Oxygen plays a very important role in the winemaking process. The winemaker is always trying to limit the amount of oxygen, but it truly is a balancing act. Too little oxygen, the wine is reductive and you get that onion
One of the most beautiful videos to watch in a vineyard is when the vine weeps after it has been pruned. I get asked a lot as to why this happens, so I figured it was a good topic for
If you follow me or this blog, you know I talk about fermentation a lot. I absolutely love the science behind it. The fact that microscopic organisms are responsible for creating alcohol that we enjoy consuming is just so cool
I truly believe that it is not necessary to always taste a wine and analyze it. In fact, I will argue that the majority of the time wine should not be analyzed, rather just enjoyed. It is an entryway into
To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To
Everyone has heard that California has been in a drought. It seems like we are always in a drought. Even when it rains, we are in a drought. In fact, according to water.ca.gov California seems to be in a drought
You probably have heard of a wine being corked. I was out with some friends the other night, and they were in a heated battle about whether you should return a corked bottle or not. How do you know it
Before we can get into what pump overs and punch downs are, we need to discuss why they are necessary. During fermentation, the yeast are consuming the sugar in the fruit. The result is the production of alcohol YEAH! and
You may have heard of the term lees when it comes to wine. The discussion of lees is much more prevalent in white and sparkling wine production. Lees play a very important role in wine aromatics, flavor and mouthfeel. If
In the very organic chemistry sense.. Which I hate.. A pyrazine is a heterocyclic aromatic organic compound with the chemical formula C4H4N2 . So what does that mean?! It is a very long term that means that the compound has at
