Date: Aug-Sep 2005
Topping Up & Oak Cubes
FREEQ I am a novice home winemaker and have been contemplating making the move from carboy and bottle-aging to barrel-aging some of my reds. It is my understanding that a new barrel
When using oak cubes in a recipe from concentrate, at what stage in the process should they be added?
FREEAh, the timeless pairing of American oak and Zinfandel. It’s a taste combination that’s got more than 100 years of history in U.S. winemaking and if the number of Zin labels that
How do you prepare ahead for topping up your barrels with wine? Do you set aside wine in a carboy to use later in the barrels?
MEMBERS ONLYDear Wine Wizard, I am a novice home winemaker and have been contemplating making the move from carboy and bottle-aging to barrel-aging some of my reds. It is my understanding that a new barrel can soak up quite a bit of wine when first placed in use. However, my question is what do you do
Home Winemaking Pro: Dry Finish
FREEThe Cat’s Meow Vineyard has been the moniker for my homemade winemaking operation in Warsaw, Kentucky for the past four years. My eight cats that “patrol” the grounds were the inspiration for
Field Blending: Tips from the Pros
MEMBERS ONLYPeople blend wines for many reasons and are able to fine tune their blends by drawing the best characteristics from each wine blended. For centuries winemakers have started their blends right in the vineyard, growing a combination of grapes that stick together through out the entire process. Crushed, macerated and fermented together, these grapes come
The Pomace Predicament
FREEWinemaking, like baking bread or beer brewing, is one of humankind’s most ancient food-manufacturing processes. And, just as baking and brewing leave behind cereal stalks and spent grain, winemaking produces one of