Hello fellow wine lovers,
     How many out there know the difference between sweet wine, semi-sweet wine, dry wine & semi-dry wine?  Probably the easiest way to explain this is my simple minded explanation as follows:  A sweet wine is very high in sugar, usually over 5% sugar.  It's hard for the average person to tell the difference between 5% or 8% sugar in wine.  Sweet is sweet.  A semi-sweet wine is usually half the sweetness of the highly sweet versions. 
     An off dry or semi-dry wine is pretty much dry with a hint of sweetness..  A dry wine is sugar free or close to it.  It is your average "pucker your upper" wine and goes good with food.  So, it goes like this, lots of sugar, half the sugar, very little sugar, and no sugar. 
     Now that wasn't hard was it?  By the way at the winery in Kane probably 70% of our customers prefer the sweet or semi-sweet wines.  At our store  in Kennett Square, PA it is the opposite.  70% of their customers prefer the dry or semi-dry wines.  We try to make something for everyone's palate so hope you find something you really enjoy.
Bottoms Up,
Ron

     It has been awhile since my last blog.  I apologize for the lateness of this posting.  This may be a good time to talk taxes from the winery view point.  Not too many years ago, I could fill out our family federal tax forms myself.  Those days are over!  Today our tax forms are several hundred pages long and require the services of a competent CPA.  Just for the heck of it, I compiled a list of taxes that we pay to run our small family winery: 

1. Federal Withholding
2. State Withholding
3. Federal Unemployment
4. State Unemployment
5. Company Matching Social Security
6. Company Matching Medicare
7. Local Earned Income Tax
8. Local Services Tax
9. Gasoline Tax
10. Pennsylvania Sales Tax
11. School Tax
12. Property Tax
13. Excise Tax on Wine
14. Pennsylvania Market & Qualtiy Wine Tax
15. Taxes on our phone bill: Gross Receipts Tax,  Pa Gross Receipts Tax Surcharge, Federal Excise Tax, & PA State Sales Tax
16. Taxes on our electric & water bill: PA Sales Tax
17. Corporation Taxes
18. Capital Gains Tax
19. ASCAP Tax (to play music in the winery)
20. BMI Tax (To play music in the winery)
21. Room Tax when traveling

     This is what I can think of and probably there are more.  If you know of additional taxes, please let me know.
     We just received copies of our 2011 tax return and below is a photo of the packet.  If tax reform is not needed, then I don't know what is!  Does anyone out there wonder why small business is having a rough time in this country?  HAIL TO THE GLASS OF WINE THAT KEEPS US GOING!! 
                                                        Until the next time, Winemaker Ron

 One of the biggest questions we get here at Flickerwood Winery and Flickerwood Wine Cellars Tasting Room in Kennett Square is..

“What is a french Hybrid?”  Well the proper term is, French American Hybrid.The French American Hybrid are unique vines created that are tough enough for colder climates.

These grapes were grafted in an attempt to develop a vine resistant to the grape root Phylloxera Louse, which ravished most of the European vineyards during the later 19^th century. The French Vinifera vines well known for high quality wines were bread with the disease resistant ripara and other species of American vines. 

Some of the hybrids we sell almost have a cult like following. These French American hybrid wines are Chambourcin, Leon Millot, DeChaunac, Seyval Blanc, Marechal Foch, Vidal Blanc and Vignoles. Hybrid grapes are also used in blends, like the Baco Noir grape found in our Sweet Angel Red.

The most popular hybrid's we sell are ALL THE WHITES, I can't pick one. In the red variety. Marechal Foch and DeChaunac are the popular ones.

We are currently in the process of bottling the 2011 DeChaunac, which is the biggest seller in our store in Kennett Square. 2011 vintage of Leon Millot is a good year.

 We are currently in the process of either setting up the barrels, bottling or putting on our shelves the 2011 vintage. So far it’s been a great year, try out the new wines. The favorite wine in our Kennett Square location is the DeChaunac, we know a lot of people are waiting for the new vintage, we are getting ready to bottle next week.

Welcome to Flickerwood's Cellar

Here at Flickerwood, we are discovering ways to communicate with our customers. So I've decided to write a blog and keep everyone posted at what's happening in the Cellar. Look for updates every week. I am looking forward to here from all of you.

Cheers,
Ron Zampogna