Variety guides
Cabernet Sauvignon: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Cabernet Sauvignon — from crush pad to bottle.
August 4, 2026 · 3 min read
Journal
Notes from the vineyard and the cellar
Variety guides
Merlot: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Merlot — from crush pad to bottle.
July 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Zinfandel: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Zinfandel — from crush pad to bottle.
July 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Pinot Noir: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Pinot Noir — from crush pad to bottle.
July 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Chardonnay: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Chardonnay — from crush pad to bottle.
July 7, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Sauvignon Blanc: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Sauvignon Blanc — from crush pad to bottle.
June 30, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Petite Sirah: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Petite Sirah — from crush pad to bottle.
June 23, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Syrah: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Syrah — from crush pad to bottle.
June 16, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Sangiovese: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Sangiovese — from crush pad to bottle.
June 9, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Barbera: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Barbera — from crush pad to bottle.
June 2, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Nebbiolo: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Nebbiolo — from crush pad to bottle.
May 26, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Grenache: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Grenache — from crush pad to bottle.
May 19, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Malbec: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Malbec — from crush pad to bottle.
May 12, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Cabernet Franc: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Cabernet Franc — from crush pad to bottle.
May 5, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Muscat: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Muscat — from crush pad to bottle.
April 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Variety guides
Riesling: a home winemaker's guide
Target numbers, fermentation plan and common mistakes when working with California Riesling — from crush pad to bottle.
April 21, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
How to crush and destem wine grapes at home
A practical, step-by-step approach to the crush pad step that sets up everything downstream for small-lot California winemaking.
April 14, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Rehydrating and pitching yeast without shocking it
A practical, step-by-step approach to temperature differentials and Go-Ferm timing for small-lot California winemaking.
April 7, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Punchdowns vs pumpovers for the small-lot winemaker
A practical, step-by-step approach to cap management on 100-300 lb ferments for small-lot California winemaking.
March 31, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Measuring Brix, TA and pH before you buy a single pound
A practical, step-by-step approach to the three numbers that decide your season for small-lot California winemaking.
March 24, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Acid adjustments: when to add tartaric and how much
A practical, step-by-step approach to bench trials before bulk additions for small-lot California winemaking.
March 17, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Cold soaking reds for color and aroma
A practical, step-by-step approach to 48-72 hours below 55F for small-lot California winemaking.
March 10, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Pressing red wine: free run, press fractions, and when to stop
A practical, step-by-step approach to keeping harsh seed tannin out of the barrel for small-lot California winemaking.
March 3, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Running a clean malolactic fermentation
A practical, step-by-step approach to co-inoculation vs sequential for small-lot California winemaking.
February 24, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
SO2 management from crush to bottle
A practical, step-by-step approach to molecular SO2 and pH-driven dosing for small-lot California winemaking.
February 17, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Racking, topping and the war against headspace
A practical, step-by-step approach to oxygen ingress in small vessels for small-lot California winemaking.
February 10, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Barrels vs staves, chips and spirals
A practical, step-by-step approach to getting oak character on a garage budget for small-lot California winemaking.
February 3, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Fining and filtration for home lots
A practical, step-by-step approach to bentonite, egg white and whether to filter at all for small-lot California winemaking.
January 27, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
A bottling day checklist that prevents heartbreak
A practical, step-by-step approach to sanitation, free SO2 and fill height for small-lot California winemaking.
January 20, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Rescuing a stuck fermentation
A practical, step-by-step approach to nutrient timing, temperature and restart cultures for small-lot California winemaking.
January 13, 2026 · 3 min read
How-to
Running blending trials with a graduated cylinder
A practical, step-by-step approach to small math, big results for small-lot California winemaking.
