Making Wine

Technique

Beyond Oak: Tips from the Pros

Almost all winemakers use oak barrels for aging red and some white wines, as has been the case for ages. However, if you go back far enough,

Article

Evaluating Your Finished Wines

Get tips on how to properly taste and evaluate your homemade wines.

Wine-wizard

Reducing acid in wine

I’m making some red wine from local grapes this fall. I had nothing handy to deacidify the must at the crush.

Technique

To Saignée or Not to Saignée

Bleeding off a percentage of juice early during a red wine’s fermentation both concentrates the remaining juice and offers a chance to mak

Article

Port and So Much More!

We recap and share pictures from a recent trip in which WineMaker’s publisher and a group of readers explored Portugal’s diverse wine cu

Article

Top 100 Wine Kits of 2023

We share the 100 best-performing wine kits in the 2023 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition.

Article

Balancing Wine Acidity

Acid is a critical building block in a wine’s structure. Learn how to balance acidity by testing, adjusting, and most importantly, tasting

Article

Making Your First Wine Kit

A lot of work goes into formulating a wine kit long before it goes to market. Learn how kits are developed, the contents of kits and the rol

Article

Sicilian Traditions That Endure

A winemaker reflects back on the humble beginnings of his winemaking journey, one that started in his father-in-law’s garage and has since

Technique

Handling Stuck Fermentations

While a stalled out fermentation can be a hassle, there are plenty of preventative measures we can take to preclude it from happening. Also,

Technique

Post-Fermentation Adjustments to Taste

When alcoholic fermentation is all wrapped up, most people assume that the wine is then mostly left alone to age. But winemakers know well t

Wine-wizard

Over-Sulfiting Your Grape Must