How Is Rose Made?
Who doesn’t love an uncomplicated glass of chilled rose wine on a lazy afternoon? There are four ways to make rosé wine: maceration, direct press, saigneé, and blending. Winemakers choose one method over the other based on the pink wine style they want to make, and in some regions, tradition. Here’s what you need to […]
What Is Gravity Flow Wine?
As someone who does small-scale winemaking in her garage, I admit that I spend an embarrassing amount of time thinking about the logistics of hauling grapes, moving juice, and transferring wine. Gravity flow winemaking appeals to me. Gravity flow wineries use architecture for gentle, gravity-based winemaking. This process yields aromatic wines with less oxidation and […]
How Bulk Wine Works
Ever heard of bulk wine or wonder how bulk wine works? In one of my winemaking classes, we had a group project where we designed a winery – everything from the crush pad to hoses and tank space. Part of our imaginary winery’s revenue model was bulk wine production. But just what is bulk wine […]
Why Does My Wine Taste Like Butter?
If you’ve ever taken a sip of wine and thought that it tasted like butter, you’re not imagining things! It does! The buttery flavors and aromas in wine come from a winemaking process called malolactic conversion. The official name for the buttery flavor is diacetyl. Bacteria are responsible for malolactic conversion. Winemakers will choose whether […]
What Is Wine Pre-fermentation Clarification?
Clarifying White Wine Juice Pre-Fermentation. White wine making has a fascinating step called juice clarification that can get overlooked in the fermentation flowchart. Falling in between pressing and fermentation, must, or juice, clarification improves a white wine’s overall quality used to increase fruit character and varietal distinctiveness. What Is Juice Clarification? Juice clarification aims to […]
Mousiness Wine Fault
What’s mousiness in wine? You may have come across it in your wine-loving life, or you may be one of the few who can’t taste it at all. Join me in the hunt for mousiness in wine!