone-dryness or has been stabilized appropriately at least 10 days beforehand. Second, make sure you have everything you need to complete the operation. Once you begin bottling a batch of wine, you can't stop to run to the nearest homebrew supplier for additional corks.
Check the bottles and count out the number of corks plus 20% of each size you'll need. In a glass or ceramic bowl, dissolve a crushed Campden tablet in 2 inches of very hot water. Float the corks on the water and then place a dish or platter upside down in the bowl so the corks are all captured in the concave of it and submerged under water. Tilt the platter to allow any air trapped under it to escape. The corks should be soaked at least 2 hours, but I like to soak mine overnight.
Just before bottling, wash the bottles again and sterilize each one. You can use any sterilizing solution used to sterilize beer bottles, or make up a solution by dissolving 4 crushed Campden tablets and 1/2 teaspoon citric acid in one quart of water or peruse my Glossary of Winemaking Terms for other formulas. Fill each wine bottle with the solution, let it sit two minutes, then pour the same solution into the next bottle through a funnel. Turn the bottles upside down on a clean paper towel to drain; do not rinse with fresh water after sterilizing. Once sterilized, use them quickly.
Fill each bottle to within 2 to 2-1/2 inches of the top, depending on the length of the cork you are using. You want to leave 1/2 inch of space between the wine and the inner surface of the cork.
You will need a corker. There are many types, ranging from a $6 hand-held plastic one with a hand-criven plunger in it to a floor-mounted, machined-metal, $100 model with an easily worked lever-driven plunger. In each case, the cork is inserted in a reduction chamber where it's diameter is compressed as it is driven into the bottle. Cork each bottle and set it aside standing upright. Leave it upright for 2-3 days. This will give it time to dry out enough for the cork to seat and seal the bottle completely. After that, the bottles should be stored on their sides or upside down. If stored upside down for more than a year, the cork will become saturated to a depth of 1/2 inch or so and will very likely break apart when being extracted. Also, any post-bottling precipitants will collect on the cork and drip down through the wine when the bottle is turned upright. Storing on the side is best for both reasons.
The bottles should be labeled as soon as is convenient. See my Wine Labels page for tips on designing your own wine labels.
After bottling, you may put a plastic or foil sleeve over the corked end of the bottle. This does nothing for the wine, but does help give the bottle a "finished" look. The plastic sleeves are shrunk to the bottle using a hair dryer or special sleeve heater.
All that remains after that is allowing time to age the wine and then consuming it. I'm sure you don't need any instructions for that.
I'm very excited to have visited your address. However, I also have interests in making non-alcoholic wine. Is that possible to do in the home? (while still keeping a good body and not just by diluting alcoholic wine?) If there is any information you could give me about making non-alcoholic wine, I'd appreciate it very much. Loriann M. Gulik, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign (return email address did not work)
Wine, by definition, is fermented fruit juice--usually grape. It tastes noticeably different than the juice from which it is made because nearly all of the sugar, most of the acid and a good deal of the nutrients in it have been extracted from the juice by the yeast as food and replaced with alcohol. I know of no way to extract those things from the juice--and thus approximate the taste of wine--without actually fermenting the juice and making wine. Thus, you'd have to make wine and then get rid of its alcohol in order to approximate its taste, and even this would be wrong because the alcohol itself contributes to part of the taste. But suppose you were willing to accept that. Then what?
The only thing I can think of is to gently heat the wine and drive off the alcohol through evaporation. If, during the process of evaporating the alcohol, you capture it (perhaps to add to another wine to make brandy), that is called distilliing and is illegal. So you'd have to heat the wine in an open pan or pot, and the only one that will work without imparting trace metals to the wine is a stainless steel one. This would work except for one small detail. After the alcohol level drops below 10%, the preservation effects of the alcohol cease and the juice will be subject to spoiling. Because you will be heating it at the time, spoiling will be much quicker than for unheated juice.
