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Wine Wizard

I have added some complexity by blending different kits and using French wood barrels, but I haven’t resolved the tannin issue…

Bringing up tannins I have been making wine kits for three years and want to boost complexity and tannin levels. I have added some complexity by blending different kits and using French


In order to grow healthy grape vine root systems should I remove the first buds?

Nip in the bud? I purchased and planted a few Nero d’Avola vines last December and have been carefully taking care of them ever since. I read that in order for the


I am a wine lover, but unfortunately I have an intolerance to yeast…

Yeast-free wine? I am a wine lover, but unfortunately I have an intolerance to yeast. Is there a yeast-free or low-yeast wine? John via email Though I’m no medical doctor (I limit


As the weather warmed in May 2007, several of the wines in my basement started working again…

MLF malfunction As the weather warmed in May 2007, several of the wines in my basement started working again, similar in appearance to a MLF fermentation. I also noticed renewed fermentation in


I bottled an Amarone from juice about six months ago and opened a bottle last night and it has become carbonated…

What’s with the fizz? I bottled an Amarone from juice about six months ago. I have been trying it every couple of months to see how it is coming along. I opened


pH of Non-Grape Wines

It seems like you already have the acidity-adjusting situation well in hand — this is often one of the areas in which non-grape wines meet their downfall. As you already have realized,


Screw Cap Recycling

What you describe, reusing commercial screwcap wine bottles for subsequent bottlings, is something no commercial winery would ever do. Once the cap is twisted off and the threads detach (the “clicking” sound


Visual Signs of MLF

Great question. MLF (malolactic fermentation) can be a bit confusing for some because it’s called a “fermentation” but it’s certainly not as active, visible, smell-able and in your face as your primary


Where do wineries buy high quality bottles from and is it possible to get my hands on a few cases?

Bottle quest I have a few batches of wine under my belt. I have been plagued with either cheap, flat bottom bottles or stuck collecting and cleaning out empties. Where do wineries


I have a batch of 2006 Chardonnay that tasted flabby so I had it tested for pH and TA…

High pH and Low TA in a Chardonnay I have a batch of 2006 Chardonnay that has completed primary and secondary fermentation. It tasted flabby so I had it tested for pH


Are any of the direct hybrids suitable for hot and dry climates?

Grape varieties for dry climates I live in an area that gets about 10” of rain a year. I have read that Grenache and Mourvèdre do well in hot and dry climates


We’ve all heard of comments about sulfites causing headaches…

Shellfish and chitosan We’ve all heard of comments about sulfites or phenolic compounds causing headaches, but I use chitosan and kielsosol for clarifying agents. Chitosan is made from shellfish byproducts — could


I’m interested in cold filtering to obtain alcohol-free wine…

Ethanol exclusion I’m interested in cold filtering to obtain alcohol-free wine. How is this done and what equipment is needed?  Lloyd Duncan via email Alcohol removal remains a relatively infrequent process in


Some of our wine turned from still to sparkling…

Sparkling to still? Some of our wine turned from still to sparkling. Can we change it back to still at this point? Will nitrogen sparging take care of it or do we


I have had rosé and white wines with very low levels of CO2

Many of our readers may not be aware that, indeed, for some wine styles and types, we winemakers actually add residual carbon dioxide gas (CO2) before bottling. A tiny bit of sub-threshold


I make mostly sweet fruit wines; what is the best yeast?

Choosing yeast I am new to the art of winemaking and have come to realize that there are many varieties of yeast available. I make mostly sweet fruit wines such as strawberry,


The TA and pH kits that I have seen are quite unreliable…

Barrel tests Can you tell me what I really need to handle one to one and a half barrels of juice annually? The TA and pH kits that I have seen are


Will I ruin my wine by reusing corks removed from other wine bottles with a corkscrew?

Reusing corks? Will I ruin my wine by reusing corks removed from other wine bottles with a corkscrew? Jim Small Sultan, Washington There’s a simple answer to this question — you just


I am seeking an organic means to raise pH. Any suggestions?

Raising pH the natural way I am seeking an organic means to raise pH. Any suggestions? Jim Romano Carrollton, Texas The most “organic,” natural way to raise the pH of your wine


I have a half ton of Merlot… that seems to be getting some volatile acidity…

Short answer (and it might work if your volatile acidity (VA) level is low enough, say, under 0.55 g/L, depending on your sensory threshold) is to bump up your free SO2 and


I am using Flextanks and oak chips for my wine and am really liking the results…

Like you I find oak pieces (segments, beans and sometimes chips) are a great way to practice elevage (aging and development) with small lots that won’t fit into a 60-gallon (227-L) barrel


I have made quite a few reds and all of them have come out well, except the kits that I received from my friend.

Compromised kits? A friend of mine gave me quite a few wine kits. All of the white wines have come out very good, but the reds are a different story. The reds


What would you recommend to make my wine clear, please?

Clarifying elderflower wine I made some elderflower wine last year and have now decanted it into bottles. It is very cloudy. What would you recommend to make it clear, please? Huw M.


A week in I realized that I forgot to put water in my airlock…

Empty airlock I am new to making homemade wine and I recently started my own batch of Pinot Grigio. A week in I realized that I forgot to put water in my


I’ve been frustrated with the use of Clinitest tablets for measuring…

Testing troubles I’ve been frustrated with the use of Clinitest tablets for measuring the end point or final dryness in my homemade wine and have been wondering and reading about the use