Optional Boot Camp sessions will run pre-conference Thursday, May 15, 2025 and Sunday, May 18, 2025. We have both half-day and full-day workshop choices and attendance is limited to just 35 attendees per session and do sell out. This add-on boot camp beyond the conference registration is a great opportunity to get an in-depth learning experience in a small audience setting and learn hands-on from experts. Don’t wait since each class is limited to 35!
2-Day Fundamentals of Modern Wine Chemistry -Thursday, May 15 & Sunday, May 18, 9 AM – 4:30 PM
With Clark Smith $500 for attendees $550 for non-attendees
*Deadline to sign-up for this 2-Day Boot Camp is April 29, 2025 in order to receive the special material that will be mailed to the address you sign up with. If you will not be at your address to receive the material, please alert [email protected]
Over two full days (Thursday, May 15 and Sunday, May 18) gain insights into the interplay of chemical reactions that occur in wine and in winemaking, establishing the necessary background for informed decisions on wine processing. This is a course in winemaking theory and practice, and does not provide training in methods of wine analysis. First we summarize freshman chemistry concepts of atomic structure, the periodic table, nomenclature, and polarity and use them to illustrate the difference between pH and TA as an introduction to chemical equilibrium. Next we consider all aspects of sulfur dioxide in wine as a case study in wine chemistry. We move from the theoretical to the practical as we delve into crush chemistry techniques, fining, spoilage treatment choices and explore wine’s phenolic structure and reductive properties. Discussions include vine balance, ripeness, fermentation strategies, oxygenation, uses of oak, microbial stabilization strategies, and micro-oxygenation
*This 2-day boot camp includes a 550-page handout that will be a valuable wine reference manual for years to come. This will be mailed to the address you sign up with at least two weeks before the REGISTER HERE
NEW! Identifying Wine Faults – Thursday, May 15, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
With Bob Peak $99 for attendees, $125 for non-attendees
The only real way you can truly understand and identify various wine defects is to smell and taste them in person. Thanks to doctored wine samples, here’s your chance to smell and experience defects you hope you will never meet in your own winemaking. Get to know up close and personal classic defects like hydrogen sulfide, oxidation, and more with WineMaker Magazine’s Technical Editor Bob Peak. Please note this morning half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Bob Peak
Technical Editor and “Techniques” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
Home Wine Lab Tests – Thursday, May 15, 10 AM – 4:30 PM
With Chik Brenneman $250 for attendees $275 for non-attendees
It is very difficult to make great wine if you don’t know how to properly and accurately test your wine. Chik Brenneman will take you step-by-step teaching you how to properly test your wine for sulfites, malolactic, acidity, and pH. You’ll have the chance to run these different tests yourself during this full-day workshop to give you a valuable hands-on learning experience so you can accurately run these tests on your own wine at home. REGISTER HERE
Chik Brenneman
Winemaker, Baker Family Wines
“Varietal Focus” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
NEW! Home Vineyard Start-Up – Thursday, May 15, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
With Wes Hagen $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
Nothing puts more “home” into your home winemaking like growing your own wine grapes. Let WineMaker Magazine’s longtime “Backyard Vines” Columnist Wes Hagen walk you through all the steps you’ll need to take when planning and then planting a small-scale home vineyard. Learn the keys to site selection, understanding your soil, vine choice, planting, and trellising decisions. He will then go over how to take special care of your new vineyard in its first year of growth as you set it up for future successful vintages. Get your questions by an expert. Please note this morning half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Wes Hagen
“Backyard Vines” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
Advanced Winemaking Techniques – Thursday, May 15, 1:30 – 5 p.m.
With Pat Henderson $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
Go beyond the basics and understand complex techniques to get the most from your winemaking using fresh grapes. This workshop intended for intermediate and expert home winemakers will tackle a range of techniques: From dialing in extraction levels on the front end all the way to protecting your wine with advanced tips through bottling. Please note this afternoon half-day boot camp does not include lunch. Register Here
Pat Henderson
Owner, “About Wine Consulting”
NEW! Advanced Strategies for Established Vineyards – Thursday, May 15, 1:30 – 5 p.m.
With Wes Hagen $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
Don’t miss this afternoon in-person workshop focused on ways to grow better grapes in your existing small-scale home vineyard. WineMaker Magazine’s longtime viticulture guru Wes Hagen will lead this seminar covering pruning, watering, pest control, troubleshooting, harvest decisions, and other keys you need to know to be more successful with your established vineyard. Learn from his decades of professional vineyard management and get your specific questions answered. Please note this afternoon half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Wes Hagen
“Backyard Vines” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Hands-On Bench Trials – Sunday, May 18, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
With Bob Peak $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
Learn how to accurately adjust your full batch of wine by first using bench trials to test different addition and blend scenarios. Understanding the process of running a solid bench trial will open up new creative possibilities for your winemaking without putting your entire batch of wine at risk due to a wrong assumption. Bob Peak will have you running your own hands-on bench trials and analysis so you’ll leave this half-day boot camp with the skills you need to hit the ground running back home. Please note this morning half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Bob Peak
Technical Editor and “Techniques” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
Wine Stabilization – Sunday, May 18, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
With Chik Brenneman $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
Bottled wine can be negatively impacted by temperatures that are too cold and too warm. But as a winemaker you can use different techniques to minimize the results of temperature. In this afternoon hands-on workshop, you’ll learn the proper steps to safeguard your wine using both chill proofing and heat stabilization. Find out the right techniques and tips to safely get the most out of stabilization to protect your wine so it can be the best it can be from Chik Brenneman. Please note this morning half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Chik Brenneman
Winemaker, Baker Family Wines
“Varietal Focus” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
NEW! Evaluating Wine Like a Winemaker – Sunday, May 18, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
With Wes Hagen $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
As a winemaker, knowing how to evaluate wines will allow you to critique the ingredients and techniques used in producing and aging them. The ability to evaluate wine is a critical tool for any winemaker. Professional winemaker and grape grower Wes Hagen will walk you through a hands-on tasting to show you how to taste wine like a pro with a focus on the winemaking side and improve this skill that will help you craft better wine yourself. Please note this morning half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Wes Hagen
“Backyard Vines” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
Hands-On Wine Blending – Sunday, May 18, 1:30 – 5 p.m.
With Wes Hagen $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
Roll up your sleeves and learn the keys to blending your wines with this half-day workshop. You’ll be personally mixing wine samples as you learn how to carefully arrive at the right percentages before committing to larger quantities. Blending is both an art and a science and professional winemaker Wes Hagen will walk you through both aspects so you can elevate your winemaking with this important skill. Please note this half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Wes Hagen
“Backyard Vines” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
NEW! Demystifying Malo – Sunday, May 18, 1:30 – 5 p.m.
With Chik Brenneman $99 for attendees $125 for non-attendees
Many winemakers point to malolactic fermentation as their least understood part of crafting wine. Learn how to take control of using MLF as a valuable winemaking tool to influence the final taste profile of your wine. Join longtime WineMaker Magazine Columnist and pro winemaker Chik Brenneman on a deep dive into all things malo. Learn how to accurately track malo progress, understand when you should avoid, go partial, or full malo with your wine, master the keys to starting or stopping MLF, and much more. Please note this afternoon half-day boot camp does not include lunch. REGISTER HERE
Chik Brenneman
Winemaker, Baker Family Wines
“Varietal Focus” Columnist, WineMaker Magazine
