2021 WM FEBRUARY-MARCH

MASTERING

RED BLENDS

TECHNIQUES & TIPS TO MAKE YOUR NEXT RED WINE BLEND YOUR BEST ONE YET

GIVE YOUR BARRELS A SECOND LIFE

UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF THIOLS IN YOUR WINE

MELON: A FRENCH GRAPE WITH MANY NAMES

28 FINDING THE RIGHT CLOSURE

After dedicating as much time as we do making a batch of wine, the final step of putting a closure on the bottle can’t be overlooked. There are many options from natural, agglomerated, colmated, and synthetic corks, to screw caps, to name a few. Learn the pros of each option to ensure you find the right closure to fit your next batch of bottles.

by Dominick Profaci

34 LIFESPAN OF A WINE BARREL

Wine barrels are constantly changing. Each time it is filled, a barrel will lose some characteristics and, eventually after enough uses, it will go neutral. How you use a barrel should change over time also.

by Bob Peak

42 BETTER TOGETHER

The goal of blending wine should be to add new flavors and create a wine that has more complexity and balance than the base wines from which the blend is made. Longtime winemaker Pat Henderson shares advice on how to create the perfect red wine blend.

by Pat Henderson

50 THE ROLE OF VARIETAL THIOLS IN WHITE WINES

Volatile thiols are delicate but powerful aromatic compounds released during fermentation. Through careful techniques and yeast selection, these thiols can be both preserved and enhanced to create an aromatic wine that pleases the senses.

by Gian Pietro Carrozza

departments

8 MAIL

A reader asks if there’s a way to lower the alcohol of a wine kit in order to make a sparkling wine. Plus, a retired scientist shares that his appreciation for wine has grown after reading about the science involved in creating each bottle.

10 CELLAR

DWELLERS

One reader emailed us with a technique he has been refining for the last five years, something he calls “No Press Winemaking.” Learn about it along with the fundamentals of nitrogen levels in your winemaking and read up on the latest news, products, and events in the winemaking world.

14 TIPS FROM THE PROS

Three North American winemakers share their best advice for blending red Italian varieties that are often lesser known and less common in the New World.

16 WINE WIZARD

Not everyone loves a buttery Chardonnay but for those that seek out this characteristic the Wine Wizard has some sage fermentation advice to achieve buttery bliss. Also, one reader wonders about adding pectic enzymes in a red wine and another is perplexed by the numbers in his recently purchased juice.

20 VARIETAL FOCUS

More commonly associated by the wine it produces, Melon de Bourgogne is the grape varietal behind Muscadet wines and the sur lie aging technique. But its mystique doesn’t stop there. Learn more about this old grape varietal known by many names.

54 TECHNIQUES

Scaling up to larger and larger sized batches of wine may save money because of bulk buying, but new equipment will become necessary at some point. Bob Peak runs through considerations winemakers need to ponder for crushing, pressing, and fermenting larger-scale batches.

57 ADVANCED WINEMAKING

It’s hard not to find appeal in the aromatics of a tropical fruit or floral Sauvignon Blanc or hints of vanilla, citrus, and caramel in a Chardonnay. But the road to get to those aromas takes vastly different paths. Alex Russan helps readers navigate the maze winemakers can take to maximize their white wine aromatics.

64 DRY FINISH

Everyone misses in-person wine events and club meetings. However, the rise of virtual event and gathering platforms comes with some unique benefits. One winemaking club offers advice to other clubs after a year of hosting virtual events and fun, virtual get-togethers.

EDITOR

Dawson Raspuzzi

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Dave Green

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Open Look

TECHNICAL EDITOR

Bob Peak

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Chik Brenneman, Alison Crowe

Dominick Profaci, Wes Hagen

Bob Peak, Alex Russan

Jeff Shoemaker, Gene Spaziani

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Jim Woodward, Chris Champine

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Charles A. Parker, Les Jörgensen

EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD

Steve Bader Bader Beer and Wine Supply

Chik Brenneman Baker Family Wines

John Buechsenstein Wine Education & Consultation

Mark Chandler Chandler & Company

Wine Consultancy

Kevin Donato Cultured Solutions

Pat Henderson About Wine Consulting

Ed Kraus EC Kraus

Maureen Macdonald Hawk Ridge Winery

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The white grapes I work with are Vitis labrusca and get fermented on the skins. By the time I press them the pectic enzyme and fermentation has softened them up pretty well releasing the juice fairly easily. Fermenting on the skins yields a grapey, delicious wine that clears wonderfully with an excellent light straw color.

I once worked with a cellar master who had “perfected” his own assay for determining the success of a press cycle: Before dumping the press, scoop out two handfuls of pomace and mold them together into a snowball the size of a grapefruit. With all your might, slam it down on the dry concrete, stand on it with your cellar boot, and twirl your body 360°. Kick it aside and examine the wet spot. If the wetness exceeded the diameter of the squished pomace ball with visible wetness, close up and press one more time. If the wet spot equaled the diameter, judgment call but probably done. If the wet spot was scant and dryish to the touch, YOU’RE DONE!! Break time :)

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Sur Lie Aging & Bâttonage

Feel like that wine you racked after a week of fermentation last fall is a little thin, or is lacking aromatic complexity? The next time you make a batch of a similar wine you may want to consider aging sur lie. https://winemakermag. com/article/sur-lie-battonage

MEMBERS ONLY

Oak Barrel Care Tips

Owning your own oak barrel can yield great rewards when handled properly. We asked the advice of professionals that know what it takes to care for a new barrel and keep them in tip-top shape for years of successful winemaking with them. https://winemakermag.com/arti cle/oak-barrel-care-tips-from-the-pros

Corkers and Cork Sizing

All contents of WineMaker are Copyright © 2021 by Battenkill Communications, unless otherwise noted. WineMaker is a registered trademark owned by Battenkill Communications, a Vermont corporation. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be returned, and no responsibility can be assumed for such material. All “Letters to the Editor” should be sent to the editor at the Vermont office address. All rights in letters sent to WineMaker will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and subject to WineMaker’s unrestricted right to edit. Although all reasonable attempts are made to ensure accuracy, the publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions anywhere in the publication. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed in the United States of America. Volume 24, Number 2: April-May 2021

Corks come in a variety of material and sizes and the tool you use to fit the cork into a wine bottle depends largely on your cork type. Make sure you are using the right tool in order to get the job done properly. https://winemaker mag.com/article/getting-closurecorkers-and-cork-sizing

MEMBERS ONLY

Maximizing Wine Aroma

Aromatics are central to the wine experience and there is no one right way to maximize a wine’s aroma . . . you must first understand where they originate. Once there, then you can start to fine-tune your technique. https://winemakermag. com/article/maximizing-wine-aroma

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* For full access to members’ only content and hundreds of pages of winemaking articles, techniques and troubleshooting, sign up for a 14-day free trial membership at winemakermag.com

What’s your secret to pressing to get the most from your white wine grapes?

LOWERING ALCOHOL IN WINE KITS

Hello, I was wondering if there is a way to modify alcohol by volume to 10–11% for wine kits, like for example Winexpert Chile Sauvignon Blanc or Winexpert Spain Tempranillo red wine instead of following the kit’s ABV instructions, which is a little high for sparkling wine usage?

Jesse Garza • via email

Great question! To get the best answer we passed this question along to WineMaker review board member and Technical Services Coordinator for Global Vintners Inc. Gail Tufford. Here’s what she had to say: “This is tricky. We’ve done sparkling experiments and always ferment <0.996. You could try bottling at 1.010 as a bench trial, but results are not guaranteed. Adding extra water to lower the ABV is not recommended as this will throw off the balance of the wine. It is also important to remember to use bottles that can withstand pressure and only sparkling or Champagne bottles, stoppers, and wire cages when making sparkling wines. The pressure buildup can pop corks and shatter bottles. Make sure to discard the stabilizer packet included in the kit or there will be no secondary fermentation.”

DISGORGING KEY FOR SPARKLING WINE

I make sparkling wine at home and I enjoyed reading the tips from Andrew Rockwell featured in “Sparkling Wines: Tips from the Pros” in the February-March 2019 issue. Andrew had the following comment in his tips: “They do make a special bottle opener with a handle and curved neck just for hand disgorging. It is a tool worth investing in if one plans to home disgorge.” A tool like this would help make the disgorgement process much easier. Can you inform me where I can purchase this disgorgement tool? Thanks much for your help.

Dallas Wiesner • via email

Andrew Rockwell, Production Winemaker at Sparkling Pointe, responds: “It’s called a disgorging tool or disgorging key. A Google search will yield some options. Here is one link I found https://crush2cellar.com/ laffort-disgorging-key-disgorgingkey. Looks like that one is supplied by Laffort, a good supplier of enology products. It might be worth it to contact them directly to try and get one but I can’t promise they stock it. If you call them and they do stock it that would be who I would suggest getting it from.”

Bob Peak is a recently retired partner of The Beverage People Inc., a home winemaking and homebrewing shop in Santa Rosa, California. Before The Beverage People, he was the General Manager at Vinquiry, a company that provides analytical services to the wine industry. Bob has authored the “Techniques” column that runs in every issue since 2013, frequently writes feature stories, and has been the Technical Editor of WineMaker since 2017. He is also a frequent speaker at the annual WineMaker Magazine Conference.

Starting on page 34 Bob details the lifespan of a wine barrel from swelling before the first use until it is finally time to retire it. He also shares advice for crushing, pressing, and fermenting larger batches in his “Techniques” column that starts on page 54.

Gian Pietro Carrozza is a wine writer and high school teacher of agricultural chemistry in the hills around Lucca (Tuscany), in a DOC (denomination of origin) wine zone called “Colline Lucchesi” (Lucca’s hills), boasting a centuries-long tradition of winemaking. He holds a degree in agricultural sciences from Pise University. In 2017 he had two books published — Il Vino Al Naturale (in Italian) and Italian Terroir and Winemaking (in English). He has also authored numerous papers on winemaking. As a teacher, he has been making red and white wine with his students (age 14–19) for more than 30 years, annually making about 185 gallons (700 L) of red wine and about 130 gallons (500 L) of white wine. Students grow the grapes in a vineyard of about 1.5 acres that include international and local varieties.

In this issue, Gian Pietro investigates the role of thiols in white wines, beginning on page 50.

Pat Henderson started out as a home winemaker in the early 1980s and graduated from UC-Davis with a bachelor’s degree in viticulture and enology in 1985. Previously he has been Chief Winemaker for Kenwood Vineyards (Kenwood, California), Valley of the Moon Winery (Sonoma, California), and Hedges Cellars (Benton City, Washington). He currently works as a winemaking consultant (https:// aboutwineconsulting.com) and wine educator in Sonoma Valley, teaching winemaking classes for UC-Davis Extension and Santa Rosa Junior College. He has also co-authored of the book About Wine; a textbook on wine for culinary students.

Pat learned how to blend wines from one of the founders of Kenwood Vineyards when he was fresh out of college. After decades of practice, Pat shares his best advice for blending red wines, starting on page 42.

A SERENDIPITOUS FIND

I am a retired scientist who has always enjoyed wine. The more I know about a wine: The grape(s), country, winery, year, etc., the more pleasurable is my sipping experience. I also love to read about wine. It seems most books available at bookstores like Barnes & Noble are geared towards a non-scientific community. It was a stroke of luck when I received a notice that I had points expiring and was given an offer to choose some magazines. Knowing nothing about WineMaker other than the title, I fortunately chose your magazine. It is the only magazine that I read cover-to-cover. It has peaked my chemistry background and renewed my interest in learning about the winemaking process. Naturally, gaining this knowledge will increase my enjoyment when buying and drinking wine. Thank you for your magazine, and please thank your authors for me. I look forward to reading WineMaker for years to come.

Bill Houck • via email

Thanks for the positive feedback, Bill. So happy you serendipitously stumbled upon WineMaker. It’s always a bit of a surprise to hear from readers who enjoy the magazine but don’t actually make their own wine, but we couldn’t agree more that drinking wine becomes even more enjoyable if you know about the science and hard work that goes into making that bottle being poured into your glass. Watch out, though. You wouldn’t be the first person who picked up a copy of WineMaker out of curiosity to learn more about the wine they are

PARDO WINE GRAPES

drinking and shortly thereafter find themselves making their first batch! When that time comes, we’ve got your back!

LYSOZYME

After reading “It’s Lysozyme Time” (https://winemakermag.com/ technique/407-its-lysozyme-time) I have a question about a product. Is lysozyme the same as Lallzyme EX-V?

Jack Ward • via email

WineMaker Technical Editor and chemistry wiz Bob Peak responds: “No, Lallzyme EX-V is not lysozyme. Lallzyme EX-V is a pectinase enzyme product with cellulase and hemi-cellulase side activity.” Lallemand formerly produced a liquid lysozyme product called Lyso-easy, but that product has been discontinued. Scott Laboratories carries a granular lysozyme product called Lysovin that is produced by Fordras of Switzerland.”

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO WINEMAKER

Do you have a question or comment about something you’ve read in the pages of WineMaker magazine or online at winemakermag.com, or a story or idea to share? Send your letters, photos, story ideas, and projects to edit@winemakermag.com, post them on WineMaker’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/WineMakerMag), find us on Twitter: @WineMakerMag, or share your winemaking photos and videos with us on Instagram: @WineMakerMag.

RECENT NEWS

Terroir Finally Proven?

At last, scientists may have found chemical proof that the concept of a vineyard’s terroir does actually exist . . . well at least in the Mendoza region of Argentina. Terroir is a concept that says soil and climate will provide particular nuances to wines made from grapes from a specific vineyard year after year. But solid proof of the concept has long eluded researchers. A group from the Catena Institute of Wine, a collaboration between UC-Davis and the Argentinian Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, looked at 23 different vineyards in 12 different geographic indications in Mendoza to see if the chemical composition of the vintages changed year-over-year. By looking at vintages from 2016, 2017, and 2018, they were able to successfully identify a wine’s origins based on its phenolic composition for 11 of the vineyards 100% of the time. The other 12 vineyards, the scientists were able to identify the origins 83% of the time based on the phenolic indicators. Learn more about the study at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82306-0

New Products: New Winexpert Island Mist Kits

Winexpert has announced the three kits being offered in their summerfocused Island Mist lineup. They have brought back the popular Bahama Mama and Iced Tea Lemonade kits for 2021 and are introducing a new flavor in the mix: Sex on the Beach. It is a take on the classic cocktail with orange and peach as its main fruit-forward flavors, rounded out with a hint of tart cranberry to give it more balance. Check with your local Winexpert supplier for availability or learn more at: https://winexpert.com/product/?brand%5B%5D=island-mist&brand-desc=1

Home Winemaking: The Simple Way to Make Delicious Wine

In Home Winemaking: The Simple Way to Make Delicious Wine, wellknown home winemaker Jack Keller takes a fun, practical, step-by-step approach to making your own wine. The book details the basic principles, equipment, and instructions to make wine, as well as 65 recipes for wines from grapes, fruits, roots, flowers, spices, and more. Perfect for winemakers of all skill levels. Available at better booksellers on April 6 for $24.95.

RJS Craft Winemaking Orchard Breezin’ Mango Dragon Fruit Lemonade

This new limited release white fruit wine from RJS Craft Winemaking’s Orchard Breezin’ series features the flavors of mango, dragon fruit, coconut, and lemonade. A true summertime porch sipper, bursting with tropical fruit flavors, you can enjoy on its own or to blend in a summer cocktail. The wine is ready in just 4 weeks. Check with your local RJS Craft Winemaking supplier for availability or learn more at: https://bsghandcraft.com/orchard-breezin

MAY MAY

Entry deadline for the 2021 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition. Entries must be received by May 11. Join in the excitement as the awards dinner will be held July 17 at the WineMaker Magazine Conference in San Luis Obispo, California. For more information about entering your homemade wines, meads, or ciders in the world’s largest amateur competition, visit: https://winemakermag.com/competition

AWARD-WINNING KITS

Merlot

GOLD

RJS Craft Winemaking Cru

International Merlot

Vintner’s Cellar Supreme Merlot

SILVER

BRONZE

RJS Craft Winemaking En Primeur

Chilean Merlot

RJS Craft Winemaking En Primeur

Hightail Merlot

RJS Craft Winemaking French Merlot

RJS Craft Winemaking Grand Cru Merlot

Winexpert Limited Release New

Zealand Merlot

Winexpert Selection California Merlot

Winexpert World Vineyard Chilean Merlot

GOLD

RJS Craft Winemaking En Primeur

Winery Series Australian Pinot Noir

Winexpert Eclipse California Pinot

Noir

Winexpert Limited Edition New Zealand Pinot Noir

Winexpert World Vineyard Pinot Noir

SILVER

Mosti Mondiale All Juice California

Pinot Noir

RJS Craft Winemaking Cru Select

Pinot Noir

BRONZE

Here is a list of medal-winning kits for Merlot and Pinot Noir categories chosen by a blind-tasting judging panel at the 2020 WineMaker International Amateur Wine Competition in Manchester, Vermont:

Winexpert Eclipse Stag’s Leap Merlot

Winexpert Eclipse Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

THE NO PRESSING TECHNIQUE

ED ARMES • LOUDON, TENNESSEE

First of all, a little history. I am 79 years young and I have made wine for over 30 years. When I first started, I made berry wines and I used “Uncle John’s” recipe and “Aunt Mary’s” recipe. While these worked out most of the time, they were not great wines. If it wasn’t for all the sugar, they probably would not have made it.

Then about 17 years ago my son started buying me a subscription to a relatively new publication called WineMaker for Father’s Day . . . and has continued the tradition ever since. I still have every copy and I maintain an active excel spreadsheet showing article topics found in each issue. It gave me the confidence to start a small vineyard of Chambourcin grapes, about

30 vines. So, the vineyard is now about 15 years old and well maintained. I still make a lot of fruit wines, but my favorite is a dry, oaked, Chambourcin.

The main reason for this is to share with you and your readers a technique that I have been using for the last five years . . . no pressing. As you know pressing takes a lot of time, equipment, cleanup, and is very messy. Instead of pressing my batch to get every drop of wine that I can, I capture all of the free run and put it into carboys to finish. Then I will add water and sugar to the pulp and remaining juice. The amount of water is about 15% of my starting batch. If I made 10 gal. (38 L) to start with, I would add about 1.5 gal. (5.7 L) of water, then sweeten up to standard

gravity for 12% alcohol and let this 2nd batch referment. I have found that this remaining juice and pulp has enough concentration of flavor that the 15% water does not dilute the flavor. Of course, it is not necessary to add any more yeast or nutrients. When this 2nd batch has completed fermenting, I simply drain off all of the free run and throw away the remaining pulp.

If I would have pressed the 1st batch, I might have gotten about another 1⁄2 gal. (2 L). With my “no pressing” I get about 2 gal. (7.6 L) of wine that is quite comparable to the initial 1st run without having the hassle of pressing.

BY DAVE GREEN

BEGINNER’S BLOCK THE ROLE OF NITROGEN

itrogen is the number one element found in our atmosphere, yet for plants and animals it can often be one of the most limiting elements to growth. This especially correlates to winemaking. This is because taking nitrogen from the atmosphere and translating into the soil and subsequently into our fermentations is an involved process. Yeast need nitrogen just as much as other living organisms do, so if what we are fermenting doesn’t have enough nitrogen, we need to supplement the must (unfermented wine) with nutrients to help our little microscopic friends do their job. Today we’ll take a spin through why nitrogen is needed, how to test for it, and ways to combat must that is deficient.

ASSIMILABLE NITROGEN

As stated earlier, nitrogen (N2) makes up the vast majority of the gas found in our atmosphere, about 78%, and all living organisms found in our world need it to survive. Despite that pivotal role there are only a few living organisms, all of them bacteria, that can take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into a form that the rest of the living can use. We call this usable form of nitrogen “assimilable nitrogen.” When we are talking about nitrogen in our wine must, this is the form that we care about . . . not the level of N2 like we find the atmosphere, because there are no (or not enough) nitrogen “fixing” bacteria in our wine that can change this N2 into assimilable nitrogen (to appreciable levels). In the wine and other fermented beverages world this assimilable nitrogen is better know as YAN or yeast assimilable nitrogen. If the YAN level is not high enough, the yeast fermentation performance can be detrimentally affected. On the other hand, if YAN levels are too high, then flavor of the wine can be negatively impact-

ed. You may end up feeding microbes that you are trying hard to suppress in the winemaking process. But this only happens if too much yeast nutrient is added. So be sure to stick to recommended dosage amounts.

WHY DO YEAST NEED YAN?

Nitrogen is one of the key components of nucleotides and amino acids, which are the building blocks for RNA, DNA, proteins, peptides, and the enzymes needed for a healthy fermentation. These are all found in the grapes and other fruits and vegetables, but oftentimes winemakers will want to supplement with both an organic form of nitrogen (like Fermaid, which is from yeast) as well as an inorganic form (like diammonium phosphate or DAP, which is a salt). This will ensure that the yeast will have enough nitrogen that they can take in to achieve proper reproduction and fermentation, minimizing your chances of a sluggish or stuck fermentation or the production of off-flavors from stressed yeast.

One of the most important aspects new winemakers need to understand is that not all yeast are created equal — and this is especially true for the demand for nitrogen. Some yeast strains are known as nitrogen hogs, meaning winemakers need to supply more than a typical dosage for these strains. Generally it is recommended that your must contains between 120–220 mg/L of YAN for 21 °Brix juice. The higher end is for those strains with higher nitrogen demands and/or if the must is higher Brix.

