Hundreds of home winemakers came to Charlottesville, Virginia, from May 30 – June 2, 2024 for our 15th WineMaker Magazine Conference. The conference featured local professional winemakers from the Monticello AVA, WineMaker writers, industry experts, and top hobbyists leading more than two dozen seminars over the two main days covering the full spectrum of the hobby. The attendees came from over 30 states and provinces to enjoy the chance to learn from experts as well as trade advice and stories with fellow winemakers in person.
This year we again ran our pre- and post-conference boot camps with both full-day and half-day options focused on hands-on learning in small-class environments on a variety of winemaking topics. We also ran a private winery tour with a wine-paired lunch before the conference at one of Virginia’s winery pioneers, Barboursville Vineyards.
Our Friday lunch keynote speaker was local winemaker and President of the Monticello Wine Trail Stephen Barnard, who shared the winemaking legacy of Thomas Jefferson in the region and what it means to be a Virginia winemaker. We held several question and answer seminars including panel discussions with different award-winning home winemakers. The conference continued offering a selection of different seminar choices for attendees to choose from across a broad variety of topics several times each day. From kits to grape growing to techniques for the fresh grape winemaker, there were subjects for every level and style of winemaker.
After Friday’s seminars ended, a tasting party kicked off with attendees bringing hundreds of their own bottles of wine to share with other hobbyists outside with perfect early summer weather. Local wineries from the Monticello AVA also poured samples late into the night as attendees tasted wines and shared winemaking stories.
Saturday evening attendees found out first who won medals in the 2024 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition. Hundreds of medals were handed out in person to members in the audience as they came forward to some well-deserved applause.
The 2025 WineMaker Magazine Conference will head to the crossroads of Northern California’s wine regions in Sacramento, California. Napa Valley, Lodi, and the Sierra Foothills are all within a one-hour drive from Sacramento, making it the ideal location to explore three different and distinct world-class wine regions. We are already working hard on next year’s program. You can lock in your spot for next year and save right now by visiting winemakerconference.com. Full program details will be in the December-January issue of WineMaker and posted on
winemakerconference.com in early November.
Wes Hagen lays out last-minute advice to maximize this make-or-break day as home viticulturists gear up for harvest.
The Wine Wizard fields questions on eliminating (and avoiding) browning in red wines, malolactic fermentation test strips, and techniques for making wine from maple sap.
