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Coming Soon:
KB Steuben Dessert Wine 2013
Mystery Wine (more on that next month...)
Almost Gone:
Marquette 2014
DeChaunac 2014
Whisper 2014
Chambourcin 2013
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Shipping Wine
Satek Winery can currently ship wine to 10 states (though some do have individual restrictions); if interested, please give us a call at
(260) 495-9463 and we can fill in the details.
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Looking for a fun weekend trip or holiday getaway? The WINE Tour may be the answer and it's always the right size. Seven wineries in the Northeast of Indiana open for you to come in and taste a wide variety and style of wine.
Before heading out, be sure to check the wineries' hours as some may have switched over to Winter hours.
For more information on the latest news from the WINE Tour follow us on Facebook.
WINE Tour Facebook Page |
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Concordance Labor Day may be the unofficial end to Summer, but things start to heat up at the beginning of August, both literally and figuratively. Growers hope the rains have tapered off, and that the blistering days give way, at night, to some cool temperatures, to balance out the chemistry of the grapes in the field. August is also the time when the last of the "Summer" activities occur, one of which happen to be the Indy International Wine Competition, often amongst the largest, and touting itself as the most scientifically organized independent competition in the country. A staple for us, we have been entering wines and winning medals there since our inception, and winning an Indy medal provides outside assurance as to quality and craft. This year we took home 19 medals, including multiple Gold's and Double Gold's, but it is to one specific medal that should draw a special mention; 101 Lakes Red won Best In Class (Concord) this year, and any time you can win a prestigious award with your best seller, that is worth getting fired up about. |
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Wine Shipping Update
As of July 1, 2015, the wine shipping laws for the state of Indiana have changed, and wine shipping has becoming easier to do. We still need a valid state ID (Driver's License, most often) but you no longer need to come in to our winery and fill out the Direct Purchaser Verification; instead, you can now fax, email, mail, or even stop in to get us a copy of your ID. This is a good change as far as we at Satek Winery are concerned, and though there is still a 3-bottle minimum, and someone 21 years old or older does still have to sign for the package (FedEx won't drop it off and go), this allows people who did not sign up while in our tasting room or at an event, or even people who have never been up to Steuben County but enjoy our wine, to have it shipped to them, no matter where they are in the state. Many are the times we were unable to ship in the past because of the above reasons, but we hope that this change in law will make wine shipping and the responsible enjoyment of Satek wine a consideration for anyone so inclined.
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Art Show August 15th
The latter of our two art shows will take place in 12 days (if this eNewsletter is indeed published on schedule...) and it is often our biggest event of the year. Over 30 local artists mass on the Satek promenade, from 10 am to 5pm, and present their medium for exhibition and purchase. It's always been a central tenet of Satek Winery to be a patron to the arts, and with this Art Show, we hope to offer a chance
for the public at large to be exposed, on a grand scale, to the artisans living around them. Food will be available for purchase, and the Satek Art Show is free and open to the public. We hope to see you here.
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Satek Winery will be among those at the Junior Achievement Riverside Wine & Beer Festival this Friday in Fort Wayne. It's a enjoyable event and helps out a good organization, so if you are in the area and aren't opposed to fun, this may be for you. Tickets are available at Cap n' Cork locations, or you can purchase them by clicking on this link.
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Wine Fleet?
Our 4th collaboration with Shape Up Steuben will take place in about 32 days, the Satek Run N' Wine, a 5K walk/run & 10K run. The race will begin at 9am, and has multiple categories to register for ( here, if convinced or seeking more information), and we are going to debut a wine that morning, as well as have some food available to purchase, so we are kicking to the finish line, to make #4 the best race yet (until next year that is). |
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Indiana State Fair
For the second straight year, we will be exhibitors at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. The Fair itself runs from August 7th until August 23rd, and we will do an effective "bookending" job, being in Indiana Beer & Wine Exhibition on 8/7 (this Friday) and on 8/22 (the last Saturday). It's only the second time in many years that the wineries and breweries of Indiana have been allowed back in, and is gratifying to be able to exhibit with the other agricultural entities of this state. For anyone able to come on our dates, or able to come on any date during the 17 day run, it is well worth your time. For more information on the Fair itself, click here, and for information on the Beer & Wine Exhibit, click here.
