Kian Tavakoli, winemaker for Crushpad, explains when you do, and when you don't want to think about including whole clusters in your fermentation. For some varietals, in some years, it can enhance aromas, and other desirable characteristics in a wine. In other years the stems are simply too green to include any whole clusters... Doing so would give your wine green tannins that can make a wine harsh.
The balance between pH and acidity is a delicate one that you must pay close attention to as you are making wine. The ripeness of the fruit and type of grape varietal will dictate how you have to work with that fruit to produce a wine that meets your desired style goals.
During fermentation the grape skins and seeds float to the top of the fermenting bin, and how you manage that cap of skins has a big impact on the style of wine that comes from that fermentation. For a more extracted wine you need to keep the skins in contact with the fermenting juice more than if you are trying for a more elegant styled wine. In this Winemaker's Minute, Crushpad CEO Michael Brill explains styles of cap management for small lot fermentation.
Depending on the style of wine you want to make, and the varietal of grape you are working with, you have a few choices when it comes to fermenation vessels. And when you're working with small batch winemaking, it is critical to make the right choice. For white wines it's important that you ferment in the type of vessel that will help you achieve the style you want. For reds, it's a little more straight forward. Crushpad winemaker Chris Nelson explains it all.
In the wine making process, how much of a difference does your choice of yeast make on your finished wine? Well, that's a source of much debate but when choosing a yeast strain to ferment your wine, it is important to match the the yeast to grape varietal. There's also the option of letting the yeasts that are native to the vineyard and winery do the work for you. Crushpad winemaker, Kian Tavakoli digs into the yeast debate.
Whether you are making your own wine, or just trying to find the right bottle at a local shop, you need to be able to express to others the style of wine you are looking for. You can't get what you want if you don't know how to ask for it. Crushpad Chief winemaker Michael Zitzlaff talks with us about how to define a style of of wine.
The amount of alcohol in a wine is a key factor to how you experience that wine. Is there too much? too little? How can a wine with lower alcohol taste like it is strong or "hot"?These are all questions answered by Crushpad winemaker, Kian Tavakoli in this Winemaker's Minute.
Wine making in Long Island.One of the important steps in wine making comes before the grapes are even picked. The winemakers job is to determine the correct time to pick the chardonnay, or viogneir grapes for optimal flavor. ClassicWines interviews the winemaker at Bedell Cellars in Long Island to find out the many determinations that a winemaker will make to bring you that wonderful glass of wine. http://www.ClassicWines.com
From the jungles of the Congo to the urban jungles of San Francisco, this is the human story of a gorilla. Initially exploited for his cheap labor, the "monkey" (as winemakers erroneously call him) has become one of Crushpad's most endearing employees. This gripping tale captures the rise and fall of this graceful, elegant, and inebriated creature. (more)
Marked by excellence and labeled as extraordinary -- an annual transformational event takes place at Hope-Merrill & Hope-Bosworth Inns, located in Geyserville ... in the heart of Sonoma's picturesque wine country: A wine lover's experience.Some of valley's finest grapes are pressed into wine by "students of the vine," say innkeepers Ron and Cosette Scheiber. "The dual summer and spring events are a blend of picking, pressing, dining, plus plenty of learning and laughter."