I think you could experiment a bit with evaporation to see what you get. I suggest you gently heat a cup or two of wine in a stainless steel sauce pan at 110-120 degrees for about 30 minutes, then cool it and taste it. Who knows? It might actually be good. Let me know how it turns out.
I've made wine with grape concentrates and found the wine to be uninspiring. I think the trouble with concentrates is the requirement for adding enough water to make 5 gallons, resulting in a low Brix that must then be supplemented with processed sugar. For the last batch I made, I only added water until I achieved a natural Brix of 21 degrees, but it only made a little over two gallons of wine. The wine was very good at bottling and should improve as it ages. Freshly pressed grape juice would have accomplished the same thing, but my winemaking supplier doesn't sell it or know of a source for it. Do you know where I can buy freshly pressed grape juice? Lawrence Dirkson
This question has been asked of me many times, just as the complaint of concentrates making weak or uninspiring wine has often been voiced. Until now, I've recommended locating a vineyard or winery that will sell freshly pressed juice. Some members of the San Antonio Regional Wine Guild do this annually, and transporting the juice is far less cumbersome than transporting bulk grapes or frozen crushed grape must. But there is another way.
Kamil Juices markets European vinifera grape musts from origin controled areas. These are not concentrates and neither water nor sugar are added during winemaking. The must is sold in 11-liter (2.87-gallon) containers. Two containers hold 5.74 gallons of must. The extra measure is used for topping up after racking and allows one to make 5 gallons of wine without adding any water. Numerous white and red varieties are available. Prices (as of this writing) vary from $58 to $70 per two-container lot, plus $29 shipping to anywhere in the 48 contiguous United States. This works out to $3.50 to $4 per bottle of finished wine.
I made my first wine using concentrates. Even though I followed instructions, the wine lacked body. A wine salesperson said I could add 4 ounces of glycerine. Is this correct? Could I get a wine kit and use the wine I have stored in carboys in place of water to ferment a thicker wine? Unsigned, Dekalb College (return email address did not work)
The wine salesperson is correct. You can use glycerine to add body, usually at the rate of one fluid ounce per gallon of wine. You can obtain it at any winemaking supply store and some drug stores. Use only food grade glycerine.
You can also do as you suggested and use this particular wine in lieu of water to ferment a much heavier wine next time, but this is not as straightforward as it sounds.
Let's look at how you might do this. Suppose this wine, which we'll call First Wine, is 12% alcohol by volume. To make Second Wine, add the correct amount of First Wine to your new concentrate and compute the alcoholic content of the resulting liquor. Suppose you added four gallons of First Wine to one gallon of concentrate. The resultant liquor will be 9.6% alcohol by volume. A hydrometer measurement will indicate the potential alcohol in the liquor without adding any sugar. Suppose the S.G. reads 1.022. This represents a potential alcohol yield of 2.6% which, when added to the existing 9.6% alcohol, will result in 12.2% total potential alcohol. While this may be a sufficient yield, I would be leery of introducing most yeasts to a must already containing 9.6% alcohol and with so little residual sugar for it to feed on. For this reason, I would add sugar and go for a high alcohol content. Suppose you added 3 lb 2 oz sugar, boosting the S.G. to 1.042. This represents 5.4% potential alcohol which, when added to the 9.6% existing alcohol, will result in 15% total potential alcohol. Select a high alcohol tolerance yeast, such as Lalvin K1-V1116. Add 2 tsp yeast energizer and 3 tsp yeast nutrient to the 5 gallons of must, stir to dissolve, and then sprinkle the yeast on top of the must. Do not stir yeast into the liquor. It may take up to four days for the yeast to activate, but it almost certainly will do so. Ferment under an air lock to dryness, then rack every 30 days for four months, topping up with First Wine each time. Let stand two additional months. If no lees are deposited, rack again and bottle. If lees are deposited, rack, top up and wait additional two months, rack again and bottle. Finished yield should be 14.9%.