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Happy Yeast, Happy Wine
Wine can be very simple, you like it or you don't. Yet, what is it that you like or don't like, and perhaps as important, why? In an attempt to remove some of the barriers and answer questions you may have, assistant winemaker and Biology degree-holder Tyler Daniels returns to break down general wine-related concepts.
As we get close to harvest, we start to see the lovely sight of the grapes turning color (note: see Tim's article below). This means the grapes are getting close to picking time. However, knowing just when is one of the most important decisions for a winery. Several observations about the grapes, such as cluster size and color must be taken into account. There are also observations that must be made that can't be seen by the human eye. Data such as sugar level, pH, acidity, and nitrogen level must all be measured in order to make the final determination.
As mentioned, sugar level, pH and acidity play the most important role in determining flavor, but one often overlooked parameter is nitrogen content of the grapes. The nitrogen concentration is essential for healthy yeast fermentation. Having too much or not enough nitrogen can cause major problems for fermentation, such as sluggish or stuck fermentations and can even cause the formation of off (undesirable)odors. Getting the nitrogen concentration to just the right amount is important to avoid such things from happening.
The real trick to nitrogen is knowing exactly how much nitrogen concentration is in the juice that is to be fermented. This is tricky, because there are only two commonly used methods of measuring nitrogen concentration. The first is a formol titration which can be dangerous to the technician if improperly handled. The second is an enzymatic reaction that required expensive equipment such as a UV-VIS spectrophotometer. These can be obstacles to get around for the average winery but are certainly surmountable. Once the nitrogen concentration is observed, a winery can use this data point along with sugar, pH, and acidity to more accurately decide on the best day to harvest the grapes.
Leonardelli, Michael J. "Why, How, and When?" Enology News and Notes (2013): 1-7. Web. 1 Aug. 2015.
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Picture via Tibbits
Show Me
Tibbits Theater in nearby Coldwater Michigan has been a source of year round entertainment, be it concerts or theatre for more than 130 years, and Satek Winery has been a proud patron of Tibbits for around 1/10 of that time. We are sponsoring Alone Together Again, a comedic play by Lawrence Roman about a generational family visit that goes on and on. Alone Together Again shows August 6th thru August 8th and August 13th thru August 15th at 8pm with additional 2pm shows on August 6th and August 12th. For more information, click here.
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The last phase of the growing season has begun. Veraison has started on some of the early ripening varieties. The French word veraison is a technical term for coloring. The coloring process begins when a certain sugar level is reached in the juice of the fruit. Now is when Mother Nature needs to cooperate with us. The perfect ripening weather is warm days, cool nights and below normal rainfall. There are varieties that ripen early season, midseason and late and also the ripening process depends on crop load and sun exposure of the fruit. If the vine is over cropped you should drop some of the fruit. This is done by cutting off the smaller under developed clusters. Pulling leaves on the dense canopy areas is a way to let the sun into the fruit and help in the ripening process.
Now that the fruit is beginning to ripen it also is becoming a tasty treat to all the wildlife. Birds, deer, turkey and raccoon know when the fruit is ripe and ready to eat. Birds mostly take after the small diameter and dark colored fruit. They can't get the larger fruit in their mouth and they can't see the white fruit. Reflective tape, scary eye balloons and nets are some of the ways to keep the birds from your fruit. Blinking lights, scented items such as dog hair or soap can be used for deer. I always wondered if you put up a calendar with Thanksgiving day circled if it would scare away the turkey. Just a thought!
Well, with harvest just around the corner you can see we have a lot to do to enhance and protect this year's crop. It was brought to my attention that I always end my article with a glass or two of wine. So no glass of wine today but they didn't say anything about sipping from the bottle?
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