25 Winemaking Tips

Have you ever wished you had an experienced winemaker looking over your shoulder as you prepared to harvest your first crop of grapes or tested acid levels? How about as you scratched your head over how to clarify a cloudy wine or tried fermenting fresh peach juice? We know what that’s like, so we asked some of our most trusted winemaking authorities to share a few of their personal tricks and tips they use for their own wines. Their combined years of knowledge revealed everything from the practical (pick the ‘jack stems’ out of your grapes) to the tactical (move a heavy carboy with a plant dolly). Help yourself to a few ideas and tackle your next winemaking endeavor like an expert. Grape Growing and Harvesting Wes Hagen, WineMaker’s “Backyard Vines” columnist. Keep it cool Harvest grapes cool and never let them get hot or sit in the sun after picking. Use food-grade dry ice to cool down must in the fermenter to extend cold soak. This is also a great idea for grapes picked on a hot day, or