I have seen various references say to stabilize the wine, sweeten it to taste, and bottle it, while I have seen instructions on your site to stabilize the wine, wait 10 days, then sweeten and bottle it. Why the difference in procedure? James Harvard, Ottawa, Canada
Good question. One stabilizes wine to stop fermentation so that remaining yeast do not ferment added or residual sugar after bottling and cause the bottles to explode. After stabilizing, suspended yeast die off and lay down a thin layer of lees. If the wine has been bottled, the lees are trapped and are not only unsightly, but can impart off flavors. My experience is that the dead yeast cells will precipitate out in 3-7 days. Allowing 10 days offers a 3-day margin for late precipitation. The wine is then racked off the lees, sweetened to taste and bottled.
In some of your recipes, you call for...a nylon straining bag,.. a nylon jelly bag,..a nylon mesh bag. I take it these are all the same thing? We used the wife's [washed & bleached] pantyhose,.. same thing? What else would work? Where can I get the nylon things [bags]? John and Doretta Moore
As you guessed, they are all generally the same thing and I use whatever term pops into my head when writing.
Originally, they were sold as "jelly bags" and were used to contain fruit for draining and pressing when making jelly. In homebrew stores, they are often called "grain bags" because beer-makers use them to contain mash and fermenting grains. I have seen them sold in kitchen and kitchenware specialty stores as nylon straining bags and nylon mesh bags. But, I don't buy them anymore. My wife buys a netting-like material (at about $2 a yard) that looks like wedding veil material (except it's nylon) and, using her overlock sewing machine, makes up a slew of them at a time. They don't have hemmed-in draw-strings for tieing, but that doesn't matter a bit. Regular string works well. Always sterilize these (and the string) before using.
Pantyhose works well, but isn't as strong as the other bags (or material). Also, I'd be very careful about using bleach because if it isn't rinsed out VERY well the chlorine in it can spoil a wine--it kills yeast and imparts an off-taste. It is better to put the pantyhose (or nylon bags and string) in a quart jar, cover them with a 5% potassium (or 10% sodium) metabisulphite solution, and soak for 2 minutes. Make the solution (if you haven't done so already) by dissolving 2 oz. of potassium metabisulphite crystals (or 4 oz. sodium metabisulphite) in one gallon of water. You can store this solution in a sealed gallon jug for months and it will sterilize everything you use for winemaking.


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Stunning sea views enhance this 1st Floor apartment that sleeps 2-3.
The flexible living accommodation provides an open plan lounge, dinner and kitchen. The bedroom is spacious and provides a double and single bed. Bed linen and complimentary toiletries are provided to help make your stay is made as comfortable as possible.
Check availability and the best available rate, without obligation. SPECIAL MID-WEEK 4 night and WEEKEND 3 night breaks.
In addition to the adjoining restaurant you have a wide selection of fine restaurants, bars and shops close at hand and just a short stroll along the Victorian promenade and sandy beach at Weston-super-Mare.
Living Area:
- Lounge
- Comfy sofa
- Colour TV
- Freeview
- DVD Player
- CD Player
- Master bedroom – double and single bed
- Shower room and WC
- Colour TV
- Trouser press
- Night storage central heating
Kitchen / Diner to include:
- Oven and hob
- Microwave
- Fridge-freezer
- Iron and ironing board
- Full complement of kitchen utensils, cutlery, crockery and glassware
- Reserved onsite parking


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Greek-in-London GummiHz whips through twenty-seven cuts on Mobilee's latest label compilation 'Back to Back Vol.2'.
'Back to Back Vol. 2' arrives eighteen months after the first volume, neatly summing up Mobilee's two-year old catalogue across two discs.
CD1 is an unmixed disc of recent Mobilee releases. The ten-tracker includes cuts from Pan-Pot featuring Vincenzo, Marco Resmann and London trio Sleeper Thief as well as Mobilee's release arm in Paris: Marc Antona and Jennifer Cardini. Besides the current hits, there's also the label's first ever release, Sebo K's 'Too Hot' (previously only available on vinyl), as well as two new cuts from GummiHz.