WHEN MIGHT YAN BE NEEDED?

While a boost in YAN levels may not always be needed for a must, most often it will only help the wine. The best way for fresh grape winemakers to assess the YAN levels of their must is to test for it. Home winemakers

generally send away samples to a lab that has the capabilities to test for these levels. Many grapes, depending on growing conditions, will bring enough YAN to the must to allow the yeast to grow and finish fermentation. But you may not be maximizing their potential. So a supplement of nutrients is almost always recommended in winemaking.

Manufacturers will provide their own dosage rates and schedule for dosings, but generally it will be recommended to have a first addition during the yeast rehydration phase (if using commercial yeast and not a wild fermentation). This ensures that your yeast come to the party fully stocked. The second nutrient addition is added as the first signs of fermentation are noted in the must. A final nutrient addition is made about 1⁄3 of the way through (roughly an 8–10 °Brix drop). Depending on the YAN levels of the must you started with, another addition may be warranted in extreme cases, often from non-grape wine situations like meadmaking or hard seltzer production with no YAN at the start. Be sure to check your yeast nutrient supplier’s website for a chart that will match expected YAN levels to a recommended dosing schedule.

DOES NUTRIENT TYPE MATTER?

The short answer is yes, the form of nitrogen that you feed your yeast most definitely matters. Inorganic forms of nitrogen like DAP should not be used as a substitute for the organic form. While I call it an organic form, it often is a blended mix of nutrients including DAP and inactivated yeast. The nitrogen found from the inactivated yeast can easily be assimilated by the growing and budding yeast cells in your must. Studies have shown that opting for this nutrient blend will improve aromas in your wine.

BY DAWSON RASPUZZI

TIPS FROM THE PROS BLENDING ITALIAN RED WINES

Sangiovese is the primary red Italian varietal we work with, with 24 acres planted in Amador County, California with two Chianti and three Brunello clones. Two other red Italian grapes we use to a lesser extent are Teraldego and Aglianico.

We are on a decomposed granite, sandy loam, at about 1,200 feet (365 m) elevation, with rows running north to south. We have rolling hills so we end up with quite a few microclimates and the wines tend to show a real earthiness along with some minerality with crisp acid and fruit.

We have the luxury of having up to 20 different Sangiovese lots a year, since we harvest over a period of a couple of months sometimes and use several different fermentation techniques. Even when we are blending just to make varietal Sangiovese wines we have a lot to choose from. And with Teraldego and Aglianico we have a few more blending options with Sangiovese as the base wine. Sometimes we also blend in some white grapes with Sangiovese with the goal of making Italian-style Chianti. Trebbiano calms the acid a bit and Malvasia adds fruit. We also use a little Canaiolo Nero in there.

We can start the blending during harvest, but most of the time blending takes place after the first racking. Then it will evolve over the next 12–18 months, taking small steps as it ages to get to our goal.

Blending is easier given that I have been here for 21 years and have gotten a chance to understand the wines and the vineyards, but we also taste through the cellar often. We will do a couple of sit down tasting blending sessions with Owners Suzy and Jim Gullett, the assis-

tant winemaker, and maybe a couple of folks from our tasting room so they can further their education.

I guess we are pretty stubborn to stick with Sangiovese for so many years. We are lucky here in Amador County the grapes have enough acid and the pH is relatively low. We have hot days of 95+ °F (35 °C) and cool nights in the low 60s °F (~17 °C), typically an afternoon breeze blows in from the Delta which is good for cooling but bad for fires. We keep our crop balanced to what we feel the vine can produce and to get fully ripened. We use several different fermentation techniques: From 1⁄2-ton (450-kg) grape bins to punch down tanks, we will even pull the heads on our puncheons and use them for fermenting, and we do standard pump overs also. I evaluate grapes and decide which way they go year-to-year. Nothing is ever the same. For any home winemakers with the guts to grow Sangiovese, I would say keep an eye on ripeness and over-cropping, which is the biggest concern. If a vine has too much fruit on it, the grapes will not develop the flavors you need.

Lastly, take your time when it comes to Sangiovese and other Italian red grapes. They tend to be a little fickle in the barrel and also on the vine. It’s hard to describe, but there are some days where the grapes and the wine taste great while they are aging and some days you wonder what happened or what was done wrong. So it’s nice to have enough time with these vines and wines to be afforded the time to wait out the ups and downs they go through while they are getting ready to drink. Wine is a living, breathing creature — the process from the vine to the bottle is fascinating.

Take your time when it comes to Sangiovese and other Italian red grapes. They tend to be a little fickle in the barrel and also on the vine.

Rusty Folena started his career in winemaking as a teenager in the Sierra Foothills of California sweeping floors at Santino Winery and pruning vines in the Original Grandpere Vineyard. Rusty joined Plymouth, California’s Vino Noceto as Assistant Winemaker in early 1999. In 2001 he became Winemaker.

Three North American winemakers share their best advice for blending red Italian varieties that are often lesser known and less common in the New World. These grapes bring their own challenges, but can be worth the work.

Iwork with Nero d’Avola, Negroamaro, and Primitivo, all from the Ukiah area in Mendocino County, California. These parcels are all head-trained and dry farmed. They are grown on low-pH, well-draining, gravelly loam soils, with varying degrees of sandstone and quartz. These growing conditions are definitely a major factor in the grape characteristics.

Nero d’Avola has high acid and medium+ tannin that needs at least ~2 years of aging. If fermented whole cluster, Nero d’Avola in California becomes highly tannic and needs a very long elevage. This is often a stand-alone varietal for me, but I do also make a blend of Nero with Zinfandel to create a fruitier, less tannic red that doesn’t need to be aged as long. This is usually 60% Nero and 40% Zin (these could be swapped if you wanted even less structure).

For blends, I like co-fermenting if the varietals ripen at the same time (which I do with Primitivo and Zinfandel), but if they don’t I usually start blending trials about a month or two after malolactic fermentation (MLF) has naturally completed. I like all of the

The founder of Petroni, Lorenzo Petroni, was infatuated with Brunello and so Sangiovese is the only Italian we produce. These are planted on very steep, hand farmed volcanic rocky slopes in the Moon Mountain District of Sonoma. With these grapes, our priority is to produce the Poggio alla Pietra, a Brunello-style wine from 100% Sangiovese. Lots that do not make the cut are put into a red blend simply called Rosso di Sonoma where they join Bordeaux varietals.

Sangiovese is a pretty sound solo variety. It is enormously influenced by the terrain it grows on — the more rocky and steep the better. Too flat or fertile and the vines get big and the wine dilutes and are more likely to need “help.” My wines are tannic and deserve 10 years in the bottle. We do not release until at least five years from harvest. If I were to blend there would be a choice; if I want to complement the characters with more structure and savory notes then Petit Verdot matches well. To make

estery characteristics of primary fermentation and any lactic characteristics from MLF to subside prior to blending. For our cuvées we are over-vintaging, we usually marry the components in the early summer prior to the next harvest. For other wines we are bottling early, or bottle aging, they are blended in the spring after harvest and bottled immediately. It’s also nice to keep the components separate for the first year you work with them, just to get a baseline on flavors.

My Assistant Winemaker, Tim Lyons, and I blend together. We try every lot in the cellar once a month, so already have ideas of what we’d like to try blending before we sit down at the table to do trials. We try to only do three trial variations per cuvée, otherwise you can get stuck down a rabbit hole with the endless possibilities and the half a percent here and there. Honestly, wine changes so much as it ages that there is a bit of a leap of faith in how the blend will play out over the years anyway. We taste the trials right away and make a decision. Occasionally if we are on the fence we re-blend the next day to confirm.

the wine softer and juicier then Syrah (the natural choice, is that not what the Italians secretly do anyway?) or Zin might help. Cabernets can help focus the fruit but generally Sangiovese can stand alone.

I like to blend sooner rather than later. As soon as I am comfortable with the lot it is blended to Poggio. I have the blends finalized at the rack prior to bottling, so around four to six months prior to bottling. We mature in barrels and puncheons for two years.

I make all the blending decisions on my own. I have been doing this for 12 years and find outside input only creates doubts. I do bench trials prior to racking but generally have a firm idea from having monitored the process from start to finish. I’m a hands-on estate winemaker, we only crush 100 tons or so.

As a home winemaker, my best advice is to get the best Sangiovese from the most arid sites and you will need to blend less. Press early for a softer wine, but do not be afraid to extract for a more serious long-term candidate.

Martha Stoumen spent eight years apprenticing under other winegrowers around the world and received a Masters in Viticulture and Enology from UC-Davis. In 2014 she started her own label, Martha Stoumen Wines in Sebastopol, California.

New Zealand-born, Martin Mackenzie has spent the past 20 years developing his winemaking profession producing wines from organically farmed, estate vineyards. He was the Winemaker for 10 years at Stonyridge Vineyard on Waiheke Island, New Zealand and since 2009 he has been the Winemaker at Petroni Vineyards in the Moon Mountain AVA of Sonoma, California.

BY ALISON CROWE

WINE WIZARD MORE BUTTER, PLEASE

Also: Caveats with pectic enzymes and wonky grape numbers

QI’D LIKE TO CREATE A MORE “BUTTERY” TASTING CHARDONNAY. THROUGH SOME RESEARCH IT APPEARS THAT MALOLACTIC BACTERIA ( MLB ) IS USUALLY USED BUT I’M NOT SURE WHERE TO GET THIS OR IF THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO ACHIEVE THE SAME RESULT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS?

LOU ANNE BELLE RIVER, ONTARIO

AIndeed, that flavor you’re after is primarily caused by the malolactic bacteria, which impart that buttery, dairy, or creamy taste in many Chardonnays. This is because these bacteria, depending on the strain, can produce a lot of a compound called diacetyl, which is a natural byproduct of their malic acid metabolism. Diacetyl really does smell like butter and is purposely produced in the commercial food industry to flavor, you guessed it, movie theater popcorn along with crackers, baked goods, and other things that need a little buttery kick to mimic the real thing.

How to get more of it naturally into your wine? Choose a malolactic (ML) strain like Lallemand’s PN4 and Beta, both of which are sold by Scott Laboratories in the United States. My connections at Scott Labs tell me that PN4 is “creamier” while Beta will come across as more “buttery.” Choose wisely and you’ll be rewarded with higher-than-usual levels of the buttery goodness. Not all ML cultures are alike, and these two are examples of those which have been meticulously bred to produce diacetyl under the right conditions.

Of course, it couldn’t be as easy as simply sprinkling a magic packet on top of your newly fermented Chardonnay. It’s also critical to take a 360-degree view

and provide the right overall conditions for buttery success.

Here’s how to optimize your chances for a high-butter Chardonnay using a ML strain like those mentioned earlier:

• Don’t co-inoculate: ML bacteria and primary fermentation yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) are sometimes added together in order to speed up the completion of the malolactic fermentation. Yeast can break down diacetyl so this recent trend of completing both fermentations simultaneously will result in less-than-optimal levels of diacetyl.

• Minimize lees contact time from the primary fermentation: The shorter the contact time with yeast lees the higher the diacetyl production. After primary fermentation is over let the yeast settle for a few days, rack or even do a rough filtration to exclude them before you inoculate with your ML culture.

• Go low and slow: The slower the ML fermentation, the higher the production of diacetyl. To that end, keeping temperatures moderate (55–60 °F/13–16 °C) will allow the fermentation to continue but not too rapidly. If your Chardonnay has a higher pH the ML fermentation will progress more rapidly as well. I recommend having Chardonnay start ML fermentation under 3.55 pH. Adjust with tartaric if needed.

• Use a minimal inoculation: Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions

Stirring lees after the ML fermentation is complete is also a way to enhance mouthfeel by releasing mannoproteins and other “creamy”-feeling compounds into the wine.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

Creating a more buttery, creamy flavored wine starts with a proper malolactic fermentation and is supported with other key factors like oak aging.

but going in at the lower end of the recommended dose rate will result in a slower ML fermentation and therefore a higher level of diacetyl production.

• Stir the lees: Stirring lees (though you shouldn’t have too much sludge, as hopefully you removed most of it first) during ML fermentation keeps the conditions from becoming reductive, which can repress the production of diacetyl. Stirring lees after the ML fermentation is complete is also a way to enhance mouthfeel by releasing mannoproteins and other “creamy”-feeling compounds into the wine.

• Add SO2 normally: Once the ML fermentation is complete and you adjust your free SO2 to around 25 ppm or so, the diacetyl may seem to disappear. This is because SO2 binds to diacetyl in a reversible reaction; over time the diacetyl will be released back into the wine and your buttery goodness will return. It’s important to use SO2 if you want to foster diacetyl production because it inhibits spoilage yeast and bacteria activity, which can reduce it.

• Age on oak: I find that the oak choice you make can really enhance the buttery, creamy characteristics of the final wine. Oak does not contribute diacetyl in any way, but the supporting aromas and flavors of vanilla, caramel, and crème brûlée can really boost and flesh out the bare diacetyl notes. I’d be willing to bet your favorite Chardonnay isn’t just about diacetyl but also about a host of these supporting flavors and aromas. You don’t have to invest in barrels, either, as there are plenty of oak pieces and chips on the market, even some specifically toasted and blended to contribute certain overlaying finishes to wines. Check out Radoux’s Pronektar line or the precision chips of Vivelys’ Boisé Origine. Both are high-quality products that don’t taste “chippy” in the finished wines and only take about two months or so to fully extract.

Don’t like oaky, butter-bomb Chardonnays? You’re in luck. For those readers who like a fruit-driven Chardonnay and abhor the buttery characteristics of diacetyl, do the opposite of the above if you want to minimize its role in your wine program.

QI’VE JUST READ THAT USING PECTIC ENZYME CAN RESULT IN FASTER MATURITY IN SOME WINES AND THAT SOMETIMES SUCH WINES DECLINE FASTER THAN UNTREATED WINES. SHOULD I AVOID USING IT OR NOT WORRY ABOUT USING IT IF I AM TO DRINK MY WINES WITHIN 1–3 YEARS? ON AVERAGE HOW MUCH TIME CAN IT TAKE FOR SUCH WINES TO START DECLINING AND FOR SOMEONE TO START NOTICING? I’VE ALWAYS USED IT FOR MY RED WINES. IF I STOP AM I LIKELY TO COME ACROSS HAZE ISSUES?

ROBERT ST- JEAN CANTLEY, QUEBEC

ATo quote one of my vineyard colleagues who always likes to give multiple sides to every answer, “It depends” (thanks, Rich). And so it is with pectic enzymes in winemaking. Pectic enzymes are proteins that can be added to wines at different stages to achieve many dif-

ticular grapes, if you’ve used them more than once. Pectic enzymes, unlike say, sulfur dioxide or oak barrels or chips, are quite low on my list of “necessary” winemaking ingredients for traditional red winemaking. When added at the crusher these enzymes can help in improved color stability and rounder mouthfeel as they break open the grape skin cells and “digest”

ferent results: To increase juice yields at the press, to help color extraction, and to result in better settling. In the case of fruit or country wines, pectic enzymes are a necessary ingredient in your winemaking arsenal as it’s almost impossible to get clear, bright, and settled fruit wines without using them.

Since you mentioned red wines above, I’m assuming that you’re using wine grapes and not high-pectin fruit like black currants or raspberries. If you’re making all-grape wine the choice to use pectic enzymes or not will depend on your starting material and on your experience with these par-

the larger pectin molecules. I could see this being beneficial to lower-color varieties like Pinot Noir and indeed this is the one area where I will sometimes use pectic enzymes, albeit at a low dose, in my own winemaking.

Does using pectic enzymes result in faster maturity and then a subsequent early decline of the wine over time? Insofar as it improves mouthfeel and roundness, I could see how it could be interpreted as having that effect. I’m not sure it’s so much about advancing aging as it is making wine friendlier a little earlier. If you’re willing to be of the “no wine before its time” school, and you’re willing to be patient, then I don’t see

If you’re willing to be of the ‘no wine before its time’ school, and you’re willing to be patient, then I don’t see the point in using pectic enzymes to hurry things along.

the point in using pectic enzymes to hurry things along. There are plenty of ways to build mouthfeel like lees stirring during aging (works on white as well as red wines) and the smoothness and roundness it’ll pick up from aging in barrel or with oak chips, blocks, or segments.

That statement, “it depends” comes into play again because your starting material and dose will dictate the outcome. Big, tannic monsters like Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot would roll over a small dose of pectic enzyme without blinking, and I would argue don’t really need it (plenty of color and mouthfeel precursors already) as long as you’ve got enough time to age the big tannins into smoothness in a barrel or with some oak pieces. The over-addition of any fining agent can really strip a wine and I could see that if you started with a lighter-bodied Pinot Noir batch and used a high dose of

pectic enzyme in the fermenter. You might fine too much of the character right out of such a wine. At the very least, too much pectic enzyme will turn your red must to mush in the fermenter resulting in a messy nightmare as you try to press.

Do you really need to use pectic enzyme in red winemaking? In my own winemaking I tend not to as I’ve never had a problem with pectin hazes. It’s indispensable for fruit wines but Vitis vinifera tend not to give me those issues. Like I said earlier, the only time I use enzymes in red winemaking is with some lighter-colored wines like a Pinot Noir. You may have heard me say in the past that “time is the best fining agent.” This is true with regards to just about any red wine. Red grapes don’t typically carry a high pectin load so using an enzyme to remove it just seems like a bit of a waste of time and money to me.

QI HAVE A PETITE SIRAH IN SECONDARY WITH THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS:

- 23 L (6 GAL.) OF JUICE (2020 VINTAGE ) FROM THE SAME SUPPLIER AS I HAVE USED FOR 6 YEARS

- SOURCE OF JUICE IS CALIFORNIA

- BRIX: 21.1 ( LOWEST I HAVE EVER HAD )

- p H: 4.1 ( HIGHEST I HAVE EVER HAD )

- TITRATABLE ACIDITY ( TA ): 2.5 g/L

- FREE SO 2: ABOUT 40 mg/L

- TEMPERATURE: 71 °F (22 °C )

I ADJUSTED THE TA BY ADDING TARTARIC ACID AND ACHIEVED A TA OF 7.5 g/L WITH A p H OF 3.2. I ADDED YEAST ( BM45) WITH NUTRIENT. FERMENTATION PROCEEDED NORMALLY. ON DAY 7 WHEN BRIX WAS 2 I ADDED THE MALOLACTIC BACTERIA. ON DAY 9, WHEN BRIX WAS 0.7 I RACKED THE WINE OFF THE GROSS LEES. A SLOW FERMENTATION CONTINUED FOR THE NEXT 14 DAYS. I DID NOT TAKE ANY MEASUREMENTS DURING THIS TIME. BUT ON DAY 24 I DID MEASURE THE FOLLOWING:

- BRIX: 0.0 - p H: 3.2

- TA: >10 g/L ( PROBABLY 12)

- MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION ( MLF ) IS NOT COMPLETED

I DIDN’T MEASURE FSO 2 AS THE WINE HAD ONLY BEEN RACKED ONCE UP TO THIS TIME AND HAD ALWAYS BEEN TOPPED OFF. I RACKED THE WINE OFF THE FINE LEES AND THAT IS WHERE IT SITS TODAY. THE WINE TASTES VERY TART BUT THERE ISN’T ANY NOTICEABLE ODOR. APPARENTLY, WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE SLOW TAIL END OF FERMENTATION WAS ACTUALLY CO 2 FORMING. CAN YOU PLEASE ADVISE ME ON ANY STEPS THAT I CAN TAKE TO SALVAGE THIS WINE? AND WHAT’S YOUR BEST GUESS ON HOW THIS CAME ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

JOHN REGINA VERNON, CONNECTICUT

AWell, your grape or juice source really put you in a bind. Those are some of the most unbalanced initial numbers I’ve ever seen, and I would seriously consider getting your juice from another source next year. Numbers like that — with the acid being so low and the Brix simultaneously being low may be, I hate to say, indicative of dilution with water. I really hate to propose that someone would be that unscrupulous and certainly don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but you’d expect a 4.1 pH for a red grape to correspond to Brixes being at least above 25 if not closer to 28. Like I said

— whatever the cause, those are very unusual, unbalanced numbers and certainly didn’t give your project much of a starting chance.

You did the right thing by trying to add acid to make up for that dangerously high pH of 4.1. Targeting a TA of 7 isn’t a bad thought, though it’s a little high for my tastes and because of the buffering capacity of your juice, landed you with a really low pH. 3.2 is very low for a red wine and, post- adjustment with a pH of 3.2, there’s very little chance a malolactic fermentation is going to be able to happen to completion.

I think this is where your problem lies now because it’s real-

ly unlikely that your ML fermentation will happen at all. Where did the 10 g/L total acidity come from? There’s no logical reason for a TA to go up that dramatically unless the acid you added in the original hit wasn’t well measured out and also wasn’t well mixed in when you sampled and got that 7.5. This is one of the reasons why I suggest in my book, The Winemaker’s Answer Book, that such large additions are best made in at least two stages, so that proper mixing can happen.

Salvage? It’s hard to say what I would recommend because this poor wine has been through so much already and it seems to me just didn’t have a very good start in life. You could try adding potassium bicarbonate to raise the pH. I would start with 0.4 g/L, dissolve the powder in a small amount of water, then mix it in well with your wine. This should increase the pH maybe up to 3.3–3.4 . . . measure pH again and see where it goes. It’s impossible to predict the exact effect because the impact on pH with any acid addition or acid neutralization isn’t linear and is dependent upon a myriad of factors within each wine, sadly few of which are measurable. For this reason, when dealing with pH or TA shifts I always try to do bench trials on small samples first, measure and taste the results, and only scale-up to cellar batch-size after you know what the result will be.

