Date: Oct-Nov 2021
Live Chat with Chik Brenneman
MEMBERS ONLYLive Chat with Chik Brenneman, which took place on November 23, 2021.
Live Chat with Jef Stebben
MEMBERS ONLYLive Chat with Jef Stebben, which took place on October 29, 2021.
2021 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition
FREEAn overview of this year’s wine competition, which received nearly 2,000 entries from across the U.S., Canada, and as far away as Australia.
Cures To An Oversulfited Wine
FREESince you can’t measure your free and total SO₂, let’s do some numbers to see what kind of a potential problem you might be facing. First off, let’s talk about your bottle-rinsing
So, You Want to Go Pro?
FREEMany hobby winemakers spend evenings sipping their wine and wondering if their hobby could become a profession. If you are serious about it, here is what you need to consider to get that career jump started.
Distillation 101: When Wine Becomes Brandy
MEMBERS ONLYWhen your wine is done fermenting, that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be aged or packaged. Where legal, the next step may be distilling it into brandy.
Winemaking from Down Under
MEMBERS ONLYAustralia produces a lot more than Shiraz and budget wines with kangaroos on the label. Get an inside look at how Aussie winemakers are flipping the reputation of the wines from Down Under, with tips for creating their most touted styles in your home winery.
Making Mulled Wines
MEMBERS ONLYAs autumn rolls into winter, it’s time to heat things up with mulled wine. A holiday tradition around the world, mulled wines usually include spices, citrus fruits, and wine served hot to take the chill away.
Distillation Guide
MEMBERS ONLYCheck out the following programs and equipment to start your journey down the path to distilling.
Going Pro: Is the time and money worth It?
FREEIn our annual Reader Survey, hobby winemakers looking to go pro usually account for about 1 in 5 readers. Here is the story of one couple who made the leap and some of the details about how they’re making it work.
Making Lemonade: Vineyard fixes for underwhelming grapes
MEMBERS ONLYNot every harvest is going to be perfect. When the grapes come in at less than ideal numbers or with other “flaws,” make sure you’re well positioned and able to make the best of an inferior harvest. Plus, learn how to identify what went wrong in the vineyard so the same mistakes aren’t repeated in future vintages.
Going The Distance: Crafting age-worthy wines
MEMBERS ONLYWhen you set your sights on making a “keeper” wine, one you plan to lay down for several years, there are certain techniques you can employ to make sure it doesn’t round the bend too soon. Learn how to make that wine worth holding on to.
Flexible Frontenac: Making a case for this hybrid
MEMBERS ONLYScattered throughout the Upper Midwest and Rockies, Frontenac wines are making waves as winemakers learn to coax a lot of flavor from this red grape. Chik Brenneman offers several tips and tricks to working with this hybrid varietal.
Advice For A Beginning Winemaker
MEMBERS ONLYWinemaking is always a learning process and even those of us that have been doing this for a long time still learn a lot every harvest and all year-round! However, that being said, I do have some tidbits for new winemakers. In my Winemaker’s Answer Book I spell out what I think are probably the
Remove A White Film on Carboy
MEMBERS ONLYWow, looks like you’ve got a serious case of “Ring Around the Carboy.” Thanks for sending in the picture, I always love it when readers do that because, especially in cases like these, it gives me a good visual to go from. I can see that pesky stain on the inside of the neck of
Preserving Oak Barrels, Oversulfited Wine, Film on a Carboy, and Beginner Tips
MEMBERS ONLYWhat is the best way to store oak barrels that don’t have wine in them? Get the answer from the Wine Wizard, as well as her advice for a case of oversulfited wine, removing white film from a glass carboy, and five tips for a rookie winemaker.
Steps To Preserve Your Oak Barrel
MEMBERS ONLYWell, the first thing I always say is, “A full barrel is a happy barrel.” That means that the barrel is best stored with wine in it! The acidity of the wine (generally reds tend to be a pH of 3.5–3.8-ish) keeps spoilage microbes at bay and of course the wetness of the wine keeps
Honey-Based Wines
FREEThe earliest known alcoholic beverage uncovered on Earth was a mead from northern China. Get familiarized with the great and storied world of honey-based wines.