Date: Dec 13-Jan 14
2013 Wine Label Contest Winners
FREEWinners from the 2013 WineMaker amateur label contest.
Color Problems In My Pinot Noir
MEMBERS ONLYI had this exact problem happen to me this year with one of my lots of Russian River Pinot. Thankfully, the original brick-red color disappeared and was replaced by bright red once the fermentation got going and the wine got back into a reductive carbon dioxide-rich environment and after a few day’s skin exposure. On
Transporting Wine
FREEWhen moving wine, the main thing to be concerned about is temperature change and since you’ve got carboys, spillage! For the first factor, any kind of moving truck where the back payload
Harvesting Decision Making
MEMBERS ONLYThat is indeed a situation I face every year and is part of the delicate dance of being a winemaker. As many of my readers know, I believe that picking is the single most important decision you will ever make in a wine’s life. Once you do that, the road to what that wine can
Fun With Filtration, When To Harvest, and Transporting Wine
MEMBERS ONLY. . . a lot of sediment we find in wines actually forms after the wine is bottled, and is nothing that filtration can control.
Questions in the Vineyard
MEMBERS ONLYWes Hagen answers your home vineyard questions
The Science of Food and Wine Pairing
MEMBERS ONLY“Carignane and goat cheese,” said Tony Ross, wine educator at Passalacqua Winery near Healdsburg, California. During a judging session for a local home wine competition, Tony and I were on the same panel. Between entries, I mentioned working on this “Techniques” column on pairing and he gave me his favorite recommendation. I went on to
Malolactic Fermentation Timing
MEMBERS ONLYHome Winemakers, Let’s Take a Vote: Those of you who put your wines through malolactic fermentation only after the alcoholic fermentation is complete, raise your hands. Now those of you who do both at the same time, in order to get it all over with, raise your hands. Congratulations: Both teams are right — depending.
Top 100 Wine Kits 2013
MEMBERS ONLYOver 50 experienced judges evaluated a total of 2,725 wine kit entries as part of the 2013 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition. This large collection of kit entries was sent into the competition from across North America originating from 8 Canadian provinces and all 50 American states. The 2,725 wine kit entries were entered in
Sparkling Techniques
MEMBERS ONLYThere is nothing as refreshing and enjoyable as a chilled bottle of mousseux (foamy), or fine bubbly. No longer are sparkling wines simply uncorked to celebrate a new year or a kid’s college graduation. Consumers are finally discovering this exquisite style of wine with global consumption that is now growing at twice the rate of
Meritage Roundtable: Tips on Making Bordeaux-Style Blends in the New World
MEMBERS ONLYThe name Meritage is a blend of the words merit and heritage (and pronounced to rhyme with the latter). But beyond a commitment to using the same grapes as those used in the great wines of Bordeaux, making a Meritage blend is mostly a matter of a winemaker’s own tastes and preferences. Like most things
Torrontés: An alternative to the common whites
FREEI was particularly drawn to Torrontés because of the Muscat-like flavors, but another reason was because of the challenge it presents from a winemaking perspective . . .
Fun With Wine Filtration
MEMBERS ONLYThe fun of filtration! I’ll deliver the bad news to you and my readers first by telling you that really no matter how tight of a pore size you use to filter your wines, there is always the possibility of sediment developing over time. In fact, with red wines, it’s actually just about guaranteed. You
Making Sparkling Wine: Tips from the Pros
MEMBERS ONLYThese three pros offer up tips to make your own sparkling wine at home. Steve DiFrancesco is the Winemaker for Glenora Wine Cellars in Dundee, New York. If you’re going for a classic elegance in your sparkling wine you want very delicate flavors from the grapes because the effervescence is going to elevate the aromatics;
What’s that in my Kit?
FREEAn introduction to what you’ll find in your first wine kit.