With a pH above 3.2 you have a much better chance of at least being able to complete the ML fermentation. Getting the wine racked, SO2’d, and protected from spoilage will help it

come to a point where you can begin to consider what to do with it. If you still want to try to achieve a red wine style, you might want to try de-acidifying more if further adjustment is needed. Because I suspect you’ve not got much in the way of ripe tannin, fruit, or mouthfeel, you can try to build those up using oak chips or some of the liquid oak tannins that have been launched in the marketplace in the last five years or so. Sadly, these additives and aging adjuncts can only take you so far as I suspect that your original material was compromised from the beginning. It’s impossible to replicate the richness and density, especially of a big red grape like a Petite Sirah, when there’s nothing there to begin with.

To improve the situation in the future, I think you really should consider changing your raw material sources. I also grow grapes and if I had delivered grapes with those numbers to a client, they could’ve refused to take them, or could’ve demanded a discount, as long as our contract had quality stipulations. Typically, grape contracts will have provisions that say the grapes will be above 24 °Brix or something along those lines. I know that the world of home winemaking is a little different than a commercial operation but you shouldn’t have to stand for poor quality, especially if it’s something you’ve paid good money for. Mother Nature is a fickle mistress and we all know that batches vary from year-to-year and we winemakers have enough challenges already, but it’s really a shame that Petite Sirah was marketed with initial numbers like that.

VARIETAL FOCUS

BY CHIK BRENNEMAN

MELON DE BOURGOGNE Or Muscadet or just plain Melon N

ever judge a book by its cover. We probably all heard this cliché from our parents at some point of our young lives. In the case of the grape we will be discussing here, the cover is referring to the varietal’s name. In Europe, grapes are identified by both region and varietal name. While too numerous to list all the possibilities, if we said Bordeaux, we have got a choice of white or red. Whites narrow to two varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon. Red wines narrow your choices to five, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot being the two top choices. Provence opens up some more choices, but still a familiar list, including Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier for white wines, and Syrah, Grenache Noir, and Mourvèdre as just some of the reds.

Elsewhere in the world, it is often the grape variety that we identify with. If I said “Napa,” you might assume it is Cabernet Sauvignon, but that would not necessarily be the case. They do grow Syrah in California’s Napa County, but they do not grow Syrah in Bordeaux. In the Hunter Valley of Australia, you might assume Sémillon, but alas, while Hunter Valley grows prized Sémillon, other varieties are grown there as well. One variety that has been difficult for me to flesh out was only better understood after a trip to the Loire Valley in France. It was not Chenin Blanc, but it was white. And I think the biggest source of confusion was its name . . . Melon de Bourgogne, or just plain Melon here in the United States, but also known in some circles as Muscadet.

So why was there confusion in my mind, and for that matter, why did it take a trip to France to better understand this? Melon de Bourgogne is a white grape of the lower Loire Valley, near the

Atlantic coast in the Pays de Loire region, pretty far from Burgundy. And the Muscadet (pronounced Mus-ka-day) is an alleged characteristic of the wine, as having a Muscat character or muskiness, referred to in French as vin qui a un goût musqué. Many would argue against this characteristic in Melon and, in fact, there is no Muscat grape in its DNA lineage. There is another theory for the Muscadet origins and it derives from the grape’s history for brandy production. It surmises that the name could refer to the spice, noix de muscade (nutmeg), which was added to the wine prior to the distillation process.

The origins of the name Melon are still speculative as well. One idea is that it is derived from the Latin word misculare, which means “to mix.” Another theory is that the round shape of the leaves is similar to that of a melon plant. Writings of the region from the 17th century also refer to it simply as Bourgogne, so Melon was definitely added later on Despite its name, the varietal was literally kicked out of Burgundy and banned from the province in the 16th century. The region and its leadership favored the more popular Chardonnay and Aligoté white grapes.

Nonetheless, according to Jancis Robinson Melon is the fourth most planted white grape varietal in France, just ahead of Sémillon, but way far behind Sauvignon Blanc. The plantings are almost exclusively at the western end of the Loire River Valley, where there are three sub-appellations of the overall Muscadet appellation. Most is grown in the Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine, producing over 80% of all Muscadets and the other Muscadet-Coteaux de la Loire and Muscadet-Côtes de Grandlieu.

Viticulturally, the variety is mid-season ripening and best to be pruned “long” as its basal buds produce very

Despite its name, the varietal was literally kicked out of Burgundy and banned from the province in the 16th century.

MELON DE BOURGOGNE Yield 5 gallons (19 L)

INGREDIENTS

100 lbs. (45 kg) Melon de Bourgogne fruit

Distilled water

10% Potassium metabisulfite (KMBS) solution. (Weigh 10 g of KMBS, dissolve into about 75 mL of distilled water. When completely dissolved, make up to 100 mL total with distilled water.)

5 g Zymaflor VL3 or Anchor VIN13 yeast (Lalvin QA23 can also be used as a substitute)

5 g Fermaid K (or equivalent yeast nutrient)

5 g Diammonium phosphate (DAP)

Rice hulls

Dry ice (~3 lbs./1.36 kg)

OTHER EQUIPMENT OR NEEDS SPECIFIC TO THIS RECIPE

Destemmer-crusher

Basket press

Food-grade plastic tub ~18 gal. (68 L)

5-gallon (19-L) carboy

6-gallon (23-L) carboy

6-gallon (23-L) plastic bucket

Airlock/stopper

Racking hoses

Equipment cleaning and sanitizing agents (Bio-Clean, Bio-San)

Inert gas (nitrogen, argon, or carbon dioxide will do)

Refrigerator (~45 °F/7 °C) to cold settle the juice. (Remove the shelves so that the bucket will fit.)

Ability to maintain a fermentation temperature of 55 °F (13 °C)

Thermometer capable of measuring between 40–110 °F (4–43 °C) in one degree increments

Pipettes with the ability to add in increments of 1 mL

STEP BY STEP

1. Crush and press the grapes to the large tub. Place some chunked dry ice into the tub. You want to see visible gassing, bubbling from the must.

2. Measure the volume of the must and mix in the rice hulls. The rice hulls should be about 30% of the total volume. Move the must to your press. Ensure a minimal delay between crushing and pressing. Extended skin contact is not desired.

3. Move the must/rice hull slurry directly to the press. Press to the 6-gal-

lon (23-L) bucket. Again place some dry ice chunks into the bucket. The rice hulls aid in pressing by creating juice channels. Your juice yields will increase significantly with their use.

4. While pressing the juice to a 6-gallon (23-L) bucket, add 16 mL of 10% KMBS solution (This addition is the equivalent of 40 mg/L SO2). Move the juice to the refrigerator.

5. Let the juice settle at least overnight, two days is ideal. Layer the headspace with inert gas and cover.

6. When sufficiently settled, rack the juice off of the solids into the 6-gallon (23-L) carboy.

7. Prepare yeast. Heat about 50 mL distilled water to 104 °F (42 °C). Sprinkle the yeast on the surface of the water and gently mix so that no clumps exist. Let sit for 15 minutes undisturbed. Measure the temperature of the yeast suspension. Measure the temperature of the juice. You do not want to add the yeast to your cool juice if the difference in temperature of the yeast and the must exceeds 15 °F (8 °C). To avoid temperature shock, acclimate your yeast by taking about 10 mL of the juice and adding it to the yeast suspension. Wait 15 minutes and measure the temperature again. Do this until you are within the specified temperature range. Do not let the yeast sit in the original water suspension for longer than 20 minutes. When the yeast is ready, add it to the fermenter.

8. Add Fermaid K or equivalent yeast nutrient.

9. Initiate the fermentation at room temperature, ~65–68 °F (18–20 °C) and once fermentation is noticed, (~24 hours) move to a location where the temperature can be maintained at 55 °F (13 °C).

10. Two days after fermentation starts, dissolve the DAP in as little distilled water required to completely go into solution (usually ~20 mL). Add directly to the carboy.

11. Normally you would monitor the progress of the fermentation by measuring Brix. One of the biggest problems with making white wine at home is maintaining a clean fermentation. Entering the carboy to measure

the sugar is a prime way to infect the fermentation with undesirable microbes. So at this point, the presence of noticeable fermentation is good enough. If your airlock becomes dirty by foaming over, remove it, clean it, and replace as quickly and cleanly as possible. Leave alone until bubbles in the airlock are about one bubble per minute. Usually about two to three weeks.

12. Measure the Brix. The wine is considered dry, or nearly dry when the Brix reaches -1.5 °Brix or less. Taste the wine too! This is probably the best indicator that the wine is dry. If it tastes sweet, it is sweet.

13. When the fermentation is complete, add 3 mL of fresh KMBS (10%) solution per gallon (3.8 L) of wine.

14. Transfer the wine off of the gross lees to the 5-gallon (19-L) carboy and lower the temperature to 38–40 °F (3–4 °C). Make sure there is no headspace. Fill the carboy to the top! If you have leftover wine, you might as well have this with dinner.

15. After two weeks, test for pH and SO2 adjusting as necessary to attain 0.8 ppm molecular SO2. (There is a simple SO2 calculator on the Web at www.winemakermag.com/guide/ sulfite). Check the SO2 in another two weeks, prior to the next racking and adjust while racking. HINT: Rack to another sanitized 5-gallon (19-L) carboy, or your bucket. In the case of the latter, clean the original carboy and transfer the wine back to it. This is done at about 4–6 weeks after the first SO2 addition. Once the free SO2 is adjusted, maintain at the target level by monitoring every 3–4 weeks.

16. Age the wine on the light lees, stirring about every two weeks for about three months. This is referred to as sur lie aging.

17. Let the lees completely settle out. Rack the wine to a clean and sanitized carboy to prepare for bottling.

18. Consult winemakermag.com for tips on fining and filtration.

19. Be sure to maintain sanitary conditions while bottling. Once bottled, you’ll need to periodically check your work by opening a bottle to enjoy with good friends.

little fruit. We understand this better as cane pruning. It is somewhat frost resistant and in its maritime climate it is susceptible to Botrytis bunch rot, but not powdery mildew. It has small, golden-yellow berries.

The wines from this grape are simple. Two of my favorite features of Melon are its flavor profile and low alcohol. While there is quite a spectrum of styles, alcohols are typically less than 12% and the flavors are typically citrus based and then what some describe as minerality. The term minerality has been long debated, and when I was a student at UC-Davis I used this term because I did not know a better way to describe a very simple wine. The person who I was describ-

ing this to was in fact Dr. Ann Noble, the professor of sensory science and inventor of the wine aroma wheel. To which Dr. Noble asked — “And what do you mean by that term?” I really didn’t know how to answer her, other than it was something I read in some other writer’s review. Many years later, a formal sensory project was conducted and the general consensus of the term referred to a perceived saltiness. It is not just for Melon, this term is used for other wines as well, like Chablis and Chenin Blancs from cooler regions.

The acidities of the Muscadet wines are high, and the pHs are low. Sometimes approaching pH levels of 3.1 or below, which historically made it difficult for them to undergo the

Regardless of the variety that I am working with, if I find I have a wine that is not moving through the secondary fermentation, I will stir the lees and in most cases it will be successful. “

secondary malolactic fermentation or conversion. Winemakers throughout the region added some depth or mouthfeel to the wines by aging them sur lie, which translates to “on the lees.” Some even regularly stirred the lees, which can add more mouthfeel or body to the wine. Stirring also provides nutrients from the autolyzing yeast cells to help encourage the malolactic fermentation to completion. Regardless of the variety that I am working with, if I find I have a wine that is not moving through the secondary fermentation, I will stir the lees and in most cases it will be successful. I am not a big proponent of malolactic conversion in white wines, but that is a preference on my part, in that I am dealing with California fruit with mostly low acidities and I am trying to preserve every bit of acidity I can get. Winemakers working with white grapes high in acidity, especially Melon, should take advantage of this natural de-acidification process.

Outside of France, there is little in the way of Melon plantings, mostly along the West Coast in California, Oregon, and Washington. Famed winemaker Georges de Latour, who established Beaulieu Vineyard (BV), brought to California what he thought was Pinot Blanc and for years these vines were propagated throughout California and up the coast. Some refer to this as a mini scandal, but the reality was that they were just mislabeled, and called what they were thought to be. As ampelographic and DNA science improved in the 1980s, it was learned that these vines were actually Melon de Bourgogne. This started a very small but enthusiastic following of Melon, with De Ponte Cellars in the Willamette Valley leading the charge. So little is grown, that it does not show up in any vineyard acreage reports put out by the United States Department of Agriculture, but the California Department of Food and Agriculture reports a mere 55 tons crushed in 2019. The regions producing Melon, not surprisingly are Sonoma, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo counties, all of them with a maritime influence in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean.

I find the Muscadet wines are paired perfectly with seafood and shellfish. Even though the grape is banned in

Burgundy one of our favorite restaurants in Dijon, now closed, specialized in mussels and was stocked with Muscadet wines. Ironically, you cannot grow the grape but you can have the wine!

Alas, I am not surprised it took as many years for me to understand Melon, Melon de Bourgogne (not really in Bourgogne), Muscadet (not really Muscat), were all just synonyms for the same thing. I long for the day when

the pandemic will end and we can open up the borders and start traveling again. I think one of my first trips will be back to Burgundy and then a lazy float down the Loire River passing the famed Châteaus of the upper Loire, the famed Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc vineyards further downstream, and then west to Nantes, where we will seek out the Muscadet and briny mussels we love. Enjoy!

DON’T WAIT — SEND YOUR ENTRIES NOW!

ENTRY DEADLINE: MAY 11, 2021

Enter your wines and compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 50 categories awarded by a panel of experienced wine judges. You can gain international recognition for your winemaking skills and get valuable feedback on your wines from the competition’s judging panel.

Entry Deadline: May 11, 2021

5515 Main Street • Manchester Center, VT 05255 ph: (802) 362-3981 ext. 106 • fax: (802) 362-2377

email: competition@winemakermag.com

You can also enter online at: www.winemakercompetition.com

SPECIAL BEST OF SHOW MEDALS

will be awarded thanks to our award sponsors:

Grand Champion Wine

WineMaker of the Year

Best of Show Red

Retailer of the Year

Best of Show White

U-Vint of the Year

Best of Show Dessert

Club of the Year

LALLEMAND BREWING

Best of Show Mead

Best of Show Country Fruit

Best of Show Sparkling

Best of Show Estate Grown

Best of Show Kit/Concentrate

Category Medals (gold, silver and bronze) will be awarded thanks to our category sponsors:

34. Red Table Wine Blend (Any Grape Varieties)

Gino Pinto Inc.

35. Blush Table Wine Blend (Any Grape Varieties)

36. Grape & Non-Grape

Table Wine Blend

37. Apple or Pear Varietals or Blends

38. Hard Cider or Perry

39. Stone Fruit (Peach, Cherry, Blends, etc.)

40. Berry Fruit (Strawberry, Raspberry, Blends, etc.)

41. Other Fruits

42. Traditional Mead

43. Fruit Mead

Moonlight Meadery

44. Herb and Spice Mead

Ancient Fire Mead & Cider

45. Flower or Vegetable

46. Port Style

47. Sherry Style

48. Other Fortified

49. Sparkling Grape, Dry/Semi-Dry or Sweet

50. Sparkling Non-Grape

White Table Wine Blend (Any Grape Varieties)

RULES & REGULATIONS

1. Entry deadline for wines to arrive is May 11, 2021

Wines are to be delivered to: Battenkill Communications

5515 Main Street Manchester Center, VT 05255 Ph: (802) 362-3981

2. Send ONE (1) BOTTLE per entry. Still wines must be submitted in standard 750 ml wine bottles. Ice wines or late harvest wines can be submitted in 375 ml bottles. Meads and Hard Ciders can be submitted in 12 oz. or 22 oz. beer bottles. Sparkling wines must be in champagne bottles with proper closure and wire. All bottles must be free of wax, decorative labels and capsules. However, an identification label will be required on the bottle as detailed in rule #5.

3. Entry fee is $25 U.S. dollars (or $25 Canadian dollars) for each wine entered. Each individual person is allowed up to a total of 15 entries. You may enter in as many categories as you wish. Make checks payable to WineMaker. Only U.S. or Canadian funds will be accepted. On your check write the number of entries (no more than 15 total) and the name of the entrant if different from the name on the check. Entry fees are non-refundable.

4. All shipments should be packaged to withstand considerable handling and must be shipped freight pre-paid. Line the inside of the box with a plastic trash bag and use plenty of packaging material, such as bubble wrap, around the bottles. Bottles shipped in preformed styrofoam cartons have proven reliable in the past. Every reasonable effort will be made to contact entrants whose bottles have broken to make arrangements for sending replacement bottles. Please note it is illegal to ship alcoholic beverages via the U.S. Postal Service. FedEx Air and FedEx Ground will destroy all amateur wine shipments so do not use either of these services. Private shipping companies such as UPS with company policies against individuals shipping alcohol may refuse your shipment if they are informed your package contains alcoholic beverages. Entries mailed internationally are often required by customs to provide proper documentation. It is the entrant’s responsibility to follow all applicable laws and regulations. Packages with postage due or C.O.D. charges will be rejected.

5 Each bottle must be labeled with the following information: Your name, category number, wine ingredients, vintage.

Example: K. Jones, 9, 75% Baco Noir, 25% Foch, 2016. If you are using a wine kit for ingredients please list the brand and product name as the wine ingredients. Example: K. Jones, 22, Winexpert Selection International French Cabernet Sauvignon, 2016. A copy of the entry form, listing each of your wines entered, must accompany entry and payment.

6. It is entirely up to you to decide which of the 50 categories you should enter. You should enter each wine in the category in which you feel it will perform best. Wines must contain a minimum of 75% of designated type if entered as a varietal. Varietals of less than 75% must be entered as blends. To make sure all entries are judged fairly, the WineMaker staff may re-classify an entry that is obviously in the wrong category or has over 75% percentage of a specific varietal but is entered as a blend.

7. Wine kits and concentrate-based wines will compete side-by-side with fresh fruit and juice-based wines in all listed cate gories.

8. The origin of many Native American grapes is unknown due to spontaneous cross-breeding. For the purposes of this competition, however, the Native American varietal category will include, but is not limited to, the following grape families: Aestivalis, Labrusca, Riparia and Rotundifolia (muscadine).

9. For sparkling wine categories, dry/semidry is defined as <3% residual sugar and sweet as >3% residual sugar.

10. Contest is open to any amateur home winemaker. Your wine must not have been made by a professional commercial winemaker or at any commercial winery. No employee of WineMaker magazine may enter. Persons under freelance contract with Battenkill Communications are eligible. No person employed by a manufacturer of wine kits may enter. Winemaking supply retail store owners and their employees are eligible. Judges may not judge a category they have entered. Applicable entry fees and limitations shall apply.

11. All wines will be judged according to their relative merits within the category. Gold, silver and bronze medals within each category will be awarded on point totals and will not be restricted to the top three wines only (for example, a number of wines may earn enough points to win gold). The Best of Show awards will be those wines clearly superior within those stated catego-

KEY DATES

Entry deadline for wines to arrive in Vermont: May 11, 2021

Wines judged: June 11–13, 2021

Results first announced at the WineMaker Magazine Conference in San Luis Obispo, California July 17, 2021

(Results posted on winemakermag.com)

ries. The Grand Champion award is given to the top overall wine in the entire competition.

12. The Winemaker of the Year award will be given to the individual whose top 5 scoring wine entries have the highest average judging score among all entrants.

13. The Club of the Year, Retailer of the Year and U-Vint of the Year awards will be based on the following point scale: Gold Medal (or any Best of Show medal): 3 points

Silver Medal: 2 points

Bronze Medal: 1 point

The amateur club that accumulates the most overall points from its members’ wine entries will win Club of the Year. The home winemaking retail store that accumulates the most overall points from its customers’ wine entries will win Retailer of the Year. The U-Vint or On-Premise winemaking facility that accumulates the most overall points from its customer’s wine entries will win U-Vint of the Year.

14. The Best of Show Estate Grown award will be given to the top overall scoring wine made with at least 75% fruit grown by the entrant. Both grape and country fruit wines are eligible.

15. All entrants will receive a copy of the judging notes for their wines. Medalists will be listed by category online.

16. All wine will become the property of WineMaker magazine and will not be released after the competition.

17. All decisions by competition organizers and judges are final.

Deadline: May 11, 2021

Entry Fee: $25 (U.S.) or $25 (Canadian) per wine entered

Number of entries _____ x $25 (US) or $25 (CD) = $________Total (limit of 15 entries per person) q Enclosed is a check made out to “WineMaker” in the amount of $_________.

Name___________________________________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________________

City________________________State/Prov______Zip/Postal Code____________________

Telephone_______________________________________________________________________

E-Mail____________________________________________________________________________

Winemaking Club:________________________________________________________________

Winemaking Retailer:_____________________________________________________________

U-Vint / On-Premise Store:________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage: Please list fruit varieties and percentages used in each wine. Example: “75% Baco Noir, 25% Foch.” If you are using a wine kit for ingredients, please list the brand and product name as the wine ingredients. Example: “Winexpert Selection International French Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Wine 1 Entered:

Category Number__________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

Vintage ____________________________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

Wine 2 Entered:

Category Number___________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

Vintage ______________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

Wine 3 Entered:

Category Number__________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

ENTRY FORM

Please note that you can also enter online at: winemakercompetition.com

Remember that each winemaker can enter up to 15 wines. If entering more than eight wines, please photocopy this entry form. Entry shipment includes ONE BOTTLE of wine per entry. 750 ml bottle required for still wines. Ice or late harvest wines can ship in 375 ml bottles. Still meads can ship in 12 oz. or 22 oz. beer bottles. Sparkling wines must ship in champagne bottles with proper closure and wire.

