Monday, September 19, 2011

Long time.....No see!

Hello All!

Well, it's that time of year again and everyone is reaping the benefit of the beautiful harvest. Grapes are coming off of the vines and it's time to make wine!

Remember: The best wine is the wine you make with LOVE! You'll also need a few more things.....

1. 5 - 6 lbs of grapes per gallon of wine
2. Campden Tablets crushed (one for each gallon). This will kill of any wild yeast.
3. Pectic Enzyme to break down the fruit. This will yield you more juice!
4. Acid Blend, to balance out your Tartaric levels.
5. Yeast Nutrient to feed the yeast
6. A good wine yeast.

Contact your local winery supply store or give us a call at 910-397-7617 for specific recipes and technical help with your wine. Have a great 2011 harvest!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

6 Myths About Wine - By Lettie Teague

Lettie Teague has been writing about wine for more than 15 years and drinking it even longer. In that time, she's heard a lot of so-called facts about it that are misleading. And while they may not be harmful, they can make drinking wine a lot less fun - not to mention more expensive.

1. Myth: Old wine is better.

Reality:
Much of the time, that's simply not true, since most wines are made to be consumed within a year or two of their release. The rare exceptions come with a lot of responsibilities attached, beginning with proper storage and a group of knowledgeable and appreciative friends to drink them with when the time comes.

2. Myth: "Legs" are evidence of a high-quality wine.

Reality:
Legs, or "tears," as the streaks that run down the glass are called, are simply and indication of viscosity, which is largely attributable to a wine's alcohol content. The higher the alcohol, the fatter the legs.

3. Myth: Champagne and caviar are a perfect match.

Reality:
The best match for Champagne is...potato chips! Champagne is the beer of wine. Like beer, Champagne has a lot of acidity. And that acidity makes it brilliant with fried fish or fried chicken. In fact, I think KFC should offer Champagne by the glass.

4. Myth: Dessert should be paired with a dessert wine.

Reality:
Almost all sweet desserts will overwhelm even the most intensely sweet wine and end up killing the fruit, resulting in a wine that seems like it's all acidity. If you insist on drinking with with dessert, try a sparkling Moscato d'Asti; it's low in alcohol and not terribly sweet, with lots of bright, juicy flavor.

5. Myth: Wine doesn't go with Chinese food.

Reality:
The Chinese traditionally don't drink wine with their meals, but that doesn't mean you can't. Go for wines with high acidity, lower alcohol, and relatively understated flavors and aromas. Two favorites: Riesling and Pinot Noir.

Myth: Only leftover white wine should be refrigerated.

Reality:
Cold acts as a preservative as much for red as it does for white, though you'll have to warm up the red a bit at room temperature before drinking it. If you can't drink the remainder of a bottle within a few days, put it in the freezer. It will be nearly as good as it was the first night.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

The little winery that could....

We struck gold.....Again!

Noni Bacca Winery submitted 15 wines into the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition that took place on March 27-28, 2010

We won 12 Prestigious International Medals!

Competition Stats:

Wines entered: 3010
Wineries entered: 666
Countries entered: 15
States entered: 50
(first time in history for a wine competition!)
Canadian Provinces entered: 9

Thank you to 56 of the World’s top judges from 10 countries and
10 states!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

I am inspired by the Julie/Julia Project!

This morning I watched the movie "Julie and Julia"! It was a delight to watch, not to mention how inspiring it was. I can identify with Julie from an A.D.D. perspective and how finishing something is important. I liked the part where she says that's the reason why she's so bad at keeping house.

I give Julie tons of credit for taking on her challenge and I'm inspired, not to copy or re-create the Julie/Julia Project, but to for once in my life, get something done. The feeling of actually finishing something you started is as rewarding to me as, well, winning a race.

