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Tempranillo: The Noble Grape of Spain

The dark-skinned Tempranillo grape is most associated with the red wines of Spain and being the most prominent grape in the famed Rioja blen

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Chitosan: For more than just fining

Chitosan is a product every home winemaker should be familiar with, and likely has around their cellar. It is used to help clarify wine, but

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Taming Tartness, Adding Body, & Non-Alcoholic Wine

The Wine Wiz offers her wizdom to bring a tart wine into balance, as well as ways to add body to a wine and why non-alcoholic wine productio

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Live Video Chat with Wes Hagen (2025)

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Live Q&A with Bob Peak (January 2025)

Watch the video playback of our January 2025 Live Video Chat with Bob Peak.

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Bag in a Barrel Build

An amateur winemaker/woodworker shares a do-it-yourself project that combines both of his favorite hobbies. The build repurposes a 5-L (1.3-

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Temperature-Controlled Cooler

Realizing the large temperature swings in his garage don’t make for a great environment to conduct fermentations, a home winemaker convert

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Mastering Pest Management

The hardest part of growing grapes may be keeping them healthy and on the vine until harvest. From fungal diseases to insect and animal cont

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2025 Label Contest Winners

We share our favorite amateur wine labels entered into WineMaker’s 2025 Label Contest — from a faceless woman and a woman’s face seemi

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Backyard Pruning: Tips from the Pros

Two amateurs who have won Best of Show medals for their estate-grown wines share advice for late-winter pruning and vineyard care.

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Traminette

Traminette is a white hybrid grape grown all over the northern areas of North America that can make extremely aromatic wines. From crisp, dr

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Racking in Moonlight, Acetobacter, Fermenting “dry,” and White Winemaking

While there are a lot of urban myths surrounding winemaking, the one about racking under a full moon isn’t totally hogwash. Plus, what to

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Pruning and Spring Care

After harvest is over may seem like a great time for the home viticulturist to sit back and take a deep breath. Just don’t take too long o

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Friendships Forged by Wine

The annual WineMaker Magazine Conference isn’t just about attending seminars and learning, it’s also about camaraderie. One longtime at

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Top 100 Wine Kits of 2024

We reveal the 100 highest scoring kit wines judged in the 2024 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition.

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Gold Tips for Red Wine Kits

The idea that making a great tasting wine from a kit is simple if you follow the directions isn’t wrong, though there is often a bit more

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Game-Changing Innovations

A number of innovative products well-suited for the home and small-scale winemaker have come to market in recent years. Explore these option

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Teroldego

If you want to make a red wine that can be consumed without years of aging, Teroldego is a great option. This Italian variety features flav

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Dubunking Consumer Myths, Yeast Impact on MLF & pH Adjustments

If you sometimes prefer your red wines served a little on the cool side or are not afraid of buying high-end wines with screw cap closures,

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From Orchard to Glass

Making stone fruit mead is a fun alternative to wine. Relying on honey and fruit — from cherries, peaches, and plums, to more exotic pitte

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Improving Through Competition

Wine competitions aren’t just for bragging rights. Receiving medals is great, but the notes from the judges are often the most important t

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Tempranillo Time

WineMaker readers recently joined Publisher Brad Ring exploring Spain’s Rioja wine region and either side of the Spain-France border in Ba

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Enter WineMaker’s Amateur Label Contest

Enter your home wine labels into WineMaker’s 26th Annual Label Contest!

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It’s Better With Barrels

There is a reason so many of the pros use oak barrels. Learn about the benefits of a barrel, as well as how to choose the right barrel for y

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Craft Your Own Homemade Liqueurs

Homemade liqueurs are both delicious and incredibly easy to make. Why spend top dollar for liqueurs from the store when you can make ones to