Reviews

Knowing your wine’s alcohol content matters for balance, stability, and legal compliance (if selling). But measuring alcohol accurately is harder than it sounds. Here is...

Chaptalization—adding sugar to grape must before fermentation—is controversial. Some consider it cheating; others view it as essential correction. Here is when adding sugar actually improves...

Acid adjustment is one of winemaking’s most impactful interventions. The type of acid you add—tartaric, citric, or malic—matters as much as the amount. Here is...

Oak is not just oak. Wood from Hungarian, French, and American forests produces dramatically different effects in wine. Understanding these differences helps you choose the...

Professional wineries use micro-oxygenation equipment to carefully control oxygen exposure during aging. Can home winemakers replicate this technique in a carboy? The answer is complicated....

The closure debate never ends. Cork enthusiasts defend tradition; screw cap advocates cite reliability; synthetic partisans claim the best of both worlds. Here is what...

You have nursed your wine through fermentation, aging, and clarification. Then bottles start going bad—oxidized, flat, off-flavors developing where none existed. The culprit is almost...

The filtered vs. unfiltered debate has passionate advocates on both sides. Some say filtration strips wine of character; others insist it is essential for stability...

Fining agents are the winemaker’s clarification toolkit. Each works differently, targets different problems, and affects wine differently. Choosing the right one—or combination—makes the difference between...

Cloudy wine is not necessarily bad wine, but most winemakers prefer clarity. Understanding the various clarification methods—and when to use each—helps you achieve the appearance...