Spring Season Updates – 2023
Dear Winemakers,
It’s Spring time! And you know what that means…. South African and Chilean Season!! We are so excited to get winemaking again. Below is a list of all our Spring Offerings this season. Please feel free to reach out to us via email at sales@juicegrape.comor via the phone at 877-812-1137 with any questions or to make an order.
2023 Spring Grape Offerings:
South Africa: Pinotage
Chile: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier
Musto’s 2023 Spring Juice Offerings:
South Africa: Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Chile: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Carmenere, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, and Muscat.
Crush/Destemm is Back!
We will be crushing and destemming again this year! However, there is a minimum order of 24 cases of Spring grapes. This will give you 6 pails of must, and about 20+ gallons of juice to work with.
Winemaking Classes:
Have you heard about our new Facebook Live series? Frank Renaldi is teaching free classes on Musto’s Facebook Page once a month. Each month Frank picks a topic to chat about and go live with a presentation, plus a q&a period. Usually scheduled on a Thursday night, make sure to keep an eye out for them. The next one will be Thursday March 30th at 7:00PM. Feel free to send Christina suggestions for future topics.
How do you access Facebook Live? It’s easy. Go to Musto’s Facebook Page on the given date/time, and Frank’s class will automatically popup on your screen. There you can ask questions in real time. We hope you enjoy this series and look forward to bringing you more information to help you make your favorite wine!
Don’t forget that you can always access Frank Renaldi’s online classes via our sister site WinemakingInstructions.com.
Winemaker Hours:
One of our on staff Winemakers -Sam Lee will be in the store and available for questions on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00AM-4:00PM. If you want to speak to a winemaker in person, make sure to stop by and see Sam! You can also email him at winemaker@juicegrape.com.
Store Hours:
February Hours:
Mon-Fri: 8:00AM-4:00PM
Sat-Sun: Closed
Looking forward to working with you all this Spring!
Cheers!
What are Fresco Winemaking Juices?
What are Fresco Juices?
Ever bake a cake from a box and it came out delicious? Did you know you could do the same with winemaking?
Mondiale Fresco is proud to be the only product to offer home winemakers their own vineyard in one unique package. Each pail of juice is pre-balanced and adjusted to ensure you have the best winemaking success possible. Just warm up the juice to fermentation temperature and watch it go.
What does “pre-balanced” and “adjusted” mean?
Every season Mother Nature gives us a different wine grape harvest. Some years the acid, pH, and sugars are all in line with each other. Most times they aren’t and there needs to be some slight adjustments made pre-fermentation to ensure top wine quality. The Fresco juices are adjusted so that the acid, pH, and sugar levels are all in balance with each other. This makes for an easier fermentation and, a very pleasing wine.
Depending on the varietal of wine you choose, enzymes and tannins might be added – all pre-measured, and ready-to-go, just open the packet and add to the pail. These add-ons help with wine clarity and mouthfeel, contributing to the “taste like made from scratch”, or in this case, as if fermented on the skins. The Fresco juices are the best juices to work with for busy winemakers. You get the juice warmed up, watch it ferment, age, and bottle.
No muss, no fuss. Just delicious wine. Click HERE to via our list of Fresco Juices.
Fresco Juices are Pre-Order ONLY. Give us a call at 877-812-1137 to secure your Fresco Juice order.
Wine Spotlight: Greanche Blanc
A new grape has been added to our winemaking portfolio from Cry Baby – Grenache Blanc!
This grape is widely planted in Spain and the Rhone Valley.
It produces wines with good alcohol content, low acidity, citrus and herbaceous notes. A great blender for Rousanne or Muscat.
It’s best to ferment at low temperatures in order for the bouquet to flourish.
Interested in trying a new white wine this season? Email sales@juicegrape.com
Live near the Bronx, NY? Need a delivery?
Live near the Bronx, NY? Need a delivery?
We are excited to announce that D’Arrigo, our drop point in the Bronx, NY will now DELIVER to those in the metro NY area. They will even deliver customers who live in CT or NJ close to the NYC border. Email Christina at cmusto@juicegrape.com for more details.
