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Apr-May 2021

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Article

Live Chat with Pat Henderson

Live Chat with Pat Henderson, which took place on May 26, 2021.

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Article

Live Chat with Wes Hagen

Video Live Chat with Wes Hagen, which took place on April 22, 2021.

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Article

Master of Technology: Tips for taking your club virtual

Everyone misses in-person wine events and club meetings. However, the rise of virtual event and gathering platforms comes with some unique benefits. One winemaking club offers advice to other clubs after a year of hosting virtual events and fun, virtual get-togethers.

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Melon De Bourgogne: Or Muscadet or just plain Melon

More commonly associated by the wine it produces, Melon de Bourgogne is the grape varietal behind Muscadet wines and the sur lie aging technique. But its mystique doesn’t stop there. Learn more about this old grape varietal known by many names.

Technique
Technique

White Wine Aromatics: Factors to guide your white wines

It’s hard not to find appeal in the aromatics of a tropical fruit or floral Sauvignon Blanc or hints of vanilla, citrus, and caramel in a Chardonnay. But the road to get to those aromas takes vastly different paths. Alex Russan helps readers navigate the maze winemakers can take to maximize their white wine aromatics.

Technique
Technique

Scaling Up: Crushing, pressing, and fermenting larger batches of wine

Scaling up to larger and larger sized batches of wine may save money because of bulk buying, but new equipment will become necessary at some point. Bob Peak runs through considerations winemakers need to ponder for crushing, pressing, and fermenting larger-scale batches.

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More Butter, Please; Caveats with Pectic Enzymes; and Wonky Grape Numbers

Not everyone loves a buttery Chardonnay but for those that seek out this characteristic the Wine Wizard has some sage fermentation advice to achieve buttery bliss. Also, one reader wonders about adding pectic enzymes in a red wine and another is perplexed by the numbers in his recently purchased juice.

Wine Wizard
Wine Wizard

Trying to Work With Grape Juice That is Amiss

Well, your grape or juice source really put you in a bind. Those are some of the most unbalanced initial numbers I’ve ever seen, and I would seriously consider getting your juice

Wine Wizard
Wine Wizard

Using Pectic Enzymes In A Red Wine

To quote one of my vineyard colleagues who always likes to give multiple sides to every answer, “It depends” (thanks, Rich). And so it is with pectic enzymes in winemaking. Pectic enzymes

Wine Wizard
Wine Wizard

Crafting a Buttery-style of Chardonnay

Indeed, that flavor you’re after is primarily caused by the malolactic bacteria, which impart that buttery, dairy, or creamy taste in many Chardonnays. This is because these bacteria, depending on the strain,

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The Role Of Nitrogen in Winemaking

Learn about the fundamentals of nitrogen levels in your winemaking as well as how, when, and what additions are needed

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Article

The Role of Varietal Thiols in White Wines

Volatile thiols are delicate but powerful aromatic compounds released during fermentation. Through careful techniques and yeast selection, these thiols can be both preserved and enhanced to create an aromatic wine that pleases the senses.

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Lifespan of a Wine Barrel

Wine barrels are constantly changing. Each time one is filled it will lose some characteristics and, eventually after enough uses, it will go neutral. How you use a barrel should change over time also. 

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Better Together: Creating Red Blends

Early in my winemaking career I had the good fortune to work with one of the founders of Kenwood Vineyards, Mike Lee, who really knew how to blend wines to make them

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Finding the Right Closure

After dedicating as much time as we do making a batch of wine, the final step of putting a closure on the bottle can’t be overlooked. There are many options from natural, agglomerated, colmated, and synthetic corks, to screw caps, to name a few. Learn the pros of each option to ensure you find the right closure to fit your next batch of bottles.

Technique
Technique

Blending Italian Red Wines

Three North American winemakers share their best advice for blending red Italian varieties that are often lesser known and less common in the New World. These grapes bring their own challenges, but

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Article

Pat Henderson’s Blending Spreadsheet

This blending template was created by Pat Henderson and is available for download here: