Articles

Live Chat with Pat Henderson that took place on May 26, 2023.

WineMaker readers and Publisher Brad Ring recently spent a week exploring beautiful wine regions in Chile and Argentina during harvest. We recap and share
pictures from the adventure.

If you have access to fresh fruit and a sweet tooth, then dessert-style fruit wines should be in your winemaking repertoire. An award-winning winemaker shares his secrets.

We share recipes and advice for four gold medal-winning fruit wines made by top amateur winemakers. Instead of just waiting for the grape harvest to roll around this fall, try your hand at one of these unique fruit wine recipes.

When a home winemaker moves to Finland and finds that the grape winemaking he has come to know and love isn’t feasible there, he turns to the next best thing . . . berry winemaking. Now he is making waves on a global scale.

Not every location needs to irrigate their vines every year, but for those that do, advanced planning is key. Here is a walk through the factors that need to be considered when establishing a vineyard and irrigation needs.

With its home along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, this white grape is starting to find its way to the U.S. for good reason. Learn about the history, viticultural tips, and winemaking styles of Vermentino grapes.

The term “sacrificial tannins” is something that gets casually tossed into the winemaking lexicon by those who have been in the trade for a while . . . but what does it really mean? Get an explanation along with tips for rehydrating dry yeast and techniques to properly stabilize a fortified wine.

As the temperatures climb during the summer months, trees, bushes, and other perennials teeming with berries are aplenty. Get some tips on making berry wines.

Live Chat with Wes Hagen that took place on April 26, 2023.

Live Chat with Jenne Baldwin-Eaton that took place on March 28, 2023.

I am a viticulture student at an agrarian university located in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. Georgia is considered the cradle of wine, as archaeologists have traced the world’s first known wine

The ancient Japanese beverage sake has grown in popularity across North America in recent years thanks to craft sake producers. Making this unique beverage from rice is a really fun project for those who would like to expand their home fermentation hobby. Learn more about sake and the basic ingredients and steps to make your own.

Though its reputation may have been tarnished by a certain movie after the turn of the century, Merlot continues to be one of the most popular wine grapes in the world. Winemakers from France, Italy, and the United States share advice on crafting a memorable Merlot at home.

Since the start of COVID-19, the interest in fermented foods seems to have only grown in popularity. Take a walk through some easily fermented foods you can make in your kitchen and what wines may pair nicely with them.

Hailing from the southern regions of Italy, Aglianico is revered as producing big and bold red varietal wines. It is finding its way across the sea and will need some taming in order to make the best from its clusters. Get the scoop.

Winemaking may be more a science, but blending is definitely an art. The Wizard has some tips for a rookie winemaker looking to possibly blend five different wines. Also, make sure you’re up on the latest knowledge and mitigation methods surrounding the phenomenon known as smoke taint.

We saw a lot of cool looking amateur wine labels in our 2023 label contest but nothing quite as unique as these. Check out these labels from Chateau Hetsakais.

Live Chat with Bob Peak that took place on January 24, 2023.

Live Chat with Jason Phelps that took place on February 28, 2023.

Winemakers have a lot of misconceptions about sulfur dioxide and its use in winemaking. Though somewhat controversial, longtime wine educator Clark Smith shares his views that are backed by science.

We received hundreds of entries into this year’s WineMaker Label Contest. It is time to reveal the winners.

We recap and share photos from a weeklong trip
WineMaker readers and Publisher Brad Ring spent visiting wineries and experiencing all that the famed French wine region of Bordeaux has to offer.

Are you or a friend new to the hobby of winemaking? Don’t worry — WineMaker’s Technical Editor Bob Peak is here to explain the basics of making wine from grapes, juices, and kits.

A trend has emerged from the world of craft beer as some notable brewers have begun releasing wines. What sets these wines apart is an unusual approach of adding adjuncts and other techniques that are common in the world of beer. Learn what they are doing and how you, too, can make wine like a brewer.