Accuvin Press Releases

	Accuvin Founded Accuvin was founded in 1999 when Mike Miller realized there were no quick result tests to monitor his first year cabernet grapes for the optimum picking time. In 2000 he used his skills acquired working in the human diagnostics monitoring field to discover a patent pending process to remove anthyocyanins, enabling Quick Tests to be used for both red and white wines and winegrapes. Today Accuvin has Quick Tests to monitor Malolactic Fermentation's start, progress and completion (Malic Acid Tests and L-Lactic Acid Tests); to monitor for Microbial Contamination (D-Lactic Acid Tests); to monitor sugar content (Residual Sugar Tests); to monitor acid content (Titratable Acidity Tests); and to monitor the necessary balance of pH and SO2 (pH Tests and Free SO2 Tests). Accuvin promotes Monitoring - why? Through monitoring the very best wines and winegrapes are secured by preventing problems or identifying problems early when they are easier to solve and solutions are less intrusive. Consider monitoring as a series of snapshots of the elements in wine. Over a series of these snapshots we are aware how the wine is progressing. If Critical Numbers (those numbers which when reached require action) can be seen on the horizon before they occur or at the time they occur, corrective action can be taken earlier when intervention is most successful. Who should use Monitoring? Because Quick Tests provide the ability to monitor quickly and cheaply without needing laboratory equipment or training, they are being used by large wineries to monitor barrel by barrel, by large vineyards to monitor acre by acre, by small wineries and vineyards as their laboratories, and by True Hobbiest Winemakers (those who begin with grapes) at every juncture, just as a commercial winemaker, from harvest to bottling. Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) Winemakers put their wines through the process of Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) to achieve a mellowness on the palate, full-bodiedness, and stronger, easier to pick out characters Monitoring MLF is necessary to catch problems when they are small and solutions are easier and less intrusive. Now an e-Book discussing the Malolactic Fermentation Process by the Reluctant Chemist, Mike Miller, is free to download here. Just click onthe eBook icon at the left. Monitoring MLF was difficult before the advent of Accuvin Quick Tests' Malic Acid and L-Lactic Acid. Old wet chemistry tests require training of lab personnel, preparation of both wine samples and instruments, and an afternoon to run the tests. New instruments require "educating the equipment" to process each variety of grape. Accuvin Quick Tests do the job in just 4 minutes! Lab training of personnel is not required. Sample preparation is not required. Instrumentation is not required. Knowing when MLF had started and the bubbles were not just out-gassing was not available until Quick Tests" L-Lactic Acid tests. In France this test is used to find out the earliest time in spring to increase winery temperatures. Introducing Free SO2 with a shelf life of 10 months When Accuvin introduced Free SO2 with a shelf-life of 4 months in May, 2004, we were gratified that it was accepted with much enthusiasm, worldwide. Almost immediately, though, we had requests for a longer shelf-life. Many solutions were proposed and investigated. But only the powder suggeston proved viable. This took some time since longevity is most accurately proved or disproved with the passage of time. Today we are introducing Free SO2 in a powder form that extends the shelf-life to 10 months, well through a crush season and beyond. The only difference with the new tests from the old is that reconstitution of the powder to a liquid form is required. Simply pour the clear liquid from a tube with a black cap into a tube with a red cap or a tube with a green cap, replace the red or green cap, and shake to dissolve powder. SO2 is used to test for native bacteria at crush, browing at crush, Lactic Acid Bacteria and Malolactic Organisms after alcholic fermentation, and enzymatic and chemical oxidation as well as a bacteria count during aging and just prior to bottling. The Accuvin Free SO2 (Free Sulfur Dioxide) kit measures the level of free SO2. The sulfur dioxide present in must and wine is not all useful as a preservative. Some is bound to other chemical components, reducing its effectiveness as a preservative by 30 - 70%. Also, the degree of binding can change over time, effecting the ability of an adequate dose to continue providing its preservative properties. The effectiveness of sulfur dioxide as a preservative is also pH - dependent, with low pH wines requiring lower levels, and high pH wines requiring significantly greater concentrations to achieve the same effectiveness as a typical wine with a pH of 3.3 - 