Articles

Explore the history, benefits, and drawbacks of field blends — where varieties are traditionally grown, harvested, crushed, and fermented together instead of the more traditional post-fermentation blending of varietal wines. Plus, the authors share their own experience from their first adapted field blend with grapes from their backyard vineyard.

We share the top 100 wines made from kits and evaluated by experienced judges in the 2025 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition.

“Ramato” Pinot Gris gets its name from the copper color of the wine that comes from extended skin contact with rose-gray colored grapes prior to fermentation. This style of wine was made popular in northeastern Italy more than a century ago due to the more intense aromatics, flavors, and body that comes from the method. The same process can be used at home to add more character to this often nondescript grape variety.

The ideal trellis system for one wine grower may not be the same for another. Learn about the most common trellis systems home winemakers may wish to install in their own vineyards, and why the final decision should be dictated by variety and site.

Take a look at the photos and highlights from a recent trip WineMaker Publisher Brad Ring led for a group of readers through Italy’s famous Tuscany wine regions.

The Wine Wiz explains the differences winemakers must consider when aging wine in smaller-volume oak barrels. She also troubleshoots an unwanted secondary fermentation, explains that all fermentations are “natural,” and offers tips for cold stabilization.

Sangiovese is the ultimate wine to pair with food due to the variety’s ability to hold its acidity as it ripens and generous amounts of ripe red fruit flavor. Learn more about this Italian variety that is planted worldwide.

In recent years there has been quite a bit of news coverage around excess grapes being grown. There is also a high rate of food insecurity in the U.S., particularly among immigrants who make up a large percent of commercial vineyard picking crews. A group of volunteers are helping turn some of that excess fruit into wine, with all proceeds helping fight food insecurity for vineyard workers in Sonoma Valley.

Click here to watch the playback of our Live Q&A with Jenne Baldwin-Eaton from September 2025.

Click here to watch (or listen . . . there was a problem with Zac’s video) the replay of our Live Q&A with British Columbian winemaker Zac Brown.

The benefits of aging white wine on the lees includes a softer mouthfeel, added weight and texture, added complexity, and a smoothing of the acids. However, if you aren’t careful it can also contribute to reductive qualities that can make a wine smell of rotten eggs.

Popular in parts of central Europe where it’s often sold from carts on the side of the road during a short period each fall, federweißer is a partially fermented, low-alcohol wine that is intended to be consumed before fermentation is complete.

Always start small with additions — it’s much easier to add more than to take something out later. That said, the Wine Wizard shares advice for rescuing an over-oaked Chardonnay, along with tips on selecting yeast, managing hard water, and troubleshooting a stuck fermentation.

Jupiter — a grape that gets its name from the girth of its berries — is often grown for eating, but the purple-skinned grape can also be turned into a lovely white or rosé wine.

With harvest behind us and our wines safely fermenting or in bulk storage, it’s time to reflect on the past year’s struggles and triumphs in the vineyard — and to take notes on what can be improved for next year.

We take you behind the scenes of a collegiate wine competition hosted by Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California, with help from a local home winemaking club, where many schools with enology programs showcased their class-made wines.

Click here to watch the replay of our Live Q&A with Dwayne Bershaw from August 2025.

Click here to watch the replay of our July 2025 Live Video Chat with WineMaker author/pro winemaker Phil Plummer.

Take the guesswork out of winemaking by performing tests on your juice, must, and wine. We run through the most critical tests, as well as how and when they should be done.

Learn about the lab equipment you should consider investing in for each stage of the winemaking process.

When changes to aroma or structure are desired to achieve a more balanced, pleasing wine, you should always start with benchtop trials to dial in optimal addition rates. Learn how to get the most from your trials before adjusting your entire batch.

More than 100 home winemakers came to Sacramento, California, in May for WineMaker’s 16th and final in-person conference to take part in educational seminars, hands-on workshops, tastings, and to share in their passion for wine.

The Wiz offers advice on maximizing color extraction and shares the impact temperature plays in it. Plus: How cold is too cold to age wine, why a wine may require long decanting times to open up, and techniques for taming tannins.

With small berries and a high grape skin-to-juice ratio, Petite Sirah makes a wine that is incredibly pigmented, rich in black fruit character, and with elegant and lasting tannins that make a great impression upon the drinker’s palate.

Seeing so many brambly hedges of fresh blackberries along a dirt road, a woman with a stubborn curiosity and desire to create something herself decided to try her hand at her first batch of wine. She shares the excitement that ran through her during the process, issues that arose, and how deeply rewarding the experience was.