During the wine making process, all fermentations slow down as they reach their end, and some of those need a little help - find out how we get them to finish.

During fermentation, sugars are consumed and alcohol levels rise. Combined with other byproducts of wine fermentation, this creates a fairly hostile environment for the yeast culture to finish its work of consuming all the available sugar. Some fermentations need a little help reaching dryness. This is typically done by increasing the health, or volume, of the yeast culture in that fermentation.

Crushpad's Chief Winemaker, Michael Zitzlaff shows us shows us a few methods we use to coax these reluctant...

Views: n/a
Duration: 04:32

Learn when to treat the wine with sulfites for the second time in this free diy wine making video from our winery and sommelier expert.

Views: n/a
Duration: 57 seconds

Are you looking to extract a little more color from that Pinot? Or maybe you want a bit more weight on the palate which tannins can give. Rather than put your red wines through a rigorous punchdown regimen to get maximum color extraction, you can make an addition of enzymes to the fermentation to more gently extract color. And adding a small amount of tannin at fermentation time can give your wine that small bit of added structure that brings fruit, acidity and alcohol all in to balance.

Views: 401
Duration: 02:40

The second digestion phase of wine making is letting the wine ferment with a breather. Learn how to digest and ferment organic wine at home in this free wine making video.

Views: 4,330
Duration: 01:11

Learn how to taste wine when making wine in this free diy wine making video from our winery and sommelier expert.

Views: n/a
Duration: 02:02

The amount of alcohol in a wine is a key factor to how you experience that wine. Is there too much? too little? How can a wine with lower alcohol taste like it is strong or "hot"?

These are all questions answered by Crushpad winemaker, Kian Tavakoli in this Winemaker's Minute.

Views: 622
Duration: 04:25

Home winemakers show blending and bottling of a Syrah wine blended with ~10% zinfandel

Views: n/a
Duration: 04:59

Crushpad Winemaker, Kian, explains how grapes are processed once they have arrived at the winery. The grapes pass over the Sorting table, through the Destemmer/Crusher, and into a T-bin, where they will go through Cold Soak before beginning Fermentation. www.crushpadwine.com

Views: 3,525
Duration: 06:23

Paros, Greece

Views: n/a
Duration: 09:55

Should you filter wine during the wine making process - You decide.

Most white wines are filtered prior to bottling, and some reds are. Filtering can clarify a wine so that it sparkles in your glass, but if you filter wine too heavily it can strip away character. How do you decide what level of filtration, if any, is appropriate for your wine? Well, you ask a guy who has 25+ years wine making experience making that call. Crushpad's Chief Winemaker, Michael Zitzlaff explains your options.

Views: 1,096
Duration: 03:15

During the wine making process, White wines are pressed prior to fermentation and red wines are pressed after fermentation.

Those are the basics but when you press, how hard you press, how much pressed wine to blend with your free run wine... well it pays to keep an eye on the wine and taste frequently to make sure you press at the appropriate time to hit the stylistic goals for your wine. In this Winemaker's Minute, Crushpad winemaker Chris Nelson explains all the variables involved, and the key indicators to watch as you are making these decisions.

Views: n/a
Duration: 04:35

Paros, greece

Views: 406
Duration: 09:59

In the wine making process, how much of a difference does your choice of yeast make on your finished wine? Well, that's a source of much debate but when choosing a yeast strain to ferment your wine, it is important to match the the yeast to grape varietal. There's also the option of letting the yeasts that are native to the vineyard and winery do the work for you. Crushpad winemaker, Kian Tavakoli digs into the yeast debate.

Views: n/a
Duration: 04:07

Three batches of Red fermenting, air-locks in place and making a pleasant sound along with a wonderful smell. Barolo, Merlot, and Shiraz....more kits on the way.

Views: 1,145
Duration: 08:27

The balance between pH and acidity is a delicate one that you must pay close attention to as you are making wine. The ripeness of the fruit and type of grape varietal will dictate how you have to work with that fruit to produce a wine that meets your desired style goals.

Views: n/a
Duration: 04:42