fbpx

Techniques

Understanding the Different Sizes of Wine Kits

FREE

“Quantity has a quality all of its own.” -R K Ratch Someone once said, “good things come in small packages.” I’m pretty sure this was a shopkeeper who sold very small consumer

Harvest Planning

MEMBERS ONLY

For winemakers, grape harvest is a period of intense activity. Important decisions and preparations need to happen well in advance of crush day in order for things to go smoothly. These decisions include ordering or picking the grapes, obtaining a crusher, selecting the right yeast, etc. Beyond these decisions, your crush area, winery and equipment

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Degassing Wine Kits with a Vacuum Pump

MEMBERS ONLY

What could vacuums have to do with wine kits? While there have been times when a wet/dry vacuum would have been very helpful in my wine cellar, there is a specific benefit a bit of vacuum can have for kit winemakers. In commercial wineries, it usually takes a year or more to get wine ready

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Fruit and Grape Blends: Tips from the Pros

FREE

Ken Korando came to winemaking by way of entrepreneurship. Educated as an electronics engineer, he and a colleague patented technology used to decline balance debit cards – the sort of technology that

25 Winemaking Tips

MEMBERS ONLY

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

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Amarone-Style Wine Kits

FREE

Most wine drinkers who have been exposed to Amarone probably consider it to be another one of Italy’s signature wine styles — perhaps the most brutally powerful and distinctively flavorful, but one

The Biology of Malolactic “Bugs”

FREE

In this excerpt from the technical binder “Malolactic Fermentation in Wine” (Lallemand, 2005) written for commercial winemakers, researchers at Lallemand, Inc. offer an insider’s view of the more technical aspects of malolactic

Force-Carbonating Wine to Sparkle: Counter pressure bottle method

FREE

Ah! There’s nothing like a nice bottle of chilled bubbly to sip as an aperitif while preparing dinner, or for those of you who already cannot wait for summer, to sip on

Sparkling Secrets of Dom Pérignon

FREE

When Moët et Chandon tour guide Véronique Foureur was baptized as a baby in the Champagne region of France she, like all other Champagnois children, was a given her first few drops

Riesling Lessons of the Mosel Masters

MEMBERS ONLY

German wines, particularly great German Rieslings, are unlike any other wines in the world, with unmatched fruit intensity, striking minerality and remarkable aging potential. Once you’re hooked, you’re hooked, and soon the urge to make your own becomes a fixation. Here are some simple steps to get you there: Find a 500-year old cellar, preferably

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Making Port-Style Wine Kits

FREE

“Port is not for the very young, the vain and the active. It is the comfort of age and the companion of the scholar and the philosopher.” – Evelyn Waugh Drinking Port can

Kegging Wine

FREE

Sparkling wine usually comes packaged in either standard-sized wine bottles (750 mL), half-bottle-sized splits or Magnums, which hold the equivalent of two standard wine bottles. However, less common, larger bottle sizes include

Negative Impacts of Oxygen

MEMBERS ONLY

Positive effects of oxidation? How can that be? Winemakers know that oxygen negatively affects wine and they process wine with the utmost care to prevent oxidation. Two common winemaking practices that have a positive influence are macroaeration and microoxygenation. Both are used in making some of the best reds and whites, evidenced by the rows

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Picking the Proper Wine Yeast: Tips from the Pros

MEMBERS ONLY

Stephen Smith attended wine appreciation classes at Denver University in 1982–84, winemaking seminars at the New Mexico Wine and Vine Society in Albuquerque from 1984 to the present, and extension courses at U.C. Davis (including Table Wine Production, White Wine Production, Wine Filtration and Wine Lab Procedures). He is the owner of Grande River Vineyards

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Delestage Fermentation: Techniques

FREE

As an enophile, I enjoy almost every type and style of wine. However, my true love is — and always has been — big, bold, oak-aged reds, the type built for the

7 Great Wine Kit Tips

FREE

Ah, the wine kit — is there any invention of mankind that has contributed more happiness and pleasure than the simple box of delicious juice, clarifiers, stabilizers and thoughtful, well-written instructions? Well,

The Phenol Phenomenon

MEMBERS ONLY

A saturated, dark-ruby colored, full-bodied wine with a velvety texture and round mouthfeel, oodles of blackberry aromas and oak flavor overtones with just a hint of spiciness, all with a persistent, memorable finish. The young, yet soft and elegant tannins make this wine approachable now but it will improve with time and can last another

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Organic Grape Growing Techniques

MEMBERS ONLY

This chart illustrates the average nutrients removed from soil per acre (rounded off in pounds) in a producing vineyard per year (at 2.5 tons per acre, or about 5 pounds of fruit per plant, at 1,000 plants per acre). Note:  Many backyard soils in the United States provide these nutrients naturally to the vines, year

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Using Fining Agents

FREE

Pesky cloudy wines! Sediments in the bottle! There is nothing more frustrating to home winemakers than a wine that will not clear or that continues to throw sediments in the bottle. Making

Wine Kit First Aid

FREE

You: a happy winemaking citizen, going about your lawful fermentation business, enjoying the marvellous convenience and quality that the wine-kit industry has provided you. Your kit wine: usually a tractable and pleasant

How Sweet It Is: Chaptalization

FREE

Some time ago, I had the pleasure of receiving four sommeliers into my home winery to sample my Cabernet Franc. Three of the four gentlemen were from France, one of them from

It’s Lysozyme Time

FREE

Home winemakers have an important new resource in the ongoing battle against spoilage organisms — it’s called lysozyme. Discovered in the 1920s and used for decades in the pharmaceutical, dairy and cheese

Measuring Residual Sugar

FREE

You are interested in your friend’s opinion on your most recent vintage — most likely a wine you have assessed to be your best ever. You meticulously withdraw a sample and pour

Picking the Right Wine Kit

MEMBERS ONLY

The modern wine kit, with its gleaming plastic bag in a jazzy-looking box, didn’t start out as a miracle of modern technology. Arguably, the first wine kits were actually used in ancient Mesopotamia. People of the first civilization in this area would store a mixture of sprouted, crushed grains and dried dates against future need.

var pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd,pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll=function(){var r=0;return function(n,l){clearInterval(r),r=setInterval(n,l)}}();!function(e,t,n){if(e.getElementById(n)){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd_poll(function(){if(window[‘om_loaded’]){if(!pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd){pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();return pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});}}},25);return;}var d=false,o=e.createElement(t);o.id=n,o.src=”https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js”,o.async=true,o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!d){if(!this.readyState||this.readyState===”loaded”||this.readyState===”complete”){try{d=om_loaded=true;pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd=new OptinMonsterApp();pew2xhgsmha9bodttitd.init({“u”:”37387.821976″,”staging”:0,”dev”:0,”beta”:0});o.onload=o.onreadystatechange=null;}catch(t){}}}};(document.getElementsByTagName(“head”)[0]||document.documentElement).appendChild(o)}(document,”script”,”omapi-script”);

Barrel Care Techniques

FREE

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