The hardest part of growing grapes may be keeping them healthy and on the vine until harvest. From fungal diseases to insect and animal control, there are a lot of other things after your grapes! But don’t worry, there is a way to keep all of these at bay if you are prepared and know how.

Realizing the large temperature swings in his garage don’t make for a great environment to conduct fermentations, a home winemaker converted chest freezers to temperature-controlled “cellars” that cool or heat to a preset temperature for both fermenting and bulk aging his wines.

Traminette is a white hybrid grape grown all over the northern areas of North America that can make extremely aromatic wines. From crisp, dry examples to late-harvest and even fortified wines, the grape is a fun one for home winemakers to play with.

We share our favorite amateur wine labels entered into WineMaker’s 2025 Label Contest — from a faceless woman and a woman’s face seemingly appearing in fermenting must, to a design for a Scottish fiddler and the wine color of the year.

While there are a lot of urban myths surrounding winemaking, the one about racking under a full moon isn’t totally hogwash. Plus, what to do when your wine begins turning to vinegar, the specific gravity of a “dry” wine, and tips for making wonderful white wines.

Two amateurs who have won Best of Show medals for their estate-grown wines share advice for late-winter pruning and vineyard care.

There are many different types of fining agents available to home winemakers that fall into these four groupings: Mineral, polysaccharide, synthetic polymer, and protein agents. Learn what each is best used for and when you may be better to employ one vs. another.

The annual WineMaker Magazine Conference isn’t just about attending seminars and learning, it’s also about camaraderie. One longtime attendee shares how friendships formed at a conference have carried well beyond the yearly in-person event.

Early in my winemaking career I had the good fortune to work with one of the founders of Kenwood Vineyards, Mike Lee, who really knew how to blend wines to make them

Whether it is just the basics (Brix, pH, etc.) or more advanced (free SO2, yeast assimilable nitrogen, etc.) all home winemakers should perform some tests to monitor their wines.

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.