Large wineries have to be both incredibly quality- and efficiency-oriented. Increase dissolved oxygen (DO) by 0.75 parts per million (ppm) during a filtration and you risk oxidizing thousands of cases of Sauvignon Blanc at a time. Lose 2 percent o...   [read more]

As I noted last year, I have had a number of winemakers contact me requesting that I look at pairing yeast selections with the "big three" wine varietals of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Since I covered Chardonnay last year, this year I'll look at selecting yeast strains for Cabernet Sauvignon.   [read more]

With the cost of new French oak barrels at $800 to $900 and beyond and with the Euro exchange rate still climbing, the cost of replacing oak is a serious concern for wineries. Preserving what you already own may be a g...   [read more]

  I've written many times about the winemaker's dilemma: for every gain in winemaking, there is some sacrifice. Let your fruit hang until it has fully matured and you have to deal with higher alcohols. Raise your fermentation temperatures to gain some complexity and you sacrifice some fruitiness. Even the wild pleasure of selling out of your wine means you have to worry about losing wine lis...   [read more]

One of the best features of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) annual meetings in recent years has been the focused research symposia. At this year's annual meeting in Sacramento, the research symposium ...   [read more]

This month we look at some new ways to address old barrel washing problems. Barrel washing typically results in excessive wastewater, consumes large amounts of energy, is labor-intensive and time consuming. Here are two entrants in the market that might offer some welcome relief.   [read more]