1 Making Consistently Great Wine p. 53 --
1.1 Transformation of Grapes into Must and Wine p. 54 --
1.2 Balance in Wine p. 60 --
1.3 Overview of Winemaking p. 61 --
1.4 Record-Keeping p. 69 --
2 A Guide to Popular Grape Varieties p. 73 --
2.1 Vitis Vinifera Varieties p. 77 --
2.2 Native American Varieties and Hybrids p. 105 --
3 Essential Winemaking Equipment p. 121 --
3.1 Crushers and Presses p. 122 --
3.2 Fermentation and Storage Vessels p. 127 --
3.3 Stoppers and Airlocks p. 133 --
3.4 Racking Equipment and Pumps p. 135 --
3.5 Temperature-Control Equipment p. 138 --
3.6 Miscellaneous Equipment p. 140 --
3.7 Lab Equipment p. 147 --
4 Cleaning and Sanitizing Equipment p. 151 --
4.1 Cleaning Versus Sanitizing p. 151 --
4.2 Safety First p. 153 --
4.4 Cleaning Agents p. 155 --
4.5 Sanitizing Agents p. 158 --
4.6 Cleaning and Sanitizing Protocol p. 163 --
4.7 Cleaning Agent Material Compatibility and Use p. 167 --
4.8 Sanitizing Agent Material Compatibility and Use p. 168 --
5 Conducting Bench Trials p. 169 --
5.1 Preparing for Bench Trials p. 170 --
5.2 Calculations p. 171 --
5.3 Conducting Trials p. 172 --
6 Wine Analysis and Control: Sugar and Alcohol p. 177 --
6.1 Sugar and Alcohol p. 177 --
6.2 Specific Gravity, Brix and Potential Alcohol p. 178 --
6.3 Measuring SG, Brix and PA p. 182 --
6.4 Adjusting Sugar and Potential Alcohol p. 188 --
6.5 Estimating and Measuring Residual Sugar p. 196 --
7 Wine Analysis and Control: Acidity and PH p. 203 --
7.1 General Concepts in Acid Chemistry p. 204 --
7.2 Total Acidity and pH p. 207 --
7.3 Measuring Acidity and pH p. 210 --
7.4 Understanding How Acids Change During Winemaking p. 217 --
7.5 Adjusting Acidity and pH p. 221 --
8 Wine Analysis and Control: Sulfur Dioxide p. 239 --
8.1 Why the Need for SO₂? p. 240 --
8.2 S02 Chemistry p. 243 --
8.3 Measuring SO₂ Levels p. 252 --
8.4 Adjusting SO₂ Levels p. 255 --
8.5 Making Blind Sulfite Additions p. 267 --
8.6 Adding Sulfite to Grapes or Fresh Juice p. 268 --
8.7 Alternative Strategies for Reducing Sulfur Dioxide Usage p. 269 --
9 Understanding Tannins p. 273 --
9.1 Tannins: What Are They, What Do They Do, Where Do They Come From? p. 273 --
9.2 Fermentation, Cellaring and Finishing Tannins p. 277 --
10 Understanding Enzymes p. 279 --
10.1 Different Enzymes for Different Applications p. 280 --
10.2 Factors Affecting Enzyme Performance p. 283 --
11 Alcoholic Fermentation p. 285 --
11.1 Yeast Growth Phases and Fermentation p. 286 --
11.2 Yeast Nutrition p. 288 --
11.3 Choosing a Suitable Wine Yeast p. 294 --
11.4 Conducting the AF p. 296 --
11.5 Dealing with a Stuck AF p. 303 --
11.6 Stopping an Active Fermentation p. 306 --
11.7 Yeast Charts by Manufacturer p. 308 --
12 Malolactic Fermentation p. 319 --
12.1 Timing of Inoculation: Concurrent Versus Sequential MLF p. 320 --
12.2 Bacterial Nutrition p. 321 --
12.3 Choosing a Suitable Lab Culture p. 323 --
12.4 Conducting the MLF p. 325 --
12.5 Testing for MLF Completion p. 328 --
12.6 Dealing with a Stuck MLF p. 335 --
12.7 Lactic Acid Bacterium Charts by Manufacturer p. 337 --
13 Clarifying and Fining for Taste and Visual Appeal p. 343 --
13.1 Juice (Cold) Settling p. 344 --
14 Mitigating Microbial, Chemical and Physical Instabilities p. 367 --
14.1 Microbial Stability p. 367 --
14.2 Pectin Stability p. 374 --
14.3 Protein Stability p. 375 --
14.4 Tartrate Stability p. 379 --
15 Aging Wine for Greatness p. 387 --
15.1 Three Phases of Wine Progression p. 388 --
15.2 Aging Potential p. 389 --
15.3 Aging Wine in Glass and Stainless Steel Vessels p. 391 --
15.4 Aging Wine in Oak Barrels, and HDPE Tanks with Oak Adjuncts p. 393 --
15.5 Aging Wine on the Lees p. 397 --
16 Fine-Tuning and Blending Wine p. 401 --
16.1 Sweetening: Balancing Acidity and Sweetness p. 401 --
16.2 Improving Body and Structure: Adding Tannins and Polysaccharides p. 404 --
16.3 Taming Tannins: Reducing Bitterness or Astringency p. 406 --
16.4 Increasing Oak Aroma and Flavor Complexity p. 407 --
16.5 Blending Wines p. 407 --
17 Filtering Like the Pros p. 413 --
17.1 Why Filter? p. 413 --
17.2 Clarifying Filtration p. 414 --
17.3 Sterile Filtration p. 419 --
17.4 Filtering Wine p. 420 --
18 Packaging and Bottling p. 429 --
18.2 Bottle Washing and Sanitizing Equipment p. 439 --
18.3 Bottle Fillers p. 442 --
18.5 Bottling Process p. 449 --
19 Making Fruity and Full-Bodied White Wines p. 453 --
19.1 Making a Dry, Light, Fruity-Style White Wine p. 454 --
19.2 Making a Dry, Full-Bodied, Oaked White Wine p. 469 --
20 Making Attractive Rosé Wine p. 481 --
20.1 Making a Fruity-Style Rosé Wine p. 482 --
21 Making Blockbuster Red Wine p. 499 --
21.1 Making a Premium, Full-Bodied Red Wine p. 502 --
22 Troubleshooting and Fixing Common Faults and Flaws p. 525 --
22.1 Premature Oxidation p. 526 --
22.2 Volatile Acidity (VA) p. 529 --
22.3 White Surface Film p. 532 --
22.4 Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S) p. 535 --
22.6 Wine Not Clearing or Has Become Cloudy p. 541 --
22.7 Refermentation in Bottles p. 543 --
22.8 Poor or Light Color in Reds p. 545 --
22.9 Vegetal Character in Cabernet Varieties p. 548 --
22.10 Unpleasant Smell of Geraniums p. 551 --
22.11 Cork Taint p. 552 --
22.12 Brettanomyces p. 553 --
23 Entering Wines into Competitions p. 557 --
23.1 What Judges Look for in Wines p. 557 --
23.2 Dos and Don'ts of Submitting Wines p. 560.