This blog has now moved to www.TechniquesInHomeWinemaking.com/blog.

This blog has now moved to www.TechniquesInHomeWinemaking.com/blog.

Tips for Better Home Winemaking

I often get wine samples in the mail or from friends desperately seeking an opinion or assessment on what could possibly have gone wrong in their home winemaking. Perhaps that full-bodied Cab tastes nothing close to what was expected, or maybe the wine has a strong off-odor, the result of some form of spoilage, or the wine unexpectedly turned cloudy. Whatever the reason, it can be disconcerting to any winemaker—beginner or seasoned.

Given the complex biochemistry and microbiology of wine, there are countless transformations continuously occurring in wine and which are affected by myriad of environmental factors, winemaking techniques, and wine chemistry, just to name a few. And so winemaking is not simply about fermenting juice and then bottling wine. It is not a difficult making wine; however, you must be disciplined.

So here are some tips and recommendations to help you reduce the risk of unwanted results or spoilage and how to improve your wines.

· If you make wine from kits, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. Kits are designed to produce expected results, but only if processed according to instructions.

· Be patient. Winemaking involves a lot of patience, and you simply cannot (and should not) rush the process. Time will reward your patience.

· Monitor your winemaking. Making wine involves constantly checking progress and measuring important parameters; if something should go wrong, you will be right on top of it and be able to correct the problem. Invest in basic winemaking test kits.

· Protect your wine. Don’t overly expose wine to air and make sure it is always protected with the minimum recommended sulfite level. Use the Sulfite Calculator to help you guide your sulfite additions.

· Taste, taste, taste. Regularly taste your wine as part of your monitoring routine and make adjustments as required. And taste again BEFORE bottling—that’s your last chance to make any adjustments. Don’t bottle until you are completely satisfied with the results.

· Ask for advice. There are many sources of information: the internet, books, and your local winemaking supply store. If you run into a problem, consult a reliable source and get expert advice before that problem turns your wine into vinegar.

· Age your wine. All too often wine is drunk much too young, well before it reaches its peak, and therefore you do not get to appreciate the wine as it was intended to be. With experience, you will become better at evaluating the aging potential of wine and determining when best to drink it.

Stay tuned as we will build on this list and get you on your way to making award-winning wines.

Welcome to Home Winemaking

Greetings to all home winemaking enthusiasts!

My passion is making and enjoying wine, and learning as much as possible about every aspect of wine, from growing grapes to the science of winemaking and wine appreciation. And as with wine is best appreciated with friends, I also enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with fellow winemakers.

And so I have decided to start this blog to reach out all home winemakers to supplement my publications Techniques in Home Winemaking: The Comprehensive Guide to Making Chateau-Style Wines and Kit Winemaking: The Illustrated Beginner's Guide to Making Wine from Concentrate. I am also the Technical Editor and a contributor author to WineMaker magazine.

My experience is derived from extensive literature searches as well as making my own wine, both at home and commercially at Maleta Winery in picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario's Niagara region. One of our specialities is sparkling wine; take a look at how we disgorge bottles of bubbly.

If you share the same passion as me, I would be delighted to hear from you. I also want to gauge interest in laboratory analysis and sensory evaluation services for home winemakers. Services would include, for example, measurement of keys parameters such as TA, pH, free and total SO2, subjective sensory evaluation, assessing faults or spoilage, and actionable recommendations to improve your wine.

Cheers,
Daniel Pambianchi