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Barreling in the Wine Making Process

Written By: Michael Keba on Monday, July 7, 2008

Wine 101 - Oak Barrels and Stainless Steel Barrels - how are these two storage containers utilized to enhance wine?

Once grapes have been harvested and crushed, an inevitable situation arises: the winemaker must choose suitable vessels with which to contain the liquid. The winemaker chooses what to use based on factors including gape varietal, desired flavor style, price point of the wine, and the size of the vintage.
American oak vs. French oak - There...read more

 

Getting a Wine Internship

Written By: Michael Keba on Friday, April 4, 2008

A look into what kind of wine internships are available. Michael Keba visits the UC Davis career fair.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended UC Davis's Internship and career fair. It was a rather large-scale event attended by almost 200 different companies, and covered the entire floor of the basketball pavilion. Thousands of students from freshmen to graduates walked the rows looking for jobs. Fortunately for me, the wine industry made an...read more

 

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Syrah In My Closet: Start the Presses

Written By: Michael Keba on Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Wine 101 - Pressing wine is a precise and crucial element of the wine making process. It's also a tough task for a single college winemaker to handle.

It took about a week and a half for the fermentation to come to a halt. My vat of purple pulp stopped bubbling carbon dioxide, signaling the time to proceed with pressing. Unfortunately, I was suffering a severe time crunch when this happened. My infant wine had to be neglected until I found some spare time the next weekend to nurture it...read more

 

Working My Way Up

Written By: Michael Keba on Friday, January 25, 2008

Wine 101 - Mo Money Mo Money

I am no longer unemployed! Yes, that is correct, I have a job. The process required was harder than I had originally imagined. I had to get in some people's faces, leave a steady stream of e-mails, visit many offices, and put myself in somewhat awkward situations. During this process, I utilized some advice from the successful entrepreneur...read more

 

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Syrah In My Closet ( Update )

Written By: Michael Keba on Thursday, January 17, 2008

Wine 101 - Follow the next step in home wine making. In this phase - the smelly task of fermentation.

The grape juice in my closet is officially wine. Actually, it has been wine for a couple months now. To test the progression of fermentation, winemakers use an instrument called a hydrometer. A hydrometer tests the specific gravity of a liquid, which is the density of the liquid compared to the density of water. Sugar has a higher density...read more

 

Grapes In America

Written By: Michael Keba on Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Wine 101 - Learn about the men who are considered the forefathers of American wine, and which grape types they popularized.

Upon arriving in America, early settlers were surprised to find something quite familiar growing in the soils of the new world – grapes. Grapevines can be found all over the world, and quite a few species are native to the Americas. Some or the better know examples include: Vitis Labrusca – Native to northeastern America, and was...read more

 

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The Salmanzar

Written By: Michael Keba on Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Wine 101 - Some wines are unusual. So are some wine bottles. Find out what makes the Salmanazar so unique.

What the heck is a Salmanazar? Sounds like it could be some kind of ancient Middle Eastern royalty… and one has been sitting on my kitchen counter since I moved into my apartment. A Salmanazar is 9-liter container of wine, the equivalent of 12 regular 750 mL sized bottles. According to Wikipedia, the name takes root from a biblical figure,...read more

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Finals Are Done, Time To Network

Written By: Michael Keba on Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Wine 101 - Student Organizations

Ah - to be on break for the holidays is quite a relief! I fell off the face of the earth for the last couple weeks, but I feel well accomplished from my pilgrimage in the library. I finished finals last Friday and proudly continue my record of a slowly increasing GPA. I've completed my calculus requirement, and...

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Introduction to Viticulture

Written By: Michael Keba on Monday, December 10, 2007

Wine 101 - Teenage Boys Discovered Wine?

So far in my writings, I've been talking an awful lot about my lack of knowledge and experience concerning wine. I still might be a newbie, but I like to think that I know a thing or two. I've been enrolled in a class this quarter called "Introduction to Viticulture" that I have yet to speak of. In light of my finals coming up, I figured...read more

 

The Wine Job Search Continues

Written By: Michael Keba on Thursday, November 29, 2007

Wine 101 - Looking For My Big Break

Another fire raged through Malibu last weekend. While I watched from the comfort of my home, enormous airtankers dropped water bombs the size of swimming pools on the angry flames. Serious fires burn through southern California every few years, but this year has been particularly destructive. My heart goes out to all the families in Malibu,...read more

 

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