VAWA
'The home of amateur winemaking in Vancouver'
This page of winemaking technical articles draws on a huge reserve of knowledge and experience, both inside and outside of our club, in the art and science of fine winemaking.
Acidity / pH :
Acid/pH Adjustments, by Bill Collings - Influence of pH, by Ben Rotter
- Acid Control in Winemaking, Part One: Measurement and Adjustment of Titratable Acidity (or TA) and pH, by Charles Plant
- Acid Control in Winemaking, Part Two:Reducing Acid with Malolactic Fermentation (or MLF), by Charles Plant
- The Concept of Balance in Wine, by Peter Bell
- Titration for Tartaric and Malic Acids, by Bill Collings
- Titratable Acidity Titrametric Procedure Using NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide), by Ralph N. Weiss
- De-acidification Using Potassium Carbonate, Gusmer Enterprises
Fining
- Fining and Fining Agents, by Bill Collings
- Fining, by Ben Rotter
- Fining Agents, Isinglass and Structural Balance, Summary of Fining Agent Use, Gelatin Fining, Gelatin Fining Agents continued, Fining continued - PVPP, Bentonite Fining of Juice and Wine, by Dr. Bruce Zoecklein
- Clarification: Fining to Reduce Astringency, by Dr. James Harbertson
- Fining Wines for Structure, Balance and Finish, by Diana Burnett
- Yeast Fining, by Dr. Bruce Zoecklein
- Also see streaming video presentations, by Dr. James Harbertson
- Post Fermentation Processing, by Linda Bisson
Malolactic Fermentation
- Malolactic Fermentation, by Bill Collings
- Malolactic Fermentation, by Ben Rotter
- ICV: Practical management of malolactic fermentation for Mediterranean red wines, by Dominique Delteil
- Also see streaming video presentations, by Dr. James Harbertson
- The Malolactic Fermentation, by Linda Bisson
MLF: Determining When to Add Malolactic Bacteria, by Dr. Sibylle Krieger- ICV: MLF Practical Management
- MLF: Troubleshooting Guide - A Practical Application, by Annamarie Kynd and Sigrid Gersten-Briand
Sulphur Dioxide
- Using SO2 - The Whole Story, by Charles Plant
- How Much SO2 is required?, by Charles Plant
- Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) additions using Potassium Metabisulphite, by Charles Plant
- Sulphur Dioxide, by Ben Rotter
- ICV: Sulphiting and working with lees: key elements to wine maturing, by Dominique Delteil
- Removing SO2 with H2O2
- Schneyder & Vlcek Modified Ripper Titrametric Determination of Sulfur Dioxide, by Ralph N. Weiss
- Free SO2 by Aeration/Oxidation Method, by Scott Lacy
Pre-Fermentation
- ICV: Complete Procedure of Cold Prefermentary Maceration, by Dominique Delteil
- Pre-Fermentation Seminar, Scott Labs, 27 March 2004 (ppt), by Diana M. Burnett (download and install PowerPoint Viewer 2003 before attempting to view this presentation)
- Pre-fermentation Cold Maceration, by Ben Rotter
- ICV: Matching Yeast Strain to Wine Style, by Dominique Delteil
Fermentation
- Overcoming Stuck and Sluggish Fermentations, by Gordon Specht, Lallemand , and Help Me, I'm Stuck, Lallemand
- Scott Labs Recommended Method to Restart Stuck Fermentations
- Factors Influencing Fermentation
- Délestage Fermentation, by Richard Leahy
- Delestage: An Attempt to Balance Flavor and Finish, by Tom Cottrell
- BCAWA 2005 Lallemand/Scott Labs Seminar (this is a very large PowerPoint presentation - 6.3 Megs - save it to a file on your computer, and then download and install PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view)
- ICV: 13 key points to alcoholic fermentation , by Dominique Delteil
- Fermentations: Problems, Solutions and Prevention, by J.R. Morris, G. Main and R. Threlfall
- Lysozyme to Control Lactic Acid Bacteria During Alcoholic Fermentation, by Mirian Moraes and Lars Petersen
- Also see streaming video presentations, by Dr. James Harbertson
- The Alcoholic Fermentation, by Linda Bisson
- ICV: Short maceration : a new mediterranean vision, by Dominique Delteil
- Calculating Nutrient Additions, Gusmer Enterprises
- The Role of Oxygen in Winemaking, by Alison Crowe
- YAN Table
- Red Wine from Grape to Bottle, by Dan Jones
Spoilage
- Good Practices For The Treatment of Sulfur Off-Odors, by Dominique Delteil
- ICV: Good Practices for the Vinification of Spoiled White Grapes, by Dominique Delteil
- Volatile Acidity - Acetic Acid
- Guidelines for Red and White Winemaking with Botrytis or Mold, Vinquiry
- Hot Topics in Enology: Acetic Acid Bacteria,
by James Osborne
- Bacteria and Wine Quality State of the Art,
by G. Trioli, S. Krieger, L. Dulau and J. Panes
- Volatile Acidity in Wine,
by Richard Gawel
- Brett: When Sanitation Meets Wine Style,
by Tim Patterson
Sur Lie
- Using Lees (Sur lie and bâtonnage), by Ben Rotter
- ICV: Sulphiting and working with lees: key elements to wine maturing, by Dominique Delteil
- Lees Management, by Dr. Bruce Zoecklein
- Also see VAWA Questions & Answers page.
