Month: November 2014

Posted on

How Sparkling Wine is Made – WMA024

How Sparkling Wine is Made

Sparkling wine is tricky to make.
Champagne sparkling away.

Sparkling wines are an amazing product of fermentation. They must be made with utmost care not only for the sake of the wine but also for the well-being of the wine maker.

riddling
Riddling rack used to move sediment to the closure for disgorgement.

Taking a still wine in the bottle and then adding sugar, then yeast, and then capping can lead to some significant pressures building up in those glass bottles. Pressurized glass is a recipe for danger if you don’t have the hang of how sparkling winemaking is done.

This podcast episode will show you how sparkling wines are made and we’ll also discuss how to stay safe should you decide to give it a try. Continue reading “How Sparkling Wine is Made – WMA024”

Posted on

My Airlock Needs Water?

Recently I’ve heard from more than one confused beginning winemaker asking if their wine was ruined because they never put water in their airlock. It’s not all that surprising as a beginner has a lot to figure out with all the steps, additives, and equipment. I’m sure there is wine making shops that forget to mention that the airlock needs water. For a seasoned wine maker it’s just how things work.

An Academy member by the name of Robert recently wrote in with just this problem. He purchased everything he needed to make a kit wine but didn’t know that the airlock needed water in order to protect his wine. At the time he wrote in his wine had been fermenting for two weeks and was well past the vigorous fermentation stage.

So let’s take a look at which airlocks require water, which don’t, and how they work in the first place. Continue reading “My Airlock Needs Water?”