January 6, 2026 · 3 min read
Region notes
Livermore Valley: the AVA in Bay Wine Brokers' backyard
What defines this California growing area — gravelly soils, a marine gap and 140 years of Bordeaux plantings — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
December 30, 2025 · 3 min read
Region notes
Lodi old-vine Zinfandel: why the head-trained blocks matter
What defines this California growing area — sandy loam, delta breeze and centenarian vines — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
December 23, 2025 · 3 min read
Region notes
Sourcing Napa Valley fruit as a home winemaker
What defines this California growing area — sub-AVA pricing and what a half-ton really costs — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
December 16, 2025 · 3 min read
Region notes
Sonoma County: matching variety to sub-appellation
What defines this California growing area — fog lines from Carneros to Alexander Valley — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
December 9, 2025 · 3 min read
Region notes
Paso Robles heat and the Rhone varieties that love it
What defines this California growing area — diurnal swing of 40-50 degrees — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
December 2, 2025 · 3 min read
Region notes
Sierra Foothills elevation and old Zinfandel
What defines this California growing area — decomposed granite above 1,500 feet — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
November 25, 2025 · 3 min read
Region notes
Central Coast cool-climate blocks for Pinot and Chardonnay
What defines this California growing area — Santa Maria and the Santa Rita Hills — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
November 18, 2025 · 3 min read
Region notes
Suisun Valley: the value AVA next to Napa
What defines this California growing area — same fog, different price per ton — and how it should shape the fruit you order.
November 11, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
2026 California harvest outlook
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: bud break, water year and projected pick windows.
November 4, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
Pre-harvest cellar prep in eight weekends
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: equipment, sanitation and cold storage.
October 28, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
Winter cellar work: topping, tasting and patience
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: the quiet months that make the wine.
October 21, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
A spring racking and SO2 schedule
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: post-ML housekeeping.
October 14, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
Watching veraison and timing your order
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: 50% color change to pick day.
October 7, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
Fermenting frozen must in the off season
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: thawing, temperature and yield expectations.
September 30, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
Planning your first full ton
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: vessel math, labor and realistic case counts.
September 23, 2025 · 3 min read
Harvest & seasonal
Organizing a group buy with your winemaking club
Seasonal planning for home winemakers: splitting lugs, costs and pick-up logistics.
September 16, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Tannin structure explained for the home winemaker
The cellar science behind seed vs skin vs oak tannin, explained without a chemistry degree.
September 9, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Choosing a yeast strain on purpose
The cellar science behind matching strain to variety, temperature and goal, explained without a chemistry degree.
September 2, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Nutrient additions: YAN, DAP and staggered feeding
The cellar science behind avoiding H2S before it starts, explained without a chemistry degree.
August 26, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Brettanomyces prevention in small cellars
The cellar science behind pH, SO2 and warm barrel rooms, explained without a chemistry degree.
August 19, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Volatile acidity: causes, limits and fixes
The cellar science behind acetic bacteria and headspace, explained without a chemistry degree.
August 12, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
The science of color extraction
The cellar science behind anthocyanins, co-pigmentation and heat, explained without a chemistry degree.
August 5, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Micro-oxygenation vs oxidation
The cellar science behind the fine line in the first six months, explained without a chemistry degree.
July 29, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Cold stabilization and tartrate crystals
The cellar science behind why your wine grows diamonds, explained without a chemistry degree.
July 22, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Why pH matters more than TA
The cellar science behind microbial stability and SO2 efficiency, explained without a chemistry degree.
July 15, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Cellar temperature control on a budget
The cellar science behind swamp coolers, chest freezers and thermal mass, explained without a chemistry degree.
July 8, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Sanitation chemistry: what actually kills what
The cellar science behind Star San, potassium metabisulfite and peracetic acid, explained without a chemistry degree.
July 1, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Predicting alcohol from Brix
The cellar science behind the 0.55-0.60 conversion and where it fails, explained without a chemistry degree.
June 24, 2025 · 3 min read
Cellar science
Watering back a high-Brix must
The cellar science behind when it helps and what it costs you, explained without a chemistry degree.
June 17, 2025 · 3 min read