updated 10/27/2024
November 2021
At this point I’ve started 4 posts that delve into winemaking in great detail. These explain my actions, reactions, and results on a daily basis. In addition to the steps I’m taking, I’m commenting on my techniques (including why I do what I do) and offering a bit of my personal philosophy regarding winemaking.
This started with documenting the making of a Finer Wine Kits Barbera, as my niece was getting a hardware setup for her birthday. This gives her an in-depth view into making one of these kits.
When I purchased a FWK Chardonnay, I decided to give it the same treatment, as it’s a white kit and there are some differences.
Then I started a Rhone blend, mixing FWK Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Merlot kits to produce a blend we are interested in … as well as producing enough wine (initially 18 gallons) to fill a 54 liter barrel (14.25 US gallons). These are the new Forte kits which come with 2 grape skin packs and a seed packet. Ok, this is different enough that I created an “in Detail” post for this one.
Please Note: Not every wine will received the “In Detail” treatment. My intention is to address different facets of winemaking in a detailed manner, and to not do repeats. If there is something regarding a batch that I’ve not covered before, I’ll write one of these posts. Otherwise not.
October 2024
I sort of changed my mind regarding the “In Detail” posts. I’m starting a new post where I detail the 2024 winemaking season. This will not specifically delve into teaching; rather, it’s a flow of consciousness where I document events as I feel the need. If nothing else, it gives me a place to post pictures that interest me.
June 2024
I’m out of reasons to do blogs like these, so I’m adding descriptions to the table below to indicate why I made each blog. The intention is that each should highlight different facets of winemaking, so these comments will help guide readers.
October 2023
Yup I guess I love doing these, as I found reasons to do them for Chambourcin and Vidal …
August 2023
Never say never again. I started a metheglin (mead with spices) so another In Detail blog seems appropriate.
December 2022
At this time I’m not seeing any value in producing more “In Detail” blogs. I’ll write another one if I do something that needs such a treatment, e.g., I adopt a technique new to me, or make something different such as mead.
| 2024 Wines in Detail
This post simply documents the Fall 2024 winemaking events, with no special emphasis in mind. |
updated 10/27/2024 |
| 2023 Chambourcin in Detail
This grape is being made in 2 batches, one with Renaissance Bravo yeast and the other with Renaissance Avante yeast, and the blog will contrast the two. |
updated 10/22/2024 |
| 2023 Vidal in Detail
This grape is being made in 2 batches, one as Juice and the other as “Orange” wine, a white fermented on the skins which typically produces an orange caste to the color. At bottling time there is illustration in the differences between containers, as shown by the differences in the amount of sugar necessary to backsweeten the wine to address acid levels. |
updated 06/10/2043 |
| 2023 Metheglin (Mead) in Detail
The post is more focused on the decisions and why I did what I did. It also illustrates how not to do batch planning, but how things can be adjusted to make things work. |
updated 10/16/2023 |
| 2022 FWK Kit + Grape Pomace in Detail
This blog details an experiment — taking Finer Wine Kits (FWK) Tavola Merlot kits and fermenting them with pomace from Grenache and Tempranillo grapes. |
updated 08/19/2024 |
| 2022 Grape Wines in Detail
This is the first “In Detail” blog that covered fresh fruit. This may be useful to folks migrating from kits to fresh grapes, although a lot of what is discussed applies to other fruit as well. |
updated 11/10/2023 |
| 2022 Strawberry and Blackberry in Detail
This blog documents two FWK Frutta kits, red wine base with fruit additives. |
updated 10/05/2022 |
| 2022 Sauvignon Blanc in Detail
This was my first FWK white that included carbon. |
updated 10/04/2022 |
| 2022 Elderberry in Detail
For this wine, I took a fruit wine concentrate designed to make 5 US gallons of wine and extended it to 7 US gallons using red and white grape concentrate. |
updated 07/18/2023 |
| 2022 Chocolate/Raspberry Port in Detail
This is the first kit I’ve made in a while that uses a large F-Pack, commonly called an “additive pack”, “flavoring pack”, or “fruit pack”. |
updated 12/04/2022 |
| 2021 Super Tuscan in Detail
This wine is a triple batch of FWK Super Tuscan kits, and it stands out as I focused very heavily on how temperature affected — or possibly not affected — the fermentation. |
updated 12/04/2022 |
| 2021 Rhone Blend in Detail
This was my first FWK Forte kit, which differs from the Barbera in that it has skin packs to beef up the wine. It’s also an experiment in field blending 3 different kits (Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Syrah). |
updated 12/04/2022 |
| 2021 Chardonnay in Detail
This post illustrates the differences between a white and red kit. There’s much procedural difference for red kits not containing skin packs, but there are philosophy differences. |
updated 05/21/2022 |
| 2021 Barbera in Detail
This post sprang from a need to fully illustrate the kit making process for a new winemaker. |
updated 03/10/2022 |
Winemaking 101
In October 2019 I got the idea to document my process for making wine from grapes, as a how-to for new winemakers. This produced 10 posts, which do veer off the basics in places.
These posts were the forerunners of the above “in Detail” posts.
Winemaking 101 – Episode 1 – Get Grapes
Winemaking 101 – Episode 2 – The Crush
Winemaking 101 – Episode 3 – My Purchase
Winemaking 101 – Episode 4 – Fermentation & Pressing
Winemaking 101 – Episode 5 – What is a 2nd Run Wine?
Winemaking 101 – Episode 6A – The 2019 2nd Run Wine!
Winemaking 101 – Episode 6B – 2019 2nd Run, Continued
Winemaking 101 – Episode 6C – 2019 2nd Run, Continued (again)