We reveal the 100 highest scoring kit wines judged in the 2024 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition.

The idea that making a great tasting wine from a kit is simple if you follow the directions isn’t wrong, though there is often a bit more to it in order to make a wine worthy of winning a gold medal. Three acclaimed amateur winemakers share their advice for making a red wine from a kit that will stand out in competition and at the dinner table.

If you want to make a red wine that can be consumed without years of aging, Teroldego is a great option. This Italian variety features flavors of bold acidic fruits and rich notes of baking spices. It doesn’t require heavy oaking and its silkier tannins negate the need to wait for the sometimes harsh flavors of young red wines to mellow.

Harvest and the heavy lifting of crushing and fermenting your 2024 vintage are in the rearview mirror at this point. That doesn’t mean the work is over. Let’s check in on your wines and review the steps every winemaker should be taking during the long winter months.

Making stone fruit mead is a fun alternative to wine. Relying on honey and fruit — from cherries, peaches, and plums, to more exotic pitted fruits — for the fermentable sugars, the flavor combinations are endless.

WineMaker readers recently joined Publisher Brad Ring exploring Spain’s Rioja wine region and either side of the Spain-France border in Basque Country. We share images and an overview from a trip of a lifetime.

A number of innovative products well-suited for the home and small-scale winemaker have come to market in recent years. Explore these options that can help in your winemaking hobby — from ingredients, wood products, and yeasts, to analytical tools and other winemaking equipment.

If you sometimes prefer your red wines served a little on the cool side or are not afraid of buying high-end wines with screw cap closures, you aren’t alone! The Wine Wizard shares her “consumer myths” that need to be debunked. Plus, the role your yeast choice plays on malolactic fermentation, and advice on adjusting a high-pH juice.

Making a wine that benefits from long-term cellaring — be it red or white — requires high-quality grapes and a meticulous focus on the details. Explore the science and techniques required to craft an age-worthy wine.

Wine competitions aren’t just for bragging rights. Receiving medals is great, but the notes from the judges are often the most important thing to come from a competition, says one decorated winemaker who has continued to hone his craft through the feedback of experienced wine judges.

Get the latest winemaking news, products, and events happening in the hobby (& professional) world.

The world of wine grapes is expansive and continues to grow. Here are a select few profiles of lesser-known wine grape varieties.