Topic: Home Winemaking Stories
Sweet Finnish
FREEWhen a home winemaker moves to Finland and finds that the grape winemaking he has come to know and love isn’t feasible there, he turns to the next best thing . . . berry winemaking. Now he is making waves on a global scale.
Story Behind The Label
FREEWe saw a lot of cool looking amateur wine labels in our 2023 label contest but nothing quite as unique as these. Check out these labels from Chateau Hetsakais.
High Rows, Full Hearts
FREEWineMaker’s Associate Publisher Kiev Rattee traveled to a friend’s vineyard to help with the most recent harvest. There is something magical about being part of a team helping pick the grapes that will become our treasured vinous beverage.
U.S. Tasting Team
FREEOctober 2022, a team of four super wine-tasting women (who are also amateur winemakers) traveled to Champagne, France, along with their coach to compete against over 30 teams from various countries in order to find out who the best wine tasters are.
The Fruit of the Vine: Winemaking in Israel
FREEConsidered one of the great wine regions back in the days when Phoenicians ruled the Mediterranean Sea, Israel is seeing a big comeback in recent decades. Get the scoop on the burgeoning commercial and hobby scene in this holy land.
A Professional Hobby: Making wine in a dry county
FREEWhen a young hobby winemaker finds out it is illegal to make wine at home in her city and county, she takes the next obvious step: She gets laws changed and starts her own commercial winery.
Boysenberry Wine: My “out-of-season” winemaking adventures
FREEA winemaker and his brother team up to create a boysenberry wine. Join along on their adventure to crafting the perfect summer sipper.
Making Muratina Wine
FREEA group of wine lovers in Kenya turned to traditional winemaking when the world around them slowed to a crawl and imports of wines from Europe and the U.S. nearly stopped. Check out the story of muratina wine — a wine made from a potentially poisonous fruit.
Gold Anniversary: Celebrating 50 years of fine winemaking
FREEFifty years ago a hobby winemaker decided to “go pro” by opening his own home winemaking supply shop. To attract customers, he started a winemaking club. The Purple Foot Wine Club is still going strong and wants to raise a toast to mark the occasion.
Spit Or Swallow? Health benefits from spitting wine
FREEOne reader who is also a medical doctor discusses the potential health benefits of wine tasters who swish and spit their wines. It may be one of the healthiest things you can do . . . but that doesn’t mean he abides by the spitting aspect.
Versatile Vino: Using wine in other hobbies
FREEThere is so much more you can do with wine than simply drinking it. Bob Peak walks readers through several side projects winemakers can perform starting with their homemade wines to create other items of interest.
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.
Save The Wine! An endurance challenge
FREEWinemakers are known to sacrifice a lot in their pursuit to craft a quality wine. One winemaker found herself faced with an endurance challenge worthy of the show “Survivor” in order to save her babies (wines).
Rosehip Wine: My crown of thorns
FREEA common sight in the coastal communities throughout the northeastern part of the U.S. and Canada, rugosa roses produce a rosehip that is commonly made into jam. One adventurous spirit opted to try making wine with it.
Master of Technology: Tips for taking your club virtual
FREEEveryone misses in-person wine events and club meetings. However, the rise of virtual event and gathering platforms comes with some unique benefits. One winemaking club offers advice to other clubs after a year of hosting virtual events and fun, virtual get-togethers.
The Cozzarelli Legacy: A family steeped in winemaking
FREETwenty years ago his dad was featured here in the pages of WineMaker magazine. But now that he has joined the ranks of home winemakers it’s his turn to talk about his drive to make his own wine.
The Leaker: An old friend comes back
MEMBERS ONLYPort wines are famous for being able to last for decades, even centuries. But what about a failing country fruit wine that a winemaker tries to save by fortifying it? Here is a story of being reunited with such a wine 36 years later.
Competitions Help WineMakers
FREEHaving your wines judged at a competition can provide meaningful feedback, although it may not always make you feel great about your skills when the comments are critical. One man polled his winemaking club to get their feedback about entering wine competitions.
Zoom, Zoom: Winemaking club meetings go virtual!
FREEShelter-in-place orders have been a challenge for many folks. But one winemaking club has found a way to keep their meetings going while being socially responsible. Welcome to the age of the virtual club.
Ferment It All! Attack of the Juicy Juice boxes
FREEWhat would you do if your kids brought home Juicy Juice boxes every day, but never drank them? One man decided to ferment it all!
The Forbidden Fruit: Making wine in Iran
FREEMany of us in the Western Hemisphere can take wine and winemaking for granted. But for those folks living under extreme Islamic law, the consequences of being caught with it can be dire. But one Iranian man isn’t going to be deterred.
Story Behind The Label
FREEFeatured in the February-March 2023 issue: Kent Nienaber • Ham Lake, Minnesota Our Love Sick Marquette label was born out of a difficult situation that arose during COVID. In early September of 2021,
Conference Comrades: Chance meeting leads to a lasting friendship
FREEWhen hundreds of people with a similar passion converge in one place, it’s not surprising that new friendships are forged. Such was the case with several winemakers finding each other at the annual WineMaker Conference.
United We Wine: Generations connect though the grapevine
MEMBERS ONLYWinemaking roots can run deep in some families and those roots can often get intertwined. The Walker family from Connecticut shares their appreciation of how their roots have ties to several other winemakers near and far.
When Life Gives You Lemons: Making wine from an invasive plant
MEMBERS ONLYAn invasive cactus plant native to the Americas has caused decades of massive economic hardships for many pastoralists of Kenya. Explore how one permaculturalist turned this scourge of the region into a nascent wine industry.