Topic: New-to-WineMaking
Cellaring Bottled Wine for Beginners
Aging bottled wine properly is key to let certain wine styles to fully develop. Make sure the conditions you are providing are right.
Dry Rosé Production
Dry, crisp rosé wines hold a special place in a lot of wine lovers’ hearts, as a well-made version can be a thing of beauty. Learn some of the key components to producing one yourself.
Crushing It
Learn about several grape crushing options, the equipment that can be used, and the processes available to fresh grape winemakers.
Making Berry Wines
As the temperatures climb during the summer months, trees, bushes, and other perennials teeming with berries are aplenty. Get some tips on making berry wines.
Keys to Making Red Wine
If you’re a beginner planning on making a batch of red wine, here are some keys components to hone in on before you dive in.
Let’s Start Making Wine
Are you or a friend new to the hobby of winemaking? Don’t worry — WineMaker’s Technical Editor Bob Peak is here to explain the basics of making wine from grapes, juices, and kits.
Lees, Sur Lie Aging, and Bâttonage
Learn about the lees that we find in wine and how we can use them to our advantage.
Volatile Acidity Basics
It’s a dirty phrase in most winemaking circles, but volatile acidity is found in all wine and having a little can actually add complexity to a wine. Get the scoop on volatile acidity.
Stone Fruit Wines
Also known as drupes, stone fruits offer some advantages over some other types of fruit for making wine. Learn some basics of making stone fruit wines.
Prepping Wine For Competition
If you’ve got a wine aging in your cellar you would like unbiased, expert opinions on, then entering it in a competition for judging is one of the best options. Get some pointers for getting the best feedback.
Understanding the Basics of pH Meters
pH meters are a crucial piece of testing equipment for winemakers looking to take their hobby to the next level. Learn some basics of why, how, and when.
Put Some Sparkle In Your Wines
There are several techniques a home winemaker can create bubbles for their wine. Learn about the methods for crafting a sparkling wine of your own.
Advice For A Beginning Winemaker
Winemaking 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
Honey-Based Wines
The 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.
The Alcohols
Ethanol may be the most prominent and well-known alcohol in wine, but it is not the only one to play a large role in a wine’s character. Learn about the various alcohols in wine.
The ABC’s of MLF
If you make your own wine, no matter what kind, the concept of malolactic fermentation (MLF) should be well embedded in your mind. Learn some of the basics of MLF.
The Role Of Nitrogen in Winemaking
Learn about the fundamentals of nitrogen levels in your winemaking as well as how, when, and what additions are needed
The Basics Of Racking Wine
Review some basic concepts of transferring your wine and ways you can improve your process to better your wine.
Grape Skins: Start to finish
Grape skins can be one of the most important components when creating some wines, while being detrimental to others. Scratch the surface of grape skins in this piece.
Oak Yeah!? When and why to add oak to wine
Adding oak to a wine can add an amazing depth of character or it can detract from the fruit. Learn some keys to managing the oak in your wine.
The Importance of Temperature Control in Winemaking
Not properly controlling the temperature of your grapes, must, juice, or wine can have lasting impacts. Learn when and how to take control.
Getting Closure: Corkers and Cork Sizing
Learn about the various factors that affect a home winemaker’s decision when choosing cork size and corkers.
Corks & Closures
Learn about your cork and closure options when it comes to bottling
Grape Expectations
Having trouble trying to commit to starting into the hobby world, or looking for next steps in your journey into winemaker. We’ve got a few suggestions for those folks.
Backsweetening
Not all wines can or should be backsweetened, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn the process. Find out the basics of backsweetening.