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    • Acids & Balances
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    • Crusher/Destemmers
    • Enzymes/Tannins
    • Europa Stainless Fustis
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    • Filters & Pads
    • Fining Agents
    • Lab Equipment & Accessories
    • Malo-Lactic Bacteria
    • Malo-Lactic Test Kits
    • Presses
    • Replacement Parts
    • Stainless Tanks & Stands
    • Sulphur Dioxide
    • Test Kits
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Watson's Barrels & Wine Making SuppliesWatson's Barrels & Wine Making Supplies
Watson's Barrels & Wine Making SuppliesWatson's Barrels & Wine Making Supplies
  • Home
  • About
    • About Our Vineyard
    • Viticultural Practices
  • Shop
    • Shop By Category
    • Shop By Product List
    • Acids & BalancesWine/Grape Must Adjustments: A number of additives are available that can be used to improve wine balance or quality. Major additions should generally be preceded by home trials and tasting of samples of the adjusted wines. Common improvements to grape must and wine include adjusting acidity and tannin levels. Tartaric Acid: Tartaric acid is the characteristic acid of grapes. Low acid grapes will benefit from tartaric addition; the wine will clear more readily and will keep and taste better. It should be added to any wine with a total acidity of less than 0.5%. As a rule of thumb, 1g per L will increase titratable acidity by about 0.1%.
    • Barrels, Oak Chips & RacksAll of our barrels have medium toast, unless other wise requested. We guarantee our barrels 100% against leakage.
    • Bottle Fillers
    • Carboys & ContainersTo avoid breakage, wash in cold water only.
    • Corks, Corkers & Pullers
    • Crusher/Destemmers
    • Enzymes/TanninsThese enzymes destroy the protective colloidal properties of pectins. Treated juices will settle better and fine and filter easier.
    • Europa Stainless FustisWe carry a wide variety of stainless steel fustis complete with valve. (dimensions height x diameter)
    • Fermentation Locks & Stoppers
    • Filters & Pads
    • Fining AgentsThe clarity, colour, odour, taste and stability of a wine can be significantly improved through fining. Fining involves the addition of a positively or negatively charged chemical agent to the wine to balance the charge of any suspended particles. The suspension will then agglomerate and settle out. The most frequently used fining agents are bentonite (aluminum silicate clay), activated carbon, gelatin, egg whites and PVPP (polyvinyl/polypyrrolidone). Many books on winemaking provide detailed instruction on the use of fining agents. Again, home trials on small volumes (100 to 200 ml) of wine are recommended.chromatography. Test takes about 10 hours.
    • Lab Equipment & Accessories
    • Malo-Lactic BacteriaMalo-lactic fermentation (MLF) is the bacterial conversion of malic acid to lactic acid. Wines which have undergone MLF are typically softer (less acidic). MLF with commercial cultures is desirable in reds and some white wines to enhance stability. Many wineries encourage MLF to prevent spontaneous fermentation by less desirable bacterial strains. It should be noted that MLF is inhibited where free SO2 levels exceed about 30 ppm. Ideal conditions for MLF are lower alcohol levels, pH above 3.3, free SO2 of less than 30 ppm and a temperature above 20 degrees Celsius.
    • Malo-Lactic Test KitsMalo-lactic fermentation (MLF) whereby malic acid is converted to lactic acid and carbon dioxide, can be evaluated in a semi-quantitative manner through paper chromatography. Test takes about 10 hours.
    • Presses
    • Replacement Parts
    • Stainless Tanks & StandsWe carry a wide variety of stainless steel tanks 18/10 (304), complete with adjustable, floating lids, pressure gauge and valve. (dimensions height x diameter x gasket).
    • Sulphur DioxideSulphur Dioxide (SO2): Sulphur dioxide inhibits yeast and bacterial growth and acts as an antioxidant in wine. These benefits are realized from the presence of molecular SO2 which occurs in free SO2. As a general rule, about one-half of the SO2 added to wine is present as free SO2, and the remainder occurs as bound SO2. Between 0.5 and 0.8 ppm of molecular SO2 is required to prevent spoilage and oxidation. It is important to note that the proportion of molecular SO2 in free SO2 decreases as the pH of the wine increases. The amount of free SO2 needed to achieve a molecular SO2 of 0.5 ppm and 0.8 ppm at various pH values is provided below: Free SO2 cannot be added directly to wine. Potassium metabisulphite (k, meta) contains about 57% total SO2, of which about 25 to 30% is free SO2. Campden tablets contain about 48% T SO2 or about 22-26% free SO2 Sulphur sticks which are burned, produce about 130 to 140% SO2 by weight. The proportion of free SO2 in total SO2, is also pH dependent with a greater percent available at lower pH. The following calculation can be used to estimate the amount of potassium…
    • Test KitsSO2 Test Kit: CHEMetricsTM produces an easy to use kit for the measurement of free SO2 based on the Ripper methods.
    • Wine Bottles & Racks
    • Wine Pumps
    • Wine YeastWe strongly endorse the use of a commercial wine yeast in the fermentation of a grape juice. These wine yeasts have been carefully cultured to accentuate positive fermentation properties such as more efficient sugar-alcohol conversion, low hydrogen sulphide production, compact lees and SO2 tolerance. We recommend the addition of a commercial nutrient to reduce the likelihood of a stuck or sluggish fermentation and to minimize the production of sulphide (from nutrient deficiency). Nutrients should be added prior to the start of fermentation. For information and characteristics of each yeast, please visit www.lallemandwine.com.
    • Winemaking BooksNumerous books have been written on the subject of winemaking. We have selected a short list of books which we consider to be the best references for the amateur wine maker.
    • Yeast Nutrients
  • Order Juice
  • Icewine
  • Grapeline
  • Resources
    • Varietal Characteristics
    • Suppliers
    • Helpful Tips
  • Contact
    • Shop By Category
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2021 Newsletter

2021 Newsletter

Jul 22, 2021

Good Day, Wow, what an up-and-down crazy season here in Niagara-on-the-Lake. We started out with 25C weeks in March, which...

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Watson's Barrels and Wine Making Supplies