Lodi Rules: Grow great grapes, make delicious wine, leave everything a little better than we found it
“May we farm in a way that meets the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to create their livelihoods.” – The LODI RULES motto.
Started in 2005, the LODI RULES certification program is a collective of growers who are focused on all thing’s sustainability. Many of these Lodi Farmers are 4th or 5th generation winegrowers who are focused on farming with the next 100 years in mind. We at Musto Wine Grape, are lucky enough to work with some of these amazing farmers – Mettler Ranch and Costamagna Vineyards. Look for the LODI RULES seal on the wine grape boxes this season.
LODI RULES growers use a unique risk model to quantify the environmental and human impact of all pesticides applied in the vineyard. This model considers the dietary risks to consumers, as well as the acute risk to farm workers; small aquatic invertebrates; birds; and bees; and bees and beneficial insects. The Lodi region has documented a great decline in the use of high-risk pesticides since 1992, thanks to sustainability adaption by farmers.
LODI RULES Sustainability Standards Overview:
- Water: They carefully manage the quality and efficiency of their water, appreciating every drop
- Soil: They do their part to make sure that soil – the foundation of the vineyard- thrives for generations to come
- Community: They support the neighborhoods and schools around the farms
- Ecosystem: They encourage biodiversity and act as stewards of the land
- Pest Management: They us an integrated approach to pest management, which includes protecting beneficial insects and minimizing risks to birds, bees, water, and people
- People: They make sure that their vineyards are a safe and rewarding place to work
- Quality: They design farming practices to improve wine grape quality
- Generational Farming: They farm with the next 100 years in mind
How is certified sustainable farming different than organic and biodynamic?
- Organic and biodynamic farmers follow a set of practices related to the environment. Certified sustainable farming includes practices related to the environment, the people, and the business.
LODI RULES has over 100 sustainable practices included in its certification; with over 28,776 acres certified.
Over 150 wines bear the LR seal (Mettler Ranch & Costamagna being some of them!) A wine must contain 85% certified grapes to be the LR seal.
“Sustainability means leaving everything – people, places, etc.- as good as better than how we found it” – Kevin Philips, Michael David Winery
“When you drink a glass of wine made from LODI RULES certified grapes, you are supporting a farmer, a vintner, and an entire agricultural community that embraces their responsibility to care for the environment and the people”
This is a certification I think we can all get behind. Musto Wine Grape is grateful to be bringing in these grapes this season. If you are interested in grapes from the LODI RULES program, please give us a call at 877-812-1137 to pre-order. We are looking forward to assisting with your winemaking this fall!
Grapes Available from LODI RULES Certified Vineyards:
Mettler Ranch:
- Barbera
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Grenache
- Merlot
- Pinot Grigio
- Pinotage
- Petite Sirah
- Rousanne
- Sangivoese
- Syrah
- Viognier
- Zinfandel
Costamagna Vineyards:
- Old Vine Primitivo
- Cabernet
- Merlot
- Sangiovese
- Barbera
- Aglianico
- Montelpulciano
- Mourvedre
- Nero D’Avola
- Sagrantino
Cheers,
Christina Musto-Quick
Home Winemaker Chris Pallatto and his Winemaking Crew were featured in their local magazine.
Home Winemaker Chris Pallatto and his Winemaking Crew were featured in their local magazine.
A great article about how winemaking brings people together.
Click HERE to read the full article.
Special Primitivo coming from fifth generation farmer Berton Costamagna
Special Primitivo coming from fifth generation farmer Berton Costamagna
There is something very special about walking through this Primitivo vineyard for fifth generation farmer Berton Costamagna. “Since 1902 my family has been here in Lodi farming these wine grapes”, says Berton. “To think that my Nono (Great, Great, Great Grandfather) had the foresight to start a farming adventure back then, by planting his first vineyard of Primitivo here, and to see where it is now, is so inspiring to me.” With its sandy loams, and ideal climate, farmers back then quickly saw the potential for growing wine grapes in Lodi, in the heart of California. Fast forward 120 years, and Lodi California has come to be known as the Zinfandel Capital of the World, and is now one of the top producing AVA’s in the world. The Costamagna family has continued farming their family’s clone of Primitivo for all these years for wineries and home winemakers to enjoy with their families. “These grapes make for a great wine, but what is truly special, is these grapes connect us to the hard work, traditions, and memories of my family before me. My hope is that folks can make as many memories drinking the wine from these grapes as our family has made farming them.” 🍇🍷 We can’t wait to receive these grapes from the Costamagna Family!
