ALL BHV Wines are..."Vegan/Vegetarian Approved"!

With this Blog, we're going to talk about..."Vegan/Vegetarian Approved Wines"!
Most everyone is aware that ALL of the wines that we create at BHV are "UNFILTERED" Wines. They are "NEVER" filtered in any way! This enables us to retain all the 'Taste, Flavor and Bouquet' of the grape and the fruit. We are proud of this distinction and display "Unfiltered' on the front label of every bottle of wine that we make. As we know, wineries that Filter their wines Never tell us that their wines are 'Filtered'.



So, why should we care if our wines are 'Unfiltered' or 'Filtered'?
Well, we should care very much.
There is a very clear distinction between the makers of 'Unfiltered' and 'Filtered' wines. The makers of most 'Filtered' wines blend their wines for consistency of color and filter their wines for clarity (clearness). Then, after the filtering process, most add "Hints" and "Notes" of various flavors to their wines. The 'Stuff' that most makers of 'Filtered' wines use to filter their wines are called "Fining Agents".
Below, for the first time, we are going to list some of these 'Fining Agents'. The first list are Fining Agents that are commonly used. The second list of Fining Agents are the alternatives that could/should be used and are animal friendly.

These are the "Fining Agents" that are commonly used:
* Dried Blood Powder
* Egg Whites
* Animal Albumin
* Casein & Potassium Caseinate (Milk Proteins)
* Gelatin (Derived from Bones)
* Isinglass (Derived from the Swim Bladders of Fish)
* Chitin/Chitosan (Derived from the Shells of Crabs or Lobsters)

These are the "Fining Agents" that could/should be used:
* Carbon
* Bentonite Clay
* Kaolin Clay
* Plant Casein
* Silica Gel
* Vegetable Plaques

Since wineries that Filter their wines never tell us that their wines are Filtered, there is no easy way to tell which list of Fining Agents that they are using.
So, as you can see, there is a very clear distinction between how "Unfiltered" wines are created and how "Filtered" wines are made. If you are a "Vegan/Vegetarian" or a patron of fine wines, your choice is simple. "Unfiltered" wines are Always..."Vegan/Vegetarian " approved and, should be, the first choice for us all!
Thank You....

Salute and Happy Days.....

New Years Goals..."Our Celebration of Difference"!

With a new year just beginning, we felt that it was important to lay out our goals for the upcoming year!
The biggest goal that we want to convey to you this year is..."Our Celebration of Difference"!!
Now those might seem like fancy $2.00 words, but their meaning is quite simple. This year, we will try to do a better job of drawing the lines of distinction between ourselves at BHV and the factory wineries.
One of the biggest differences is how we view 'Wine Making'. We view 'Wine Making' as an..."ART"! When you take that approach to Wine Making, the entire game is transformed!
Another radical concept that we embrace and will talk more about in the future is the goal of creating wines to be the best that they can be! This means focusing on the uniqueness of the fruits that goes into making our wines. That's why we use only..."Whole Fresh Fruits" (never just juices and concentrates)!
What is retained in our wines is more important to us than what factory wineries take out. This year, you should expect us to talk more about all the good stuff that is in our unfiltered wines. One component that comes to mind is 'Natural Fruit Pectin'. If you get a chance, you might want to check this one out for yourself. If you're like us, you will question why any winery would want to remove this fabulous and natural ingredient from their wine!
One more topic that we are passionate about is supporting Florida agriculture! Depending on the time of the year, Florida agriculture and Tourism can swap places between the first and second most important industries in our state! Whenever we use and support Florida grown produce, we are helping retain and grow Florida jobs! Not only are "ALL" of our grape wines created from grapes that we grow and nurture, but our fruit wines are mostly made from Florida grown fruits!
Lastly (but surely not least), we need to talk a whole lot more about 'Recycling Wine Bottles'! By returning your empty wine bottles to us for recycling, you are making a huge and positive impact on our environment.
Starting January, 2012, we will be adding an entire New section  to our BHV web site. From now on, we will begin recording the number of empty wine bottles, corks and sealing wax that you return to us for recycling. It's important to us that you get the recognition that you deserve!
Well, that's probably enough for now. We sincerely appreciate your help and support! So, until we meet again...........

.....Salute and Happy Days!