When someone talks about wine culture, most of us think about how our society is influenced by the highly regarding beverage we all love so much. But to real winos, wine culture takes on a whole new meaning.
Cultured wine yeasts are widely used in both home and commercial winemaking. They have been a boon to the industry and give winemakers control over the taste and development of the wines we drink. Most wine drinkers probably aren’t even aware that winemakers choose yeasts for their wines like women choose the right shoes to match their outfits. Nor do they know the important role these microscopic transformers (a mere 8/25,000ths of an inch long) play. There are literally hundreds of cultured yeast strains available for wines. Each of them have their own distinct characteristics – just like the grape varietal they are used on – and can significantly impact the taste and style of a wine.
Andre Austin, owner of CellarWise (a winery supply store in Paso Robles) is a 15-year veteran in the industry and he knows his yeasts . He will be the featured guest speaker at the July First Crush winemaking workshop: “Yeasts & Yields,” Saturday, July 23 from 2-5 p.m. at the First Crush Wine Workshop.
Austin will talk about proper yeast re-hydration, how to select yeast strains and conduct a comparative tasting with wines made with different types of yeasts. (To read the rest of the story, follow the read more link below)
In the “Yields” (or viticulture segment of the monthly workshop series), Lowell Zelinski, Ph.D. will cover early yield estimates for the 2011 vintage, how to make them and the impact low-yields will have on production and the vineyard.
Cellarwise is a great resource for winemakers. The Paso-based company sells equipment and winemaking supplies, and their knowledgeable staff is helpful and courteous. Austin has worked closely with Scott Laboratories – the largest supplier of winemaking chemicals in the U.S. – as regional sales manager for Central and Southern California for 12 years. In 2003, he founded Electrotec , a service company that performs various bulk processes for wine, as well as winery equipment repair.
Zelinski is the co-owner of First Crush and owner of Precision Ag Consulting – a Paso-based viticulture consulting and vineyard management company, which services the Central Coast.
The First Crush winemaking workshops are hands-on, interactive wine and viticulture classes held the fourth Saturday of each month (except for August – see calendar for details). The topics are presented in a timely fashion to mirror what’s actually taking place in the vineyard and winery and are perfect for beginning to intermediate winemakers and grape growers, or anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge about the fascinating world of wine.
