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15 Tips, Tricks, and Troubleshooting Techniques for Kits

Answers to 15 of the most common questions winemakers ask about making wine from kits.

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The Leaker: An old friend comes back

Port wines are famous for being able to last for decades, even centuries. But what about a failing country fruit wine that a winemaker tries

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Grenache Blanc: Some lessons from the Old World

Grenache Blanc is a grape from the northwestern region of Spain and, as the name implies, has evolved from Grenache Noir. Chik Brenneman pro

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Free SO₂, Bottle Drop, First SO₂ Addition, and Oak Sanitation

A winemaker asks for some pointers on when to test for sulfite on their wines using their new sulfite testing kit. Also, learn about curing

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Grape Skins: Start to finish

Grape skins can be one of the most important components when creating some wines, while being detrimental to others. Scratch the surface of

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Fermenting Anything & Pectic Enzymes: Wine Wizard

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Live Chat with José Pizarro

Live Chat with José Pizarro, which took place on October 22, 2020.

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Recording Notes Like a Pro

Keeping a very detailed log of each wine you make will allow you to track your wine’s daily progress from the vineyard to the bottle, and

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Phenolics in Red Wines

The decisions you make in the process of red winemaking will dramatically impact the phenolics and tannins in the resulting wine. From macer

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Red Wine Fermentation Considerations

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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