It's exhausting being me. I, like Julie and Julia, have married a Saint. Without him, I would be more lost than I am in this world. We left our big fat lives in New York and moved to the beach in Wilmington, NC to open a boutique winery. Look us up at www.nbwinery.com. We began this project 2.5 years ago and we aggressively strive to keep 60 varieties of wine, made by us, on premise, on the shelves. Don't get me wrong....I asked for this....but being open 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, is quite a lot to manage, let alone a house and two kids. OK, boo hoo, I'm tired and for once would like to go home to a clean and tidy house.....therefore, I am going to hire a house keeper! Ingenious, no? NO! I need to be in control of everything and hiring a housekeeper is out of the question.

So....I will be inspired by the woman who took on the courageous challenge of cooking French, and just do something for once! I am going to leave work early today and clean my house until it is all done! Then I am going to schedule time to do something every day to maintain it! There....so it is written, so it will be done!

Thank you Julia!

Monday, March 30, 2009

*** BREAKING NEWS ***

*** BREAKING NEWS ***

Noni Bacca Winery of Wilmington, NC takes home GOLD and Bronze Medals from the World's Largest International Wine Competition!

The Gold Medal was awarded for Noni Bacca Winery's INCORVAIA brand Vino Grande, styled after the Italian Brunello and the Bronze was awarded for Noni Bacca's House Red Wine, an Italian Sangiovese.

A record number of wines were entered from a record number of wineries for Camp Good Days and Special Times' Ninth Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and Auction Dinner. The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, the world's largest charitable wine competition, was open to all commercial wineries from all wine-producing countries and 2553 Wines from 543 Wineries, representing 13 countries, 39 states, and 5 Canadian Provinces have been entered into the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.

The Ninth Annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition too take place on Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, 2009 at the Rochester Plaza Hotel, in Rochester, NY. National and international judges, representing distributors, educators, enologists, sommeliers, restaurateurs, winemakers, and writers, from six countries and twelve states, evaluated the entries and medals were awarded for those wines receiving scores for bronze, silver, gold, and the unanimous double gold.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Clef du Vin

Mature young wine instantly. Clef du Vin is a scientifically-designed measuring device made from a mix of precious metals. Made for all wines, Clef du Vin, when dipped into a glass of wine, the patented metal alloy on the tip replicates the aging process. It will age the wine one year for each second the alloy is in contact with the wine. Two seconds equals two years from now, three seconds equals three years from now, etc. Take the guesswork out of collecting with this invaluable tool. Developed and tested over 10 years by one of France's leading scientists and wine industry consultants and European Champion Sommelier, Clef du Vin has received wide acclaim throughout Europe and Asia. The individual Pocket Professional is presented in a handsome burgundy leather case for easy traveling to your favorite restaurants, wine shops and tasting!

But don't take my word for it.....
Let Gary sum it up for you!

Buy your very own Clef du Vin!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Wine Making....Are You Making Wine Yet?

Welcome to this wine making blog. If you are making wine now, you know that you can produce a high quality product from your home at a fraction of the cost of retail wines. If you are not making wine now, I have only one question..... Wine Not?

Wine making dates back to the days of the cave men who fermented berries in wooden bowls. Obviously we've come a long way from those days and there are new modern ways of making wine. For those of you who don't have access to vine grown grapes, there are alternatives. There are several products on the market today that produce high quality wines. They are referred to as wine kits or wine juice kits. Most of these wine kits produce 23 liters or 6 gallons of wine in about 28 - 42 days, depending on the kit.

The wine kits come in the form of concentrates, semi-concentrates, or full-strength must. Must is the term used for grape juice that is not yet fermented. With concentrated and semi-concentrated juice, you will need to add a certain amount of water to reconstitute the juice, but they produce really nice wines. Full-strength must does not require the addition of water, therefore, producing a superior quality wine.

In addition to the wine juice kit, equipment is required to produce the wine. There are equipment kits ranging from a basic "bare bones" fermenting kit to "complete" equipment kits with all of the bells and whistles that go with it. The wine making hobby is NOT expensive. The average cost per bottle is about $3.