Date: Aug-Sep 2015
Covert Winemaking
MEMBERS ONLYI give you credit for being so dogged in your desire to try fermenting! The great news about yeast is that, as I’ve often said in these columns, yeast live everywhere around us. They are naturally present on the skins of many fruits and vegetables and even in the air you’re breathing right now. The
Sediment In A Fruit Wine
MEMBERS ONLYI definitely would re-think your pre-bottling aging and fining procedures. Many wines, especially those made with fruit other than grapes, are susceptible to flocculation (a fancy term for sediment) and visible fallout. Wine is a complex chemical soup and many reactions take place over time; wine isn’t always what it seems to be in early
Importing Juice vs. Fresh Grapes, Wild Fermentations, Sediment In The Bottle
MEMBERS ONLYI prefer to have as much information as I can about where my raw material is coming from, and being able to handle the actual grapes is one way to help you get there.
If You Like This, You’ll Like That
MEMBERS ONLYTry some new grape varieties similar to the tried and true varieties you already know you enjoy drinking.
Balancing Fruit and Sugar in Country Wines
MEMBERS ONLYBob Peak digs into how much sugar is needed to get the desired alcohol level, and how much fruit is needed to offer a pleasing profile and aroma, flavor, and appearance when making country wines.
Wild Yeast Fermentation
MEMBERS ONLYWild or native yeasts, according to a general definition, occur naturally in the air or on surfaces. While the word, ‘wild’ might give the romantic impression that winemaking’s native yeasts come from the grapes in the vineyard, it’s just as likely a wild ferment is the result of yeast from winery equipment or even the
Award-Winning Pinot Noir
MEMBERS ONLYFour Pinot Noir pros share their best advice for crafting the “heartbreak grape.”
Müller-Thurgau: Germany’s other white grape
MEMBERS ONLYPrior to giving way to Riesling at the turn of the century, Müller-Thurgau was the most prominent white grape in Germany. It is still very popular as an everyday drinking wine enjoyed young.
Importing Juice vs. Fresh Grapes
MEMBERS ONLYWell, it seems to me that Chile to New Jersey is an awfully long haul. I often, in my blog and in this column, advocate that the distance from vineyard to crushpad be as short as possible. Your friends are right; distance and, especially, time, can cause a degradation of quality. When a grape cluster
Troubleshooting Home Vineyards: Tips from the Pros
MEMBERS ONLYTo make the best wine, you need the best grapes. And that requires a lot of work in your hobby vineyard. Get tips on what to look for and when to look for it so you stay one step ahead of potential problems that could derail your crop. Ed Kwiek established his own cold-climate home
Using Pectic Enzymes
FREEWhen and how to use pectic enzymes.
Make Wines to Age
FREEIt starts with great fruit, but to make age-worthy red wine the winemaker must also consider acidity, tannins, sulfur dioxide, oxygen, cellaring conditions, and how all of these factors (and others) relate to each other.
Wild Fermentations
MEMBERS ONLYWell, I would’ve inoculated right off the bat if I didn’t see anything happening within 24 to 48 hours. Contrary to popular belief, yeast cells that can carry out a complete alcoholic fermentation rarely come in on the fruit from the vineyard. The species that do are typically those kinds that can only ferment to
Tropical Winemaking: Dry Finish
FREEMany, many years ago when my five siblings and I were very little, my mother, Alma, tried to make homemade wine. We lived in the Santa Cruz valley of the Caribbean island
Selecting Yeast Roundtable
FREEAs illustrated in the WineMaker Yeast Chart, there are many commercial yeast strains available for home winemakers to choose from. And that list doesn’t even count the numerous other strains marketed and packaged