Wine Making Science – Winemaker's Academy

The Importance of Yeast Starters

admin — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:31:53 +0000

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 …

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Controlling Wine Fermentation Speeds

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2015 03:28:12 +0000

The speed of a fermentation is a function of many different variables. Once you understand these variables you can manipulate them to slow down or speed up a fermentation. Most wine makers agree that a slow fermentation is better. The thinking goes that the wine will hold on to more of the varietal characteristics as …

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Help My Wine Smells Like Bananas

admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 17:37:28 +0000

There is an incredible amount of aromas one can detect in a wine. Some are fruity, some aren’t. As you can well imagine some smells are okay and other signify that something has gone awry. Causes of Banana Odors in Wine It is certainly possible to pick up banana flavors from the fermentation process. As Emmet …

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Wine Making Chemistry with Bookcliff Vineyards – WMA015

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 08:47:01 +0000

Wine chemistry is a complex subject. There are so many things to measure, balance, and think about that it’s hard to know when to do what and decide what’s really important. To help us navigate this complex subject Holly Wells and John Garlich of BookCliff Vineyards have come on the show to walk us though …

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Oak Products Explained

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 10:52:29 +0000

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 …

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How Terroir Affects Wine Making

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:35:39 +0000

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. The simplest definition I can …

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Blending Wine With Pearson’s Square

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 02:34:32 +0000

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. This tool can be used for blending a wine of high alcohol and one of low alcohol content to …

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How to Make Fortified Wine

admin — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 03:27:56 +0000

What Are Fortified Wines? Fortified wines are regular grape wines that have been given an alcohol boost using grape spirits. While this does produce a high alcohol wine that isn’t the whole story and it isn’t why this practice began. The real reason fortified wines came into being was to solve stability issues in finished …

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Using Pectic Enzymes to Make Wine

admin — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 01:56:23 +0000

Nearly every fruit wine recipe calls for pectic enzymes to be added but what do they really do? How do the work? Are there any safety concerns when working with this additive? Let’s find out. Pectic enzyme, also known as pectinase, is a protein that is used to break down pectin, a jelly like glue …

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Carbonic Maceration of Wine Grapes

admin — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 01:45:12 +0000

Carbonic maceration is a unique method of fermenting grapes into wine. While it doesn’t completely ferment all of the sugar into alcohol, it does impart a unique character on the wine. What makes this method of fermentation so different is that you begin with whole, unbroken grape clusters still on the stems. The grapes are …

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