Article

Understanding Bentonite, Refractometers vs. Hydrometers, and Mellowing A Big Wine

Most folks I talk to say that sodium bentonite and calcium bentonite are interchangeable in winemaking.

Wine-wizard

Chlorine In My Wine

Article

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.

Article

Wine Press Mold Growth and Magnesium Sulfate Vineyard Sprays

It’s very possible this mold bloom was caused by a change in the weather or a change in your cellar environment.

Wine-wizard

Dealing With High Brix Grapes

Wine-wizard

Is Potassium Sorbate In A Port Necessary?

Article

First-Time Barrel Soaking, Wine Flower and High Brix Grapes

It is entirely normal for the first soaking of a barrel to produce a dark-colored water.

Article

Sniffing The Cork, Screwcap Closures and the Facts About Wine Headaches

Interestingly, a cork may smell “tainted” and the wine below it might be just fine, or, better said the wine in the bottle may be below

Wine-wizard

The Facts About Wine Headaches

Wine-wizard

Screwcap Closures

Wine-wizard

Sniffing The Cork

Article

What’s This? and Calculating Proper Yeast Pitching

To quote one of my favorite UC-Davis professors, the newly-retired Dr. Linda Bisson, “No human pathogen can survive in wine.”