Apr-May 2018
Some Reductive Resolutions, Using Essential Oils, and Residual Sugar
You might want to try gradually introducing a little more oxygen into your winemaking process, especially early on when wines are more resilient to shifts in redox potential. Reductive off-odors may come from many sources, but thanks to new yeast strains available to winemakers, fermentation doesn’t need to be one of them.
Calculating Residual Sugar
That’s certainly an interesting question and one for which the short answer is “no such equation exists.” The longer answer attempts to help explain why, even though you think you should have
Matching Wine Style to Vineyard Site
Evaluate the specific aspects of your vineyard site to determine the best wine style to grow on your property.
A Quicker Route to Ice Cider
Who says you need fresh apples to make ice cider? With a few adjustments, you can make this dessert-style cider from frozen apple juice concentrate (of course, you can add fresh juice too, if you like).
Post-Fermentation Wine Tweaks
Sometimes, a wine you believed would be balanced during fermentation comes up a little short after fermentation is complete. Learn what you can do to restore it to an order of balance with these post-fermentation adjustments.
Spring into South American Grapes
Many of your favorite winemaking retailers bring in grapes, juices, must, and wine kits from Chile, Argentina, and South Africa. Get to know these wine regions and the grapes they are known for as we prepare for the spring Southern Hemisphere harvest.
Wines, Naturally
Do you know the difference between organic, biodynamic, and natural wines? Learn what differentiates each term, plus ways to cut down on the chemicals in your winemaking process.
Last Bottle of Sauvignon Blanc
A couple takes on the absolute challenge — making wine with no experience, guidance, or basic understanding of the hobby. Meet the Dooleys and learn about their first experience making wine.
Special Purpose Wine Yeasts
Yeast are fairly simple, single-celled organisms. But their diversity, functionality, and ability to adapt is why humans, and especially winemakers love these fungi so much. Bob Peak takes us through several strains that winemakers should know are available.
Alicante Bouschet: An eccentric grape with a unique history
At one time, Alicante Bouschet was one of the most popular grapes planted in the United States. Learn about the history of this grape variety and how you can add it to your winemaking quiver.
Using Essential Oils In Wine
You can certainly experiment with essential oils in your winemaking if you remember the old adage that “oil and water don’t mix.” Essential oils are the natural distilled volatile aroma compounds from
Making Rosé Wine: Tips from the Pros
For too long, rosé remained cast under the shadow of overly sweet and one-dimensional White Zinfandels. But the surge of popularity in North America has removed the myth that rosé wines are
Starter Winemaking Equipment
Here’s the equipment you’ll need to get started at making wine.
Reductive Resolutions
Your question about how to avoid a swampy, reductive odor in your Chardonnay after bottling is an interesting one. For readers who may not be aware, “reductive” is a non-exact sensory term
Wines, Naturally
Many wine experts are skeptical about natural winemaking techniques. Here we define and explore organic, biodynamic, and natural winemaking so you can form your own opinion.