How to Order
We are an old school company. Give us a call at 877-812-1137 or email us at sales@juicegrape.com to get the ball rolling on your pre-order. Don’t forget, we can create custom fermentation templates for you if you would like!
If you aren’t local to New England and need your product shipped, please email sales@juicegrape.com for a freight quote. We will be shipping out of our Bronx, NY location – D’Arrigo. If you live in the Metro NY area and are interested in a freight quote please reach out to sales@juicegrape.com
Unfortunately, we cannot ship fresh juice. We can ship our sterile juices (Original All Juice (juicegrape.com)), they ship year-round without refrigeration. This is the best option for home winemakers who cannot pick up the fresh product from MWG’s facilities.
If you have a large fresh product order (2,000lbs and up), please contact sales@juicegrape.com for a freight quote.
For more information regarding the Fall Harvest please feel free to contact us at sales@juicegrape.com or give us a call at 877-812-1137. We are looking forward to helping you with your next great wine!
Sincerely,
Christina Musto
Musto Wine Grape Co.
What is Fermaid K? And Why/When do we use it?
Femaid-K is a blended complex yeast nutrient that supplies ammonia salts (DAP), free amino acids (organic nitrogen derived from inactivated yeast), sterols, unsaturated fatty acids, key nutrients and inactive yeast. The unsaturated fatty acids and sterols provided by Fermaid K are important survival factors yeast cells need to maintain alcohol resistance and permease activity, and help keep volatile acidity levels low. Nitrogen is critical for protein synthesis and to maintain cellular growth. Fermaid K’s alpha amino acids provide a nitrogen source which is easier and more efficient for yeast to metabolize than nitrogen from traditional ammonia salts. The cell wall fractions in Fermaid K absorb short and medium chain fatty acids that are toxic to yeast, and provide nucleation sites to help keep the yeast in suspension.
Fermaid K is like the power bar they hand out to runners at the last mile. The power bar gives you the energy and nutrients get through those last few miles of the race.
You can add Fermaid-K at 8 Brix
2022 Harvest Menu and Announcements
I hope you’ve been enjoying your summers winemakers because the fall season will be upon us soon!
Have you started thinking about what you want to make this season? There are so many grapes and juices to choose from. Make a straight variety, make a blend, make multiple batches, we will have you covered this vintage!
The grapes are about 1-2 weeks behind last season. It feels like this season will harvest more in line with “normal years”. We will most likely have some early ripening grapes and winemaking juices arriving the week after Labor Day (September 5th). We have some new winemaking grapes and interesting vineyards being added to the MWG winemaking portfolio this season. Check out our 2022 Harvest Menu (link: harvest menu) to see what new and find your consistent favorites.
CROP OVERVIEW
Suisun Valley, CA:
We’ve started to see color changes in the Merlot, Barbera, and Petite Sirah. The Lanzas are currently walking the vineyards and doing bunch counts to get an accurate crop reading. It was a great growing season for Suisun Valley. It should be another vintage year.
Lodi, CA:
With veraison happening we are getting a clear outlook for what to expect this year in crop yields. Overall, the Lodi area has set a nice crop with estimates at or above last year’s tonnage. As you move east into the foothill vineyards, yields look to be much lighter due to the frost damage experienced back in February.
Central Valley, CA:
The berries are starting to show color in the Barbera, Zinfandel, and Merlot vineyards. Central Valley is almost always the first of the vineyards to harvest. If you are interested in CV fruit be prepared to make wine earlier in the season. We will have some new and interesting varieties from this region, such as Grenache Blanc, Fiano, Teroldego, and Touriga Nacional. Check out the Harvest Menu (link) for the full list of varieties from all vineyard regions.
