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Preparing for Your Backyard Harvest

Home viticulturists should begin preparing for harvest well in advance. From ongoing vineyard maintenance to ensuring equipment is cleaned a

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Preparing Your Winery for Harvest

Harvest season is the most important — and demanding — time of year for home winemakers, and it’s not something you want to leave to l

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2026 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition Recap

We share the top winners and highlights of this year’s wine competition, which received 1,043 entries from 40 U.S. states, 4 Canadian prov

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Set a Foundation with Kit Concentrates

Juice concentrate can be used for more than making kit wines. It is incredibly reliable, balanced, and easy to work with, which makes it a g

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Much More than Just Sauvignon Blanc

We recap and share photos from a recent trip former WineMaker Publisher Brad Ring led readers on, visiting vineyards and winery tasting room

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Sampling for Ripeness

Harvest timing is the most important decision a winemaker will make, which means collecting accurate samples to base the decision on is crit

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Oaking By Doing

Oak plays an important role in many red wine styles, but it is also one of the easiest elements to overdo — especially on a small scale, w

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Petit Verdot: Bordeaux’s Color Adjustor

Petit Verdot is most commonly used as a blending tool to boost color in red wines, though this unique, thick-skinned French grape also makes

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The Lighter Shade of Red

Grape selection and harvest timing are important to make more easy-drinking reds that are perfect for summer days, but techniques like secon

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Crafting Bold, Blockbuster Red Wines

Not all red wine grapes are destined to make a big, blockbuster wine. But even with the right grapes, a winemaker still needs to consider te

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Ratafia: A Traditional Liqueur of Patience and Fruit

This simple yet elegant liqueur offers a tangible connection to Italy’s mountain kitchens, marrying the accessible flavors of locally sour

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Behind the Table

An experienced wine judge shares why she continues to pull up a seat at amateur competition judging tables — including the thrill of tryi

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Vegetative Growth Cycle in the Vineyard

Spring and summer is a time of great growth for your vines. Be prepared this year, as Wes Hagen shares what you need to be doing during your

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Dornfelder: Germany’s full-bodied purple grape

Germany is most known for their white wines, though they also produce fine red wines. Dornfelder is a Vitis vinifera variety with a full bod

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Make Dry Berry Wines

In many ways, dry berry wines are built like fine, age-worthy red wines. Though more hands-on care from the winemaker is required in the for

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Tips for Grape/Non-Grape Blends

A New York-based winemaker shares his approach to making a grape/non-grape blend, using his Cranberry Riesling to demonstrate how complement

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Live Chat with Phill Plummer (2026)

Watch the playback from our Live Q&A with professional winemaker and WineMaker author Phil Plummer from May 2026.

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Wines of Austria

Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s most widely planted and heralded wine grape, but there are more than 40 varieties Austrians use to make win

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Pinotage: A medley of dark fruit and spice

Pinotage is a South African variety with dark fruit and spice character that has made a name for itself in recent decades. North American wi

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Ferment What You Eat

Learn the basics of fermenting food, with steps and recipes to make your own fermented pickles, sauerkraut, and hot sauces.

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Innovative Wine Products

Pro winemaker Maureen Macdonald shares some of her favorite enological and viticultural products available to home winemakers and grape grow

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The Power of Tannins

You may think of tannins as no more than the drying or puckering sensation they provide; however, tannins also play a role in mouthfeel, col

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Wines and Steins: Supporting the Next Generation

A winemaking club in Paso Robles, California, shares how they are assisting the next generation of winemakers through a unique scholarship p

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Live Chat with Jef Stebben (2026)

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Live Video Chat with Chik Brenneman (March 2026)