Article

Under the Tuscan Vine

Article

Small Barrels, Unwanted Secondary Ferments, Natural Ferments, & Cold Stabilization

The Wine Wiz explains the differences winemakers must consider when aging wine in smaller-volume oak barrels. She also troubleshoots an unwa

Article

Sangiovese

Sangiovese is the ultimate wine to pair with food due to the variety’s ability to hold its acidity as it ripens and generous amounts of ri

Article

Abundance

In recent years there has been quite a bit of news coverage around excess grapes being grown. There is also a high rate of food insecurity i

Article

Live Video Chat with Stephen Scarnato

Watch the video playback of our November 2025 Live Video Chat with pro viticulturist and winemaker Stephen Scarnato.

Article

Live Video Chat with Jenne Baldwin-Eaton (2025)

Listen to the playback of our Live Q&A with Jenne Baldwin-Eaton from September 2025.

Article

Live Video Chat with Zac Brown (2025)

Listen to the replay of our Live Q&A with British Columbian winemaker Zac Brown.

Article

Lees: The Good, The Bad, & The Smelly

The benefits of aging white wine on the lees includes a softer mouthfeel, added weight and texture, added complexity, and a smoothing of the

Article

Federweißer

Popular in parts of central Europe where it’s often sold from carts on the side of the road during a short period each fall, federweißer

Article

Over-Oaked Chardonnay, Choosing Yeast, Hard Water, & Stuck Ferments

Always start small with additions — it’s much easier to add more than to take something out later. That said, the Wine Wizard shares adv

Article

Jupiter: A table grape with BIG winemaking potential

Jupiter — a grape that gets its name from the girth of its berries — is often grown for eating, but the purple-skinned grape can also be

Article

Vintage Postmortem

With harvest behind us and our wines safely fermenting or in bulk storage, it’s time to reflect on the past year’s struggles and triumph

Article

School of Wine

We take you behind the scenes of a collegiate wine competition hosted by Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California, with help from a

Article

Live Video Chat with Dwayne Bershaw (2025)

Article

Live Video Chat with Phil Plummer (2025)

Article

Performing Winery Lab Tests

Take the guesswork out of winemaking by performing tests on your juice, must, and wine. We run through the most critical tests, as well as h

Article

Setting Up a Home Wine Lab

Learn about the lab equipment you should consider investing in for each stage of the winemaking process.

Article

Performing Benchtop Trials

When changes to aroma or structure are desired to achieve a more balanced, pleasing wine, you should always start with benchtop trials to di

Article

2025 WineMaker Magazine Conference Recap

More than 100 home winemakers came to Sacramento, California, in May for WineMaker’s 16th and final in-person conference to take part in e

Article

Maximizing Color Extraction, Wine Aging Temps, a Need for Decating, & Taming Tannins

The Wiz offers advice on maximizing color extraction and shares the impact temperature plays in it. Plus: How cold is too cold to age wine,

Article

Petite Sirah: The little grape with big color

With small berries and a high grape skin-to-juice ratio, Petite Sirah makes a wine that is incredibly pigmented, rich in black fruit charact

Article

From Kitchen to Cellar

Seeing so many brambly hedges of fresh blackberries along a dirt road, a woman with a stubborn curiosity and desire to create something her

Article

Live Video Chat with Christina Musto (2025)

Article

Live Video Chat with Maureen Macdonald (2025)

Article

2025 WineMaker Amateur Wine Competition Results

Find out who took home Winemaker of the Year for 2025.