GummiHz, a.k.a. Alex Tsotsos on his mix on CD2, which flies through no fewer than twenty-seven Mobilees: "The concept behind the mix is to showcase the functionality of Mobilee's sound on the dancefloor. Based on my DJ experience, my approach was to create a context for the material rather than just present it". Over 70-minutes Tsotsos splices, dices and loops the Mobilee catalogue, mirroring the party side of the label regularly heard at venues such as Weekend in Berlin.
In addition to the double CD, Mobilee will also issue a limited edition vinyl featuring one of the new GummiHz tracks as well as a chunk of the mix on CD2.
1. Pan-Pot feat. Vincenzo - Faces
2. GummiHz - Song For A Muse
3. Sebo K - Too Hot
4. Anja Schneider - Belize
5. Marc Antona - One More Sugar
6. Jennifer Cardini - August in Paris
7. Sleeper Thief - Cenotes
8. Marco Resmann - Gouache
9. GummiHz - Point of View
CD 2 mixed by GummiHz
1. Pan-Pot - What Is What
2. GummiHz - The Calling (Tool)
3. Exercise One - Flight Cancelled
4. Pan-Pot - Black Widow
5. Exercise One - Easy things (Duplex 100 Remix)
6. Sebo K - Horizons
7. Anja Schneider & Sebo K - Side Leaps
8. Sebo K feat. Prosumer - Moved
9. Pan-Pot - Popy and Caste
10. Jennifer Cardini - Lies
11. Anja Schneider - Belize
12. Marc Antona - One More Sugar
13. Pan-Pot - Black Currant
14. Anja Schneider & Sebo K - Side Leaps (Magda Remix)
15. Marcin Czubala - Super Conny
16. Exercise One - Melting
17. Marcin Czubala - Capofamiglia
18. Anja Schneider - Lily Of The Valley
19. Sleeper Thief - Cenotes
20. Marc Antona - Soft Slap
21. Sebo K - Too Hot
22. GummiHz - The Calling
23. Anja Schneider - Loop De Mer
24. Pan-Pot - Crank
25. GummiHz - Gomma Elastica
26. GummiHz - Stargazing
27. Marco Resmann – Tempera
'Back to Back Vol. 2' is released on Mobilee on January 28, 2008.


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by Reuters
Dasha Afanasieva & Andy Bruce
Thursday, November 09, 2017
LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) – Britain will provide $2 billion in credit guarantees to Saudi Aramco <IPO-ARMO.SE> so it can buy British goods and services more easily, but denied it was part of efforts to persuade the energy giant to list its shares in London.
The loan agreement comes as London Stock Exchange, with backing from Prime Minister Theresa May, competes to host part of Saudi Aramco's initial public offering (IPO), which is expected to be the biggest float ever.
"This builds on previous support for UK exports as part of Saudi Aramco joint venture projects," the government said in a statement.
A spokesman for Britain's finance ministry said the guarantees were not part of the country's attempt to secure the IPO for London.
The guarantees announced on Thursday were relatively big. Over the past five years combined, previous guarantees have totalled 14 billion pounds ($18 billion), a government spokeswoman said.
Asked what specific projects the guarantees would back, the spokeswoman said Britain would work with the company to identify initiatives which could include British exports.
Saudi officials have said domestic and international exchanges, including New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, have been considered for a partial listing of the state-run firm.
Britain's financial regulator has proposed new rules to allow sovereign-controlled entities like Saudi Aramco to have their own "premium listing" category while being exempt from requirements such as how much of a company has to be floated.
The government and the City of London are keen to win the listing as a boost to the country's capital markets just as Britain is preparing to leave the European Union.
However, some fund managers oppose the proposals, which they say would erode the rights of minority investors.