Washington:
They are currently in the middle of lag phase. Washington should have crop estimations in the next week or so. The crop looks nice so far and they are about to get some hot days. As of right now they are predicting harvest will be about 2 weeks behind last year’s harvest. If you are interested in Washington fruit, plan to make wine in late October and/or early November.
What’s Available this Season?
Download our Harvest Menu to see everything that is offered this season. Please note that many vineyard specific grapes such as Lanza and Mettler do sell out. If there is a specific vineyard you want your grapes sourced from, we encourage you to put in a pre-order.
In Person Winemaking Classes
Making Consistently Flawless Wine Seminar with Daniel Pambianchi
Don’t miss out on this special opportunity to attend Daniel Pambianchi’s third seminar on advanced winemaking on September 10th, 2022, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM, at Musto Wine Grape Company in Hartford, CT.
This third seminar will focus on advanced home winemaking techniques, including advanced analytical techniques for measuring and adjusting key quality control parameters, and to integrate these learnings in reviewing detailed protocols for making outstanding white, rose, and red wines and in different styles.
This seminar is intended for intermediate and advanced amateur and small-winery winemakers. Lunch and coffee are provided. Please alert Christina of any food allergies at cmusto@juicegrape.com.
SEMINAR FEES
Until August 10th – $275.00
August 11th to September 10th– $300.00
Please email Christina Musto at cmusto@juicegrape.com with any questions.
Winemaker Bootcamp
Our Winemaker’s Bootcamp is back! We will begin on Saturday September 11th. To sign up click here. Whether you are just starting out or have a few years under your belt, our Winemakers Bootcamp will enrich your winemaking skills while having a lot of fun along the way. The only hands-on winemaking bootcamp in the area; this course offers each student the opportunity of experiencing hands-on winemaking. In addition to making wines, the course will cover the science behind modern wine making and fermentation techniques including additives commonly used by commercial wineries throughout the wine making world. Classes will be about 3 hours each Saturday, starting at 9:00 am or 12:00PM (depending on the session you pick, total of 5 sessions), in the offices and winemaking showrooms of Musto Winegrape Co, 101 Reserve Road, Hartford, CT, 06114. If you have any questions, please email Christina at cmusto@juicegrape.com.
Virtual Winemaking Classes
Our Virtual Winemaking Classes are available year-round but in order to kick off harvest, we are running a flash sale for the month of August. For the month of August our Full Winemaking Course will be discounted from $397.00 for 46 videos (over 24 hours of content) to $297.00. That’s $100.00 off! And you have access to the videos forever. If you have any questions, please email cmusto@juicegrape.com.
How to Order
We are an old school company. Give us a call at 877-812-1137 or email us at sales@juicegrape.com to get the ball rolling on your pre-order. Don’t forget, we can create custom fermentation templates for you if you would like!
If you aren’t local to New England and need your product shipped, please email sales@juicegrape.com for a freight quote. We will be shipping out of our Bronx, NY location – D’Arrigo. If you live in the Metro NY area and are interested in a freight quote please reach out to sales@juicegrape.com
Unfortunately, we cannot ship fresh juice. We can ship our sterile juices, they ship year-round without refrigeration. This is the best option for home winemakers who cannot pick up the fresh product from MWG’s facilities.
If you have a large fresh product order (2,000lbs and up), please contact sales@juicegrape.com for a freight quote.
For more information regarding the Fall Harvest please feel free to contact us at sales@juicegrape.com or give us a call at 877-812-1137. We are looking forward to helping you with your next great wine!
Sincerely,
The Musto Crush Crew
Have you tried Super Smoother?
Have you tried Super Smoother?
Super Smoother is great tool that’s ideal for home winemakers because it comes in small packages intended for 6-gallon (23-L) batches.
It contains glycerin and liquid oak extract. The combination of these two adds a subtle oak flavor while softening harsh tannins and smoothing out wine mouthfeel.
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