Send entry form and wine to:

Battenkill Communications

5515 Main Street

Manchester Center, VT 05255

Ph: 802-362-3981 • Fax: 802-362-2377

E-mail: competition@winemakermag.com

If entered online at winemakercompetition. com, please print a copy of your entry form and send it along with your wine.

Wine 5 Entered:

Category Number_________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

Vintage ______________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

Wine 6 Entered:

Category Number__________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

Vintage ______________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

Wine 7 Entered:

Category Number__________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

Vintage ______________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

Wine 4 Entered:

Category Number___________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

Vintage ______________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

Enter online at: winemakercompetition.com

Vintage ______________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

Wine 8 Entered:

Category Number__________________________________________________________

Category Name____________________________________________________________

Wine Ingredients and Percentage

Vintage ______________________________________________________

Are at least 75% of the ingredients grown by you? q yes q no q I feel it necessary to decant this wine_______hours before serving.

CLOSURE RIGHT

by Dominick Profaci

You have been diligent through every step of the process in making the best quality wine that is perfect for your palate. You have been a tireless caregiver, shepherding the growth and evolution of this living elixir for many months, even years, once you factor in bulk and possibly barrel aging, and it is finally time to bottle. You have properly cleaned and sanitized all the necessary bottles and bottling equipment and filled your bottles to a consistent and perfect level. You are now ready to insert/apply a closure into/onto the neck of the bottle. How important is that closure? Does it really matter what kind of closure you use? Might it have any impact on the wine that you worked so hard to create and are excited to share with your friends and family? I can personally answer that question based on my experience in one word — absolutely!

It is important to remember that wine is an ever-changing liquid. There are constant physical and chemical processes that continue over its lifetime. This includes its time in the bottle. Arguably, a wine’s time in the microenvironment of a 750 mL glass bottle can make all the difference of the final wine that actually is poured into a glass to either enjoy or find flaws in. It is either evolving, at its best, or degrading in the bottle. The time and way this happens is greatly influenced by the closure that is used to seal that bottle. Bear in mind that the environmental conditions where that bottle is stored (temperature, light, humidity, vibration, etc.) are also critical to this evolution, but in this discussion we will focus on the closure.

Don’t overlook the final step in winemaking

A BIT OF HISTORY

Glass wine bottles, as we know them, became available in the 1600s with the invention of the coal furnace. It allowed for the blowing of thicker glass bottles that were difficult to break. Prior to this, dating back to the ancient Egyptians, Amphorae were used widely. Amphorae were typically ceramic earthen pots that came in many shapes and sizes with two handles and a slim neck that reduced the amount of wine exposed to oxygen. These were originally sealed with clay stoppers.

The Greeks and Romans switched over to cork stoppers as they found they worked best. Cork stoppers, made from the bark of Quercus suber cork oak trees native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa, have been around for a very long time. They were even used in ancient Egypt; being found in tombs dating back thousands of years. The ancient Greeks discovered that when cork was stripped from the trees a new sheath of better quality was quickly formed on the tree in the place of the old one.

Cork has been the gold standard for sealing wine bottles for a very long time. As cork is a natural product that is harvested, however, it is subject to environmental conditions that can lead to contaminants being housed in the cork. If not cleaned properly, a

natural cork can cause wine spoilage.

One major player in this arena is 2,4,6 – trichloroanisole, or TCA, also referred to as cork taint. Minuscule amounts of TCA in a wine can spoil its aromas and flavors; exhibiting musty wet cardboard characteristics. A wine exhibiting this fault is said to be “corked.” The term corked came from the knowledge that this flaw most commonly comes from an infected cork closure. It should be noted that TCA can sometimes come from unsanitary practices in the winery as well.

Because of TCA and other contamination and spoilage issues, alternate forms of wine bottle closures have been developed. This evolution goes along with “super cleaning” processes and detection methods that have been instituted by some natural cork based manufacturers.

CLOSURE OPTIONS

Modern day winemakers have many options to choose from when it comes to wine bottle closures. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of what’s available to us home winemakers.

NATURAL CORK

Natural cork has the longest history of being utilized to close and seal wine bottles. Natural corks come from the process of single punching cork oak

tree bark. As this is a completely natural product, no two corks are exactly the same. Corks from this process are visually inspected and are graded (on a 1–10 scale) based on the level of imperfections seen on the cork. A grade 1 cork would be visually perfect with no cracks and obvious porous spots found. These imperfections increase with higher populations of worms and fungi living in/on the tree. Most of the natural corks produced today come from Portugal. Other countries in the Mediterranean and southern Atlantic seaboard also provide cork (Spain, Italy, France, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia); primarily for wine bottle closures.

Grade 3 natural corks are most commonly used for wine bottle closures; providing a balance between cost and quality. Grade 1 and 2 natural corks have been historically reserved for much more expensive wines as these corks can be quite pricey in themselves. Even grade 1 and 2 corks can lead to corked wines. As these are completely natural products, it comes down to the level of cleaning and olfactory inspection that is utilized to minimize the level of spoilage and taint of wine through the use of natural corks. The level of TCA contamination that is reported and expected by the cork industry is between 1–2%. This doesn’t even

Photo by Shutterstock.com

Natural corks are created by stripping a thick layer of bark from a cork oak tree and then punching the corks out of the bark. These natural corks have been the gold standard for wine bottle closures for ages; however, as a natural product they can pose a risk of contamination.

touch on the issue of a phenomenon known as bottle variability. For me personally, this is a larger concern than even TCA spoilage. I’ll go into a bit more detail on this topic in the next section.

AGGLOMERATED CORKS

Agglomerated corks are made from the leftover cork bark that has been punched. It is ground up into small pieces that are then reformed into a cork shape and held together with a food-grade adhesive. These closures can vary dramatically by manufacturer. In fact, they can vary widely even by batch; particularly among the lower price point ones.

Early in my home winemaking hobby I often utilized these types of closures. They were readily available from my local winemaker supply shop and inexpensive. Well, you know the old adage “you get what you pay for?” This is where I learned the hard way about the issue of bottle variability. Let’s use a commercial case of wine as an example. You’ve just gone and done a wine tasting at a local boutique winery and settled on a wine that you absolutely love and

end up bringing a case of it home. You get home and in your excitement about this treasure you uncovered you pull out a bottle and pop the cork. You pour a bit in a glass, put it to your nose and you get the dreaded musty wet basement smell. The bottle is corked! Oh well, it can happen right (1–2% as reported by the cork industry)? So you pop open another bottle. This one has no musty basement odor, thankfully, but the flavors and aromas are very muted; nothing like the wine you fell in love with at the tasting room. Frustrated, you open a third bottle and this one tastes completely different once again; even more acidic and on the verge of being spoiled. Another comes out and finally you are greeted by what you tasted in the tasting room. This is what is known as bottle variability. I had this happen to me with my own wines early in my hobby winemaking. This phenomenon can occur with natural cork-based closures due to their variability.

MICRO-AGGLOMERATED CORKS

A more recent advance in the natural cork industry for wine bottle closures

has been the advent of micro-agglomerated corks. These corks also utilize ground up pieces of the natural cork bark left over from the single punching process, however the pieces are ground much smaller than the regular agglomerated corks and sorted for uniformity in size. The cork is cleaned to remove all contaminants (which is easier to do with the smaller pieces) and then reformed and held together with an acid-tolerant foodgrade adhesive, such as polyurethane. These closures can also be engineered and reformed with specific oxygen transfer rates (OTRs). The OTR of a closure is very important to know based on the style and type of wine you plan to store and/or age. A very low OTR would be desired for something like an ageable tannic red wine while a higher OTR may be more appropriate for an early drinking white or rosé. What is key in this and one of the biggest benefits of these closures is consistency. They are consistent in their makeup, based on what you chose for what you are after in the bottle aging of your wine. This consistency leads to the reduction, if not total mitigation, of bottle variability.

Photo by Dominick Profaci

A variety of corking options. From back to front, left to right: Screw cap (on the bottle), two natural corks, two agglomerated corks, two synthetic closures, one micro-agglomerated cork, three Zork closures (which are no longer available), two crown caps, two plastic T-style Champagne corks, and two T-style corks.

I personally have used these types of closures with great success. Specifically, I have used DIAM closures. Good seals with no bottle variability.

COLMATED CORKS

Colmated corks are single punch natural corks that are far from flawless. Not of a high enough quality to pass as a natural cork, the imperfections in these corks are filled with cork dust and a food-grade adhesive. The process allows them to be a more smooth and consistent looking cork. They come at a lower cost than natural cork, with many of the same benefits and potential risks.

SYNTHETIC CORKS

Another closure option is a synthetic cork. They are extruded from foodgrade and/or plant-based materials (depending on manufacturer) to form a wine bottle closure. They can be engineered to specific OTRs and even made to look much like a natural cork. The benefits of these closures are many, as again they are consistent. There is no potential for TCA taint from the closure, as they are not derived from natural cork. I personally have used these types of closures with great success. Specifically, I have used Nomacorc closures. Good seals with no bottle variability. The only issue I’ve heard in their use is that the closure can sometimes be scored by a brass jaw floor corker in their insertion into the bottle that will lead to leakage.

SCREW CAPS

So we’ve touched on the importance of the mitigation of bottle variability, elimination of TCA contamination, and general spoilage of your wine. One closure where these are never a concern, related to the closure, is the screw cap. So you may be saying, aren’t screw caps just for cheap wines? This is an unfortunate connotation brought on by the history and nostalgia surrounding the use of natural corks. The reality is screw caps eliminate the potential for spoilage introduced by other closure options. But can a red wine age properly under a screw cap? Don’t you want a small and

Photo by Dominick Profaci

DIAM micro-agglomerated corks that I had branded with my home winery name. These corks are consistent and of a high quality.

controlled amount of oxygen to enter the bottle of an ageable red for it to develop? Yes you do. Screw caps can also be engineered, via the seals that are used in them, to allow for a specific OTR to allow that tannic red to age gracefully.

So why aren’t we all utilizing screw caps? Well for the home winemaker, there is the issue of cost. Firstly, you would need to transition all those wine bottles you’ve been hoarding over to threaded bottles. Not a small cost, but you would also need the screw cap bottling machine and that would set you back about $5,000–$7,000 for a simple single-bottle unit.

The other reason we don’t see screw caps more often — the main reason in the commercial world — is perception. As I mentioned earlier, the wine consumer links screw tops to lower-end wines. My understanding, however, is some higher end wineries are delving into moving to screw caps for their wines. They will need to do a tremendous amount of marketing to hopefully get this nuance to fly.

If you like the idea of a screw top for your wines but the capital cost for a screw cap bottling machine doesn’t make sense (and why would it?), Novatwist has developed a plastic screw cap closure that can be applied and utilized on a threaded wine bottle by hand. These can be ordered with varied cap liners to provide for a sought after OTR. This may be a cost-effective option for those who want to try this route. Novatwist is still a relatively new company, however retailers (like Waterloo Container Company) can be found online.

It is no longer available, but because some suppliers still have inventory and WineMaker still receives questions about them it is worth mentioning the Zork. This was a simple push in plastic closure with a foil oxygen barrier. When opening the bottle you tore the spiral band. These caps are no longer available, but they did work well so maybe a similar style will come back onto the market.

CROWN CAPS

Crown caps? Really? I don’t believe

you will find crown caps sealing still bottles of wine commercially. You may find them sealing a bottle of Prosecco, however. Crown caps do an excellent job of sealing in freshness and maintaining carbonation, if that is what is sought. They have been utilized for beer and cider for years for these purposes with great success. By the way, no one says you can’t use them to seal your bottles of wine at home. They would be more suited, however, for your white, rosé, and early drinking reds where you are trying to maintain the fruit forwardness of that wine. Using a crown cap will require a bottle with a lip that the cap can crimp onto (which most wine bottles don’t have).

Crown caps also come in handy if you make sparkling wines in the traditional Champagne method at home. They are used in the intermediate step of bottle re-fermentation to seal the bottle and make for simpler disgorgement later on. For this process you will need glass bottles that are heavier weight and designed to handle the pressures exerted by the carbonation process along with a quality capper to install the crown caps.

CHAMPAGNE CORKS

These are specialized corks that are designed to stay in the bottle under the pressure that sparkling wine exerts. A specialized floor corker that is designed for Champagne corks is required for their insertion and a metal cage is added around the cork and held in place under the lip of the bottle as added security in keeping the cork in place.

Plastic T-style corks are also available for this purpose. They do not require a specialized corker for insertion. Instead, these stoppers can be inserted by hand, with a mallet, or with a tabletop bottle capper. These are also reusable.

T-CORKS

T-corks are push in style closures that typically have a plastic top and a natural or synthetic cork attached insert that seals the bottle. These types of closures are most commonly used for spirits and wines that are higher in

alcohol like Port, Madeira, and Sherry where the added alcohol provides a greater level of protection from most forms of spoilage compared to typical table wines. T-corks should never be used for long-term storage and aging of table wines, but for short-term bottles they make for easy opening and resealing of the bottles.

SO, WHAT TO USE?

Like all things wine, getting beyond the science of what is best for the long-term viability and consistency of your wine, it comes down to style. What you as the winemaker want to convey to your friends and family about you and the wines that you create. This is even more important in the world of commercial winemaking. What can distinguish one Napa winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon from another’s that are sitting on the local wine shop’s shelves is packaging. The bottle, the label, and the closure all go into conveying a message to the consumer. We’ve already discussed the feeling or misconception that a screw cap wine is a cheap wine of lower quality. But even from the standpoint of tradition and that celebratory pop that comes from a bottle closed with a cork-style closure, it is all about you, or what your consumer, might prefer.

Personally, I’m a bit nostalgic but at the same time I keep cost and science in the forefront of my home winemaking. For me, I enjoy having a corkscrew readily available so that I might be able to share a bottle of wine with friends and family. I like that celebratory pop that pulling a cork conveys to everyone around. That we, with good friends, are about to share some fun times together. But, like with everything wine, you should decide what is best for you. Just learn from my mistakes and don’t try to save a few dollars by buying the cheapest (quality and price) closures you can find. You’ve taken so much of your time and energy to create something special to enjoy and share — utilize a closure that you feel confident will fit your needs based on the wine style(s) you have and what you are trying to convey. In the end, do your research and make it, like all in your winemaking hobby, fun.

by Bob Peak

barrel made of oak wood has been the preferred container for aging wine for hundreds of years. This remains true today despite modern advances in plastic, concrete, and stainless steel. Barrels maintain their popularity even though they are expensive, clumsy to handle and move about, and perishable. That last point — that a barrel “wears out” over time — is a key to its enduring appeal. A barrel not only contains wine, but contributes to it by giving up some of its own components to the flavor and aroma of the aged wine. Let’s take a closer look at what barrels contribute, how long these contributions continue, and what you can do with your barrel when it becomes neutral. Many factors play into the lifespan of a wine barrel. Key characteristics include the type of oak used, the degree of toasting applied, and the size of the barrel. European oak forests contain two types of oak trees that are commonly harvested for barrels: Quercus robur and Quercus petraea (and both have several synonym names). The prominent oak species used for barrels in North America is Quercus alba. All are considered varieties of white oak and exclude the more porous red oaks that would produce much less effective containers for wine. While the white oak barrel woods are similar, there are some differences that influence wine during aging.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

CHOOSING A BARREL

All wine barrels allow for some evaporation during aging. Depending on humidity, temperature, and air circulation, different ratios of water and alcohol will be lost. At the same time, small amounts of oxygen are introduced into the wine while it is stored in a barrel. The micro-oxygenation contributes to the polymerization and “softening” of tannins and helps bring about a mature wine profile. When you choose a new barrel for your home wine program, the choice of American or European (French, Hungarian, or others) will probably be your first big decision. Some grape varietals are most often associated with French barrels and others with American, but — as with so many decisions in winemaking — it ultimately comes down to your personal taste. Try wines from producers you like for which you can get barrel information, and go from there.

The next big decision is size. Of course, there are practical considerations like whether it will fit through the door of your cellar, but equally important are the ways wine re-

acts in a given barrel size. In Concepts in Wine Chemistry, Dr. Yair Margalit cites the dramatic difference in surface-to-volume ratio for different sized barrels. A 20-liter (5-gallon) barrel presents 214 sq. cm of wood surface for every liter/quart of wine, while a 200-liter (53-gallon) barrel offers only 99 sq. cm per liter/quart. (The most common barrel size in North American commercial wineries is 225 liters/60 gallons, but many sizes are available). With twice the surface area for its volume, the small barrel presents more extractable material to the wine inside. As a result, it will either impart the same amount of extract in a shorter time, or more intense “oaky” extract if left for a standard time. About one year of barrel aging is common for many commercial wines, but that choice is also subject to personal preferences (and economic realities).

TREATING THE BARREL

Regardless of the size, when you are ready to place your new barrel into service you need to soak it up. While they are checked for water tight-

ness at the cooperage where they are made, subsequent storage and transportation may allow barrels to dry out and shrink slightly. Filling with clean, odor-free water (hot water works faster) will swell it back up and restore a tight fit before you put your precious wine in it. Transfer the water out, place the barrel in a bung-down position, and let it drain for a few hours before filling.

REAPING THE EARLY BENEFITS

Once the wine is in the barrel, it begins extracting the components wine drinkers think of as “oakiness.” Descriptors like vanilla, toast, and coconut are often applied to barrel-aged wines. Most of the extracted materials are in a family of chemicals known as phenolics, as their structures are based on the fundamental building block, phenol. Among the phenolics are volatile (aromatic) compounds like vanillin, and mouthfeel phenolics like tannins. Some of the volatile compounds arise from initial breakdown of lignin in the oak wood during toasting, while the tannins come directly from the roughly 5 to 10% con-

Photo by Michael Tonsmeire

tent they make up in the dry weight of oak.

Estimates vary, but Margalit cites an amount of 300 mg/L of phenolic compounds extracted from a new, 225-L (59-gallon) barrel in one year. One experiment he cites involved filling new French and American barrels with Sauvignon Blanc wine for three months, then emptying and filling again with fresh Sauvignon Blanc for another three months. The wines were subsequently analyzed for tannin content, with the original white wine very low in native grape tannins. Extraction of barrel tannins in French oak went from over 140 mg/L in the first fill to less than 80 mg/L in the second. The American barrel went from about 50 mg/L in the first to only about 35 mg/L in the second. Regardless of barrel size or wood source, dramatically lower extraction comes from subsequent fills. The late Byron Burch, my onetime business partner in The Beverage People home winemaking store, always advised a rule of thumb to avoid over-oaking with a new barrel:

or glass or PET plastic carboys. In future vintages, or if you have another wine standing by, you will be able to leave wine in the same barrel for a longer period.

AFTER THE FIRST USE

The best way to keep a barrel is full of wine, but if you must take the wine out before you have another batch, you need to conserve your barrel. Generally, this means either storing it wet with acidified sulfite solution or dry after burning sulfur in it. For howto details, refer to the article “Barrel Care Techniques” by Daniel Pambianchi at https://winemakermag.com/ technique/barrel-care.

For commercial use, barrels are considered used up (described as having gone “neutral”) after four to six years. This general estimate is for standard 225-L (59-L) barrels and includes a full year of aging each time. At home, you may be using smaller barrels and refilling more frequently than once per year. My small barrel program is based on hectoliter, or 100-L (26-gallon) barrels. I have

with unchlorinated well water. It took four days, but it eventually sealed. I considered it neutral by then, but it retained its value for storage and for the benefits of micro-oxygenation. I put the wine in it and began tasting once every couple of months. Much to my surprise, a pleasant oakiness began to emerge. After nine months in the barrel, I bottled a delicious wine with subtle but detectable oak-aging characteristics (and went on to win a gold medal with it). That taught me that although “four to six years” may work well as a practical guideline for commercial wineries, you shouldn’t count out an older barrel as long as it is mechanically sound.

That soundness — basically it doesn’t leak any more than a few dribbles — is the real mark of continuing utility in a barrel. Yes, it was expensive to buy in the first place. But now that you have it, even if you have added newer barrels for more oakiness to your program, that older barrel can be a very economical wine tank. You already own it, you have gotten the expected contribution to your wines

Store the wine about one week per gallon (4 L) of capacity. Naturally, as seen from Margalit’s figures, that time may need to be extended in repeat uses.

Because a new barrel quickly gives up lots of extractables, be sure to taste and monitor new wine in a new barrel. If you think you may be getting close to as much oakiness as you want, have another trusted taster verify your conclusions. As the oak level rises in the wine, your palate may adjust to it and fail to notice when it is going too high. To take your wine out of a new barrel before it has had sufficient bulk aging to stabilize and clarify, you will need an equal volume of neutral storage containers like a stainless steel tank,

one French oak barrel I have used just once so far, an American oak barrel I have used about five times, and another French oak barrel that I have owned for 20 years and used more times than I can recall. While that last one is currently stored dry as a reserve in case I make more wine in any one year than I expected to, I keep it on hand in good condition. In 2014, after I had already used the barrel seven or eight times, it was set aside in dry storage. I happened upon a larger-than-expected lot of Sonoma Valley Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and, of course, made the wine. Upon pressing, I needed somewhere to put the wine and my only stainless steel tank was full of Chardonnay. I soaked up the old barrel, repeatedly filling it

from it, and you now have a container that requires only occasional maintenance to keep it on hand for any wine storage needs. You can even use oak alternatives like sticks or staves for oakiness while the barrel provides the micro-oxygenation. If you don’t use that extra barrel every year, I recommend dry storage since it can be held longer with little effort.

