Articles

Live chat with Jason Phelps, which took place February 24, 2022.

Live chat with Bob Peak, which took place January 26, 2022.

Fifty years ago a hobby winemaker decided to “go pro” by opening his own home winemaking supply shop. To attract customers, he started a winemaking club. The Purple Foot Wine Club is still going strong and wants to raise a toast to mark the occasion.

Grape varietal names can be a confusing world, typically because one grape varietal may have over a dozen names based on location. But in this case, one grape name has an array of grape varietals. Get the scoop on Bonarda Argentine, one whose history is finally making sense thanks to DNA analysis.

When a winemaker gets their hands on some highly coveted Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, he wants to make sure that the oak quality matches the grape. But he balks at the price tag of a new oak barrel. Get some tips for high-quality oak alternatives and ways to correct a raspberry wine with weird numbers.

pH meters are a crucial piece of testing equipment for winemakers looking to take their hobby to the next level. Learn some basics of why, how, and when.

Hundreds of home wine labels were entered in WineMaker’s 22nd Annual Label Contest. We share all of the winning labels that make the bottles look as good as the wine inside tastes.

A group of WineMaker readers were recently accompanied by Publisher Brad Ring on a winery and food tour through Tuscany. We share the highlights and photos from Italy’s renowned wine region.

Sauvignon Blanc wines came to fame in France’s Loire region, but they have also achieved success in New Zealand, the U.S., and elsewhere. Four winemakers from these top Sauvignon Blanc-producing regions share their techniques that result in wines of varying character and flavors.

Vitis vinifera grapes are often thought to be the species used to make wine in the premier wine regions, while French-American hybrid grapes are those used in regions vinifera grapes can’t be grown. However, each species brings something unique to the bottle and it may just be that blending grapes of both species will result in just what your wines need.

Live chat with Phil Plummer, which took place December 22, 2021.

Live Chat with Chik Brenneman, which took place on November 23, 2021.

Enter your unique label in WineMaker’s 24th Annual Label Contest! Send us your best home wine labels and you could win some great winemaking prizes from WineMaker advertisers. Entry deadline is November

Wineries can, and often do, create four distinct wines from a single vineyard in the Italian Valpolicella region. Amarone is the most famous, requiring the grapes to partially dry prior to pressing, but all four unique wines highlight techniques that the home winemaker can learn from.

Orange wines, created by fermenting white grapes on the skins, are likely as old as winemaking itself. However, these complex and age-worthy wines are becoming more popular thanks to a renaissance led by winemakers along the border of Italy and Slovenia. Adapt their techniques to your own winemaking.

There were 499 kit wines judged in the 2021 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition. Many of these kit wines received medals and top honors. Here are the 100 wine kits that performed best.

Wine kits come with all of the necessary ingredients to make a great tasting batch of wine. So how come all of these wines don’t come out tasting the same? The short answer is that the creativity often associated with fresh grape winemakers must also be applied to kit winemaking, and then solid technique and practices are key. We asked four highly decorated kit winemakers to share their best advice in this kit winemaking roundtable.

Live Chat with Jef Stebben, which took place on October 29, 2021.

One reader who is also a medical doctor discusses the potential health benefits of wine tasters who swish and spit their wines. It may be one of the healthiest things you can do . . . but that doesn’t mean he abides by the spitting aspect.

Using all your senses when tasting wine is always encouraged by wine evaluation experts, but make sure that you are taking in the whole experience and not simply breaking it down and compartmentalizing the elements.

As with many Old World grapes that are grown widely, Blaufränkisch goes by many names. And thanks to its versatility in the winery and cool-climate tolerance, its popularity is surging. Learn more about this mysterious grape.

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 as clues to determining grape ripeness when the refractometer is left home. Plus, the threat of contamination from “killer” yeast.

Live Chat with Hugo Picard and Anne Flesch, which took place on September 27, 2021.

An overview of this year’s wine competition, which received nearly 2,000 entries from across the U.S., Canada, and as far away as Australia.

Many hobby winemakers spend evenings sipping their wine and wondering if their hobby could become a profession. If you are serious about it, here is what you need to consider to get that career jump started.