Our First Wine, Three Years Later

Our first wine was made from a Cabernet Sauvignon wine kit that Kathy gave me for Christmas 2007. The kit sat, unopened for several months while I gathered the courage to open it and make wine. Thinking back I spent hours reading and rereading the directions. It also took hours to try to read a […]

Bottling Petite Sirah

I began fermenting the Petite Sirah on October 1st 2010 from a six-gallon container of juice sourced from Lodi, California. At only 19 brix, I did add two and a half pounds of sugar to raise the brix level to 22.5. Fermentation was completed in a couple of weeks. The wine was racked and placed […]

Removing Wine Bottle Labels

I’ve noticed while interviewing hundreds of winemakers that as a whole they are rather positive about their wine and life in general. So I decided to see if I could channel some positive thoughts about the weather we have been having in Central Maryland. Last week heat indexes rose beyond 110º F. Can anything be […]

Getting a Label Approved Is Easier Said than Done

Label design was something I’ve dreaded for more than a couple years. I had to make some decisions this past weekend though and get the design for the bottle label completed for the wine we have in barrel at Vint Hill Craft Winery in Virginia. Our label must be approved by the TTB. I don’t […]