3.4. New Blog Available Mike Miller, founder of ACCUVIN and head of product development, started his own blog, www.wineanalysisblog.com on 10 June 2008. He has done voluminous research in the wine analysis field and daily increases his library (information resources). His blog is a way for him to offer his research to fellow wine analysis players. He wants to hear the daily successes and problems encountered in wine analysis. Often these conversations lead research activities from possible new products to improvements of present products. ACCUVIN has from its beginning had the mission of interpreting the complicated language of science reports to understandable language for the non-scientist. The language of the chemist is one of the most difficult to decipher. Mike writes for the non-chemist AND for the chemist. He uses bibliography as a tool for presenting material much beyond the capacity of a blog, MMMAlmanac, or eBook. His first blog is the story of how he ended up where he is. His years as an analytical chemist in the blood testing field, his vineyard, the best Cabernet saufignon on the planet, the development of ACCUVIN. Future blogs will address anything you want as well as anything he wants. Join in! www.wineanalysisblog.com New Ad Campaign ACCUVIN announces a new ad campaign aimed at wineries featuring reserve wines, winemakers choice wines, and other specialty wines; large wineries seeking cost efficiencies; and small wineries monitoring smaller wine production lots. The choice of whether or not to monitor MLF has often been a balancing act between cost and desired knowledge. Now winemakers can choose to follow a wine's progress as often as they wish with Malic Acid Quick Tests from ACCUVIN. Advantages of monitoring will include: 1. better flavor management; 2. early identification of "stuck" MLF for timely corrective action; 3. addition of sulfites or implementation of other preservative practices at a known stage of winemaking; 4. reduced risk of bacterial contmaination; 5. avoidance of the development of off flavors; 6. faster tank turnaround. ACCUVIN offers Malic Acid kits of 20 tests, 50 tests, and 100 tests. Also L-Lactic Acid test kits (for confirming the initiation of MLF) are available in 5 test and 20 test sizes. Accuvin is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2009! Starting in 1999 with the conviction that easy test strips could be created for major wine analysis needs, Mike Miller found a way to remove the purple color (anthocyanins) from grape samples, thus removing a major element of sample preparation. Then he introduced plastic samplers that premeasure the very small amounts needed for each specific test. Formulas that did not transfer easily to strips became tube tests, each tube test quicker than the strip tests. The major accomplishment of the tube tests is the very small amount of reagent required, lowering the costs and providing the latest technology without burderning the environment. No equipment is required because the tests are simple applications of chemical properties. This means the tests can be run anyhwhere by anyone! Throughout the 10 years, Accuvin was self-financed until sales were high enough to cover costs and development. Accuvin has no debt and no partners. ACCUVIN RECOMMENDATIONS! We feel the need to bring to your attention ideas and items ignored by reporters, to one extent or another, in the wine industry worldwide. The first is "Techniques in Home Winemaking," 2008 edition, by Daniel Pambianchi. By including Accuvin tests he provides all wine analysis opportunities for your evaluation and choice. By considering the pros and cons of all methods he meets his purpose as a writer of a winemaking book. Namely, to review the whole market for you, the reader. Pambianchi took the time to study Accuvin's new technology and ask questions before he included these products in his book. We encourage this openness to new ideas to winemakers, winegrape growers, and reporters. Give yourselves every opportunity to know the market you participate in. We are in new, constantly evolving financial times. Adapting to new ideas is the key to survival. Knowing the new playing field and the new players on the field is essential. Congratulations to Daniel Pambianchi and his forward looking book! W.J.G. ACCUVIN RECOMMENDATIONS! We feel the need to bring to your attention ideas and items ignored by reporters, to one extent or another, in the wine industry worldwide. We recommend the WinePod, a self-contained kitchen appliance that makes 75 liters of wine for the beginning and boutique winemaker who wants a "professional" wine from the get go. It starts with your choice of grapes and, with self-contained technology, an excellent winemaking computer program, and a winemaker advisor, walks you through the winemaking process. It has a sibling, the WinePod for R & D for advanced