Topic: Troubleshooting
Dealing With Volatile Acidity
MEMBERS ONLYNot knowing any more information than you give above, it’s tough to make specific recommendations so I’ll start with the general ones. Whenever you suspect VA (volatile acidity, or the production of
Testing for MLF Completion
MEMBERS ONLYIn the old days we would use paper chromatography to monitor the completion of malolactic fermentation (MLF). We dotted little drips of the sample wine, along with liquid standards of malic and
Detecting, Measuring, and Preventing Volatile Acidity
MEMBERS ONLYYou’ve worked long and hard to craft that awesome red wine but now, you go down to the cellar to taste a sample out of the carboy or oak barrel to see
Vineyard Queries: A Year of Questions and Answers
MEMBERS ONLYThis past year brought challenges and rewards for home vineyardists — and also a lot of questions for our vineyard expert Wes Hagen.
Troubleshooting Guide for Home Winemaking
MEMBERS ONLYA perfect stranger wanting to strike up a conversation about winemaking once came up to me and said, “Making wine is really easy. Don’t believe anyone who says otherwise.” Making wine is
Can Lysozyme Arrest MLF?
MEMBERS ONLYIn my day job in Napa, California (as Winemaker for Garnet Vineyards as well as other consulting projects) I bottle plenty of “partial ML” Chardonnay every year and love the style. In
Understanding Oxygen and Oxidation in Winemaking
MEMBERS ONLYAs budding winemakers, one important principle we heed is protecting juice (must) and wine from oxygen’s baneful effects. But then we learn that yeast needs a “little” oxygen for a good fermentation,
Soapy Taste In Wine
MEMBERS ONLYThough tough to define as it can smell different to everyone, there is unfortunately no wine lab analysis panel you can run that says, “Yessir, you’ve got an over-abundance of Ivory Soap
Volatile Acidity
FREEAn introduction into volatile acidity (VA) and how to avoid it.
Choosing Corks and Wine Closures
MEMBERS ONLYAs I walked about the roomful of wine following April’s WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition judging, I was reminded of how little thought is given to closures. Winemaking problems notwithstanding, this could
Higher Alcohol Off-Odors in Wine
MEMBERS ONLYDid you ever create a wine that seemed more viscous than your typical wine, or which may have exhibited heavier fruity odors, or perhaps a solvent-like smell? The culprits may well be
Stuck Fermentations
FREEUnfortunately, there are hundreds of possible causes of stuck and sluggish fermentations, and sometimes, even after careful investigation, we still can never understand what the cause may have been. With Mother Nature
Top 10 Winemaking Myths
MEMBERS ONLYAs in many fields — health promoting and weight-loss diets come to mind — that have grown from unfounded beliefs and around traditions, with newfound scientific knowledge proving or disproving long-held theories,
Fermentation Troubleshooting with Wine Kits
MEMBERS ONLYThe failure rate of wine made from kits is very low. Looking back at my database for the last 14 years and eliminating the weirder stuff (you simply would not believe how
Gum Arabic: Winemaking’s Secret Weapon
MEMBERS ONLYGum arabic can do so many great things for your wines, from improving mouthfeel, making a thin wine taste fuller bodied, rounding out rough edges of grape tannins, increasing persistence of bubbles
Make Your Own Red Wine Aroma Sensory Kit
MEMBERS ONLYImprove your ability to pick out aromas in a glass of wine with the use of an aroma kit. There are many wine aroma kits available but most cost well above $100;
Grape Growing Q&A
MEMBERS ONLYGrape growing questions answered!
Using Outside Labs to Run Analysis Tests on your Wine
MEMBERS ONLYThere is lots of information out there about how to run various juice and wine analytical procedures at home if you want to do that. If you do not want to run
Tannin Additions in Wine Kits
MEMBERS ONLYYou might not achieve perfection on the first try, but it’s certain that changing up your game can make a huge difference to your finished kit wine. What kind of difference? You
Oxidation in Winemaking
MEMBERS ONLYThe early signs of oxidation are orange to brown colors developing in your wine. In white wine, the same exact wine (pictured above) can go from white (left) to brown (right) if
When Life Gives You Limes Make Wine
MEMBERS ONLYVery, very interesting. I have to say that the zest of 21 limes for three gallons (11 L) of liquid seems like a lot of lime-y-ness to me! I can only imagine
Oxygen Reduction in Winemaking
MEMBERS ONLYOxidation gets a lot of attention in winemaking — and it should! WineMaker magazine has covered oxidation issues from several different angles over the past few years. While some presence of oxygen
Moldy Odor In My Wines
MEMBERS ONLYWould you be surprised to know that you may be doing absolutely nothing wrong? Even though you tried to sanitize your corks (assuming you are using natural corks and not artificial corks)
Restart Stuck Fermentations
MEMBERS ONLYAll home winemakers wish — and strive — for fermentations that go smoothly and completely to the desired finish, usually dry wine. When things go wrong, a frequent problem is a stuck
Brettanomyces
MEMBERS ONLYIf you’ve ever tasted a wine that had a funky “barnyard” quality to it, you already know what Brettanomyces can do. Find out how to prevent it in your home winery.