Date: Aug-Sep 2017

What does “topping up” mean and when should it be done?

It’s very possible this mold bloom was caused by a change in the weather or a change in your cellar environment.

As a veteran winemaker, some of the initial joys of winemaking begin to fade, however as the winemaker understands more about the process and becomes more in tune with the wine, the potential for new astonishments arise.

We’d all love to make wine from the perfect grapes picked with ideal sugars, acidity, and pH. Unfortunately, often due to reasons beyond our control, that is not always how grapes arrive at the home winery. In that case, the winemaker has a number of decisions that must be made.

You can never be too prepared in your winery when the grapes come in from harvest. Follow our guidelines for crush and press success.

When I started graduate school at UC-Davis in 1995, one of my first classes was a seminar series. Being the first session of the academic year, a round of introductions started the

Ah, yes, the joys of wood. We use wood in the winery for barrels and barrel-alternatives of course but, especially for the small-scale winemaker, wooden presses are still often part of our

Even the most ideal climates for growing grapes face certain hardships, but growing vines in colder climates definitely have more than their share. Get tips on what to grow and what precautions

In the final installment of our year-long series, the wines are bulk aged, oaked, and bottled.

Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4), AKA Epsom salts, is a very common vineyard amendment. It can be applied as a foliar spray during the growing season to provide vines with magnesium and sulfur. Magnesium,

A reader shares plans for his homemade wine press.

In addition to alcoholic fermentation, the yeast used to ferment wine also metabolize other substances into byproducts. Learn more about how wine yeast works.