If an older barrel develops slight leakage but you want to keep it, there are a few techniques you can try. For small round holes (usually caused by boring beetles), you can purchase little oak cones called “spiles” that look like small golf tees. You drive the spile into the hole, then cut off and sand down the part still outside. For a weeping leak along a stave or at the

Regardless of barrel size or wood source, dramatically lower extraction comes from subsequent fills.

Shaving Old Barrel Staves: Extending the Life of Old Barrels & Creating an Alternative to Oak Chips

By George Pikor

I have been making wine at home for more than 30 years, starting with wine kits but soon moving to fresh grapes and frozen musts and juices. I was never satisfied with the results achieved using oak chips and sticks, partly due to the inconsistent quality of those products but also because you don’t obtain the micro-oxidation effects of aging a red wine in a barrel.

Investing in quality oak barrels is a big step for any new home winemaker. They are expensive, you have to make enough wine to keep a barrel full of wine at all times, and they need to be replaced after 4–5 years once they lose their ability to impart oak flavors to the wine. I have gained another 2–3 years of imparting oak flavors by having my neutral barrels professionally ground to expose fresh wood. Some argue that you don’t get the same impact with a re-coopered barrel but I have never been unhappy with the results. However, I was advised that you never re-cooper a barrel more than once and I have always heeded that advice.

Because I hate to throw anything away, once a barrel came to the end of its life, I would take it apart (prevents mold) and keep the staves. As barrel staves piled up, I came up with a plan to reuse these old staves one more time. First, I remove all wine-stained wood from each stave, then re-toast those staves, and finally place three whole staves into a 16-gallon (60-L) stainless steel container filled with red wine for a month or two to impart the level of oakiness I desire.

THE STAVE SHAVING PROCESS

I purchased a carver’s drawknife (see photo 1, above) to remove all of the wood stained with wine from the inside of each stave. To shave the stave you need to secure it so it can’t move. If you have a large wood vice attached to a workbench this would be ideal. However, I don’t own such a beast, so I have cut a 2- to 3-inch (5- to 7-cm) notch in a 2x6 by 1-foot (30-cm) plank that will hold a stave and prevents it from moving backwards as I use the drawknife. Then I place a 1-foot x 2-foot (30-cm x 60-cm) piece of plywood on top of the 2x6 plank on my garage concrete step and I sit on the plywood so that the stave can’t move up or down. With the stave secure and sticking out between my legs (photo 2), I start to remove about 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 of an inch (0.3 to 0.6 cm) of wine-stained wood with the drawknife to get to fresh wood. You can go at the stave pretty hard with the drawknife to remove big chunks of wood. Once I have shaved half the length of the stave I turn it around and shave the other end. After exposing all of the fresh wood on the inside of the stave, I use

either a small hand plane or the drawknife to expose fresh oak on the outer side of each stave. Not much wood needs to be removed here as I’m just looking to have clean fresh wood exposed on all sides of the staves before placing them in wine. I find that the hand plane is best for exposing fresh wood on the stave sides (photo 3). It takes about 45 minutes to shave three staves and makes quite a mess — one reason why I do the shaving in the garage.

RE-TOASTING THE STAVES

The next step in my process is to toast my freshly shaved staves. I have found the fresh, untoasted wood gives a slightly harsh, woody flavor to wines so I re-toast the staves. I have read that medium-toasted barrels (my preferred level of toast) with their vanilla and caramel-like flavors are heated to a surface temperature of 350–400 °F (177–205 °C). To achieve this, I place three staves into a preheated oven at 375 °F (190 °C). Once I smell a noticeable baked caramel wood odor (15–25 minutes) I remove the staves from the oven before they begin to char or burn.

Photos by George Pikor

OBTAINING THE DESIRED BARREL-LIKE FLAVORS

I currently have a 30-gallon and a 60-gallon (110- and 225-L) French oak barrel that are at the end of their lives for imparting any oak flavors, which I use solely for the purpose of microoxidizing/aging my red wines. After about a year in these neutral barrels, I’m ready to impart the oak flavors I desire. I place three freshly toasted oak staves from a decommissioned 30-gallon (110-L) barrel into a 16-gallon (60-L) Cornelius keg (any open-top stainless steel container that would hold an entire stave will do).

I have roughly estimated that 3–4 staves, depending upon their size, is relatively close to the wood-to-wine ratio in a 30-gallon (110-L) barrel. This takes into account a smaller volume of wine in the keg and that wine is extracting oak flavors from all four sides of the staves while in the keg as opposed to just the interior side of the stave as a barrel. However, the number of staves used is probably not that important as it only increases or

decreases the time the wine needs to stay in the stainless steel keg before the desired oakiness is obtained.

When I want a barrel-like fermented white wine, I wait for the fermentation to start in earnest, then add three freshly toasted staves to my 16-gallon (60-L) keg. I find that 1–2 months in the keg with three fresh staves produces a noticeable oaky character for both red and whites. After the first month I start tasting weekly and remove the staves from the wine once the desired oakiness has been achieved. I often use the same barrel staves for another 16-gallon (60-L) of red wine but I only use my re-purposed staves once when attempting to generate a barrel-like fermented white wine (usually Chardonnay).

While this process takes some time, I have found it is a great way to impart barrel-like oak flavors into my red and white wines. It allows me create a barrel-like fermented wine anytime and extends the use of an old barrel for aging purposes. You just need to save some of your old barrel staves for another day.

Barrel Leak Repair

By Michael Tonsmeire

Knowing how to fix a leak and having the tools on hand to do it can be invaluable when a barrel starts dripping. The first step is to determine the path of the escaping wine (or identify the leaks before you entrust your wine to a new barrel). When you get a new barrel that you have any concerns about, add 5–10% of its volume of warm water and roll it around checking for the appearance of damp spots.

THE LOCATION OF A LEAK WILL DICTATE THE TECHNIQUES NEEDED TO STEM THE FLOW:

BETWEEN STAVES

This leak may indicate that the barrel isn’t properly hydrated because wood shrinks as it dries. Move the empty barrel to a location where some spilled water isn’t a major concern and fill it with warm water. If the leak doesn’t stop after 24 hours of swelling, you’ll need to drain the water and tighten the hoops.

Stand the barrel on one head and remove the hoop nails or staples. Start with the belly hoop, walk around the barrel tapping the head driver with a cooper’s hammer 8–10 times until it is snug. For safety, keep your fingers on the outside. Repeat this on the quarter hoop. Add fresh hoop nails to keep the hoops from sliding towards the head. Flip the barrel onto the other head and repeat the process with the hoops on the other end of the barrel. Test the barrel with water again to ensure the leak has stopped before risking wine.

END GRAIN

The only place that end grain is exposed is the ends of the staves around the croze. Scrape the wet spot with your scraper to expose fresh wood to pinpoint the leak. Tap the awl (looks like a chisel but with a long thick needle, pictured with a red handle, above) into that spot with the hammer to create a ¼-inch (0.6-cm) deep hole. Firmly tap a spile (a piece of wood that looks like a golf tee) into the hole with the spile pin punch and hammer. Use a hot chisel to clean off the excess spile sticking above the barrel’s surface. Take a high angle, shaving off the sides of the spile leaving a nub in the center extending above the surface. Use a hammer to hit flatten the nub and clean it up with your chisel. Sand the area you scraped with fine sandpaper to close the wood pores.

EDGE GRAIN

Scrape the wet spot with your scraper to see where the liquid is originating. The wine is moving through the capillaries of the wood, you need to cut them off on their way to the leak. Feel the grain of the wood, it will feel rougher in one direction than the other. Keep going past the leak about 1⁄2-inch (1.3-cm) in the direction it feels rougher. Use a 1⁄2-inch (1.3-cm) cold chisel to create 1⁄4-inch (0.6-cm) deep divot parallel to the grain (make sure not to go too much deeper or risk cracking the stave). Then use a 1⁄2-inch (1.3-cm) hot chisel to make the center of the divot a little deeper. Firmly tap a wedge, slightly wider than the chisel, into the hole to plug it. Use a hot chisel to clean off the excess wedge sticking above the stave in the same way as the spile. Sand the area you scraped to close the pores of the wood.

Photo by Michael Tonsmeire

junction of a stave with the head, you can apply barrel wax. This paraffin wax comes as a small block wrapped in paper. With the barrel empty, you need to get the area of the leak hot enough to melt the wax. You can use a heat gun or, as I do, gently heat the area with a propane hand torch. When it is too hot to touch, but not scorched, quickly rub the block of wax on the troublesome area. The heat melts the wax, the liquid wax soaks into the wood, and — usually — the leak is fixed. The wax is quite neutral and has no effect on subsequent batches of wine. For more specifics on repairing barrels, check out the sidebar on page 40.

It is also worth noting that barrels, especially the 225-L (59-gallon) ones, are often “recoopered” after their initial lifespan of use. Specialized coopers buy the “neutral” barrels from wineries and grind or shave off the wine-soaked wood from the interior of the barrel. They may do

that by completely disassembling the barrel, planing the wine-exposed surface, and assembling and toasting an essentially new barrel. Other techniques include removing one head and grinding the interior barrel surface with power tools or by blasting it with high-speed pellets of dry ice (solid carbon dioxide). If you live in a wine-producing region, you may be able to contract with a local recooper to process your barrel for a fee and then return it to you as described in the sidebar on pages 38-39.

RETIRING A BARREL

The time may come when an old barrel leaks too much or you just run out of the space to keep it after it is neutral. Keep in mind that you still have a nice piece of oak hardwood. To continue using the oak for wine, consider repurposing the staves as also described in the sidebar on pages 38-39.

If the barrel is mostly sound, you

can cut a large hole in one end, plug up the bung hole, seal any leaks from the inside, and use your old barrel for rainwater collection at a roof downspout. Or you can emulate various artisans in wine country to rework old barrels into wine racks, furniture, and even draft wine service bars for parties on your patio. And of course we are all familiar with the classic wine barrel planters: Use a power saw to cut the barrel in half at the middle and get two planters from one barrel. Finally, used oak makes aromatic firewood. You can cut it into small pieces or shavings for use on a barbecue or in a smoker. Or leave the staves in bigger pieces for the fireplace or woodstove. There is even one Sonoma County winemaker who has a side business of catering large parties with pig roasts using his huge tow-behind barbecue. He fuels it entirely with old broken-down wine barrels and lets the lifespan of those barrels go whole hog!

Photo by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus

CREATING RED BLENDS

by Pat Henderson

Early in my winemaking career I had the good fortune to work with one of the founders of Kenwood Vineyards, Mike Lee, who really knew how to blend wines to make them taste even better. Even though I was a rookie just out of school, he let me take part in blending trials tasting different vineyard lots to select which would make the cut for the final blend. If you are unfamiliar with the process of blending wine you may think that it is as simple as throwing everything together in one big tank and mixing it up, but to be successful you need to put a little more thought into it. A winemaker would no more throw all their wines together without thinking than a chef making a soup would put all of the ingredients in the kitchen into one pot and call it done. To make something that actually tasted good a chef would carefully consider what might go well together, then once it was on the stove taste a spoonful out of the pot while it was cooking and add a little more seasoning based on what he or she thought would make it taste even better. Winemakers should approach blending in the same manner — taste the wine that they are working with and then ask themselves “what wines do I have that would make this blend perfect?”

WHAT BLENDING WILL DO (AND WON’T DO) FOR YOUR WINE

The goal of blending wine should be to add new flavors and create a wine that has more complexity and balance than the base wines from which it is made. In short, a wine where the whole is more than the sum of the parts. There are as many opinions to what makes a palatable wine as there are winemakers but most would agree a balanced wine with a myriad of complex flavors that go well together is going to be more enjoyable than a one-dimensional wine where one flavor dominates.

While blending can bring out the best in wines it cannot make a bad wine taste good. When an unpalatable wine is blended with something better you usually just end up with a

bigger volume of mediocre wine.

Blending can make a good wine taste even better by compensating for any of its weaknesses such as to soften a wine that was too bitter or adding a little bit more youthful fruity aroma to a wine that has been well aged. There are many blending options available to accomplish these goals. You can blend wines from different varietals, vineyards, appellations, or vintages that may have very different flavors but are complementary to each other.

WHAT TO BLEND

Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent example of the potential of varietal blending. Cabernet Sauvignon is a late-ripening variety and in cooler appellations it might not get to the

desired level of ripeness every vintage. Blending in a variety like Merlot, which ripens earlier than Cabernet and has a similar flavor profile, can be a lifesaver that adds ripe flavor to the blend in a cool year. There are a number of “Bordeaux” varieties that can offer a diverse palate of tastes to Cabernet Sauvignon. For me, I have found that Merlot provides ripe flavors with softer tannins, Malbec gives an abundance of fruit flavor, color, and body without being too astringent, Petit Verdot adds big tannins and ageability, while Cabernet Franc has an elegant flavor with a leaner body than Cabernet Sauvignon. You can think of adding a small percentage of these wines to finetune a Cabernet Sauvignon or you can use them in more equal proportions

Grape varieties that complement each other

While blending Cabernet Sauvignon with other Bordeaux varietals is probably the varietal blending that most are familiar with, there are many other grape varieties that go well together. Here are some of my favorites:

Grenache,

Syrah, and

Mourvèdre

Why limit yourself to just two varieties?

Pinot Noir and Syrah

Syrah & Viognier

Zinfandel & Petite Sirah

Zinfandels can have light color and a short finish; the full body and dark color of Petite Sirah can make a wine with better balance.

Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, or GSM, blends are a classic of France’s Rhône region where the fruit flavors and mild tannins of Grenache are complemented by the rustic texture and spicy notes of Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Pinot can sometimes have a light color and thin body — 3 to 10% Syrah can fill it out. If you add more you can still make a good tasting wine but you may overwhelm Pinot Noir’s delicate character.

Many winemakers in both the Old and New Worlds will add 1–5% of the white Viognier grape to their Syrah and ferment them on the skins together. At this level the Viognier adds interesting floral and peach notes to the aroma and softens the tannins of the blend.

Sangiovese & Cabernet

Sauvignon or Merlot

Cabernet and Merlot add structure and mouthfeel to Sangiovese in the style of a “Super Tuscan” blend.

to make a red blend in the style of a Meritage.

Blending wines that have received different treatments is another option; such as a Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged separately in both French and American oak or combining two carboys of Marquette, each fermented with a different type of yeast. Blending a small amount of a younger wine into one that has just finished aging can be particularly useful. A full-bodied red may age for as long as two years and when it is racked out of the barrel it might have the smooth tannins and oak flavor that you were looking for but it may have lost most of its attractive fruity aromas that it had in its youth. In this case, adding 5 to 15 percent of the same wine from a younger vintage will bring back a lot of that lost fruity flavor and make a blend that has the best of both wines.

Blending is an area of winemaking where the home winemaker might be at an advantage to the pro. Commercial wines that are to be sold are bound by many state and federal regulations as to what is legal to put together. The rules vary a bit by state and region, but typically a wine must be composed of at least 75% of a varietal to be labeled as such on the bottle. For appellation it is 85% and for year of vintage it can be from 85 to 95%. The advantage to home winemakers is that they are only limited to what tastes the best to them. You can blend a wine that is 65% from one vintage and 35% from another year if that is what you like without worrying about the law or marketing.

BENCH BLENDS, THE SECRET TO SUCCESS

While experience always helps, it is not really required to be successful at blending, you just need to make a trial blend, or bench blend, to taste before making the blend in the cellar. For a bench blend you assemble sample bottles of the wines that you are considering for the mix and combine a small amount of each in the same proportion that you would make in the cellar. Once the bench blend is

made, taste it against the unblended wines and ask yourself “do I like this more or less than the original wines?” Why end there? Take it further and try different percentages of each wine, or just some of the wines you have available to you, to dial in the best blend.

This “try it before you buy it” approach is what makes blending wine such a powerful tool. Most decisions a vintner makes are based on conjecture. You may decide to pick your grapes at a particular level of sugar but you will never know for sure if the wine might have tasted a little better if the fruit had more hangtime on the vine. By making and tasting a trial blend before doing it in the cellar it allows you to try a number of blending options without consequences to find just the right one.

But how to select what wines to mix? First taste each wine that you may use and critically examine it for its strengths and weaknesses, writing down your impressions as you go.

The wine that has the highest volume or the one with the best flavor profile that you are sure that you want to use for the blend is the base wine. Taste the base wine again and ask yourself “what does this need to improve the taste?”

As an example, if the base wine is a little too astringent, select a wine that has soft tannins that might complement the base wine. Make up a sample blend of the two wines; a good place to start might be 80% base wine with 20% of another wine. You will need a graduated cylinder and pipet to measure 80 mL of the base wine and 20 mL of the softer wine. Gently mix the new blend and taste it against the base wine and decide what you like best. If the new blend is now a little too soft, try again, this time adding 10% of the second wine to the base wine. Alternatively, if 20% of the second wine it is still a little too rough, try upping it to 30% and see if it is better.

Don’t get discouraged if it did not

The tools used for blending are simple and probably already in your cellar. You will need a small sample bottle of every wine that might be used for the blend, a graduated cylinder and pipet to measure the volume, a small beaker or flask to mix up the blend, and of course a glass to taste.

Photo by Pat Henderson

make the wine taste better — just try another combination. It is always a good idea to number the blend you are working on and write down the composition as well as any thoughts you have on the taste. When I was working at Kenwood it was not uncommon to be working with lots from 20 different vineyards and taste 10 to 15 trial blends before deciding on the final combination. Once I became a head winemaker the ultimate decision on the blend was mine, but I knew enough from my experience working with Mike Lee that you will get better results if you taste with others so you might want to ask your winemaking partners, fellow home vintners, or wine lovers to join you in the process if you can.

Wine: Blend #

KEEPING TRACK OF THE MATH

In the earlier example we had a pretty simple 80/20 blend that can be measured in a 100 mL cylinder, but for more complex blends or to blend up a full bottle it might be easer to use a spreadsheet. If you have analysis or composition data for the wines you can also use the spreadsheet to see what the percentages for the blend would be. If you are proficient with Excel you can make a spreadsheet of your own. I am also sharing a blending template that I use, which you can download at winemakermag. com/article/pat-hendersons-blend ing-spreadsheet. Using this template, you can enter information about each wine you have available to you and amounts that you want to try

for a blend and it will automatically calculate the small sample amounts needed to conduct a bench trial. A picture with an example of this template is below.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO BLEND?

There are a number of options as to when in the winemaking process to blend things together and they each have their advantages and disadvantages. Some winemakers actually make field blends where grapes of different varieties are crushed and fermented together. Out here in California’s Sonoma Valley you often see this in old vine Zinfandel vineyards. When these vineyards were planted in the early 1900s the vintners knew

Gallons in Blend = 79.5

Case production = 33.4

Using a spreadsheet program such as Excel to do the computations for complex blends can be a great time saver. If you number your blends and print them out, it is also a great way to keep records of your blending. I have shared my downloadable spreadsheet for readers to use at home with their own blends at https://winemakermag.com/article/pat-hendersons-blending-spreadsheet

that Zin tasted better if you added a little bit of another variety that had more robust color and tannins so when the vineyards were planted, they might mix in a few vines of Petite Sirah and Alicante Bouschet for every 100 vines of Zin. The vines would all be picked at the same time and fermented in the tank together so there was a lot of time for the flavors to harmonize. The disadvantage to field blending is that all the varieties may not get ripe at the same time and some years you might want a little more or less of the other reds depending on how the Zinfandel turned out. Nevertheless, it is the simplest way to blend and if you are eventually going to mix the wines together no matter what, it is not necessarily a bad way to do things. Digital members can read more about creating field blends at

home at https://winemakermag. com/technique/1731-field-blending.

If you blend the wine just after fermentation this allows you to pick each variety at the optimum ripeness and wines have plenty of time to marry together while they are being aged, and time for you to taste the blend and make further adjustments down the road if you feel it is needed.

Another option (which is the one I prefer) is waiting until after the wines are finished aging, usually a couple of months before they are to be bottled. By this time the wines are nearly finished and you get the most accurate estimation of what the ultimate flavor of the final blend will be when it is bottled.

All three approaches have their benefits and shortcomings, and it may be that certain wines benefit from one approach while others may

be approached differently.

EXPANDING YOUR OPTIONS

For your home winery you may not have access to dozens of different wines that you can use in your blends but if you are willing to think outside of the box there are still many options open to you. If you are making a barrel of Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes, you can consider making a carboy of Merlot either from fruit or from a kit to complement the bigger lot in your barrel. Or if you have more than one vintage in your cellar from your own home vineyard and you might benefit from mixing a little of the younger vintage into the older one to freshen it up.

You can use blending to add diversity to your wines as well. If you make a Barbera and a Zinfandel you can bottle up some of each variety

If you choose to wait until after aging your wines to do your blending then it is helpful to taste through your wines periodically during the aging process to start getting a feel for what wines you will have and to begin thinking about potential blending options ahead of time.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

by itself as well as make a red blend of the two. This is a great way to add some variety to the wines at your dinner table. You can also consider trading for a bit of wine with another home winemaker (if you are a part of a wine club, there should be a good diversity of options), or even consider buying a bottle of Syrah at the wine shop to add just a bit more body and color to your Pinot Noir.

WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR

Blending is a powerful winemaking tool but there are a few risks that you should be aware of. When you blend wines together you might be mixing

spoilage yeast and bacteria as well. For instance, if one lot in the blend had Brettanomyces or Acetobacter growing in it, when you mix them together you would be spreading the problem to the whole blend. This can be avoided by tasting the wines first and not using any wine that has problems. A small volume of bad wine is one thing but it is much worse to have a big blend go bad because you did not taste each of the components separately before blending.

Even beneficial microbes can cause problems — when you add a wine that has finished malolactic fermentation (MLF) to one that has

not gone through MLF, you will now have a blend that has the potential to go through MLF after bottling if you do not sterile filter. Usually if you mix wines that have been stabilized the resulting blend will be stable but this is not always the case. Sometimes the slight change in pH between the base wine and the blend will result in wines that were once heat and cold stable to become unstable. It is best to wait until after blending before stabilizing if you can.

At first glance the numerous options for blending combined with the computations needed to keep track of complex blends might seem a little intimidating but it does not need to be. When you are starting out keep your blends simple with just a few wines, then experiment and taste what you come up with and trust your gut. Just follow the simple rule that if the blend does not taste better than the base wines don’t do it and if it does taste better then go for it.

Happy blending!

RELATED LINKS:

Looking for information on specific blends from around the world? Here are a selection of stories from the WineMaker archives that focus on some of our favorites:

• Cabernet Sauvignon–Syrah Wine Blends: https://winemakermag.com/ technique/910-cabernetsauvignon-syrah-wine-blends

• Meritage: What’s in a Name?: https://winemakermag.com/ article/503-meritage-what-s-ina-name

• Super Blends: https://winemakermag.com/ article/super-blends

• Blending with Malbec: https://winemakermag.com/ technique/blending-with-malbectips-from-the-pros

• Non-Grape Blends: https://winemakermag.com/ article/1068-non-grape-blends

When conducting bench trials, begin with collecting one sample bottle of each of the wines being considered for a blend. Inviting more people to take part in sampling the blends is often a helpful practice, especially if there are a lot of blends to taste through as palate fatigue can start setting in.

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Covering nearly every situation a winemaker could encounter, this 384-page guide is the perfect reference for any amateur vintner. Fully indexed and organized by themes Find answers to your questions and fixes to your problems fast.

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The sensory characteristics of wine are the main determinants of its quality. They are directly appreciated by drinkers, and are caused by the different chemical compounds that are present in wine and by their concentrations.

Olfactory perceptions are caused by volatile chemical compounds present in the air, in food, and in beverage. Humans are able to recognize from 10,000 to 100,000 different odors caused by chemical compounds belonging to many different chemical families.

Odoriferous substances are numerous in wine, and have very different chemical structures: Alcohols, hydrocarbons, thiols, ketones, aldehydes, amines, carboxylic acids, esters, and lactones. Each compound is present in wine in variable concentrations, which, in general, are very low: From mg/L (parts per million) to ng/L (parts per trillion). The simultaneous presence of so large a number of molecules makes the human perception of wine aromas a complex process. These compounds have different origins:

• From the grapes.

• From enzymatic reactions occurring during crushing (mostly hexane, hexanol, and hexenol).

• From the activity of microorganisms during fermentations (alcoholic fermentation and possibly malolactic fermentation).

• From chemical and biological processes that occur during storage and aging.

Sensory thresholds are defined as the concentrations at which a particular odoriferous substance is perceived from the majority of people involved in the panel tests. These thresholds are highly variable, according to the chemical families.

Relating the chemical composition of wine to sensory perceptions of aromas is an extremely demanding and complex task, due to a series of interactions between the molecules.

In wine tasting, odor descriptors are frequently used; for instance, the descriptor “rose” indicates that that wine reminds of the rose odor. Some odors in wine have been successfully related to particular compounds (“impact odorants”), but in general they are conferred by mixtures of substances.

The orthonasal way of perception of odorants and the perception in mouth can sometimes produce different sensations from the same compound. This is due to a more efficient extraction of odorants from wine in the mouth, where temperature is higher than in the glass. So, some compounds can be perceived already in the glass, because they are highly volatile and therefore easily extracted; other substances are less volatile, and can be properly perceived only in the mouth. The olfactory perception of some substances in the mouth can interact with other perceptions, such as tactile, leading to complex perceptions, not easily distinguished.

VARIETAL AROMAS

The odor compounds originated in

the grapes during berry maturation are called varietal aromas (sometimes also called primary aromas), because they differ notably depending on the variety. These compounds are extracted from the skin of the berries during must extraction or maceration.

A lot of recent scientific studies have investigated their structure, their abundance in different grape varieties, and their influence on wine aroma, because they can confer specific sensory characteristics to young wines. Aging can ruin the delicate molecules responsible for the varietal aromas.

There is a consolidated attention to high-quality, aromatic wines and to the role of the grapes that give origin to these wines. Differences between grape varieties are relevant and depend mainly on the different composition of mixtures of odoriferous compounds; in only a few cases there is the presence of particular impact odorants.

THIOLS

Among the varietal aromas, volatile thiols (or mercaptans) are delicate but powerful aromatic compounds that are found in some grapes, mostly white, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Gewürztra-

miner, Colombard, Sémillon, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Sylvaner. They have been also found in some local Italian grapes, such as Vermentino, Verdicchio, Grillo, Trebbiano di Lugana, and Grechetto. They are significantly present in some red varieties as well, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Usually they are odorless, normally being chemically bound to other compounds, which reduces the volatility of the molecules. During the fermentation, enzymes produced by the yeast metabolism split these bonds and release the volatile compounds. Once they are separated from the precursors, the human nose can sense their aromas.

All thiols present the -SH group (sulfhydryl group), which is the main chemical characteristic of this family of sulfur-containing compounds.

An aroma deeply influenced by these compounds is showcased in Sauvignon Blanc wines; it was studying these grapes two decades ago that research began to clarify the enological role of thiols. Research in this field is difficult, primarily because volatile molecules are recalcitrant to easy conclusions, secondly because thiols are present in wine at parts per trillion (ng/L), and therefore are difficult to detect.

A common feature of these molecules is their relative instability; they are easily oxidized during the must extraction and the initial phase of fermentation. If the winemaker wants to preserve them, cellar choices prior to fermentation are crucial for the quality of the future wine. When not destroyed by winemaking oxidation processes, these compounds are capable of developing positive aromas, such as boxy (box tree), passion fruit, grapefruit, tropical fruit, black currant, orange peel, and tomato leaf. It is interesting to note that these flavors belong to different aroma groups: Fruit, tropical, green (herbaceous or vegetable-like).

As to the descriptor “boxy,” it refers to the smell from boxwood plant leaves; boxwood plants (Buxus) are evergreen shrubs often planted

Researchers began to clarify the enological role of thiols by studying Sauvignon Blanc, a grape that showcases the role thiols can play on aroma.

Photo courtesy by Shutterstock.com

in formal landscapes. It is interesting to note that chemical analysis of fresh boxwood leaves show significant concentrations of thiols, demonstrating that the descriptor “boxy” is precisely referred to this class of compounds. It is a rare case, because in general it is not so easy to link odor descriptors to certain chemical compounds.

Three main thiols are found in wines: 3MH (3-mercaptohexan-1-ol), 3MHA (3-mercaptohexyl acetate), and 4MMP (4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one). The concentrations of thiols in grapes and wine are very low, but sufficient to give the olfactory sensation. It is surprising and somewhat disconcerting that the concentration of thiols (but of other wine odorants as

WINE YEASTS THAT ENHANCE VOLATILE THIOLS

Some strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been assessed for their ability to enhance the production of volatile thiols. Some examples:

AB BIOTEK – MAURIVIN

SAUVIGNON has the ability to enhance the varietal aromas of Sauvignon Blanc and of other thiolic grapes, thanks to the high activity of the ß-lyase enzyme, the one that converts odorless precursors into aromatic thiols.

ENARTIS

FERM Q9 favors thiol production, the outcome being complex wines with intense citrus, grapefruit, tropical fruit, pear, and pineapple aromas.

LAFFORT

ZYMAFLORE® VL3 is a yeast strain known for expressing thiol-type varietal aromas.

LALLEMAND

IOC BE THIOLSTM can enhance 3-MH potential (generally associated with grapefruit and contributing to pineapple notes) without excessive plantbased notes.

SAUVYTM has the ability to release volatile thiols, in particular 4MMP.

well) can change their olfactory perception; for instance, at low concentrations 3MHA can deliver passion fruit, guava, and gooseberry odors, but at high concentration it imparts a sweaty aroma.

PRESERVING THIOLS

In order to avoid oxidation and retain thiols, it is mandatory to work in a reductive (that is, minimal oxygen concentration) environment and to use anti-oxidant preservatives, such as sulfur dioxide. The winemaking in reduction for white wines reckons on avoiding oxidation during the must elaboration, fermentation, maturation and bottling.

The must extraction is a key stage for the oxidation reactions that happen in presence of oxygen; using sulfite (anti-oxidant), sometimes coupled with ascorbic acid, and paying attention to pump-overs and rakings, protects thiols. Other tips to make wine in a reductive environment include using stainless steel, closed-top vessels and using pumps that do not increase oxygen concentration in must and wine.

ENHANCING THIOLS CONCENTRATION

In addition to preserving a grape’s thiols it is also possible to enhance their concentration. Here are some factors that have been shown to be effective for the purpose of enhancing thiols in wine:

• Picking the grapes early is thought to favor the concentration of thiol precursors that begin to decrease prior to grape ripening.

• Cold maceration (prior to fermentation) is frequently adopted, increasing the extraction of thiols, which are mainly resident in the skins.

• Use yeast cultures that have been specifically selected to release varietal thiols (varietal thiols are released during fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast through its enzymatic activity). A list of some of these strains is included in the sidebar on this page.

• Bound thiols can be released through the use of exogenous enzymes during cold soaking of the must.

REFERENCES

Axel R., 2005. “Scents and sensibility: a molecular logic of olfactory perception” (Nobel Lecture). Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 44:6110 – 6140

Buck B.L., 2004. “Unraveling the sense of smell.” Nobel lecture

Coetzee C., 2018. “Grape-Derived Fruity Volatile Thiols.” April 2018 Issue of Wines & Vines.

Dubourdieu D., Tominaga T., 2009. “Polyfunctional thiol compounds.” In Wine Chemistry and Biochemistry curated by Moreno-Arribas e M.C. Polo. Springer, pp.275-293

Ebeler S.E., Thorngate J.H., 2009. “Wine chemistry and flavor: looking into the crystal glass.” J. Agric. Food Chem. 57 8098–8108

Ferreira V., Cacho J., 2009. “Identification of impact odorants in wine.” Wine Chemistry and Biochemistry curated by Moreno-Arribas e M.C. Polo. Springer, pp.393-415

Fleet G.H., 2003. “Yeast interaction and wine flavour.” International Journal of Food Microbiology 86:11-22

Guth H., 1997. “Identification of character impact odorants of different white wine varieties.” J. Agric. Food Chem. 45:3022-3026

Polaškova P., Herszage J., Ebeler S.E., 2008. “Wine flavor: chemistry in a glass.” Chem. Soc. Rev. 37:2478–2489

Roland A., Schneider R., Razungles A., Cavelier F., 2011. “Varietal Thiols in Wine: Discovery, Analysis and Applications.” Chem. Rev., 111.

Mattivi F. et al., 2012. “Development of reliable analytical tools for evaluating the influence of reductive winemaking on the quality of Lugana wines.” Analytica Chimica Acta, vol. 732.

Zou Z., Buck B.L., 2006. “Combinatorial effects of odorant mixes in olfactory cortex.” Science 311: 1477-1481

TECHNIQUES

BY BOB PEAK

SCALING UP: HANDLING

Crushing, pressing, and fermenting larger batches

Most home winemakers start out small, making five or ten gallons (19 or 38 L) or even as little as one gallon (3.8 L). If you stick with the hobby and make wine from fresh fruit, there is a good chance you will move up in volume from these levels. Some hobbyists will level off at, say, 30 to 50 gallons (114 to 189 L) every year while others will run right up to the legal household limit (for two or more adults) of 200 gallons (760 L). Beyond that, it is the dream of many home winemakers to continue growing their practice and turn pro.

In this column my goal is to go further into the volume of must and wine that a larger, scaled-up crush entails. In my own home winemaking, I started small after I planted a 1⁄3 acre (0.13 ha) hobby vineyard some 20 years ago. When my dormant bench-graft plantings had grown out for the third year, they set enough fruit for carboy-sized winemaking. Knowing my volume would grow, I built a small “wine barn” in my back yard — 13 ft. x 17 ft. (4 m x 5 m) divided into three rooms. I bought a manual crusher/destemmer and a ratcheting basket press. These served me well until, near retirement, I decided to upgrade to an electric crusher/destemmer. I now make about 60 gallons (227 L) of wine a year and have made more in some vintages. So where do you put more wine and how do you get it there?

We are going to start this column’s journey with the must — either red or white grapes — dropping out the bottom of your crusher. From there, we have fermenting, pressing, racking,

malolactic fermentation, and transfer to bulk storage. Just as for grape handling, bulk wine handling at the 5-gallon (19-L) level is very easy on equipment requirements. You can place a small manual grape crusher right on top of a 20-gallon (76-L) food-grade trash can-type fermenter and let the must fall in as you turn the crank. Since it only takes about 100 lbs. (45 kg) of grapes, moving the fermenter afterwards will be easy. You can crush in the garage, in the kitchen, or on the patio. If you are making white wine, you can press the must without removing the stems. With a helper or using a two-wheel dolly, you can take the must to your pressing area or press right there on the patio. You can ferment in a closet, spare bathroom, or part of the garage.

When you get up to the mid-range size, say up to about 50 gallons (189 L), you will need a larger space and more permanent facilities. Part of the garage will still work, and you can crush in the driveway, but you will need to set aside that garage space for several months for finishing fermentation, racking, and tank or barrel storage. Using space in your kitchen or a spare bathroom will become very awkward as you would need to leave three or more trash can sized fermenters in place for weeks to ferment and then get the must to your press. If you go above about 100 gallons (379 L), you will need room for half-ton bins or the equivalent volume in trash can sized fermenters. It becomes time to consider walling off that garage space or constructing some kind of home winery. Depending on the climate you are in, you may need to provide heat to complete primary and malolactic

If you go above about 100 gallons (379 L), you will need room for half-ton bins or the equivalent volume in trash can sized fermenters.

fermentations, cooling for white wine fermentation, or additional cooling for aging. Bulk storage of your wine will likely occupy your space until the next harvest. Consider provision of water supply and drainage.

Equipment needs change as production grows. The first stage in must handling is getting must from the crusher/ destemmer into the fermenting bin. Below about 20 gallons (76 L), you may be able to lift and pour the bin that receives the must or, at worst, scoop it out manually. From there, you can carry it to your fermentation space. At any volume, you may want to destem and crush directly into your fermenting bins. To avoid moving the must again, you can move the crusher/destemmer to the fermentation area and rest it on boards across the bin. If you prefer to ferment in smaller bins — like the square 32-gallon (121-L) bins I use — you can put the crusher/destemmer on sawhorses with the bin underneath. After I crush about 200 lbs. (91 kg) into the bin, I stop, slide it out, and slide in another one for the next batch. With one helper, I can easily drag the full bin across a concrete floor and place it where I want to ferment. If you use the larger 44-gallon (167-L) round trash-can fermenters, you may wind up with more like 300 lbs. (136 kg) in each bin after crushing — awfully heavy to lift or drag. You can, however, use a two-wheel dolly or wheeled platform dolly to move such a bin. For half-ton (450-kg) bins, it’s best to have a pallet jack, a forklift, or a fork attachment for your tractor.

After fermentation of red wine or right away with white, you need to transfer the must to the press. If you have used a temporary crush pad in the driveway or on the patio, that same space may serve as a press pad — but you have to get the grapes there. If your dolly or pallet jack system works well, you can just run them right back. In my case, I set up the press on the same plywood sheets on my gravel driveway that I use as a crush pad and drag the fermenters one-at-a-time over to it. Once one bin is empty, it can serve to receive the pressed pomace for later transfer to a compost pile or green waste recycling bin. At the press, you will need something like a pitcher or small bucket to scoop out the fermented red or crushed white must and pour it into the press.

For the press itself, a very small batch can just be poured into a bucket lined with a nylon mesh bag. Lift the bag, twist and squeeze to press the juice into the bucket, and discard the pomace left in the bag. At mid-range production, a simple ratchet-style basket press works well. Most have wooden baskets and are designated by the centimeter diameter of the basket, #25 is 25 centimeters across (9.8 in.) and so forth. To help buyers match their needs, manufacturers and vendors translate these dimensions into volume capacities. In these figures, the volume is as though the basket were a

solid bucket, rather than slotted or perforated. That means you can press considerably more volume on each batch than the rating, as about half or so by weight will run through as juice or wine. That #25 press, for instance, has a 5-gallon (19-L) basket. I use a #35 press with a 12-gallon (45 L) basket and I can usually press about 200 lbs. (91 kg) of white must or up to 300 lbs. (136 kg) or so of the softer fermented red must. Those amounts mean I sometimes need to handle multiple press loads on a single day, but they don’t take very long and the press easily comes apart and goes back together. I have resisted going to a larger press because I can move this one around by myself. You may be able to do the same up to a #45 press with its 25-gallon (95-L) basket, but when I worked in the retail store I found it nearly impossible to move a #50 (34-gallon, 129-L) press by myself. Because of those challenges with a large basket press, many larger volume home winemakers — and small scale commercial winemakers — go with a water bladder press. Common sizes for these (again rated as static basket capacity) are usually something like 40, 80, and 160 L (10.5, 21, and 42 gallons). The larger sizes are equipped with wheels and they tilt to dump pomace, simplifying large batches.

After pressing, you need to transfer the juice or wine into a fermenter for whites or a storage tank, carboy, or barrel for reds. Presses generally drain into a bucket — have at least two on hand for rapid switching to avoid spills! Most com-

While commercial wineries commonly pump pressed wine to tank or barrel, such a pump must be able to handle the heavy load of solids present at this stage.

As a winemaker grows in their per-batch wine production, the equipment demands also rise. An impeller pump like the one pictured here, can move large volumes of must around in a small winery.

Photo courtesy of MoreWine.com

monly, you carry the press bucket to the receiving vessel and pour it in, using a funnel if necessary. While commercial wineries commonly pump pressed wine to tank or barrel, such a pump must be able to handle the heavy load of solids present at this stage. Small diaphragm and impeller pumps usually come with a wire mesh pre-filter, which will quickly clog if you try to pump fresh pressings. If you have a must pump that can move crushed fruit, it will also work for freshly pressed juice or wine.

Usually I wait for a red fermentation to drop to zero °Brix before pressing. After that, I introduce malolactic (ML) bacteria for the ML fermentation. Many home winemakers like to commence ML while the wine is still fermenting on the must, but I think volatile acidity (VA) flaws are better avoided by waiting until the wine is dry. By that time of the season, many wine growing regions have turned quite cool. That leads to the next equipment demand: A heat source with a thermostat to keep your wine above 65 °F (18 °C) for a few weeks while ML fermentation completes. While barrels can be directly warmed with immersion aquarium heaters or electric blankets, the best long-term solution is to be able to keep the ML room heated to the desired temperature. If you are also cellaring wine at 55 °F (13 °C), that means you will need a separate space with insulation in between.

For small-scale batches, all of these tasks can be done by the winemaker alone. Once you move into mid-range sizes, I recommend one or two helpers on a few days, including crush itself and then again on press day (which may be the same day for whites, but two occasions for reds). If you approach the 200-gallon (760-L) level, two or three helpers will prove useful on those critical days. Help is especially welcome when you are pressing a large batch of red wine, quickly sliding an empty bucket under the press while pulling the full one out to go pour into a tank or barrel in another room. It is nerve racking to do yourself as you turn your back on the rapidly filling bucket you just placed — and it slows down the process because no one is cranking the ratchet!

BY ALEX RUSSAN

WHITE WINE AROMATICS

Factors to guide your white wines

When it comes to white wine aromas, there are different paths to different destinations. As always, it all comes down to stylistic preferences. Do you want something tropical and bursting with aromas? Something subtle, mineral, and linear? Something buttery, rich, and oaky? Every destination has a different path, though of course there is some overlap — like protecting aromas by keeping vessels fully topped, for example. Let’s follow the grapes, from the vine to the bottle, and look at different ways you can guide your white wines to the destination of your choice.

Perhaps the most important choice, as well as the most obvious, is what grape(s) you choose. Chardonnay is not going to be as fruit-driven as Muscat or Viognier, and none of those will be capable of the herbaceous and thiol-y aromas (grapefruit, passion fruit, etc.) as a Sauvignon Blanc. All of these, however, can be guided in different directions, particularly with regard to where they’re grown (which is outside the scope of this article) and when they’re picked.

Generally speaking, earlier picked whites tend to be on the more floral, citric, and mineral/stone-y side (think 19–23 °Brix). Later picked whites tend toward tropical fruits and fruit complexities (24+ °Brix). Earlier will give you more acid and a leaner body, later more weight and fat. You can use this idea in two ways: Fine-tune what you’ve got or to make up for something you wish your grapes could deliver. As an example, if trying to coax as much mineral aroma out of a Chardonnay as possible, you’ll want to pick on the earlier side. But say you have Chardonnay in your backyard vineyard, but are always left feeling you want more fruit, you’ll want to pick it later.