"(Britain's government) guaranteeing a loan to ARAMCO would be a further lurch in descent to mercantilism," Nick Macpherson, who was top civil servant at the finance ministry until last year and is now chairman of C. Hoare and Co private bank, said on Twitter.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said last month that the IPO, part of an ambitious plan to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil, was on track to go ahead in 2018.
The $2 billion facility is being finalised by UK Export Finance, a ministerial department which works to increase British exports by providing finance to overseas buyers of the country's goods and services.
($1 = 0.7613 pounds)
(Additional reporting by William Schomberg; Editing by Alexander Smith and Robin Pomeroy)
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.


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Fall's almost here! Haven't done your shopping yet? No sweat…Aerie's fit and style expert, Jenny Altman, is here to help you get ready for the cooler months with a style upgrade.
Watch below as Jenny gives the rundown on her favorite styles of the season, and her expert tips for wearing and pairing.
One of Jenny's quick tips? The Aerie collection is made to mix and match! Pick your favorite bra as the foundation, then have fun with your undies in cute patterns, prints and details. It's easy to create your own, unique look.
Here are some of our favorite looks below! Want more tips from Jenny on Fall style? Email your fit and style questions for Jenny to firstname.lastname@example.com, or tweet @Aerie with #AskJenny!


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Jerry has been involved in real estate for over 30 years. He started his career as a real estate appraiser then found his passion as a land developer. As a project manager for Forest City Enterprises he helped develop many landmarks around North East Ohio. Jerry is also a Certified New Home Sales Professional (CSP), helping customers build their perfect home in their idea location. He has worked with many contractor as a member of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cleveland (HBA) and served on numerous HBA committees.
In Jerry's free time he enjoys line dancing, listening to live local music, wine tasting, spending time with his grown daughter and relaxing with Cadence (his King Charles Cavalier Pup)
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Vatican City, Dec 5, 2007 / 10:51 am (CNA).-
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes, France. On the occasion of the celebrations, Pope Benedict XVI has extended the opportunity for the faithful to receive a plenary or full indulgence.
According to a decree made public today and signed by Cardinal James Francis Stafford and Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv., respectively penitentiary major and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI will grant the faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes.
"The forthcoming 150th anniversary of the day in which Mary Most Holy, revealing herself as the Immaculate Conception to Bernadette Soubirous, wished a shrine to be erected and venerated in the place known as 'Massabielle' in the town of Lourdes," the decree reads, "calls to mind the innumerable series of prodigies through which the supernatural life of souls and the health of bodies has drawn great advantage from the omnipotent goodness of God."
The faithful who venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary in the place 'upon which her feet trod,' draw nourishment from the Holy Sacraments, express the firm intention to lead future Christian lives of increasing faithfulness" are able to "achieve a vivid perception of the significance of the Church," the prelates note.
The connection between Mary and the church is also evident in the events of Lourdes. In the year 1854 the Church declared that Mary was conceived without sin, which is known as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Only four years later, when the apparitions of Mary to St. Bernadette took place "Mary Most Holy showed herself to ... Bernadette Soubirous using the words of the dogmatic definition: 'I am the Immaculate Conception,'" the decree explains.
"In order to draw increased fruits of renewed sanctity from this holy anniversary," the decree explaisn, "the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI has decided to concede the gift of Plenary Indulgence" to the faithful under the usual conditions (sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer in keeping with the intentions of the Holy Father), in the following ways:
The first way to obtain the indulgence is to visit the following places in Lourdes between December 8, 2007 and December 8, 2008, preferably in the order suggested: (1) the parish baptistery used for the Baptism of Bernadette, (2) the Soubirous family home, known as the 'cachot,' (3) the Grotto of Massabielle, (4) the chapel of the hospice where Bernadette received First Communion, and on each occasion they pause for an appropriate length of time in prayer and with pious meditations, concluding with the recital of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith, ... and the jubilee prayer or other Marian invocation."
