Background There is a growing trend for grape growers to leave the grapes hanging for extended periods of time to increase the aroma and flavour…

When Nature ferments grapes, or any other fruit for that matter, wine is not the end product. Instead, unpleasant concoctions containing vinegars, mercaptans and other…

Types of acid that occur Fruits contain a variety of weak organic acids of which only three occur in quantity: tartaric, malic and citric. Grapes…

Fining and Fining Agents By Bill Collings Most winemakers use one or another of the available fining agents prior to filtering and think of fining…

Winemaker Log A doublesided form for documenting the winemaking process from start to finish and helpful tables on the other side. Print this out double…

Malolactic Fermentation By Bill Collings WHAT IS IT? Malolactic fermentation is the conversion by bacteria of malic acid into CO2 and lactic acid. One gram…

Acid/pH Adjustments By Bill Collings (Revised August 1, 2007) Every winemaker, at one time or another, has had to deal with grapes having less than…

Hydrogen Sulphide and Its Derivatives By Bill Collings (January 28, 2002, modified April 15, 2007) Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) has been known to plague winemakers for…

Bottling Techniques CORK STORAGE: Corks should be stored in a cool place, away from chemicals or liquids. They should be sealed in plastic bags and…

Why are pH and Titratable Acidity (TA) not “proportional”? By Charles Plant In wine chemistry, pH and TA measurements operate independently because they measure different…