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August 7, 2015June 27, 2018

Making Wine from Kits, Juice Pails, and Grapes

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Winemaker’s Academy member Craig joins us on this episode of the podcast to share his experience making wine from wine kits and then moving on to juice pails and grapes. He shares a lot of great insights and lessons learned.

As you can imagine it is a bit different working with juice pails and fresh grapes as much more of the chemistry is left up to you, the winemaker. Craig explains what these differences are, what we need to be thinking about as well as testing for.

Have a notebook ready! Continue reading “Making Wine from Kits, Juice Pails, and Grapes”

July 17, 2015June 27, 2018

First Time Winemaker – Part I

This is the first in a three-part interview series with Winemaker’s Academy member Chris, a first time winemaker. Together she and I walk through the first steps of the kit winemaking process. We discuss what needs to be done, what to watch out for, and answer Chris’s questions on what’s in store for her.

Winexpert French Cabernet Sauvignon wine kit. If you’re a beginner and have been wondering what’s involved in making a kit wine for the first time this episode is for you. Much of what we cover is also available in the Ultimate Guide to Kit Winemaking. Continue reading “First Time Winemaker – Part I”

July 3, 2015June 25, 2018

The Importance of Yeast Starters

Pitching yeast into a wine must can be very stressful for these micro-organisms upon which we rely for the production of alcohol. Exposing yeast to changes in temperature, sugar levels, as well as sulfite and nutrient levels causes them stress. If the stress is too much to bear they may go into shock or die off. Creating a yeast starter is the best way to reduce shock and ensure a healthy population is introduced to your wine.

A small yeast starter for a 1 gallon batch of wine. — A small yeast starter.

Our job as a winemaker is to make this transition as easy on the yeast as possible so that fermentation gets underway with a healthy and active yeast population. This article assumes you are pitching your own wine yeast and not relying upon wild yeast to make your wine. Continue reading “The Importance of Yeast Starters”

June 26, 2015June 27, 2018

A Tale of 3 Pinot Noirs – WMA034

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between the variously priced wine kits? Each kit manufacturer has different lines of kits that each have a different price tags on them according to the quality of the juice in the kit. However, what’s the real difference in taste?

Three Pinot Noirs from a kit. — Dennis & Cathy’s 3 Pinot Noirs

Introductory kits can sell for as little as $70 while the more expensive kits go for $200 or more. Are the expensive kits really three times better than the introductory kits? In this episode of the Winemaker’s Academy podcast my guests and I set out to answer this question. Continue reading “A Tale of 3 Pinot Noirs – WMA034”

June 18, 2015June 27, 2018

Thirty-Eight Wine Kits and Counting – WMA033

About two and a half years ago Winemaker’s Academy members Dennis and Cathy decided to give winemaking a try. They started with one kit but their new hobby soon blossomed into thirty-eight wine kits!

Dennis and I decided to get the three of us on the phone and talk about how they got into winemaking and what lessons they’ve learned along the way. So grab a glass of wine and listen in as Dennis and Cathy share their experience diving into making wine head first.

If you’d like to connect with Dennis you can find him in our Facebook Group