Every so often I pop into the Checkers Hypermarket Wine Route, located at the Blue Route Mall, Tokai, since it is in my neighbourhood. I have been consistently happy with the purchases made of older vintages that are not readily found. Today’s visit was interesting, but for different reasons. As I scanned the […]
Polyphenols occur naturally in grapes and include, among other, TANNINS and ANTHOCYANINS. Tannin additions and adjustments to wine is not a new practice to wine countries, including South Africa. Reasons for tannin addition include colour stabilization, improved mouth feel, reducing oxygenation and improving overall quality of red wines. San Joaquin […]
A study by the University of Western Australia has found that sulphur dioxide could actually have a positive effect on a grape berry’s composition. The chemical is used widely in winemaking worldwide for a variety of purposes, and is very much bête-noire of the burgeoning natural wine movement, which considers […]
I spent the past three days in the sleepy town of Port Alfred, located an hour and a half from Port Elizabeth. Before last week, I had no idea that an educational institution existed in the town. Stenden South Africa is a satellite campus of Stenden in Leeuwarden, Netherlands and is the only tertiary institution […]
Wine companies in Marlborough could be asked to change the way they manage wastewater, to avoid damaging soils. Sampling by the Marlborough District Council has discovered high concentrations of potassium and sodium at disposal sites. Council soil scientist Colin Gray told the environment committee these salts were found in winery […]
 Have you ever had a day when, irrespective of which wine you drink, you begin to think that alcohol is perhaps not a good idea. Is it you or the wine? Well, those off days could very well be linked to either human or wine. Let’s start with the wine and the presence of sulphites, […]
The composting regime advocated by Wechmar (2010) and outlined here involves a series of steps to ensure best results. The windrow (preferred name for the compost site) is constructed on a 2 – 5% slope in the direction of the prevailing wind. The length of the windrow is approximately 4 […]
Grape pomace has become a crucial part of winemaking as more winemakers and viticulturalists in South Africa come to understand and realise the benefits that composted grape pomace has for their own vineyards. In a personal interview with Professor Barbara Wechmar, a retired Microbiologist, (January, 2010), it was confirmed that […]
I have been spending valuable time with Jerry Judkins-Smith, co-owner of Inland Desert Nursery located in the Columbia Valley area of Washington State. Inland Desert is the largest virus-free vine and rootstock nursery in the state, supplying 85% of plant material to Washington producers. On Monday I introduced Jerry to […]
 Bordeaux is facing a new challenge with a vine disease, Flavescence dorée, threatening to be become a bigger problem than Phylloxera. The disease is caused by phytoplasmas, microscopic plant pathogens similar to bacteria, but much smaller and lacking cell walls. They live in the vascular system of plants and are […]
