Optional Boot Camp sessions will run pre-conference Thursday, June 1, 2023 and Sunday, June 4, 2023. Each Boot Camp is from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes lunch. Attendance is limited to just 35 attendees per session and do sell out. This add-on boot camp beyond the conference registration is a great opportunity to get an in-depth learning experience in a small audience setting and learn hands-on from experts. Don’t wait since each class is limited to 35!
Advanced Winemaking from Grapes
With Pat Henderson $250 for attendees $275 for non-attendees
Professional winemaker and wine educator Pat Henderson will go beyond the basics to explain more complex techniques to get the most from your winemaking using fresh grapes. This workshop intended for intermediate and expert home winemakers will tackle a range of tips: From dialing in extraction levels on the front end all the way to protecting your wine with advance tips through bottling. REGISTER HERE
Winemaking from Grapes
With Bob Peak $250 for attendees $275 for non-attendees
Join WineMaker’s Technical Editor and “Techniques” Columnist Bob Peak as he takes you through all the steps of making wines from grapes including crushing and fermenting all the way to bottling. Learn how to work with fresh grapes and operate the different pieces of equipment and the tests you’ll have to run on your wine. This workshop intended for beginning to intermediate home winemakers will help your own winemaking experience back home more successful by learning hands-on. Don’t miss this opportunity to attend one of our most popular annual boot camps. REGISTER HERE
Backyard Grape Growing
With Wes Hagen $250 for attendees $275 for non-attendees
Former professional Vineyard Manager and WineMaker’s longtime “Backyard Vines” Columnist Wes Hagen will lead you through all the steps a small-scale grape grower needs to know: Site selection, vine choice, planting, trellising, pruning, watering, pest control, harvest decisions plus more strategies to successfully grow your own great wine grapes. REGISTER HERE
Home Wine Lab Tests
With Chik Brenneman $250 for attendees $275 for non-attendees
It is very difficult to make great wine if you don’t know how to properly and accurately test your wine. Chik Brenneman of University of California-Davis will take you step-by-step teaching you how to properly test your wine for sulfites, malolactic, acidity, and pH. You’ll have the chance to run these different tests yourself to give you a valuable hands-on learning experience so you can accurately run these tests on your own wine at home. REGISTER HERE
Small Batch Distilling of Brandy & Other Spirits
With Aaron Hyde $250 for attendees $275 for non-attendees
How to Distill book author Aaron Hyde will walk you through the small-scale distilling process. You’ll leave with an understanding the various types of small still equipment, as well as how to use it. From fermentation through bottling, Aaron will walk you through the entire distillation process for brandy, whiskey, rum, and gin. He’ll answer your questions throughout the full day as you learn the art of distillation using a small still. REGISTER HERE
Willamette Valley Wineries Insider Tour
($250 for Conference Attendees & Non-Attendees)
This conference with easy proximity to the southern end of the Willamette Valley we’ll be offering tours on both Thursday and Sunday. Each will be a full day of behind-the-scenes tours and tastings. You’ll tour several wineries as you explore the world-famous Willamette Valley and have plenty of opportunities to ask their professional winemakers your winemaking and grape growing questions. You’ll be served lunch along the way and have tastings of award-winning wines. Transportation for this scenic and educational wine tour will be provided roundtrip from our conference hotel, The Graduate. Sign up early since we are limiting this tour to just ten people. REGISTER HERE
2-Day Fundamentals of Modern Wine Chemistry
With Clark Smith $500 for attendees $550 for non-attendees
*Deadline for this 2-Day Boot Camp is May 11, 2023 in order to receive the special material that will be mailed to the address you sign up with. If you will not be at your address to receive the material, please alert jannell@winemakermag.com
Over two full days (Thursday, June 1 and Sunday, June 4) gain insights into the interplay of chemical reactions that occur in wine and in winemaking, establishing the necessary background for informed decisions on wine processing. This is a course in winemaking theory and practice, and does not provide training in methods of wine analysis. First we summarize freshman chemistry concepts of atomic structure, the periodic table, nomenclature, and polarity and use them to illustrate the difference between pH and TA as an introduction to chemical equilibrium. Next we consider all aspects of sulfur dioxide in wine as a case study in wine chemistry. We move from the theoretical to the practical as we delve into crush chemistry techniques, fining, spoilage treatment choices and explore wine’s phenolic structure and reductive properties. Discussions include vine balance, ripeness, fermentation strategies, oxygenation, uses of oak, microbial stabilization strategies, and micro-oxygenation.
*This 2-day boot camp includes a 550-page handout that will be a valuable wine reference manual for years to come. This will be mailed to the address you sign up with at least two weeks before the event. REGISTER HERE
