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?”

Protecting Your Wine with Airlocks – WMA018

Airlocks are your best line of defense against oxidation and spoilage micro-organisms. It is very important that you carefully maintain your airlock and monitor it. This episode is all about how to do just that.

By far the most important thing you need to know about airlocks is that they need to have the water level properly maintained. When the water level gets too low the airlock ceases to protect your wine and leaves it open to the outside world.

Listen to this episode by clicking the play button above and find out more about using airlocks to keep your wine safe from oxidation and unwanted micro-organisms. Continue reading “Protecting Your Wine with Airlocks – WMA018”

Natural Cork Closures for Wine

Natural cork wine have been used to seal and protect wine for the past three hundred years or so. Prior to that more crude methods were employed.

Today we are seeing a thriving synthetic closure market crop up and the debate between whether to use natural or synthetic closures is thriving. This article is the first in a series that will cover each of the different closure types available and what their benefits and drawbacks are.Cork Oak Tree Cross-Section

Where Does Cork Come From?

Continue reading “Natural Cork Closures for Wine”

Winemaking Corkers – WMA013

Winemaking Corkers

An antique corker.
Check out this corker from the 20’s & 30’s. Complete with a seat!

There are many different styles of corkers out there. What differentiates them from one another, beyond price, is how easy it is to insert a cork. Smaller, less expensive corkers are convenient for those reasons, however, they often don’t provide the mechanical advantage needed to make it an “easy to use” corker.

In this episode you’ll get introduced to the most popular amateur wine making corkers. I’ve covered how they work, how much they cost, and which ones require the use of a mallet to use. Additionally, you’ll get introduced the both the mechanical and vacuum corkers that small wineries use. Continue reading “Winemaking Corkers – WMA013”

Racking Your Wine – WMA010

Racking Your Wine

Racking is simply the process of moving wine from one container to another. There are several different ways you can accomplish this, each of which requires different equipment. In this episode we explore four different ways to rack and the equipment involved.

Racking the Riesling from the primary to secondary fermenter.In addition to the nuts and bolts of racking you’ll also learn about why we rack and how to gauge when to rack. Understanding how and when to rack is a key part of making quality wine. Waiting too long to rack or doing it too often can have a negative impact on your finished wine. Continue reading “Racking Your Wine – WMA010”