Going into the 2025 vintage, it’s obvious that costs are on everyone’s mind. As a quality-focused consultant, I do tend to worry when I start to hear conversation regarding cost-cutting in the cellar. Grape growing, to some degree, is fixed. A grower will have to spray at routine times to avoid losing the crop. And […]
5 Tips for Succeeding at Harvest this Year
It’s hard to believe another harvest season is sneaking up on us. While there is probably TONS of work to be done in the vineyard, it’s also time to start preparing the winery for harvest. Do not let cellar preparation get away from you. Any good winemaking team will tell you that one of the […]
Are You Blowing Money Away with [Inert] Gas?
There are a lot of recommendations that get thrown around for using inert gases (i.e., nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide) in wine production. But what are the best techniques? How do you know when enough gas is used? In today’s world of high-cost and minimal inputs, these are certainly valid questions. So let’s dive into […]
5 Things To Learn About Oak Barrels
Can we talk about oak for a minute? And by talk, I mean literally. If you haven’t been listening to our “Voices of the Vine” podcast, Virginia and I just took several episodes to cover all-things-oak. From oak history to how oak is manufactured for wine barrels, we looked at it ALL. Here are some […]
Avoid Filtration Frenzy
Have you previously experienced difficult-to-filter wines? Are you sure it was the wine that was difficult? Or, could your production practices lead you into a higher prevalence of filtration problems? Let’s find out together. Components in Wine Most of us are familiar with the possibility of microorganisms in the wine. Wine harbors various yeasts and […]
Cold Stability Explained
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think there is any way to “sell” wine diamonds to the average wine consumer. I’ve heard so many explanations for why they exist in a wine bottle: At the end of all the explanations, and sometimes we need those excuses because physical chemistry is hard, the […]
