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Pressing Rosé, Creamy Chardonnay, & Oak Origins

The Wine Wizard answers a number of reader questions.

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Small Barrels, Unwanted Secondary Ferments, Natural Ferments, & Cold Stabilization

The Wine Wiz explains the differences winemakers must consider when aging wine in smaller-volume oak barrels. She also troubleshoots an unwa

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A Ghost of Cabernet Past, Swing-Top Bottles & Bottle Shock

A 40-year-old Cabernet Sauvignon that’s now as white as a ghost? Oh no! The Wine Wizard gets to the bottom of this spooky phenomenon and a

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Browning in Red Wines, MLF Test Strips, & Maple Wine

The Wine Wizard fields questions on eliminating (and avoiding) browning in red wines, malolactic fermentation test strips, and techniques fo

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Monitoring Malolactic, Adding Skins, Timing Purchases, Airlocks

The Wine Wizard shares the signs to look for and ways to monitor malolactic fermentation, offers tips on adding supplemental grape skins to

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Boosting Aromatics, Removing Carboy Stains, Mycoderma, and Sanitation

The Wine Wizard offers steps to increase aroma for aromatic white wines. Plus, how to remove stains from glass carboys, whether high-proof a

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Underripe Red Grapes, Malolactic Tips, and General Fermentation Guidelines

In the face of a cool growing season, contending with underripe grapes can be a challenge. The Wiz has some ideas for one grape grower who j

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Reducing Bitterness, Micro-oxygenation On A Small Scale, and Deacidification Tactics

Citrus fruits contain a lot of interesting flavors, but making wine with them can be a challenge. Get advice on removing the bitterness that

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Screw-top Bottle Closures, Aging Temperatures and Blueberry Woes

A winemaker has saved up a bunch of commercial screw-cap bottles and wants to know what cork size fits best in that style of bottle. Learn w

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Balanced, Low-Alcohol Wines and Reducing Water Consumption

There has been growing interest in reduced alcohol wines in recent years as the health benefits and caloric reduction is lauded by the medic

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Sacrificial Tannins Explained, Yeast Rehydration, and Stabilizing A Fruit Port

The term “sacrificial tannins” is something that gets casually tossed into the winemaking lexicon by those who have been in the trade fo

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Blending Guidance and Smoke Taint Mitigation

Winemaking may be more a science, but blending is definitely an art. The Wizard has some tips for a rookie winemaker looking to possibly ble

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Oak-Aging Advice and Strategies for a Chaptalization Mistake

Maintaining wine while it ages in oak is an important task. Make sure you are taking the appropriate steps. Also, a winemaker can’t get th

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Tasting Wine In Stages and Bottling Blues

As a winemaker evolves, learning how to evaluate their wine during different stages of maturation can be key. The Wine Wizard has some thoug

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Using The Smoke, Campden Tablets, Getting Grape Updates, and Some Pearls of Wiz-dom

With wildfires on the rise in many wine regions around the world, smoke taint has become a common phrase. Learn about it and ways winemakers

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Bottling Tips and Wine Judge Etiquette

Bottling is typically the final step towards producing wine where a winemaker can foul things up. Get some recommendations from the Wizard o

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Practical Advice For Oak Chips and Volatile Acidity

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Malolactic-palooza and The Importance Of pH

Malolactic fermentation can be finicky even for professional winemakers, but there are protocols winemakers can follow to help avoid the hea

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Fermentation Completion, Vinegar Storage Space and Cantaloupe Wine

A winemaker is left scratching their head when a wine that seemingly has fermented dry is still producing bubbles. The Wizard also provides

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Matching Quality Grapes With Oak And The Complexities Of Raspberry Wine

When a winemaker gets their hands on some highly coveted Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, he wants to make sure that the oak quality matches the g

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Uneven Ripening, Sensing Ripeness, and Killer Yeast

It’s hard to get universal ripening of your grapes in a small vineyard with lots of variability. The Wizard provides some pointers as well

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Preserving Oak Barrels, Oversulfited Wine, Film on a Carboy, and Beginner Tips

What is the best way to store oak barrels that don’t have wine in them? Get the answer from the Wine Wizard, as well as her advice for a c

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Top Me Off, Rules of Fining, and Achieving Cold Stable Wines

Get some pointers and considerations a winemaker needs to keep in mind when topping off your aging wine vessels. The Wizard also answers que

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Protecting Your Wine, Cap Temperature, Copper Sulfate Additions, and Carbonation Help

Oxidation is one of the most common faults among homemade wines. The Wiz has some tips for minimizing exposure during racking along with adv

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More Butter, Please; Caveats with Pectic Enzymes; and Wonky Grape Numbers

Not everyone loves a buttery Chardonnay but for those that seek out this characteristic the Wine Wizard has some sage fermentation advice to