FERMENTATION CONTROL

Temperature is one of the most important ways to guide aromas during fermentation. Esters are the key word. Esters are aroma compounds that are primarily the product of fermentation itself (as opposed to originating in grapes). They are usually very fruity and very diverse; they can smell like pineapple, citrus, banana, floral, and much more. It’s important to note that some of these types of aromas can come from other compounds as well, though usually in a different “shade.” Citrus aromas, for example, are most associated with terpenes, so don’t assume that if you like citrus aromas, esters are necessarily what you want. Esters are also very fleeting: Most dissipate and cease to impact aroma 12–18 months after fermentation. So a good way to differentiate esters from other aroma types is to note the group that leaves the earliest. If you find yourself loving your wines very early on, and less so as some of that showy, ferment-y fruit goes away, you probably like esters.

To encourage ester retention, ferment cold (55–65 °F/13–18 °C). Although more esters are produced at higher temperatures, more are volatilized during warmer fermentation. Allow your ferment to get bubbling a little before lowering the temperature, as such cold temperatures are stressful for yeast. Then slowly lower the temperature to where you’d like. Maintain the cool temperature through the main part of fermentation, which is when yeast generate the most heat. As fermentation slows, take the temperature control off — yeast are struggling at this point (and generating less heat) and the cold temperatures can lead to stuck fermentation.

When fermenting cold yeast work slower, so your fermentation times can be three or more weeks. Another way to encourage esters is by having very

Photo by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus

There are plenty of available techniques and options a winemaker can opt for or against to help drive their white wine aromatic qualities.

Perhaps the most important choice, as well as the most obvious, is what grape(s) you choose.

clean must. Let your must settle really well to get as many solids out as possible — some even fine at this stage — before racking to the fermenter.

If you’re not into esters, ferment in a range around 68–70 °F (20–21 °C). This is warm enough that some esters will be blown off, but not warm enough to risk volatilizing much from the grapes. You’ll have a shorter fermentation and less chance of a stuck fermentation.

Glycol chillers can be expensive, but homebrewers have created enough of a demand for smaller units that they are now widely available with many options to choose from. I love the one I have and have used it for years. It can be purchased from Rapids Wholesale for under $1,000. It’s a 25-ft. Run Glycol Beer Chiller System, 1⁄6 HP. It’s powerful enough to chill 300-gallon (1,135-L) ferments or cold stabilize 75-gallon (284-L) drums. In a home setting it could be set up to chill multiple ferments at the same time, if connecting multiple snakes/plates with tubes. You can get cooling plates or snakes from an outlet like MoreWine.com — plates work better for ferments, as they have more surface area, but for small ferments, a snake should do. (For more on small-scale glycol systems, see “Home Glycol Cooling Systems” in the August-September 2020 issue or digital members can view it at winemakermag.com/article/home-glycol-cooling-systems).

YEAST, ENZYMES, AND MALOLACTIC (ML)

Yeast is another way to guide aromatics. The main things to look for are higher or lower ester producers and beta-glucosidase producers, which unbind (release) more terpenes. There are many options, and other factors should be considered in yeast selection (such as temperature range and nutrient needs). There are various enzyme options to boost aromas (terpenes and thiols), such as alpha- and beta-glycosidase enzymes. These are used when you want to maximize aromatic intensity/fruitiness.

With spontaneous ferments, you never know what you’re going to get as far as the yeast’s propensity for ester production, beta-glucosidase production, and so on. I find that spontaneously fermented wines — when well cared for and clean — generally produce more intricate and complex wines, perhaps more non-fruit aromas, whereas those fermented with commercial yeast strains tend toward more aroma precision and clarity.

If using commercial malolactic (ML) bacteria, among other considerations (like pH), you can choose between high and low diacetyl producers. Diacetyl is the “buttery” aroma found in certain wines. You can also retain more diacetyl by inoculating for ML after primary has finished (yeast consume some diacetyl) and removing lees early in aging (which also diminish it). In contrast, you can minimize diacetyl by choosing a low producing strain, co-inoculating a few days into your primary fermentation, and retaining your lees during aging.

AGING

Vessel choice during aging can make a big aroma difference. Aging in glass or stainless generally keeps aromas more precise and “grape-based” versus oak. Neutral oak aging may soften or round aromas. Aging in newer oak or with oak ad-

juncts, of course, adds oak aromas. Aging in glass or stainless may encourage some reduction, which can frame wines nicely and add a bit of earthy/non-fruit complexity, as long as it isn’t too powerful. Temperature during aging is important as well, ideally keeping the wine below 65 to 70 °F (18 to 21 °C) at all times. Warmer periods may dull wines or encourage oxidation.

Fine lees can add a yeasty, bready complexity as well as more mouthfeel. To encourage these characteristics, age on the fine lees for a year or longer. It’s the guts of lees that cause the aromas and mouthfeel changes in wines, and it takes time for them to release. Champagne is a classic example of a wine in which this process in encouraged. Yeast slowly, but increasingly, leak out over the first year, and proper autolysis — when their membrane ruptures and a fuller release happens — occurs by the end of the first year. This can be sped up by more frequent lees stirring, or with specific enzymes.

Early in a wine’s aging, lees mostly serve as oxygen absorbers, adding little else. Stirring introduces oxygen to the wine, which if stirring small volumes frequently, can cause problems. If using carboys, you can gently angle the carboy to one side and roll on its base to whisk lees into suspension, thereby avoiding opening the carboy and introducing oxygen. Be extremely careful — carboys are delicate, their glass thick, and breaking one can lead to serious injury. This is best done slowly and gently on a soft surface, like carpet. Stirring is not always necessary, but I think it’s a good idea to do so every couple weeks early into aging to avoid lees compaction, which can cause bad reduction. After the first month or two you can probably leave them alone. Anecdotal evidence suggests that less (or no) stirring encourages an increase in the mouthfeel but not aromatic changes.

Always keep your vessels — whether they’re carboys, tanks, or barrels — full. Oxygen can lead to oxidation and encourage volatile acidity. I’ve said it in my column before, but oxidation is the #1 defect I’ve found when judging homemade wines. I suggest topping barrels every two weeks. Don’t allow for more than 1⁄8 of an inch (3 mm) of airspace in carboys. As temperatures drop in the winter, wine volume decreases, this means topping or adding sanitized marbles to carboys. This also means you may have some wine push through an airlock or pop a bung as temperatures increase in the spring, so keep a close eye on it and tend/clean accordingly: Better a small mess to clean than a damaged wine.

RACKING

White wines don’t like oxygen like many reds do. Racking whites usually leads to a bit of aroma loss, albeit minimal if done gently. For the most part, it’s never advisable to splash rack whites. Submerge the “out” end of the hose you’re using into the wine in the receiving container. This gets more important the further into the aging process you get, as the wine becomes more susceptible to oxidation. The exception to this would be if you have a particularly reductive wine, or a wine which has held onto a lot of CO2 bubbles, in which case, an early splash rack may help get rid of reductive funk or dissipate CO2. As mentioned, I like a touch of reduction in my wines, and only splash if it’s off putting and very early . . . but this is an extreme case. I aim to treat the whites gently

enough during aging that there is a tiny bit of CO2 left when I’m doing my last racking, prior to bottling. Dissolved CO2 helps protect the wine as it ages.

Minimize your wine’s rackings. Rack once off the gross lees a couple days after fermentation stops and again off the fine lees when you choose. When racking off the fine lees, rack into the vessel you’ll do any fining and cold stabilizing in (by doing these together, you avoid an unnecessary additional racking, and tartrates help compact the fined material, so you lose less wine). Finally, rack off the fined material and tartrates prior to bottling. That’s three rackings and bottling (a fourth racking). Keeping rackings to a minimum also adds a buffer in case there’s need for an emergency racking at some point, such as if copper sulfate treatment becomes necessary.

think it’s a bad idea to minimize SO2 additions, but also don’t think it’s worth the great risk to not use it.

FINING AND FILTRATION

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Fining can make wines look prettier, but has a negative impact, though usually small, on aromatics. A low dose bentonite fining is unlikely to lead to any noticeable changes (bentonite is pretty gentle, benign stuff), but as with rackings, the little things add up. If looking to minimize the small damages processing does to a wine, skip fining agents, or keep it to a touch of bentonite. But know that a hazy wine will cost points if you plan on having it scored in a competition.

SULFITE CONSIDERATIONS

There are a lot of opinions out there with regard to how SO2 affects wine character. It’s en vogue these days to demonize SO2 for a multitude of reasons. I haven’t tasted enough (clean) no-SO2 wines to have a firm opinion on how SO2 affects wine aromatics, but based on what tasting I have done, and speaking with folks whose opinions I respect, skipping SO2 seems to lead to more vibrant, exuberant aromatics, while a wine after SO2 tends to be a bit more refined and subdued. It may come down to a matter of personal preference, and most likely depends on the individual wine and vintage. I had a Pinot Noir last year that I hated, but loved after SO2. I don’t

Filtration also strips wine of some aroma. The only reason I see to filter any table wine is if the wine has not gone through malolactic fermentation, or if you’re noticing an increase of volatile acidity and are concerned for microbial spoilage (Brett, lactic-acid bacterias, etc.). In these cases, you want to sterile filter or use lysozyme. I’m unaware of any research or anecdotal information of how much it might impact wine aroma.

So the major decisions for guiding your white wine’s aromatics comes in the vineyard and subsequently during fermentation and an optional ML fermentation — that’s the most dynamic time with the most options and choices. After that, it’s more a matter of protecting what you have as the wine makes its way to the bottle. White wines are more delicate than reds, so I think it best to treat them more gently.

BACKYARD VINE DIRECTORY

Grow Your Own Grapes Or Planning to Start?

DOUBLE A VINEYARDS

10277 Christy Rd.

Fredonia, NY 14063

(716) 672-8493

fax: (716) 679-3442

danielle.huber@doubleavineyards.com

www.doubleavineyards.com

We supply over 100 varieties of grapevines including a full array of American, French-American Hybrids, Seedless and Vinifera varieties. Our customer service and plant quality is second to none. We also offer a wide variety of books on viticulture.

FAIRHAVEN VINE NURSERY

5340 S. FM 2869

Hawkins, TX 75765

(903) 769-4616

www.fairhavenvinenursery.com

THE SPECIALIST IN SUSTAINABLE VITICULTURE

Container grown stock, plantable 12 months per year in most locations. We offer easy to grow varieties that are adapted to the most difficult growing conditions. Our lines include Certified Vinifera, French-American Hybrids and American Hybrids. Fast shipping nationwide. Wholesale pricing available!

KING STREET VINEYARDS

25 King St. Milford, NH 03055 (603) 672-7000

www.kingstreetvineyards.com

dave.quigley@kingstreetvineyards.com

KSV Fruit Nursery provides home owners with hardy and mature table/wine grape vines, fruit plants, and trellising materials for building healthy and beautiful backyard vineyards and orchards. Offering twenty five years of experience and knowledge.

NOVA BACKYARD

6735 Sonoma Hwy.

Santa Rosa, CA 95409

(707) 539-1005

fax: (707) 539-2819

www.novabackyard.com

sales@novabackyard.com

NovaBackyard is the backyard gardener’s source for quality grape vines, olive trees and more! Located in beautiful Sonoma County, with over 20 years experience. Your gardening success is our highest priority!

READER SERVICE

ONE GREEN WORLD

6469 SE 134th Ave.

Portland, OR 97236

(877) 353-4028

email: info@onegreenworld.com

Visit us at: www.onegreenworld.com

One Green World is a family owned edible plant nursery offering a large selection of grafted wine grapevines, fruit trees, berry bushes, and resources to help successfully guide you on your journey towards edible landscaping and homegrown fruit.

PLANTRA, INC.

1230 Eagan Industrial Rd. Eagan, MN 55121

(651) 686-6688

fax: (651) 681-2067

www.plantra.com

maryjo.pauly@plantra.com

Plantra is a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of products for vineyards, orchards, nurseries, wildlife habitat, forest restoration and the passionate horticulturist.

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO ALL OF OUR ADVERTISERS’ WEBSITES, GO TO WWW.WINEMAKERMAG.COM/RESOURCE/READER - SERVICES

BEST OF WINEMAKER

25 CLASSIC WINE STYLES 22 802-362-3981 ext. 106 www.winemakermag.com/shop

BREHM VINEYARDS 7 510-527-3675

www.brehmvineyards.com grapes@brehmvineyards.com

BREWER’S ORCHARD™ 56 1-800-321-0315 www.ldcarlson.com

BSG HANDCRAFT Cover 2 1-800-374-2739 www.bsgcraft.com www.rjscraftwinemaking.com

VINO

MOREWINE! ........................................ 3 1-800-823-0010 www.morewine.com info@morewinemaking.com

MUSTO WINE GRAPE CO., LLC 1 1-877-812-1137 or 860-278-7703 www.juicegrape.com sales@juicegrape.com

NAPA FERMENTATION SUPPLIES 41 707-255-6372 www.napafermentation.com napafermentation@aol.com

NOONTIME LABELS ........................ 19 561-699-0413 www.noontimelabels.com customerservice@ noontimelabels.com

PARDO WINE GRAPES ........................ 9 813-908-6440 www.pardowinegrapes.com pardowinegrapes@aol.com

PLANTRA, INC. 7 651-686-6688 www.plantra.com info@plantra.com

PORTOFINO JUICE & WINE PRODUCTS 19 1-866-513-2982 or 416-740-4411 www.portofinowines.com info@portofinowines.com

QUALITY WINE AND ALE SUPPLY/ HOMEBREWIT.COM 7 574-295-9975 www.homebrewit.com customerservice@homebrewit.com

STOKES VINEYARDS 49 209-327-5552 www.stokesvineyards.com info@stokesvineyards.com

UC DAVIS CONTINUING AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION 49 cpe.ucdavis.edu/winemakingcert

VADAI BARRELS ................................ 59 626-289-8250 www.vadaiwinebarrels.com www.vadaibarrels.org vadaiworldtd@sbcglobal.net

WALKER’S WINE JUICE 59 716-679-1292 www.walkerswinejuice.com

WATERLOO CONTAINER COMPANY 5 & 11 1-888-539-3922 www.waterloocontainer.com

WINEMAKER DIGITAL DOWNLOADS......5 www.winemakermag.com/digitaldownloads

WINEMAKER INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR WINE COMPETITION 24-27 802-362-3981 ext. 106 www.winemakermag.com/ competition competition@winemakermag.com

Here is a list of suppliers where you can purchase grapevines and/or supplies for your own home vineyard.

WINEMAKER DIRECTORY

ALABAMA

WERNER’S TRADING COMPANY

1115 Fourth St. SW

Cullman 35055

1-800-965-8796

www.wernerstradingco.com

The Unusual Store.

THE WINE SMITH

6800 A Moffett Rd. (US 98) Mobile 36618 (251) 645-5554

e-mail: winesmith@bellsouth.net

www.thewinesmith.biz

Home Winemaking and Brewing Supplies.

ARKANSAS

FERMENTABLES

3915 Crutcher St. North Little Rock (501) 758-6261

www.fermentables.com

Complete wine, beer and cheesemaking shop.

CALIFORNIA

THE BEVERAGE PEOPLE

1845 Piner Road, Suite D Santa Rosa 95403 (707) 544-2520

www.thebeveragepeople.com

Fast Shipping, Great Service, Cheesemaking & Brewing too.

BREHM VINEYARDS®

www.brehmvineyards.com

grapes@brehmvineyards.com

Phone: (510) 527.3675

Fresh grape pick-up in Petaluma, CA

Frozen grapes in Richmond, CA

Ultra-premium grapes for home winemakers for over 40 years! Sold at harvest or shipped frozen across N. America year-round. Over 30 varieties from Carneros, Napa, Sonoma, Washington and Oregon.

CURDS AND WINE, LLC

7194 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego 92111 (858) 384-6566

www.curdsandwine.com

Winemaking & cheesemaking supplies, make wine on site!

DELTA PACKING CO. OF LODI, INC.

6021 E. Kettleman Lane

Lodi 95240

(209) 334-1023

fax: (209) 334-0811

bcostamagna@deltapacking.com

www.grapesofgold.com

We offer premium California wine grapes & juice. Please call for a supplier near you.

MOREBEER! & MOREWINE!

995 Detroit Ave., Unit G Concord 94518 (925) 771-7107

fax: (925) 671-4978

srconcord@moreflavor.com

www.morewinemaking.com/ showrooms

Absolutely Everything! for Wine-Making

MOREBEER! & MOREWINE!

991 N. San Antonio Rd. Los Altos 94022 (650) 949-BREW (2739) srlosaltos@moreflavor.com

www.morewinemaking.com/ showrooms

Absolutely Everything! for Wine-Making

MOREBEER! & MOREWINE!

1506 Columbia Ave. #12

Riverside 92507 (951) 779-9971

fax: (951) 779-9972

srriverside@moreflavor.com

www.morewinemaking.com/showrooms

Absolutely Everything! for Wine-Making

MOREBEER! & MOREWINE!

2315 Verna Court

San Leandro 94577 (510) 351-3517

srsanleandro@moreflavor.com

www.morewinemaking.com/showrooms

Absolutely Everything! for Wine-Making

NORCAL BREWING SOLUTIONS

1768 Churn Creek Rd. Redding 96002 (530) 243-BEER (2337) or (530)-221-WINE (9463) www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com

Full line of wine, beer, & distilling supplies, hardware, and ingredients. Manufacturers of lees filters, punchdown tools, and custom solutions.

VADAI BARRELS

604 W. Las Tunas Dr. San Gabriel 91776 (626) 289-8250

vadaiworldtd@sbcglobal.net www.vadaiwinebarrels.com

www.vadaibarrels.org

LOWEST FACTORY PRICE IN THE USA. FRENCH & HUNGARIAN STYLE BARRELS. From 1/2 to 5000L Sizes. Wine press various sizes, Vinegar Barrels, Pickle Barrels. This Zemplen Oak won the highest recognition in the Italian Competition for the Best Tasting Wine!

VALLEYVINTNER, LLC

(925) 217-0058 or (866) 812 WINE (9463) Toll Free info@valleyvintner.com

www.valleyvintner.com

75+ years wine making expertise! Owned & Operated by winemakers serving the winemaking community. “The Vine, The Time, The Wine”

COLORADO

THE BREW HUT 15120 East Hampden Ave. Aurora 80014 (303) 680-8898

www.thebrewhut.com

Complete Winexpert line! Fresh fruit, equipment & chemicals! We Rent Equipment Too!

LIL’ OLE’ WINEMAKER

516 Main Street Grand Junction 81501

(970) 242-3754

Serving Colorado & Utah winemakers since 1978

CONNECTICUT

BREW & WINE HOBBY

Featuring Winexpert & RJ Spagnols Kits. Area’s widest selection of wine kits, beer making supplies & equipment

12 Cedar St. East Hartford 06108

(860) 528-0592 or

Out of State: 1-800-352-4238

www.brew-wine.com

Specializing in European juices (not concentrate) And world-wide juice varietals.

MUSTO WINE GRAPE CO., LLC

101 Reserve Road

Hartford 06114

1-877-812-1137

sales@juicegrape.com

www.juicegrape.com

www.winemakinginstructions.com

Your one stop shop for all of your winemaking needs - year-round. Premium fresh grapes, juices, and kits from CA, NY, WA, Italy, Chile, South Africa, and Australia. Plus equipment, online learning, onsite crushing/destemming, and hands-on winemaking classes. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff is ready to help make your next wine your favorite wine.

NORTHEAST WINEMAKING

10 Robert Jackson Way

Plainville 06062 (860) 793-2700

www.northeastwinemaking.com

New Year-Round Showroom Open in Plainville with 2nd full service location in Hartford, CT and satellite location in Chelsea, MA. Your one stop shop for fresh grapes, juice, equipment and accessories!

FLORIDA

PARDO WINE GRAPES

16901 Cedar Bluff Drive Tampa 33618 (813) 908-6440/340-3052

pardowinegrapes@aol.com

www.pardowinegrapes.com

Distributors of quality California (fall) and Chilean (spring) wine grapes and fresh juice to Florida winemakers for over 70 years.

GEORGIA

OPERATION HOMEBREW

1142 Athens Hwy #105 Grayson 30017 (770) 638-8383

Operationhomebrew.com

Best darn winemaking supply store in Georgia!

ILLINOIS

CHICAGOLAND WINEMAKERS INC.

689 West North Ave.

Elmhurst (630) 834-0507

info@chicagolandwinemakers.com

www.chicagolandwinemakers.com

Complete line of home winemaking and brewing supplies & equipment since 1971.

WHAT’S BREWING?

335 W. Northwest Highway Palatine 60067 (847) 359-2739

info@whatsbrewingsupply.com

WhatsBrewingSupply.com

Supplying beer and winemakers with the best equipment and freshest ingredients. 10% Club discount. Let’s make it! Wine and Beer.

INDIANA

THE BREWERS ART SUPPLY

1425 N. Wells Street Fort Wayne 46808 (260) 426-7399

BrewersArtSupply@gmail.com

www.BrewingArt.com

Your hometown Wine Supply with friendly expertise! facebook.com/ BrewersArtSupply

GREAT FERMENTATIONS

Indianapolis 5127 East 65th St. Indianapolis 46220 (317) 257-WINE (9463) or toll-free 1-888-463-2739 info@greatfermentations.com www.greatfermentations.com

GREAT FERMENTATIONS WEST 7900 E US 36, Suite D Avon 46123 (317) 268-6776 info@greatfermentations.com www.greatfermentations.com

QUALITY WINE AND ALE SUPPLY/ HOMEBREWIT.COM

5127 E. 65th St. Indianapolis 46220

Phone: (574) 295-9975

customerservice@homebrewit.com

Online: www.Homebrewit.com

Quality wine making supplies for beginners AND experts. Bottles, Corks, Shrinks, Chemicals, and Professional Equipment. Largest selection of Winexpert Kits. Fast Shipping. Expert Advice.

