Wine-wizard

Recommended First SO₂ Addition

Article

Free SO₂, Bottle Drop, First SO₂ Addition, and Oak Sanitation

A winemaker asks for some pointers on when to test for sulfite on their wines using their new sulfite testing kit. Also, learn about curing

Wine-wizard

Wine Bottle Deposits

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Testing For Free SO₂

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Fermenting Anything & Pectic Enzymes: Wine Wizard

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Recording Notes Like a Pro

Keeping a very detailed log of each wine you make will allow you to track your wine’s daily progress from the vineyard to the bottle, and

Article

Fact Check: Winemaking Edition

Winemakers often read tips online, get advice from a friend, or are passed down knowledge from ancestors who have been making wine for gener

Technique

Testing for SO₂: Keeping your wine safe

Despite popular lore in some diet-watching crowds, sulfite in wine is not only low compared to many foods, but it is key to limit oxidation

Article

Adding Acid to Sanitize, Sparkling Situation: Wine Wizard

The second and perhaps the most important reason is that if you’re doing your final rinsing with an acid blend that contains malic acid, y

Article

Chlorine Conundrum & Country Wines: Wine Wizard

I never use any chlorine-containing cleaning compounds in my winemaking and don’t recommend it to anyone. There are plenty of alternatives

Article

LaCrosse or La Crosse? True diversity in a grape

Elmer Swenson helped revolutionize the greater wine world with his cold-hardy grape breeding program. One such grape varietal that emerged f

Article

Acidity & Aging

My situation is that the total acidity (TA) rises during the aging process.What could be causing this?

Article

Fruit Cider

Cidermaking requires you to develop, refine, and master many different skills. When you add the additional layer of fruit to your cider, it

Technique

Testing for pH: What the big pHuss is about

Near the top of the list of factors that winemakers should be measuring in their juice and wine is pH. Bob Peak breaks down the what, when,

Article

Rosy Roussanne: A grape that doesn’t mind a little heat

In its homeland in the south of France, Roussanne grapes love some heat . . . probably one reason that it’s found a new home in the Texas

Wine-wizard

The New Need For Sanitation

Article

Percent New Oak, Overcompensating, And The New Need For Sanitation

While the concept that is listed on some wine bottles or talked about in literature — % new oak — seems simple, there is a lot of nuance

Article

Barrel Cleaning, Kit Wine Tannins and Proper Sulfite Levels

It seems to me like your Carmenère is a candidate for one of the “Wine Wizard’s” cheapest, easiest and most favorite ways to improve

Article

Suspicious Syrah & Fermentation Aids

The first step I would take is to look at the package and/or the packing slip that came with the grapes . . . I hope they say Syrah. If you

Article

Dumb Merlot & Filmy Finishes

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Maximizing Wine Aroma

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Phenolics and Tannins

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Primitivo: The early-ripening varietal

Anyone well versed in wine grape nomenclature knows that Primitivo and Zinfandel are genetically identical. Yet test trials have shown there

Wine-wizard

How to Adjust SO₂ Levels In Must

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Crazy pH Shift, Acidity in Wine Kits, Adjusting SO₂, and Untoasted Oak Barrels

A winemaker experiences a large and unexpected pH shift from a feral fermentation. Learn about the potential reasons as well as what to do w