We’ve rounded the corner into hot summer days here in Pennsylvania. When it comes to wine, there’s only one way I know how to beat the heat: make some fresh Sangria! Sangria is one of my favorite wine cocktails to make for family, friends, and guests during the hot summer months. I love taking different […]
Wine Consumers Tasting Cabernets
I was recently at a wedding in which one of the guests brought her glass of wine to me and said, “Taste this. This doesn’t taste like a Cabernet Sauvignon.” I tasted the wine, and actually, I thought it did taste like a version of Cabernet Sauvignon. The guest’s primary complaint about the wine was […]
Preparation to Ease Harvest Chaos
The start of summer is the beginning of the end for winemakers: we know harvest season is just around the corner. That means the grape harvest chaos is ready to unleash itself upon us: the frequent and unplanned grape deliveries, tank space situations causing stress, wondering if correct additions were made, late hours, sore muscles, […]
High pH Wine: Workshop Coming Your Way!
During my time with Penn State Extension, one of the most common problems I found in red wines was related to stability. Specifically, many wine producers were facing unusually high pH’s with varying levels of total acidity (TA). The increased pH caused a number of issues for otherwise normal wines: Red wine color instability Odd […]
Winery Compliance Training Series: Registration Open!
While compliance for FSMA is not the most fun winemaking topic, it can also appear overwhelming. However, with the FDA’s goal of inspecting each FDA-registered food/beverage manufacturing facility by the end of 2018, many wineries are getting a head start on developing their compliance documentation and preparing for future FDA inspections. If you would like […]
Pre-Bottling Prep
The Pre-Bottling Prep Production Guides for white, red, and formula wines are now available on the DGW Learning Center. What is the purpose of pre-bottling prep production guides? In meeting with current and potential clients, I have noticed that many wineries struggle with logistics surrounding pre-bottling operations. Pre-bottling operations include: Testing for and performing heat […]
