Authors Note: This blog post and vlog were created prior to the U.S. outbreak of COVID-19. The material covered here is based on observations, projects, and interactions with wineries prior to the various state orders to address the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. For more information pertaining strictly to COVID-19, please see past blog posts. Hello! Welcome […]
Acidity
Cold Stability is More Than Taking Advantage of Cold Winter Temperatures
One of my favorite movie scenes about “wine diamonds” was in Amy Poehler’s recent movie release, “Wine Country.” (Note: this trailer is probably not appropriate for your little ones!) I believe the group was at Baldacci Family Vineyards (though they used an alternative name in the movie) when one of the tasting room employees was […]
Testing Wine Post-Primary Fermentation
Is wine analysis important? If so, what should winemakers measure? Today’s blog post hopes to answer both of these questions for winemakers. While the world of wine analysis is extensive and offers anything from measuring the pH of the wine to identifying potential wine microbes, testing the wine for quality assurance practices does not have […]
Intro to Winery Lab Essentials
(Just in time for harvest!) In working with a number of wineries throughout the country that range in the 2,000 case to 15,000 case annual production size, I have found that many struggle to get a firm grip on wine analytical testing. Of course, this also includes testing incoming fruit, juice, or must, as well […]
Don’t Forget! “pH Explained” Webinar on April 23rd
While we talk about pH all of the time, many winemakers rarely feel comfortable discussing its influence on their wines and measuring it. Wine pH influences various chemical and microbial stabilities, and is a fluid value that requires monitoring by the winemaker. For this reason, on April 23rd, the Darn Good Winemakers session will focus […]
pH Explained
A Winemaker’s Journey to Understanding Acid Chemistry One of the most common mistakes I hear winemakers make is when they reference a wine’s pH in response to someone else’s comment on how sour the wine tastes. We’ve all heard it. Someone: “The wine is a bit tart.” Winemaker: “Well, the pH is 3.24.” This simple […]
