In my previous job as an Extension Enologist for Penn State University and now, as a Winemaking Consultant, I regularly find that so many winery operations (and their employees) are hesitant to invest in technical guidance or assistance. As someone who has regularly found that winemaking knowledge is power in the cellar, it is quite […]
Wine Education
Four Virtual Winemaking Lessons You’ll Want Before Harvest!
For many of us, harvest is at the edge of beginning. As I am a firm believer in preparing for a successful harvest, I want to review a few tools available through dgwinemaking.com as à la carte purchases. Details for purchasing these lessons is at the bottom of this post. Creative Wine Styles for Hybrid […]
Time to Get ‘Darn Good’ at Making Wine!
“Can I cold stabilize my wines outside?” “I apply a nitrogen blanket to my wines. How long can I leave this inert gas blanket on the wine before I need to apply nitrogen again?” “Which bentonite is best for protein stability?” “I cold stabilized my wines, but after blending and bottling, tartrates formed in the […]
Top DG Winemaking 2019 Posts
If you’ve been following DG Winemaking this year, you’ll notice that a new post is distributed about every other week. While I try to keep topics timely, it’s apparent that some are of more interest than others. Below are five titles and blurbs of the most visited posts for the 2019 year. Whether you read […]
Do Your Hybrid Wines Need an Upgrade?
If you’re producing wine outside of the three big western states (California, Oregon, and Washington), then it’s likely you’re making some wines based on hybrid wine grape varieties. Hybrid-based wines are quite unique compared to Vitis vinifera-based wines. They offer a varied aroma and taste profile, different wine chemistry, and some varieties may be less […]
A Winemaker’s Take on Cluster Zone Leaf Removal, Part 3: Viticulture Experts Address Cluster Zone Leaf Removal
Over the last two weeks, I introduced a question that was posed to me during a previous Darn Good Winemakers session and dived into some background about science. While I try to integrate the use of science with all of my clients, I think it’s important to have a reference of limitations and expectations that […]
