Jun-Jul 2017
Chlorine In My Wine
Oh dear. I fear that your wine has been contaminated not just with chlorine, but with the dreaded TCA, or tri-chloroanisole aroma defect. Also known as the “corked” aroma, TCA is the
Malolactic Problems and Cleaning with Chlorine
Some of the SO2 gas created by the sulfur wick certainly will transfer into the wine as sulfur dioxide.
Pirate Wines in Colorado
Robert Archibald was asked to make the wines for his daughter’s wedding. But there was a catch — the wines had to pair with the pirate theme of the happy couple’s big day. Ahoy matey, that sounds like a challenge!
Making White Wines from Red Grapes
As I started working on this story, a surprising question occurred to me: “What makes wine white?” “The color” seems obvious when you look at a restaurant wine list or walk up
Better White Blends
There are lots of reasons to try blending white wines, such as adding complexity, correcting a deficiency, or simply making something fun and new. Find out more about which white grapes work well together, and how to plan the perfect blend.
Year in a Life of a Wine Part V (Cellar Work)
In the fifth installment of our year-long series about how homemade wine is made using home-grown grapes in Upstate New York, the wines are put through malolactic fermentation and cold stabilized.
Sourcing Grapes from Vineyards for Home Winemakers
Sourcing fresh grapes directly from a grower can be a fun and rewarding experience for home winemakers. Get some tips for making the most of buying grapes straight from the vineyard.
Malolactic Problems
The bad news in all of the above is that malolactic bacteria are extremely sensitive to sulfur dioxide. For that reason, it’s critical to not add any SO2 to wine, in any
Making Wine from Stone Fruit: Tips from the Pros
Stone fruits (those with pits like cherries, peaches, plums, etc.) are generally off-dry to sweet wines that are easy to enjoy on a warm summer evening. Two pros share advice on making
Using a Hydrometer
Learn the basics of how and when to use a hydrometer in your winemaking process.
Black Spanish
Will the real Black Spanish stand up? I have to admit, when we first decided on this variety as a topic, I had never thought I had made wine from it. However,
One Step Cleaning
One Step is a proprietary cleaning (and somewhat sanitizing) solution that is a secret formula; even the Wine Wizard will never know exactly what it’s made out of. From what I can
Propagating Grapevines
Whether you want to grow grapevines for winemaking, fresh eating, or just decoration, they can be propagated at home simply by taking a few cuttings and rooting them. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can create a micro-vineyard of your own.
