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White Wine Fermentation Decisions

Whether it is choosing a yeast strain, halting fermentation with a little residual sugar, putting a wine through malolactic fermentation, or

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Fact Check: Winemaking Edition

Winemakers often read tips online, get advice from a friend, or are passed down knowledge from ancestors who have been making wine for gener

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Competitions Help Winemakers

Having your wines judged at a competition can provide meaningful feedback, although it may not always make you feel great about your skills

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Cinsault: The grape that could . . .

One of the mainstay grapes found in the heat-prone regions in the Rhône Valley of France is Cinsault. It often is utilized in blends to add

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Vineyard Planning, Varnish on Mini Barrels, Macerating Skin Packs, and Degassing Wine

A proud new owner of a sulfite test kit wants to know how often to test. The Wizard also answers questions on backyard vineyard planning, ur

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The Mobile “Wall-Mount” Wine Opener

If your home winemaking club runs a wine competition, you should check out this DIY stand stand that allows a high-volume wine opener to go

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Oak Yeah!? When and why to add oak to wine

Adding oak to a wine can add an amazing depth of character or it can detract from the fruit. Learn some keys to managing the oak in your win

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Live Chat with Frank Musto

Live Chat with Frank Musto, which took place on August 12, 2020.

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Live Chat with Alison Crowe

Live Chat with Alison Crowe, which took place on July 16, 2020.

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Home Glycol Cooling Systems

Small-scale glycol cooling systems have become popular in recent years thanks to the homebrewing community. However, their benefits translat

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Albariño

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Tempranillo Tips from the A-Team

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Bulk Aging

Explore the various equipment available to home winemakers for bulk aging wine prior to bottling — from plastic and glass, to stainless s

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Adding Acid to Sanitize, Sparkling Situation: Wine Wizard

The second and perhaps the most important reason is that if you’re doing your final rinsing with an acid blend that contains malic acid, y

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Yeast-free wine and quality control: Wine Wizard

The good news is that most wines that you can buy off the supermarket shelf don’t contain a lot of yeast cells; if they did, the wines wou

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Chlorine Conundrum & Country Wines: Wine Wizard

I never use any chlorine-containing cleaning compounds in my winemaking and don’t recommend it to anyone. There are plenty of alternatives

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Zoom, Zoom: Winemaking club meetings go virtual!

Shelter-in-place orders have been a challenge for many folks. But one winemaking club has found a way to keep their meetings going while bei

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LaCrosse or La Crosse? True diversity in a grape

Elmer Swenson helped revolutionize the greater wine world with his cold-hardy grape breeding program. One such grape varietal that emerged f

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Pressing Issues, Making Bread with Wine Yeast and Light Strike

Dumping your pomace and finding the grapes still juice-laden after pressing is frustrating. The Wizard has some pointers for getting the mos

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Live Chat with Maureen Macdonald

Live Chat with Maureen Macdonald, which took place on June 17, 2020.

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Acidity & Aging

My situation is that the total acidity (TA) rises during the aging process.What could be causing this?

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Live Chat with Pat Henderson

Live Chat with Pat Henderson, which took place on May 13, 2020.

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Phenolics & Tannins in White, Sparkling & Rosé Styles

Polyphenolics are usually associated with red wines, but there are definitely processing choices and stylistic options where polyphenolics p

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Making Berry Good Wines

Get tips on the unique aspects of making berry wines. Award-winning recipes included!

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Fruit Cider

Cidermaking requires you to develop, refine, and master many different skills. When you add the additional layer of fruit to your cider, it