The sweet, nutrient-rich must is an ideal medium for growing diverse species of yeast during the fermentation process. Naturally present yeast may include the familiar Saccharomyces, found in bread and beer, as well as more exotic genera. As a result, the beginning of fermentation involves a lot of biodiversity, with many different types of yeast competing for resources.

I have been making wine from fresh must purchased in 6-gallon pails I can not seem to get it as dry as commercial wines. It appears all sugars have fermented, SG.end up around 0.992-0.994. Is there a certain method or specific yeast to use?

Within two weeks most of the sugar will have been consumed by the yeast and fermentation will slow, making it easier to keep track of the falling sugar level of your wine. You want to be aware of your sugar levels because they will give you an overview of how the ferment has been progressing.

In this video we are making use of our new bladder press. We are using it here to press the juice off of our small Chambourcin grape harvest. Enjoy!

This video shows how we press grapes after they have been crushed and destemmed. After pressing, we end up with 100% juice, which we transfer into vats (usually 32-gallon vats), where the majority of solids fall out to create what is called the gross lees.

At the end of the fermentation, the wine will have extracted everything it needs from the seeds and skins. When this is completed, it is time to press. It is important to press in a timely fashion because prolonged exposure to grape solids post-fermentation might cause reactions that could generate off-flavors and otherwise ruin the wine.

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.

There are basically two types of wine press in the world: Basket Presses (also called Ratchet Presses) and Bladder Presses. The essential concept behind a wine press is to separate the juice or fermented wine (depending on if you’re doing reds or whites) from the skins, seeds and pulp that make up the solid parts of the grape.

Eight-minute video about why we use the terms Primary and Secondary fermentation. Are these the right terms for wine, or do they come from beer and naturally have been adopted by home winemakers? What is the difference between primary and secondary fermentation? How does this differ from malolactic fermentation?

Malolactic fermentation is often explained by describing the buttery, creamy notes it contributes to many Chardonnays. A couple of decades ago, that profile was highly valued, and the hallmark of some very well-known California brands. However, as that style has fallen largely out of favor, many wine drinkers have come to take a more negative view of malolactic fermentation as something that can make wine seem heavy or graceless.