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Letters to the (My) Editor
Cursive, foiled again! I get letters and emails now and again from readers who, for reasons of floccinaucinihilipilification, wish to discuss my opinions or ideas expressed in an article. Fair game, I...
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Blend Like a Super Tuscan
Happy February, Winemakers! Blending sounds so easy in theory — and really if you’re just playing around it is. Add a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Taste. Taste again. Maybe taste a few...
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Sorbate Source
Another week, another question from an astute reader: Tim I have been reading some websites that say potassium sorbate should not be added to dry red wines. I am exclusively a kit maker of primarily...
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Jack and the Vine Stock Living Mulch Larger in Life with Proper Treatments
Outside the vines have been growing like they were kin to Jack’s famous bean stalks. Despite being concerned about the clover taking over and impacting the vines, they have been so vigorous that I...
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Winemaking: More Than Just Taking Up Space
My winemaking area--nothing like a 200 s/f unused bathroom for ease-of-use. Have you noticed the one glaring blank spot in the instructions for most wine kits? They contain detailed steps for making a...
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Winemaking Via Facebook
As of late I have been thinking about the learning process I went through, and continue to go through, in my home winemaking hobby. When I got “the bug” back in 2008, I read every print book and...
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Second Season
I wanted to write at least briefly about Southern Hemisphere grapes in time to give readers a chance to take advantage of the timing. Now that you have invested in some equipment and last fall’s...
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Time to Prune?
Each year the decision of when to prune is very important in any vineyard. It is even more important here in the Northeast, where weather patterns can be very varied from year to year. This past winter...
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Getting Ready for Competition
With the April-May issue of WineMaker out the door (and hopefully in your home by now), the work at the WineMaker offices in Manchester Center, Vermont is getting even busier. It’s at this time each...
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Readers Write: Sweet Oak
Ray not actually pictured. He does not own a lion. An excellent question from the mailbag this week. Ray V, from the Internet writes: I read your blog about oak and was a little surprised to...
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Commercial Wine Tastings
“We don’t charge winemakers for tastings.” I’ll admit I had heard that sentence before in the Finger Lakes of New York, but here the speaker was at Preston Vineyards in Sonoma County, California. Along...
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Time to Prune?
Each year the decision of when to prune is very important in any vineyard. It is even more important here in the Northeast, where weather patterns can be very varied from year to year. This past winter...
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Local. Simple. Cheap.
These for me are good words. It’s no secret that my wife and I like to travel to far away wine regions to sample and learn but there is much to be gained closer to home. We are lucky enough to have...
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Promises of a New Vintage
As I walk around my home vineyard this year there is a sense of calmness. The vines look extremely healthy with no semblance of disease or pest attack. The various varieties are at different levels of...
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So Many Choices
Unless you confine your winemaking to kits, you will confront a dizzying array of choices in the winemaking hobby. They will affect your timing, technique, and materials. I have decided to make dry...
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The Aesthetic Validity of Grape Stomping
I like technology, I really do. When the catalogs come out with the new equipment, I will be as enthusiastic as the next home winemaker. I’ve processed grapes with both manual and electric...
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A Sparkling Experiment
One of the best things about home winemaking is the ability to think out of the box and experiment. Last year I made my first sparkling wine utilizing the traditional Champagne method. This is a...
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Concord has a place
Why do so many “wine experts” hate the Concord grape variety for making wine? As of recent, I have heard from a number of commercial winemakers and wine shop sales people that Concord wine isn't good....
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Church Wine
Sometimes a combination that seems unlikely (like churches and winemaking) results in a great outcome. Consider the Men’s Club of Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga, California. An important activity is...
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Attending the Eastern Winery Expo
An important part of a home vintner’s education comes from speaking with other winemakers. The upcoming Winemaker Magazine Conference in the Finger Lakes wine region attracts amateur winemakers as...
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