WineMaker Magazine

Jan 10, 2025 | winemakermag.com | Sam Lee

Woodworking and winemaking go together in my cellar, so when I have the opportunity to combine the two, I jump at it. This story started with a gift from a good friend for helping him make some wine. For my time and effort, he thanked me with a beautiful 5-liter (1.3-gallon) oak barrel. I used the barrel for aging wine in for years and when I took it out of service, I couldn’t throw it away.

Nov 11, 2024 | winemakermag.com | Clark Smith

Readers of my books and columns who are making wine at home are sometimes frustrated that technologies I discuss such as flash détente, electrodialysis, and micro-oxygenation are not available to small-scale winemaking, and perhaps never will be. Yet there are many recent advances that are a boon to the micro-practitioner. Some are exclusively suited to small production and do not scale up for the large commercial industry.

Sep 10, 2024 | winemakermag.com | Kristen Kuchar

While winemaking can certainly be a great activity on your own, there are many benefits to seeking out and joining an amateur winemaking club. Meeting fellow enthusiastic winemakers not only couples a fun and social element to winemaking, but it can even improve your craft and make you a better winemaker. Clubs offer members valuable learning experiences, advice, and beneficial feedback from other members, and even access to shared equipment or bulk ingredient purchases to help out your budget.

Mar 11, 2024 | winemakermag.com | Clark Smith

Some consider Brettanomyces a spoilage yeast. Some consider it the heart of the great wines of Bordeaux. Truthfully, it’s probably both. I studied Brettanomyces for my master’s thesis at UC-Davis in the early ‘80s, so I’ve got quite a bit of information to share, hopefully some fresh and new. Before we dig into the impact it plays on wine and how to control it, let’s first explore variability in Brettanomyces, beginning with the diversity in morphology that confounds microscopy.

Mar 11, 2024 | winemakermag.com | Brian McCarthy

I have used Grenache in my home winemaking in the past for rosé and as a blending grape with Syrah. Used in blends, it has always seemed to enliven the mouthfeel and acidity of the wine, and has been perfect for rosé. I became enraptured with the idea of using Grenache exclusively for one year’s production in 2022 as a way to explore its versatility as white, rosé, and red wines (both varietal and blended with Syrah).