June Newsletter

Dear Customer,

After the big move last year we decided to enter some wines in this year's Wine Maker Magazine International Amateur Competition. We really enjoy entering into the competition but with everything going on last year we just didn't have the time to get them ready. This year we had the time to get them ready and yet again our wines did pretty well. Sandra won a Silver for a Selection International Series Chilean Carmenére and a Bronze for a Selection Limited Edition Chilean Carmenére Cabernet Sauvignon. Michael won two Silvers one for a Selection Original Series Luna Rossa and one for a Selection Original Series Cabernet Franc and two Bronzes one for a Selection Limited Edition Pacific Quartet and one for a Selection Estate Series Okanagan Pinot Blanc. These will be added to the twenty medals we have won in past competitions.

This year's Selection Estate Small Lots Series was a hit!  The  3 Continents Meritage is all sold out and we have just a few of the BC Chardonnay kits left. The price for these is $214 to be made at the store or $154 to take the juice home and make it there.

Also a reminder we are now having to charge HST. This is because the wines are ready to bottle after July 1st and we are completing more than 10% of the service charge work after this date.

Cheers, Sandra & Michael Beyond The Grape On-Premise Winemaking

News From The Barrel Room

We are currently selling spots in the barrels for the following wines:

Selection Original Vieux Chateau Du Roi

June Specials

Tip Of The Month

Spotting Corked Wine

There has likely been a time or two when you've opened a bottle of wine and it has smelled and tasted a little off, perhaps a lot off. In these cases it is not your taste buds rebelling against the wine in question; it is probably because the wine is "corked". Now, corked is not a term that is used to describe those bits of cork that sometimes make their way into our glasses. Corked is a wine term to describe a bottle that has been contaminated and is essentially undrinkable.

 There are various reasons for this and it's often debatable. Some people are staunch believers that corking happens strictly from a bad cork while others believe in the thought that the tainting may occur from wooden barrels, storage conditions of the wine and even transportation of the corks and wine. It's important to note that a corked wine has nothing to do with the original quality of the wine. Cork taint can affect wines irrespective of price and quality level. There is one undisputed reason for cork taint and that is the contamination of a chemical called 2, 4, 6-Trichloroanisole or TCA for short.

Cellar Notes has a good explanation detailing TCA contamination:

A 'Corked' wine is a wine that has been bottled with a cork that is contaminated with TCA (2, 4, 6-Trichloroanisole). TCA contamination usually comes from corks but can also come from barrels, other cooperage or even, apparently, from wood within the cellar including walls or beams. The term 'corked wine' is applied to all wines with TCA contamination because corks are the source of most of the problems. The wine industry estimates that as many as 3% to 7% of all wines have TCA contamination at levels that can be detected by consumers. Because most people are not trained to recognize the smell and taste of TCA, only a very small fraction of these bad bottles are ever returned to stores or sent back at a restaurant.

Even a very tiny amount of TCA in a wine can ruin it. Most people become aware of TCA in quantities as small as 5 parts per trillion and some individuals are even more sensitive. When TCA is present in quantities high enough to be evident to a person, it comes across as 'musty' aromas and flavours. Even when TCA is not evident in the smell or taste of a wine, very small quantities can subdue the aromas and flavours of fruit that the wine would ordinarily exhibit.

 TCA does not pose a health risk (at least in the levels found in wines). It just imparts the aromas and flavours that are objectionable when found in sufficient quantity. Many wines have levels of TCA that are below the threshold of perception. Wine is not the only place you can find TCA. It is also found in some municipal water supplies as well as in some teas.

 A great deal of work continues in the cork industry as well as at wineries to develop methods to eliminate corked wine. So far, no completely reliable method has been found.

 There are other causes of bad bottles of wine, but TCA contamination is the primary fault you will find in otherwise well-stored bottles. Other faults can include wines that are oxidized, lightstruck or have undergone unplanned secondary fermentation.

 Detecting corked wine can sometimes be fairly easy with just a sniff of the wine. It will have a characteristic odour described as resembling a mouldy newspaper, mushrooms, wet dog, damp cloth, or damp basement. However there are times when it's a little more challenging to detect and the only way to do so is by tasting the wine. If this is the case, it will taste like all of the similar qualities above as well as tasting astringent and with a raspy finish. 

 Sadly there is no easy way to avoid a corked bottle of wine. Cork is a natural product and can be fair game for microorganisms. And if nature has taught us anything it's that not everything can be perfect all of the time. 

 (References: New York Magazine, Cellar Notes, the Wine Doctor. Photo Credit: RSC.org)

Social Networking

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Your Guarantee Of Quality

Beyond The Grape On-Premise Winemaking is proud to exclusively use Winexpert wine kits and be the exclusive authorized retailer in Port Moody. Each year, wines made with Winexpert products win hundreds of medals at major amateur winemaking competitions held throughout North America.

Beyond The Grape On Premise Winemaking has won 20 medals in the last two years with Winexpert wine kits.We do everything possible to ensure our customer's complete satisfaction with our service and their finished product. We do not compromise on quality or service. By combining the finest equipment, latest techniques and many years of experience with the Winexpert line of products the resulting product is the best.

We guarantee your complete satisfaction. We will replace any product not up to your expectations or refund your money (Minimum product return applies). We want YOU to be happy!

Referral Gift Certificate When you refer a new customer to us, we will give them $20 towards any wine kit. As a thank you for the referral we will also give you $20 towards any wine. Just give this Gift Certificate to the new customer and they will return it to you once they have used it, so you can use it for your credit. Save $20   Your Name ___________________      New Customer Name___________________     Invoice # ________________ (For store use only) Beyond The Grape On-Premise Winemaking 3030 St. Johns Street, Port Moody, BC (604)-461-8891 www.beyondthegrape.com

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