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cover for the December 2023-January 2024 issue of WineMaker magazine with the Top 100 Wine Kits cover story

December 23-January 24

Article
Article

Evaluating Your Finished Wines

Get tips on how to properly taste and evaluate your homemade wines.

Wine Wizard
Wine Wizard

Reducing acid in wine

In challenging vintages where grapes just don’t get ripe enough, or in areas where summer is cool and the growing season is short, acid reduction methods can really help. The most used

Technique
Technique

To Saignée or Not to Saignée

Bleeding off a percentage of juice early during a red wine’s fermentation both concentrates the remaining juice and offers a chance to make a second wine from the bled portion. Learn when and how to employ this French winemaking technique at home.

Article
Article

Port and So Much More!

We recap and share pictures from a recent trip in which WineMaker’s publisher and a group of readers explored Portugal’s diverse wine culture.

Article
Article

Top 100 Wine Kits of 2023

We share the 100 best-performing wine kits in the 2023 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition.

Article
Article

Balancing Wine Acidity

Acid is a critical building block in a wine’s structure. Learn how to balance acidity by testing, adjusting, and most importantly, tasting.

Article
Article

Making Your First Wine Kit

A lot of work goes into formulating a wine kit long before it goes to market. Learn how kits are developed, the contents of kits and the role each plays, and what separates one kit from another.

Article
Article

Sicilian Traditions That Endure

A winemaker reflects back on the humble beginnings of his winemaking journey, one that started in his father-in-law’s garage and has since grown into his own backyard vineyard and a passion for making the best wine possible.

Technique
a red wine getting racked into an oak barrel
Technique

Handling Stuck Fermentations

While a stalled out fermentation can be hassle, there are plenty of preventative measures we can take to preclude it from happening. Also, we should know the various tactics to treat it when a stuck fermentation does rear its ugly head.

Technique
two glasses of red wine with various oak products like chips, balls, and staves.
Technique

Post-Fermentation Adjustments to Taste

When alcoholic fermentation is all wrapped up, most people assume that the wine is then mostly left alone to age. But winemakers know well that there are a lot of adjustments that can be made throughout the cellaring process.

Article
ripe bunches of gewürztraminer grapes hanging in a vineyard
Article

Groovy Gewürztraminer

While it may not look like a white wine grape, Gewürztraminer is well known to produce world-class white wines. Learn some best practices to work with this grape varietal that can thrive when grown in cooler climates.

Article
fining agen bentonite as a dry powder
Article

Reducing Bitterness, Micro-oxygenation On A Small Scale, and Deacidification Tactics

Citrus fruits contain a lot of interesting flavors, but making wine with them can be a challenge. Get advice on removing the bitterness that comes with the rinds as well as micro-oxygenation advice for small-scale winemakers, and how to best deacidify a wine.

Wine Wizard
Wine Wizard

Over-Sulfiting Your Grape Must

I think you’ll be OK. Even if you’ve made a double sulfur dioxide addition to your Chambourcin grape must it should eventually still take off, albeit perhaps a bit more slowly than

Wine Wizard
Wine Wizard

Micro-Oxygenation on a Small Scale

A brewer’s O2 wand is an interesting tool and one I’m not familiar with personally, though I think I understand the concept. There isn’t much of a description of the item on

Wine Wizard
Wine Wizard

Reducing Bitterness in Citrus Wine

Ah, the glory and heartbreak that are citrus fruits in winemaking. So many aromas! So many bright flavors! So much acid! And so many potential bitter compounds.  This is where a good

Article
Article

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