Aug-Sep 2025
Using Gum Arabic
Gum arabic is a natural anti-flocculant with a list of benefits that includes helping prevent tartrate crystals from forming, smoothing out young red wines, and adding mouthfeel to thin wines. Get to know this important additive every winemaker should have on hand.
Performing Winery Lab Tests
Take the guesswork out of winemaking by performing tests on your juice, must, and wine. We run through the most critical tests, as well as how and when they should be done.
Setting Up a Home Wine Lab
Learn about the lab equipment you should consider investing in for each stage of the winemaking process.
Performing Benchtop Trials
When changes to aroma or structure are desired to achieve a more balanced, pleasing wine, you should always start with benchtop trials to dial in optimal addition rates. Learn how to get the most from your trials before adjusting your entire batch.
2025 WineMaker Magazine Conference Recap
More than 100 home winemakers came to Sacramento, California, in May for WineMaker’s 16th and final in-person conference to take part in educational seminars, hands-on workshops, tastings, and to share in their passion for wine.
Maximizing Color Extraction, Wine Aging Temps, a Need for Decating, & Taming Tannins
The Wiz offers advice on maximizing color extraction and shares the impact temperature plays in it. Plus: How cold is too cold to age wine, why a wine may require long decanting times to open up, and techniques for taming tannins.
Petite Sirah: The little grape with big color
With small berries and a high grape skin-to-juice ratio, Petite Sirah makes a wine that is incredibly pigmented, rich in black fruit character, and with elegant and lasting tannins that make a great impression upon the drinker’s palate.
From Kitchen to Cellar
Seeing so many brambly hedges of fresh blackberries along a dirt road, a woman with a stubborn curiosity and desire to create something herself decided to try her hand at her first batch of wine. She shares the excitement that ran through her during the process, issues that arose, and how deeply rewarding the experience was.
Chemistry of Must Correction
Clark Smith offers ways to extract the most from your grapes by digging into the chemistry of must correction — including methods to boost color, the impact adding sugar or water may have, and other techniques to keep in mind.
Maximizing Color Extraction
You’re absolutely right to be thinking about how temperature affects the color of your final wine, especially if you’re fermenting outdoors. How cold or how warm a fermentation is plays a huge
What temperature is too cold to age wine?
Greetings from right here in Napa! Like you, I bundled up a bit more this past winter and kept a close eye on cellar temperatures — it was definitely one of our
Do tannins soften over time?
Congrats on crafting a bold Bordeaux-style blend with strong aroma and flavor! That’s no easy feat, especially when you’re juggling the powerful personalities of grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit
Why does my wine require long decanting times?
That long decant time you’re noticing — needing about three hours to “open up” in the glass — is something many winemakers (myself included) have encountered with young red wines, especially those
