For any wine manufacturer who tries to minimise interventions into the natural winemaking process, when no chemicals can be added to adjust the wine – the taste and quality of the finished product highly depend on grape characteristics which change dramatically with the picking date. Irina Santiago-Brown from Inkwell Wines explains how making a right picking decision is…
The vintage season is coming. We realise that this is the busiest and most critical period of the year for winemakers. Here are our recommendations to prepare your wine lab. 1. Restock calibration buffers pH electrodes should be calibrated before use. Periodic calibration, if not daily, should be performed frequently to obtain a high accuracy…
Wine is made from the fermentation of the sugars found within grapes. Yeast cultures are added to the juice collected from the crushing of grapes. The yeast metabolises the sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as a waste product. The greater the sugar content, the greater the concentration of alcohol produced. If fermentation is…
Many foods we eat contain a variety of sweeteners, from natural sweeteners such as honey and molasses to refined sugars like granulated table sugar. In the 1970s, the development of high fructose corn syrup shifted food manufacturers away from using refined sugar in their products. High fructose corn syrup was an attractive alternative due to…
Soft drinks are known by many names and come in many flavours: lemon-lime, strawberry, orange and more! Regardless of its name or flavour, the sugary solution is enjoyed by both young and old around the world. The soft drink is made sweet by a variety of sugars or, in the case of diet or light…
Honey remains one of the most popular sweeteners used in baking, beverages and sauces. Honey’s naturally low water content and high sugar content contribute to its indefinite shelf life. In fact, archaeological evidence has shown that honey was used as an embalming fluid in ancient Egypt. Now, it is mainly used as a food additive,…
Before refrigeration was widely available, canning, drying, pickling, fermentation, and salting foods were common methods of food preservation. Different food preservation methods were used based on the environment and type of food being preserved. People in warmer climates tended to use fermentation, while those in cooler climates could utilise the cold winter weather to freeze-dry…
