Wine has been made by humans for about 7,000 years, and experts agree that until quite recently it may not have tasted very good. For millennia wine has been the ultimate expression of agriculture, ...

What does whole cluster (or whole berry) fermentation mean in winemaking? There really isn’t anything new about whole cluster fermentation –it is a technique that has been around for centuries (indeed ...

I’ve written 600 columns in this space and we have never explored the basics of winemaking. So, this week let’s look at the process from field to bottle. Winemaking 101, if you will. We all know it’s ...

Every piece of the winemaking puzzle involves a series of decisions. It’s said that great wine is made in the vineyard. In reality, it certainly starts there, but winemaking is a process that involves ...

Speaking with a winemaker recently and asking about indigenous yeast, she cut us off and asked why she would leave a major decision about her winemaking—fermentation—up to chance. When we delve into ...

Karl WENTE presses the back of his hand down into the vat of crushed Cabernet grapes, then watches the dark purple liquid fill his cupped palm. He sips the newly fermented juice, which will become an ...

Winemaking is a delicate balance of science, nature and artistry that varies from vintner to vintner. You can smell, taste and feel the winemaker’s approach to this balance in each glass.