Feb-Mar 2002
Stench of Sulfur & Excess CO2: Wine Wizard
QHere’s one problem you may have been asked about before. My finished wine has an aroma and taste of rubber and burnt toast, a bit like burnt rubber. Since I will be
What can I do to prevent my recurring problem of excess CO2 in my wines?
Unless you artificially carbonate your still wines by kegging them, there is only one possible source of carbon dioxide in wines — microbes, specifically little bacteria and yeastie beasties that love to
My finished wine has the aroma and taste of burnt rubber. What did I do wrong?
Dear Wine Wizard, Here’s one problem you may have been asked about before. My finished wine has an aroma and taste of rubber and burnt toast, a bit like burnt rubber. Since
Tasting Wine with Dr. Olmo: Dry Finish
Back in my grad-school days, I loved hanging around the lab to watch Dr. Olmo taste wine. I spent so much time there that his technician said he should charge me an
Must Haves
Easy Electric Bottle Filler If you’ve ever used the Buon Vino automatic bottle filler, you know how easy it is to bottle a batch of wine. Buon Vino has made the job
Build a Filter Clamp: Projects
Plate filtration systems are popular among home winemakers. These systems use disposable filter plates with a filter selectivity that usually ranges from 0.5–6.0 microns. The filter plates must be changed every so
Barrel Care Techniques
Do you yearn to create oak-style wines that rival Bordeaux first growths, Super Tuscans, or the so-called California cult wines, but have been hesitant to invest time and effort to care and
Avoiding Wine Kit Pitfalls
There are a lot of wine kits out there today, and their variety and quality is improving. Kits wines are designed to be easy to make, but they’re not foolproof. Even kit
Avoiding Kit Pitfalls
Where are a lot of wine kits out there today, and their variety and quality is improving. Kits wines are designed to be easy to make, but they’re not foolproof. Even kit
Riesling: Varietal Focus
A phrase we’ve often heard in recent years is, “A. B. C. — anything but Chardonnay.” As many consumers set down the Chard and start searching for alternative white wines — and
Grape Breeding 101
Learn what goes into breeding a new grape variety.
Plan Your First Vineyard
Detailed steps every home viticulturist should take before planting their first vineyard.
Pick Your Grapes
Somewhere, buried deep within the psyche of almost everyone who makes his own wine, there is a grape grower trying to get out. As someone who once successfully ripened Seyval Blanc grapes
My Backyard Vineyard
“Mark? Don’t you want to take a look inside the house?” Hmmm. Check out that land. “Mark? The house?” Yeah … sure. The house. I take one last, inclusive look at the
