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Oak Products Explained

Oak has long been used to add flavor and complexity to wine. In addition to barrels there are a number of oak products on the market you can use to make wine with instead of having to deal with the expense and upkeep of a barrel.

Before we get into the oak products let’s talk a little bit about the various aspects of oak and what it can do for you. You may also be interested in reading How Oak Affects Wine. That article goes into how oak from different places in the world impart different nuances to your wine. Continue reading “Oak Products Explained”

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Scaling Up Your Wine Making Production – WMA008

It takes thought and planning to scale up your wine making operation.Making more wine is something almost all wine makers seek to do at some point or another. Sure it’s fun to make five or six gallons here or there but there is a certain allure to producing a 50 or 100 gallon batch.

Whether you just want to produce more wine or you’re looking to grow into a full-scale winery the issues surrounding growth are pretty similar. In this episode you’ll learn about some of the basic concerns when moving from kits to frozen must then moving on to working with fresh fruit. Continue reading “Scaling Up Your Wine Making Production – WMA008”

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How Terroir Affects Wine Making

What is Terroir?

Terroir is a French term (pronounced terwah) and translates literally as “land” or “local” depending upon who you ask. In the world of wine though it takes on a far more complex meaning. One that is difficult to fully describe or even just wrap your mind around.

Terroir refers to a wine's sense of place.The simplest definition I can find is “a sense of place”. Meaning that if a wine is said to be showing its terroir it is displaying characteristics of the specific locale the grapes were grown. What makes this so difficult is separating out the differences between two Chardonnays that are due to terroir versus differences caused by different wine making process.

To get a better idea of what this terroir concept is all about let’s take a look at some of the factors that affect a wines terroir. The following list is by no means complete, it’ll just give us a good place to start from. Continue reading “How Terroir Affects Wine Making”

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Cleaning and Sanitizing Wine Making Equipment – WMA007

Cleaning and Sanitizing Wine Making Equipment

Clean and sanitized equipment is a critical component of making quality wine.One of the most important and time-consuming parts of the wine making process is cleaning and sanitizing. While it seems pretty straight forward at first there are some technical aspects that are important to understand so that you can be sure you’re properly preparing your equipment.

In this episode of Winemaker’s Academy we’ll take a look at exactly what’s entailed with cleaning and sanitizing separately. Also, we’ll dispel some of the confusion that occurs when the term sterilizing is used instead of sanitizing. Continue reading “Cleaning and Sanitizing Wine Making Equipment – WMA007”

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Blending Wine With Pearson’s Square

Blending wine to adjust wine chemistry can be a little tricky. Luckily there’s a handy tool you can use, Pearson’s Square, for determining the proper proportions needed to create the right balance in your final wine.

The science of blending wine using Pearson's SquareThis tool can be used for blending a wine of high alcohol and one of low alcohol content to produce a wine with a more reasonable alcohol level. It doesn’t end with alcohol though, Pearson’s Square can be used to:

  • blend wines of different acidity to create a more balanced wine
  • blend wines of different degrees of sweetness
  • calculate sugar additions to increase a finished wine’s alcohol content
  • blend wine and brandy when fortifying a wine

So how does this magical tool work? Let’s find out. Continue reading “Blending Wine With Pearson’s Square”