Glycerin in Winemaking
updated 11/16/2023 I first started using glycerin decades ago when making liqueurs from extracts — it was a less expensive way of making good liqueurs. In a blender put 1 bottle of extract (1-2...
Category: White Papers
This type of blog post is a technical paper regarding wine or beer making.
Conditioning a Wine Barrel
This morning I picked up a new barrel — well, new to me. A member of our local grape purchasing group needed to eliminate a barrel, so he gave away a 2 year old...
Using Bentonite in Winemaking
Bentonite is commonly used in winemaking as a fining agent, and it works well, precipitating particles that make wine cloudy in a matter of days (or even hours). Bentonite also removes protein haze from...
Making White Wine from Red Grapes
Many moons ago I had an after-work drink with co-workers, and was going to get the first round. My supervisor asked for Zinfandel, and I asked “white or red?” Knowing her, I figured white,...
Sanitizing Bottles and Corks
On WineMakingTalk, there is a lot of discussion regarding the sanitization of bottles and corks at bottling time. Bottles? I was taught to pour K-meta solution from bottle to bottle, shaking out residue. Corks?...
How to Make K-Meta Solution
This is a common question — how to make K-meta solution? Some will ask, “What is K-meta?” This is an excellent question to ask if one doesn’t know what it is. K-meta is shorthand...
How to Make a Yeast Starter, Part 2
I had a recent event that caused me to think about the yeast starter in more detail than I had previously. I started a small batch of metheglin (mead with spices) and made a...
Reducing Headspace in Secondary Containers
Yet another common question in winemaking is “how do I reduce the headspace in my wine?” For those new to winemaking, “headspace” is the air between the wine and the stopper/bung in secondary storage,...
Wine Bottling Process
updated: 07/26/2023 In a recent discussion with a friend, we discussed errors during bottling, such as failing to add sorbate to a backsweetened wine. This spurred me to record what I do when bottling....
The Most Important Question In Winemaking
updated: 08/10/2023 I’ve been answering beginner questions on WineMakingTalk for years, and have long since determined the most important question in winemaking. The question doesn’t mention fruit or yeast or racking or anything specific....