Date: Jun-Jul 2019
Story Behind The Label
FREEFeatured in the February-March 2020 issue: Gene Carlson • Lafayette, Indiana I was a Weapons Mechanic with the 355th Munitions Maintenance Squadron of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. At that time the
Blending Fruit Wines
MEMBERS ONLYHighlighting multiple fruits in a wine often brings more complex flavors and aromas to a bottle. There are multiple ways to make these wines — primarily fermenting fruits together or blending single-fruit
Pressure in the Home Vineyard: How to measure and mitigate fungal disease
MEMBERS ONLYAll photos courtesy of Shutterstock.com It is not lost on the well-informed winegrower/winemaker that fungi — ancient, single-cell organisms that have been on this planet hundreds of millions of years longer than
Off The Beaten Path: Spice, herb, and vegetable winemaking
MEMBERS ONLYPhoto by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus These wines are not common in the commercial marketplace where dry grape wines dominate. There are some fruit wines, of course, and a few novelty wines
Beyond Beaujolais: Get acquainted with Gamay Noir
MEMBERS ONLYPhoto courtesy of Shutterstock.com Wine brings people together. This is cause for great reflection for me personally because as you read this, I will have been retired from the University of California
Everything Wine: Scavenging up a new hobby
FREEI’d never seen my father drink a glass of wine — until he became a winemaker. He retired from a full-time sales career and besides golf, gardening, and a part-time job selling
Softening The Wine, Using Gum Arabic, and Avoiding a Persistent Sediment
MEMBERS ONLYQI am planning to try a new product on some older cabernet wine (2015 vintage) that has not yet been bottled. It has a harshness that might be related to tannins. It
Dealing With Persistent Sediment
FREEGoodness, you’ve got a persistent sediment source in your wines that’s for sure. You’ve removed the gross particles by racking and filtration.You’ve cleared out proteins by using bentonite. You’ve taken out excess
Softening The Wine
MEMBERS ONLYBefore I launch into my information about gum arabic and related products, do take a minute to think that gum arabic may not give you the result you’re looking for. Gum arabic
Let’s Get Macerating
FREEThe concept of maceration is a rather simple one: Take crushed grapes (or fruit) and allow the grapes — skins, seeds, and stems — a period to soak with the grape juice.
When Wines Go Bad
FREEWhether you make wine at home, commercially, or simply enjoy drinking it, it’s likely you have encountered faulted wine; maybe it was the subtle aroma of geranium leaves, an aromatically muted glass
A Quicker Route to Bubbles
MEMBERS ONLYMaking non-traditional sparkling wine at home through force carbonation is simple and can yield amazing results. With just a few pieces of equipment, one can make delicious bubbly in a matter of
Winemaking Tips from Robert Foley
MEMBERS ONLY“I think the two biggest things for me were to get out of the science lab and get into the vineyard,” says Californian winemaker Bob Foley, known for decades of top-class Cabernet
Méthode Champenoise
MEMBERS ONLYI realized early on that as a sparkling producer I would have to embrace the cold. To produce méthode Champenoise sparkling wine one must accept that it is going to be a