commercial fermentation experimentation and control. Accuvin's Malic Acid Tests are included in some WinePod kits. We appreciate their use of our tests, and we will be following their successes Congratulations! www.winepod.net W.J.G. *Bou-Techs* The next source of innovation in tech will be, in large part, "Bou-Tech" business, small businesses concentrating on a single product or line of associated products. These products are inspirational applications of and small developments in the newest technologies, creating a new world in business and shining a light on possible lucrative paths for science. Development can be done with minimal resources and result in products providing technology coupled with convenience for the customer. Accuvin's products fit this description. Quick Test Titratable Acidity tests for wine, must, and grape juice make titrations easy to do any place at any time. This gives the customer full range to use science as a constant monitoring tool providing quick answers. The food industry appreciated the quick, easy titrations and requested variations for themselves. Results Now Tests, a division of Accuvin, supplies tests for the fruit industry. Quick Tests for monitoring bacterial contamination in wine, must and juice have also been adapted to monitor possible bacterial contamination in the processing of tomato products. Accuvin proposes that an adaptation of this technology may well provide instant results for bacterial contamination of milk. Several ideas for the removal of or reduction in the interference of the milk fat may suggest new Bou-Tech applications of that technology. Bou-Techs also believe a crisis should not be wasted. W.J.G. *Onsite, Reliable Lab Results without a Lab or Lab Costs* It is 2009, and it is a global recession. Translated for manufacturers, higher taxes are coming, more regulations are coming, and world-wide competition with lower wine prices is almost assured. For winemakers, cost control is at a premium right now. Yet QUALITY remains the name of the game in wines. The answer to this dilemma is monitoring to eliminate surprises and costly maneuvers, because problems will be discovered early when only minimal interference is required Let me say that again. There is a way to PROTECT YOURSELF, a sort of INSURANCE FOR WINEMAKERS! If I were a financial guru I would find a way to wrap this up in a derivative package and sell it to all those investors But we are not financial gurus. We are scientists and winegrape growers who figured out self-tests for our fellow winegrape growers and winemakers. Do not underestimate your ability to use these tests and understand and apply their results. So far we have not lost anyone! We are throwing you a life preserver. Is anyone else? W.J.G. *ACCUVIN Announces Logo Change and Introduces Catalog 2010!* Accuvin, LLC announces its new logo, a globe with the words "ACCUVIN.com WORLDWIDE". The new logo more correctly reflects Accuvin's worldwide customer base and the universality of its product line, specifically wine, foods, and juices. Accuvin is introducing a new type of catalog for the wine industry with the synergy of products and processes discussions. The information is valuable without use of Accuvin products, but why not use the easiest, least expensive testing products available? To download your own Accuvin Catalog 2010 now, press here. If you prefer to receive your catalog by mail, please call or email your request. Include your mailing address. 707-255-2029 info@accuvin.com *Wine Quality ensures wine is the drink of satisfaction and the good life!* Accuvin tests are as inexpensive as ever! Even with the rise in the prices of some components of Accuvin tests, increased sales have enabled our company to ride out this economic year without price increases. Increased quality of wine for lower prices is the result of the last years of economic contraction. Wine customers will expect some part of this to continue as the economy improves. As needed price increases begin, maintaining this higher quality will be necessary for wide acceptance of these increases. Maintaining or achieving even higher quality with increased monitoring is gaining in importance in wine production. And this will be across the board! High end wines will be willingly purchased only if the quality is equally high. Lower end wines will be expected to maintain the higher quality experienced in lower end wines today. Wine will continue to increase its place as the drink of satisfaction both in taste and social relevance as the economy fluctuates and people seek to hold on to the good life. Winemakers would be wise to exploit this situation by ensuring highest quality wines for the most reasonable prices through monitoring. We will continue to do our part by supplying monitoring test kits at the best prices possible!


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