If the faithful are not in Lourdes, but wish to receive the plenary indulgence, then during the week of the anniversary of the first apparition, which is the week of February 2, 2008 through February 11, 2008, and they must visit "in any church, grotto or decorous place, the blessed image of that same Virgin of Lourdes, solemnly exposed for public veneration, and before the image participate in a pious exercise of Marian devotion, or at least pause for an appropriate space of time in prayer and with pious meditations, concluding with the recital of the Our Father, the Profession of Faith, ... and the invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary."
There is also a provision for those who are unable to fulfill the previous two ways of obtaining the indulgence. Those who "through sickness, old age or other legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes, may still obtain the Plenary Indulgence ... if, with the soul completely removed from attachment to any form of sin and with the intention of observing, as soon as they can, the usual three conditions, on the days February 2 to 11, 2008, in their hearts they spiritually visit the above-mentioned places and recite those prayers, trustingly offering to God, through Mary, the sickness and discomforts of their lives."
For more information on Our Lady of Lourdes click here.
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To visit the website click here: https://www.claudeandco.co.uk/
(I don't usually blog about baby shopping, but I couldn't resist this!)
If you know anyone who has just had a baby, buying a gift can be hard. Everyone always buys the same sort of thing, whether it is clothing or books. People wait until the baby is born to buy a gender specific present. For boys, it will be something blue, for girls something pink.
That is what is great about Claude & Co. The shop officially opened its online doors on Saturday and it sells a variety of beautiful products for your little ones. The company does sell clothes, toys and books, but what I think appeals is the endless number of gender neutral items, so you can easily get ahead of the game and be the first person to present the new baby in your family with something special.
What particularly stands out for me is the interiors section of the website. Designing a baby's nursery is very important and there are so many different options. Again, Claude & Co offer a range of stunning neutral ideas, which means that you can have a nursery completely ready before the baby comes.
Here are some of my favourites:
Head to Claude & Co now if you want to get the perfect gift for the new baby in the family. Everything is so beautiful and will be well-received no matter what it is!
Megan x
To visit the website click here: https://www.claudeandco.co.uk/


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The Elder Scrolls Online is still going strong. Plenty, myself included, are still playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. We're all waiting for the next iteration of the series. In light of all that, we decided to compile some of the greatest The Elder Scrolls cosplay we could find. After all, cosplay costumes are the perfect outlet for creators to craft some gorgeous armors and weapons. Go ahead and click through to see the most majestic outfits for yourself!
Image Credit: Winter Kelly
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Lithuania to Pay Compensation to Soviet Army Deserters
14:29 02/01/2013
VILNIUS, January 2 (RIA Novosti) – Lithuania will pay compensation to Lithuanians who refused to serve in the Soviet Army after the Baltic republic announced its independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 and were punished for their decision, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
"The one-off compensation of 4,000 litas (1,158 euros) will be paid out to persons who refused to serve in the Soviet Army and were subsequently forcefully drafted into Soviet military units, were sentenced to prison for desertion from the Soviet Army or for their boycott of the draft and were forced to continue service in the Soviet Army until September 7, 1991," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Lithuanians, who were previously paid cash compensations of 3,000 litas under the Lithuanian government's 1996 resolution, will be paid a difference between these two compensations or 1,000 litas (290 euros), the statement said.
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Immortals advance to the semifinals of PGL Major Krakow
The first match-day within Playoffs of the Major-tournament in Krakow was finished with a clash between BIG and Immortals. the Brazilian squad happened to be stronger and reached the semifinals of PGL Major Krakow.
photo credit: HLTV.org
At first the teams were playing on Cobblestone — a pick of Immortals. The first half was fully dictated by the Brazilian team. The Germans managed to win only three rounds, thus going for a changeover with 12-3. Despite a failing performance for the T-side, BIG managed to bounce back for the CT and reached the overtimes at 15-15. In the add-rounds, the German squad proved their domination and finished the first half in their favor at 19-17.
