Bench Trials: Tips from the Pros
Get tips on performing bench trials at home from three pros who utilize bench trials at their day jobs.
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Oct/Nov 2017
Have a great harvest with tips on cold soaking, skin contact, and other essential winemaking advice. Plus, home winery quality control.
In this issue
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technique -
wine-wizardDealing With High Brix Grapes
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wine-wizard
Is Potassium Sorbate In A Port Necessary?
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articleFirst-Time Barrel Soaking, Wine Flower and High Brix Grapes
It is entirely normal for the first soaking of a barrel to produce a dark-colored water.
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articleBirthday Planning for a Winemaker
A Texas winemaker wanted to indulge a friend who has always wanted to make his own wine by buying a wine kit as a birthday gift. But little did she know all the choices she would need to make before settling on the right one!
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techniqueHome Winemaking Quality Control
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articleOrange is the New White
You may have noticed the “orange wines” that have been popping up on trendy wine lists lately. These are white wines that are purposely exposed to skin contact and oxidized to produce wines that are quite orange in appearance.
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articleSkin Contact Decisions
Winemakers have to decide how long to macerate their grapes to make the best wine. But how? Too little skin contact and the wines can lack color or body; too much contact and you wind up with wines that are too bitter or astringent. Learn more about skin contact to make an informed decision.
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articleEssential Winemaking Advice: Tips from Kenwood Vineyards’ Chief Winemaker
Pat Henderson, Chief Winemaker at Sonoma County, California’s famed Kenwood Vineyards, shares some universal winemaking advice that he has learned over the course of his more than 35 commercial vintages, and from his early years as a hobby winemaker.
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articleTraminette: Little Gewürztraminer grows up
Gewürztraminer is a white grape with origins in the Alsace-Lorraine departments of France recognized for its prominent terpenic aromatic characters
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wine-wizard
First-Time Oak Barrel Soaking
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articleUnderstanding Brix Readings
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articleBirthday Planning: Dry Finish
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wine-wizard
Wine Flower
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techniqueWine Grape Cold Soaking Success
Cold soaking proponents believe that wines made utilizing a cold soak are more complex and fruit-forward, and exhibit improved color retention. By soaking their grapes at lowered temperatures for a period of time, they can extract anthocyanins (color), aromatics, supple tannins, improved mouthfeel, and flavor compounds more effectively than is thought to be possible with conventional methods.