Import Source: Quark
Bulk Wine Aging
MEMBERS ONLYThere is more to cellaring bulk wine than meets the eye. Home winemakers heave a sigh of relief when the last of the harvest processing is done, but the job is not over. The wine is put away in carboys, demijohns, tanks, or barrels and we hope it stays safe through the winter and spring.
Drought Strategies for Grape Growing
MEMBERS ONLYHere is one truism of farming: Being prepared is always preferable to trying to fix an unexpected problem. Understanding the water needs of a grapevine is an important step to using as much supplemental irrigation in your small vineyard as needed, but not an amount that is either wasteful or actually reduces the quality of
Native American Grape Varietals
MEMBERS ONLYBotanists tell us that grapes are members of the genus Vitis, and the well-known European grape varieties are members of the species vinifera. (In case you’ve forgotten, a species is one rung lower in the botanical classification system than a genus.) When the Europeans first came to the New World, they found grapes growing in great profusion
Rosé Techniques Roundtable
MEMBERS ONLYAsking a winemaker if they make rosé should be like asking a winemaker if they drink beer. The two beverages, pink wine and a tasty lager, belong in any cellar and in any winemaker’s glass. Why? Quite simply, rosé (and beer) is easy to make, quick to bottle, quick to market (or mouth) and delicious
Making Varietal Honey Mead
MEMBERS ONLYHoney is a complex mixture of sugars, flavors from the pollen as well as trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids. The majority of the honey found in grocery stores is Wildflower honey, which is a blend of different honeys made with the goal of producing honey that is consistent in flavor and color. This
Bottling Your Wine
MEMBERS ONLYAs renowned French wine scientist Emile Peynaud wrote, “Bottling is a very stressful operation for a wine and the enological problems it causes are numerous: Considerable oxygen uptake, keeping out microorganisms and particles in suspension by filtering, constant struggle to prevent any contamination of yeasts by the apparatus itself, cleanliness of the glass, efficiency of
Albariño/Alvarinho: The wine of Galicia
MEMBERS ONLYAlbariño/Alvarinho is the grape of the Spanish region of Galacia, and it’s catching on in the States too.
Fermentation Troubles
MEMBERS ONLYHi Lauren, great question. There are so many steps along the way where a fermentation can get into trouble, or “go pear shaped” as my interns from New Zealand used to say. We could almost do a walk through from start to finish, or even picking to dryness and say well, it could go south
Tomato, Jalapeño, Dandelion Wines: Tips from the Pros
MEMBERS ONLYLooking to try something new? You can make unique and wonderful wines from plants found in your garden or even growing wild in your backyard. Winemaker and Owner of TSJ Wine Blenders in Roseville, Michigan. Tom began as a home winemaker about 1990 utilizing grapes from his father’s small farm. Compliments on their wines led
Storing Wine Ingredients
MEMBERS ONLYMake wine at home for a few years and you will probably accumulate a lot of stuff. Pieces of equipment join the collection as the needs and resources come up. Consumable supplies are not always packaged for single-use applications and the leftovers hang around. Maintenance and cleaning supplies are often cheaper in larger packages, so
Build a Backyard Vineyard Sprayer
MEMBERS ONLYParts and equipment list Trailer: Small utility trailer kit ¾-inch treated plywood decking (2) wide turf tires Spray system: 35-gallon (132-L) poly tank (2) bulkhead fittings PTO (power take off) roller pump 40-ft. (12 m) ¾-inch 300 psi sprayer hose In-line strainer 300 psi pressure regulator 200 psi pressure gauge with “T” fitting (6) sprayer
Zinfandel Wine Case Study
FREEYou’ve heard over and over the importance of taking notes during winemaking. But what do you do with those findings? Follow along with the process of professional winemaker to find out.
Starting a Winemaking Club
MEMBERS ONLYSo you truly enjoy making your own wine. You’ve been making wine for years, or maybe have just made a couple of wine kits. What’s next? Where might you learn more or gain even a higher appreciation of your hobby? Consider a winemaking club. Making wine is fun whether you like to make it alone
Making Apple Wine: Tips from the Pros
MEMBERS ONLYWhen life gives you apples … Get tips on making various apple wine styles from the winemakers at Door Peninsula Winery (who makes sweet and a dry, barrel-aged version), Brookview Station Winery (semi-dry) and Domaine Pinnacle (apple icewine). Paul Santoriello has been involved in all facets of the wine industry including vineyard work, research, sensory
If You Like This, You’ll Like That
MEMBERS ONLYTry some new grape varieties similar to the tried and true varieties you already know you enjoy drinking.
Balancing Fruit and Sugar in Country Wines
MEMBERS ONLYBob Peak digs into how much sugar is needed to get the desired alcohol level, and how much fruit is needed to offer a pleasing profile and aroma, flavor, and appearance when making country wines.
Wild Yeast Fermentation
MEMBERS ONLYWild or native yeasts, according to a general definition, occur naturally in the air or on surfaces. While the word, ‘wild’ might give the romantic impression that winemaking’s native yeasts come from the grapes in the vineyard, it’s just as likely a wild ferment is the result of yeast from winery equipment or even the
Award-Winning Pinot Noir
MEMBERS ONLYFour Pinot Noir pros share their best advice for crafting the “heartbreak grape.”
Müller-Thurgau: Germany’s other white grape
MEMBERS ONLYPrior to giving way to Riesling at the turn of the century, Müller-Thurgau was the most prominent white grape in Germany. It is still very popular as an everyday drinking wine enjoyed young.
Importing Juice vs. Fresh Grapes
MEMBERS ONLYWell, it seems to me that Chile to New Jersey is an awfully long haul. I often, in my blog and in this column, advocate that the distance from vineyard to crushpad be as short as possible. Your friends are right; distance and, especially, time, can cause a degradation of quality. When a grape cluster
Troubleshooting Home Vineyards: Tips from the Pros
MEMBERS ONLYTo make the best wine, you need the best grapes. And that requires a lot of work in your hobby vineyard. Get tips on what to look for and when to look for it so you stay one step ahead of potential problems that could derail your crop. Ed Kwiek established his own cold-climate home
Using Pectic Enzymes
FREEWhen and how to use pectic enzymes.
Harvesting in the Moonlight
MEMBERS ONLYThe heat of the day is not necessarily the time to harvest your ripe grapes. A night harvest allows you to bring the fruit in when it’s cool, which will lower your VA, plus other benefits.
When Life Gives You Limes Make Wine
MEMBERS ONLYVery, very interesting. I have to say that the zest of 21 limes for three gallons (11 L) of liquid seems like a lot of lime-y-ness to me! I can only imagine that indeed, it did have a very strong lime peel taste. My suggestion for “taming” this would be a dilution strategy. The aroma
Sourcing Grapes
FREEWant to make wine from fresh grapes but not sure how to go about getting them? Here’s an introduction about sourcing grapes.