Oak
- Oak's Influence on Making and Maturing Wine, by Christy A. Canterbury
- ICV: Oak Shavings and Cubes
Pinot Noir
- Techniques for Pinot Noir, by Ben Rotter
- On the Use of: Whole Clusters/Whole Berries/Stems Back/Cold Soak/Cap Management, by John Daumé
Port
- Port Presentation, by Clem Joyce
- imPORTant Stuff to Know, by Wayne Meadows
- Port Production, by Tim Spencer
Sherry
- Sherry, from "Making Better Wines" by Ted Underhill
- Sherry: Flor-ed by its Complexity, by Richard Gawel
- Canadian Sherry, by Bob Finhert
- Oloroso Sherry, by Richard Gawel
Sparkling Wine
- A Review of Méthode Champenoise Production, by Dr. Bruce Zoecklein
- Making Sparkling Wine — A Simplified Approach
- Vinification Methode Traditionelle, by Peter Brehm
Home Winemaking Overview
- The Home Winemaking Manual, by Lum Eisenman
- Home Winemaking, by George M. Cooke and James T. Lapsley
- Also see streaming video presentations, by Dr. James Harbertson
Closures
- The Role of Oxygen in the Aging of Bottled Wine, by Allen Hart & Andrew Kleinig
Miscellaneous Topics
- Potassium Sorbate, by Bill Collings
- Potassium Sorbate Table, from "Making Better Wines" by Ted Underhill
- Cryo Concentrated Dessert Wine, by Charles Plant
- Hydrogen Sulfide and its Derivatives, by Bill Collings
- Winemaking Fermentation Techniques and Mouthfeel: An ICV Perspective, by Dominique Delteil (this is a large PowerPoint presentation - 1.34 Megs - save it to a file on your computer, and then download and install PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to view)
- To Sterilize or Just Clean, by Lum Eisenman
- Cleaning Your Equipment, from "How to Brew" by John Palmer
- Gases in Wine, by Lum Eisenman
- Rehydration — Adding Water to High Sugar Grapes, from Brehm Vineyards
- Rehydration of Excessively High Sugar Grapes, from Gusmer Enterprises
- Barrel Maintenance
- Winemaking at High pH, by Clark Smith
- Hydrometer Readings - Allowing for Suspended Solids
- Enzymes in Winemaking, by Karien Lourens & Patrice Pellerin
- Streaming video presentations by James Harbertson: Must Additions; Fermentation; Secondary Fermentation; Aging, Clarification and Bottling; Red Wines
- Preparation of Wine Analysis Solutions, by Douglas F. Markle
- Stabilizing Sweet Wines, by Lum Eisenman
- The Next Chapter in the Terroir Debate, by Roger C. Bohmrich
- Brettanomyces/Dekkera During Winemaking, Part 1 & Part 2, by Adriaan Oelofse
- How Sweet It Is: Chaptalization, by Jeff Chorniak
- The Role of Oxygen in Winemaking, by Alison Crowe
- Red Wine from Grape to Bottle, by Dan Jones
- Alcohol Reduction Chart
Recommended Books
- Iverson, Jon. Home Winemaking Step by Step.
Medford, OR: Stonemark Publishing, 1998.
Review by Charles Plant. - Margalit, Yair. Concepts in Wine Technology.
San Francisco: The Wine Appreciation Guild, 2004. - Underhill, James E. (Ted). Making Better Wines.
Victoria, BC: Monk Office Supply, 1997. - Pambianchi, Daniel. Techniques in Home Winemaking.
Montreal: Véhicule Press, 2002.
Review by Jack Keller. - The American Wine Society. The Complete Handbook of Winemaking.
Ann Arbor, MI: G.W. Kent, Inc., 1999.
Review by Jack Keller.