After a break the clash was resumed on Inferno. The Brazilian five, pursuing the goal to win, managed to take the revenge on the second map. At first, Immortals won the first half with a great advantage of 13-2, and then even finished the started, losing out to the opponents only five rounds 16-7.
.@keevCS 🔪🔪🔪🔪#pglmajor pic.twitter.com/FyarIqXq2G— PGL (@pglesports) 21 июля 2017 г.
The decisive map was Train. The initial advantage, up to the score of 3-0, was seized by the Brazilian five, but they failed to retain the control over map, as soon BIG brought the score to the mark of 3-3. The further gaming was pretty equal - the rivals were unable to retain the advantage for more than two rounds, but the first half was still finished in favor of Immortals 8-7.
In the second half the Brazilian managed to pick up the pistol-round 9-7, but then handed the initiative out to opponents. The German squad, profited by that and performed a winning-streak of 5 rounds, reaching the mark of 9-12, after which the teams, not letting the enemy take the lead, were going toe-to-toe up to the draw of 14-14. Bracing up, Immortals secured the last two rounds and paragraphed the meeting at 16-14.
Thus, in the semifinals Immortals will face off against the winner of pair Virtus.pro/ North, while BIG leave the tournament, taking $35,000. Follow the news and announcements from PGL Major Krakow 2017 on our site and in socials - Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube-channel, where may be found all records of the by-past matches from the championship.


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Yoga Practice
- The Rev. Lisa M. Zaina
- Apr 06, 2017
- Blog Feed
Twenty years ago I began to do a lot of yoga. I really enjoyed it and was able to do a number of different poses, challenging my balance, flexibility, and core. I always looked forward to my yoga time at the gym. There was always more than the physical component, and I enjoyed the spiritual piece as well.
Almost 15 years ago I had surgery during which part of my abdominal muscle was moved under my arm to provide the blood supply for my reconstruction. I joke with people and laugh about the fact that I don't have a six pack (muscle) because I can't have a six-pack. But, believe me, I've neither had a six-pack, nor will I ever have a three-pack!
After my surgery, I couldn't do many of the poses that were once easy for me to do. As I would tell people, I wasn't very good at yoga, and so I decided to quit doing it. Now, remember, what I said about how I was drawn to the spiritual component as well? Well, clearly, I hadn't learned enough from that.
I was turning the practice of yoga into a competition…with myself. Oh yeah, I'm also competing with the really athletic person next to me who is half my age. But, I would have better served myself, and my God, by living into the awareness that came with the practice, continuing to allow my body to do what it was doing, even though I was no longer "good" at it.
For the first time in almost fifteen years, I have begun to take yoga again. Anyone who is my age, or older, knows that when it comes to physical activity, that can be like a lifetime.
The other day, the yoga instructor read something to us about flexibility. She encouraged us to not become discouraged with the level of flexibility that we have, but to acknowledge and accept it by living into it. This practice is by no means a retreat, or a defeat, for that matter. It is actually aspirational. By doing these things, we are relaxing into what we have, and who we are, being the best we can be with the gifts that we have.
I think that this provides a great way of living into every day of our lives, but particularly as a Lenten spiritual practice. So many people feel paralyzed by the events that are swirling around us as a community of faith, a city, a state, a nation, and a world. Many will say to me that they are distraught because they feel the strain and pressure of the happenings. They say that there is nothing that they can do.
But, we all are given different gifts that will allow us to bring comfort to a hurting heart or a wounded soul.
In this season of Lent, what if we all were to recognize what gifts we have to offer, feeling grateful for them, and offering them to those around us. Just like a yoga practice, the more we live into what we have, the more we are able to offer.
In Sanskrit, the word yoga can be defined as to add, to join, to unite, or to attach.
As we look to the close of our forty days of Lent, and beyond, let's add to the betterment of our surroundings, join with others to give thanks, unite to worship, and attach ourselves more deeply to our God.
Comments (1)
Dan Pribilski on Apr 8, 2017 1:12pm
Forget the Yoga and drink the six pack.