IOWA

BLUFF STREET BREW HAUS 372 Bluff Street

Dubuque (563) 582-5420

e-mail: jerry@bluffbrewhaus.com www.bluffbrewhaus.com

Complete line of wine & beermaking supplies. In operation since 2006.

KANSAS

BACCHUS & BARLEYCORN, LTD. 6633 Nieman Road

Shawnee 66203 (913) 962-2501

www.bacchus-barleycorn.com

Your one stop supply shop for home wine, cider, mead, beer and cheese makers for over 30 years.

HOMEBREW PRO SHOPPE, INC.

2061 E. Santa Fe

Olathe 66062 (913) 768-1090 or 1-866-296-2739 (BYO-BREW)

Secure ordering on line: www.homebrewproshoppe.com

Complete line of wine & beer making supplies & equipment.

WINEMAKER DIRECTORY

KENTUCKY

WINEMAKERS & BEERMAKERS SUPPLY

9475 Westport Rd. Louisville 40241

(502) 425-1692

www.winebeersupply.com

Impeccable line of wine & beer making supplies. Superior grade of juice from Winexpert. Quality malt from Briess & Muntons. Family owned store since 1972.

MARYLAND

THE FLYING BARREL

1781 North Market St. Frederick (301) 663-4491 fax: (301) 663-6195

www.flyingbarrel.com

Maryland’s 1st Wine-On-Premise & large selection of homewine supplies! Wine judge on staff!

MARYLAND HOMEBREW

6770 Oak Hall Lane, #108 Columbia 21045

1-888-BREWNOW

www.mdhb.com

We carry the VinoSuperiore frozen Italian must along with Winexpert Kits. Everything you need to make your own wine & cheese. Visit us in-person or online. We ship everywhere

MASSACHUSETTS

BEER AND WINE HOBBY, INC.

85 Andover St.

Danvers 01923

1-800-523-5423

e-mail: bwhinfo@beer-wine.com

website: www.beer-wine.com

Brew on YOUR Premise™

For the most discriminating wine & beer hobbyist.

THE WITCHES BREW INC.

12 Maple Ave.

Foxborough 02035

(508) 543-0433

steve@thewitchesbrew.com

www.thewitchesbrew.com

You’ve Got the Notion, We’ve Got the Potion

MICHIGAN

ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

6071 Jackson Rd.

Ann Arbor 48103 (313) 277-BREW fax: (313) 583-3294

e-mail: wine@homebrewing.org

Visit us at www.AdventuresinHome brewing.com

Premium Wine Kits, Fruit, Honey, Fruit Presses, Apple Crushers, and Fermentors. Everything for the beginner and the seasoned winemaker.

ADVENTURES IN HOMEBREWING

23847 Van Born Rd. Taylor 48180

(313) 277-BREW

fax: (313) 583-3294

e-mail: wine@homebrewing.org

Visit us at www.AdventuresinHome brewing.com

Premium Wine Kits, Fruit, Honey, Fruit Presses, Apple Crushers, and Fermentors. Everything for the beginner and the seasoned winemaker.

BREWERS EDGE HOMEBREW SUPPLY, LLC

650 Riley Street, Suite D Holland 49424 (616) 399-0017

www.brewersedgehomebrew.com

e-mail: brewersedge@gmail.com

Your local Winemaking & Homebrewing Supply Shop...get the Edge!

CAP N CORK HOMEBREW SUPPLIES

16776 - 21 Mile Rd.

Macomb Twp. (586) 286-5202 fax: (586) 286-5133

www.capncorkhomebrew.com

info@capncorkhomebrew.com

The home winemaker’s source for Winexpert wine kits and Oregon Fruit & Vintner’s Harvest fruit-based concentrates.

MACOMB VINTNER SUPPLY

44443 Phoenix Dr. Sterling Heights (248) 495-0801

www.macombvintnersupply.com

Purveyor of grapes and grape juices for the winemaker. L’uva Bella, Mosto Bella & Chilean Bello Brands, and Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.

MID-MICHIGAN VINTNER SUPPLY

Grand Rapids & South Lyon (517) 898-3203

www.Mid-Michiganvintnersupply.com info@Mid-Michiganvintnersupply.com

Purveyor of fresh grape juices for the winemaker. L’uva Bella, Mosto Bella & Chilean Bello Brands.

MORGAN VINEYARD

15775 40th Avenue Coopersville 49404 (616) 648-3025 morgangrapes@gmail.com MorganVineyard.com

Supplier of high quality wine grapes conveniently located in West Michigan.

SICILIANO’S MARKET

2840 Lake Michigan Dr. N.W. Grand Rapids 49504 (616) 453-9674

fax: (616) 453-9687

e-mail: sici1@sbcglobal.net

www.sicilianosmkt.com

Largest Wine Making inventory in West Michigan. Now selling beer and winemaking supplies on-line.

TAYLOR RIDGE VINEYARDS

3843 105th Ave.

Allegan 49010 (269) 521-4047

bctaylor@btc-bci.com

www.taylorridgevineyard.com

18 Varieties of Wine Grapes and Juices. Vinifera, New York State, Minnesota and French hybrids. Providing wine grapes and juices for over 30 years.

MISSOURI

HOME BREWERY

1967 West Boat St.

Ozark

1-800-321-BREW (2739) brewery@homebrewery.com

www.homebrewery.com

Since 1984, providing excellent Service, Equipment and Ingredients. Beer, Wine, Mead, Soda and Cheese.

ST. LOUIS WINE & BEERMAKING LLC

231 Lamp & Lantern Village St. Louis 63017 (636) 230-8277

info@wineandbeermaking.com

www.wineandbeermaking.com

Making the Buzz in St. Louis.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

KETTLE TO KEG

123 Main Street

Pembroke 03275 (603) 485-2054

www.kettletokeg.com

Winemaking, homebrewing and soda ingredients, supplies and equipment. Located conveniently between Concord and Manchester.

NEW JERSEY

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS (U-VINT)

25 Kearney St. Bridgewater 08807 (732) 764-9463 fax: (732) 764-0655

email: justmygrapes@aol.com

www.GrapeExpectationsNJ.com

Produce your own Favorite Wines at Our 8,000 sq. ft. Winery with Grapes from S. Africa, California, Chile and Argentina as well as Juice from Italy. Our winemakers have won over 100 medals in the last 18 years. Also full inventory of supplies and equipment for the Home Winemaker.

NEW YORK

DOC’S HOMEBREW SUPPLIES

451 Court Street Binghamton 13904 (607) 722-2476

www.docsbrew.com

Full-service beer & wine making shop serving NY’s Southern Tier & PA’s Northern Tier since 1991. Extensive line of Winexpert kits, supplies and equipment.

FULKERSON WINERY & JUICE PLANT

5576 State Route 14 Dundee 14837 (607) 243-7883 fax: (607) 243-8337 www.fulkersonwinery.com

Fresh Finger Lakes grape juice available during harvest. Large selection of home winemaking supplies. Visit our website to browse and order supplies. Open year round 10-5, extended seasonal hours. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @fulkersonwinery.

MAIN STREET WINES & SUPPLIES

249 Main St. Arcade 14009 (585) 492-2739 fax: (585) 492-2777

mainstwines@yahoo.com

Plenty of wine kits available to make your own wine. Full line of winemaking supplies and accessories for your convenience. Tue-Fri 10-6; Sat 10-3 or by appt. Like us on Facebook.

NIAGARA TRADITION

HOMEBREWING SUPPLIES

1296 Sheridan Drive Buffalo 14217 (800) 283-4418 or (716) 877-8767

www.nthomebrew.com

We feature a complete line of supplies for making wine, beer, mead, cider and cheese.

PANTANO’S WINE GRAPES & HOMEBREW

249 Rte 32 S. New Paltz 12561 (845) 255-5201 or (845) 706-5152 (cell)

pantanowineandbeer@yahoo.com

www.pantanosbeerwine.com

Find Us On Facebook. Your source for wine & beer making supplies and equipment. Grapes and Juice from California, Italy & Chile in season, wine kits and all juice pails (6 gal) year round. Classes available. We now carry Distilling Products and Stills.

PROSPERO EQUIPMENT CORP.

123 Castleton St. Pleasantville 10570 (914) 769-6252

fax: (914) 769-6786

info@prosperocorp.biz

www.prosperocorp.biz

The source to all your winemaking equipment.

SARATOGA ZYMURGIST

112 Excelsior Ave. Saratoga Springs 12866 (518) 580-9785

email: szymurgist@gmail.com

www.SaratogaZ.com

Let us be your guide into the world of Zymurgy. Reaching the Adirondack Park, Capital District, Southern Vermont and beyond! Great online store.

TEN THOUSAND VINES WINERY

8 South Buffalo St. Hamburg 14075 (716) 646-9979

mike@TenThousandVines.com

www.TenThousandVines.com

Wine supplies, juice and advice.

WALKER’S WINE JUICE

2860 N.Y. Route 39 – Since 1955 Forestville (716) 679-1292

www.walkerswinejuice.com

Over 50 varieties of “Hot-Pack”

Grape, Fruit and Berry Juice, Requiring No Refrigeration, shipped by UPS all year. Supplying over 300 wineries in 37 states!

NORTH CAROLINA

ALTERNATIVE BEVERAGE (BELMONT) 1500 River D., Suite 104 Belmont 28012

Advice Line: (704) 825-8400

Order Line: 1-800-365-2739

www.ebrew.com

44 years serving all home winemakers & brewers’ needs! Come visit for a real Homebrew Super Store experience!

ALTERNATIVE BEVERAGE (CHARLOTTE) 3911 South Blvd.

Charlotte 28209

Advice Line: (704) 825-8400

Order Line: 1-800-365-2739

www.ebrew.com

44 years serving all home winemakers & brewers’ needs! Visit our stores to learn how we can help you make the best wine you can make.

WINEMAKER DIRECTORY

ALTERNATIVE BEVERAGE

19725 Oak St.

Cornelius 28031

(CORNELIUS)

Voice Line: (704) 527-2337

Fax Line: (704) 522-6427

www.ebrew.com

44 years serving all home winemakers & brewers’ needs! Visit our stores to learn how we can help you make the best wine you can make.

AMERICAN BREWMASTER

3021-5 Stony Brook Dr. Raleigh 27604 (919) 850-0095

www.americanbrewmaster.com

Supplying wine makers with the finest wine kits, ingredients and supplies since 1983. Winemaking is fun with American Brewmaster!

ASHEVILLE BREWERS SUPPLY

712-B Merrimon Ave. Asheville 28804 (828) 358-3536

www.ashevillebrewers.com

Value. Quality. Service. Since 1994.

CAROLINA WINE SUPPLY

329 W. Maple St. Yadkinville 27055 (336) 677-6831

fax: (336) 677-1048

www.carolinawinesupply.com

Home Winemaking Supplies & Support.

OHIO

THE GRAPE AND GRANARY

915 Home Ave. Akron 44310 (330) 633-7223

www.grapeandgranary.com

Concentrates, Fresh juice, Wine on Premise.

LABEL PEELERS BEER & WINE MAKING SUPPLIES, INC.

211 Cherry St. Kent 44240 (330) 678-6400

info@labelpeelers.com

www.labelpeelers.com

Specializing in winemaking/ homebrew supplies & equipment. Free monthly classes.

Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-7pm

MIAMI VALLEY BREWTENSILS

2617 S. Smithville Rd. Dayton 45420

Next Door to Belmont Party Supply (937) 252-4724

chad@schwartzbeer.com

www.brewtensils.com

Beer, wine & cheese making supplies. Monthly classes.

OKLAHOMA

HIGH GRAVITY

6808 S. Memorial Drive Tulsa 74133

(918) 461-2605

e-mail: store@highgravitybrew.com

www.highgravitybrew.com

Join our Frequent Fermenters Club!

OREGON

F.H. STEINBART CO.

234 SE 12th Ave. Portland 97214 (503) 232-8793

fax: (503) 238-1649

e-mail: info@fhsteinbart.com

www.fhsteinbart.com

Brewing and Wine making supplies since 1918!

HOME FERMENTER

123 Monroe Street Eugene 97402 (541) 485-6238

www.homefermenter.com

Providing equipment, supplies and advice to winemakers and homebrewers for over 40 years.

VADAI BARRELS

326 N. 2nd St. Drain 97435 (626) 289-8250

vadaiworldtd@sbcglobal.net

www.vadaiwinebarrels.com

www.vadaibarrels.org

LOWEST FACTORY PRICE IN THE USA. FRENCH & HUNGARIAN STYLE BARRELS. From 1/2 to 5000L Sizes. Wine press various sizes, Vinegar Barrels, Pickle Barrels. This Zemplen Oak won the highest recognition in the Italian Competition for the Best Tasting Wine!

PENNSYLVANIA

BOOTLEGGERS BREW SHOP, LLC

917 Pleasant Valley Blvd.

Altoona 16602

(814) 931-9962

http://bootleggersbrewshop.com

bootleggersbrewshop@gmail.com

Find us on Facebook! Central PA’s

LARGEST homebrew supplies store! We carry seasonal cold pressed wine juices from around the world. Special orders welcome!

KEYSTONE HOMEBREW SUPPLY

435 Doylestown Rd.

Montgomeryville 18936 (215) 855-0100

sales@keystonehomebrew.com

www.keystonehomebrew.com

Huge selection of ingredients and equipment for home winemakers and starting wineries. Fresh grapes and juice in spring and fall!

LANCASTER HOMEBREW

1551 Manheim Pike

Lancaster 17601 (717) 517-8785

www.lancasterhomebrew.com

info@lancasterhomebrew.com

Your source for all your wine making and beer brewing needs!

NITTANY VALLEY TRUE VALUE

1169 Nittany Valley Drive

Bellefonte

(814) 383-2809

fax: (814) 383-4884

Supplies - Equipment - Classes. Fresh grapes & juice in season.

PRESQUE ISLE WINE CELLARS

9440 W. Main Rd. (US Rte. 20) North East 16428 (800) 488-7492

www.piwine.com

Your one stop shop! Complete service since 1964, helping you make great wines. We specialize in small winery and amateur wine supplies and equipment. Check out our website www.piwine.com or stop by and see us. Fresh grapes and juice at harvest.

SCOTZIN BROTHERS

65 N. Fifth St. Lemoyne 17043 (717) 737-0483 or 800-791-1464

www.scotzinbros.com

email: shop@scotzinbros.com WINE and Beer MAKERS PARADISE!

RHODE ISLAND

SILVER LAKE BEER AND WINE MAKING SUPPLY

65 Moorefield Street

Providence 02909 (401) 944-4320

silverlakebeerwine.com

Your complete supplier for more than 40 years, helping you make the finest wines and brew the first time...and every time.

TEXAS

AUSTIN HOMEBREW SUPPLY

15112 N. Interstate Hwy 35 Austin 78728 (512) 300-BREW email: hops@austinhomebrew.com

Visit us at www.AustinHomebrew.com

Premium Wine Kits, Fruit, Honey, Fruit Presses, Apple Crushers, and Fermentors. Everything for the beginner and the seasoned winemaker.

HOMEBREW HEADQUARTERS

300 N. Coit Rd., Suite 134

Richardson

Toll free: 1-800-966-4144 or (972) 234-4411 fax: (972) 234-5005

www.homebrewhq.com

Proudly serving the Dallas area for 30+ years!

WASHINGTON

BADER BEER & WINE SUPPLY

711 Grand Blvd.

Vancouver, WA 98661

1-800-596-3610

Sign up for our free e-newsletter @ Baderbrewing.com

THE BEER ESSENTIALS

2624 South 112th St. #E-1 Lakewood 98499 (253) 581-4288

www.thebeeressentials.com

Mail order and secure on-line ordering available.

BREHM VINEYARDS®

www.brehmvineyards.com

grapes@brehmvineyards.com

Phone: (510) 527.3675

Fresh grape pick-up in Underwood, WA

Frozen grapes in Portland, OR Ultra-premium grapes for home winemakers for over 40 years! Sold at harvest or shipped frozen across N. America year-round. Over 30 varieties from Carneros, Napa, Sonoma, Washington and Oregon.

JON’S HOMEBREW AND WINE SUPPLY 1430 E. Main Ave., #1430C Puyallup 98372 (253) 286-7607

jon@jonshomebrew.com

jonshomebrew.com

Puyallup’s home for Home Beer and Winemaking supplies!

WISCONSIN

THE CELLAR BREW SHOP 465 N. Washburn St. Oshkosh 54904 (920) 517-1601

www.thecellarhomebrew.com

cellarbrewshop@outlook.com

Beer & Wine ingredients and equipment. Extensive inventory at Competitive prices, bulk discounts. Great service and free advice from experienced staff.

HOUSE OF HOMEBREW 410 Dousman St. Green Bay (920) 435-1007

staff@houseofhomebrew.com

www.houseofhomebrew.com

Beer, Wine, Cider, Mead, Soda, Coffee, Tea, Cheese Making.

WINE & HOP SHOP 1919 Monroe St. Madison 53711 (608) 257-0099

www.wineandhop.com

wineandhop@gmail.com

Madison, WI’s locally owned homebrewing and winemaking headquarters for over 40 years. Fast, affordable shipping to anywhere. Use promo code WineMaker at checkout for discounts. Free expert advice too!

CANADA ALBERTA

BREW FOR LESS 10774 - 95th Street

Edmonton T5H 2C9 (708) 422-0488

brewforless.com

info@brewforless.com

Edmonton’s Largest Wine & Beer Making Supply Store

GRAPES TO GLASS 5308 -17th Ave. SW

Calgary T3E 6S6 (403) 243-5907

www.grapestoglass.com

Calgary’s largest selection of brewing, winemaking & distilling supplies. On-line shopping available with delivery via Canada Post.

BRITISH COLUMBIA

BOSAGRAPE WINERY & BREW SUPPLIES 6908 Palm Ave.

Burnaby V5J 4M3 (604) 473-WINE fax: (604) 433-2810

info@bosagrape.com

www.bosagrape.com

Ingredients, equipment, labware & supplies for brew & winemaking. Still Spirits, Hanna, Stavin Oak, Brehm Vineyards, Mosti juices, Brewcraft, Marchisio, Accuvin, Chemetrics, Vintner’s Harvest, Lalvin, Buon Vino, Vintage Shop.

by Donna Bettencourt

DRY FINISH

BY DONNA BETTENCOURT

MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY

Tips for taking your club virtual

The Sacramento Home Winemakers (SHW) club had been humming along for nearly 50 years. We present monthly educational programs with winemaking experts invited to evaluate members’ wines, host the club’s annual wine competition and Winemaking 101 workshop, and enjoy holiday and harvest celebrations. All that seemingly came to a screeching halt in March 2020 with the growing threat of COVID-19. We could no longer gather in large groups.

After the Club’s leadership went through the predictable stages of grief, denial, anger, etc., we set a game plan. We would use the web to go virtual with our meetings using the Zoom platform. Not only did we hold monthly virtual educational meetings, we were able to solicit once elusive winemaking experts from far and wide. We even held a Christmas party with a wine trivia contest and a viewing of clips from favorite wine-themed movies. Inspired by a sister club in the Sierra Foothills, we pulled off a white wine and rosé evaluation, making available kits of 2 oz. (60 mL) samples of wine to be evaluated by members along with copies of the winemaker notes.

Here are some tips if your home winemaking club is planning a virtual presentation or event.

BEFORE THE VIRTUAL MEETING:

1. The first and most obvious is to obtain a group-meet account (like Zoom).

2. Secure your speaker, design your program, and set the date. Decide if you will be presenting the program as a Webinar (traditional classroom style) or a presentation where members can interact and be seen to one another. Publicize the program on your web-

site and social media. Have members register for the access code so that only club members have access to this club benefit.

3. Decide if you will have breakout rooms; these are separate “rooms” within the larger room of the meeting — handy if there are several topics of interest.

4. Schedule a time to do a quick dry run with your presenter(s) to work out logistical issues, such as making sure the internet bandwidth is sufficient based on the location of the host. Decide if you will be using the “shared screen” feature so that members can view handouts and illustrations.

DURING THE VIRTUAL MEETING:

1. During the meeting, three team members are essential: One to admit registered members, one to handle the chat room questions and deal with technical problems, and one to facilitate the program.

2. Ask members to “mute” themselves to keep distracting background noise at a minimum. They can always unmute themselves to ask questions.

3. Record the session, making sure that the speaker agrees and that participants know that they will be recorded.

AFTER THE VIRTUAL MEETING:

1. With the permission of the speaker, store the video of the program, along with any speaker handouts or other resources, on the winemaking resources section of your website.

2. Troubleshoot and reflect on what can provide a better experience for members and speakers next time.

3. Rejoice that in a time when the joy and fellowship of home winemaking seemed most elusive, your home winemaking club has flourished!

Not only did we hold monthly virtual educational meetings, we were able to solicit once elusive winemaking experts from far and wide.

Screenshot

The “Gallery View” on Zoom is one way to allow many people to co-habitat a space, chat, and feel “together” in a virtual environment.