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Cork Closures and Oxygenation

Natural cork closures have been around for hundreds of years. At first they were merely a more convenient way to seal a bottle of wine. Over time, however, we have come to understand that corks offer an incredible benefit over synthetic closures: micro-oxygenation.

That’s right, natural corks allow your wine to get oxidized. While this may seem scary at first it is actually very good for wine in very small doses spread out over very long periods of time. Continue reading “Cork Closures and Oxygenation”

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Understanding Wine Acidity

Acidity is a measurement of the quantity of acid present in a wine or must. This is not to be confused with the pH of a wine which is a measurement of the strength of those acids present.

Like pH, however, the acidity of a wine goes a long way in determining how a finished wine will taste, feel in your mouth, and how well it will age. Having a low acidity will result in a flat and boring wine while having too much acid can lead to tartness or even a sour wine.

However, if you peg the acidity just right you are much more likely to have flavors that pop, good mouthfeel, crispness in white wines, and decent age-ability. It takes careful measurements and a keen sense of taste for those acids produced by spoilage organisms. More on this soon.

What makes acidity tricky is that not all acids are measurable using the same laboratory methods. This is why acidity is described as three different entities, titratable, volatile, and total. Continue reading “Understanding Wine Acidity”

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The Importance of pH in Wine Making

Taking a pH reading of a wine sample.The pH of a wine is critical not only to its flavor but to nearly every aspect of the wine. According to wine maker Alison Crowe of Winemaker Magazine “pH is the backbone of a wine”.

It is second in importance only to the must sugar levels. Fluctuations in pH could mean the difference between a wine going down the sink and one you hang a double gold medal on. Continue reading “The Importance of pH in Wine Making”

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Upgrading Your Fermentation Tank

Mot of us start making wine in small batches. It’s more manageable and more affordable. However, at some point beginners grow up and want to move on to producing larger batches of wine.

The first thing you’ll need to look at if your thinking of increasing your batch size is your fermentation tank. You could just get more fermentation containers, however, requires a lot of duplication of effort, especially when it comes to racking. Instead let’s take a look at what larger fermentation tanks are available to you. Continue reading “Upgrading Your Fermentation Tank”