fermentation

A Technique for Controlling Spontaneous Fermentation in Winemaking: Pied de Cuve

2026/2/12

When making one’s own wine, few producers have never hesitated over the choice of whether to ferment with active dry yeast or to rely on indigenous microorganisms—so-called “wild” yeasts—present on grapes and in the winery. If the priority is fermentation …

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viticultur

Pruning Wine Grapevines: Sap Flow and Longevity Through the Lens of Fundamentals and History

2026/1/14

Pruning is one of the most critical operations carried out in vineyards. In viticulture, pruning refers to removing unnecessary shoots and canes that have grown over the season, leaving only those required for the coming production cycle. This work is per …

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oenology wine

Wine and Barrel-Derived Extracts: Phenolic Compounds and Oak-Related Aromas

2025/12/22

This article focuses on the compounds extracted from wooden barrels during wine aging and their effects on wine. Discussions of barrel aging are often reduced to the notion of “oak aroma,” with an emphasis on aromatic attributes alone. In practice, howeve …

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thorough-explanation

Myths and Realities of Whole-Cluster Fermentation: How Grape Stems Affect Wine

2025/12/11

In the context of winemaking, you may have encountered terms such as “destemming” and “whole-cluster fermentation.” Both refer to how grape bunches are handled at the point of vatting. A grape cluster consists of many berries attached to a green, stem-lik …

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oenology thorough-explanation vinnatural

Bio and “Natural”: A Winemaker’s View from the Cellar

2025/12/10

Whenever I occasionally post about “natural wine” on X (formerly Twitter), those posts tend to be shared relatively widely for my account size. This simply indicates how many people react to this particular keyword. In recent years, especially in Japan, t …

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qualitycontrol

The Relationship Between Fill Level and Wine Quality: What the Headspace Reveals

2025/12/8

In the context of mature wines—those that have spent a decade or several decades in bottle—the fill level is often used as a quality indicator. Some importers and professional merchants routinely assess fill height and decline to ship bottles that fall be …

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qualitycontrol

Wine Flavour and Glycerol

2025/12/5

Wine exhibits remarkable diversity in both flavour and aroma. Even wines produced in the same region during the same vintage never show completely identical sensory profiles. Moreover, when a single producer vinifies grapes from the same vineyard under id …

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viticultur wine

Understanding South African Wine Through Data

2025/12/3

Why South African Wines Deliver Exceptional Quality at Accessible Prices South African wines have become indispensable in the global market as leading examples of high-quality yet affordable wines. While Chile once dominated this category, South Africa is …

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viticultur

Foundations of Grapevine Rootstocks

2025/12/2

According to statistics published by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), the global vineyard area in 2022—encompassing wine grapes as well as table grapes, raisins, and juice grapes—amounted to approximately 7.3 million hectares.Althoug …

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sales-strategy

A New Format for Wine: Bag-in-Box

2025/11/30

Bag-in-Box (BIB) packaging has gained notable traction in recent years, particularly because it suits household consumption and large-volume use. A BIB consists of a flexible pouch containing wine housed within a cardboard outer box. Most packages hold at …

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viticultur wine

2025/11/26

Wine, Soil, and Terroir | Slate Color and Wine Character

When explaining the distinctive character of wine, the discussion often relates to terroir. Soil is one of the elements that constitute terroir. There are numerous types of soil. Alongside clay and limestone, Schiefer occupies a significant position among …

viticultur wine

2025/12/3

Understanding South African Wine Through Data

Why South African Wines Deliver Exceptional Quality at Accessible Prices South African wines have become indispensable in the global market as leading examples of high-quality yet affordable wines. While Chile once dominated this category, South Africa is …

wine

2025/11/5

Is It Really True That Wine Tastes Different from Vineyard to Vineyard?

When discussing the taste of wine, haven’t you often heard the phrase “wine tastes different from vineyard to vineyard”? In fact, this statement merely describes something extremely obvious. What’s more, if you find yourself convinced by this narrative, y …

vinnatural

2025/9/13

Why People Buy Natural Wine

I would like to introduce the content of a fascinating article published in the German wine magazine “der deutsche Weinbau.” Image or Sensation? The title of this article is “Image vs. Sensorik.” If we translate this somewhat freely, it becomes “Image or …

so2 vinnatural

2025/7/17

How to Make Sulfur Dioxide-Free Wine

The terms “sulfur dioxide” or “sulfites” have become something of a dreaded unhealthy buzzword in Japan’s wine industry today, treated with the same revulsion as a venomous snake. Meanwhile, sulfur dioxide-free wines—those made without adding these antiox …

wine

2025/11/9

Does Wine Glass Selection Alter the Taste of Wine?

Recently, a wine glass produced by a renowned Master of Wine (MW) was introduced in Japan, garnering considerable attention. This particular MW has consistently used the same glass for both red and white wines throughout many years of professional practic …

column viticultur

2025/7/29

The Environment Surrounding Winemaking | Is There Really Anything That Remains Unchanged?

The tasting method of comparing wines from different harvest years made from the same grape variety harvested from the same vineyard is called “vertical tasting.” This vertical tasting serves two purposes. The first purpose is to compare wines from new an …

viticultur

2025/11/2

Frost Protection Methods in Vineyards

Recently, I wrote an article about how earlier budbreak in grapevines increases the risk of frost damage. But do you know what methods exist to protect against this frost damage? Traditional Method: Warming by Open Fires The most traditional countermeasur …

viticultur

2025/12/2

Foundations of Grapevine Rootstocks

According to statistics published by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), the global vineyard area in 2022—encompassing wine grapes as well as table grapes, raisins, and juice grapes—amounted to approximately 7.3 million hectares.Althoug …

grape-disease viticultur

2025/7/29

Grape Sunburn Phenomenon

Grape berries undergo sunburn phenomena similar to human skin. This phenomenon introduces burnt-like flavors into wine, particularly affecting the quality of white wines where delicate aromas are crucial. Sunburned berries must be sorted and removed durin …

viticultur

2025/8/14

Understanding Soil in Wine

When introducing wines in Japan, it seems that reference to the type of soil in which the grapes were cultivated is frequently made as one of the elements expressing a wine’s character. While this tendency is not limited to Japan alone, it appears particu …

grape-disease grape-variation viticultur

2025/8/28

The Growing World of Grape Varieties | The PIWI Category

Cabernet Blanc, Cabernet Jura, Muscaris, Souvignier Gris. Do these varietal names sound familiar to you? From the sound of “Cabernet~”, “Musca~”, and “Souvi~”, many of you may have guessed that these are wine grape varieties. Indeed, these are all names o …

oenology off-flavor viticultur wine

2025/10/11

Wine Off-Flavor | UTA / ATA

You tasted a white wine at a winery or wine shop and liked it enough to purchase it. However, you felt it was still a little early for drinking, so you decided to let it rest a bit longer in your home cellar. Six months later, at the dinner table. You kne …

fermentation thorough-explanation

2025/11/11

A Comprehensive Guide to Wine Yeast: The Fundamentals

Two essential components are indispensable for winemaking. One is grapes, the raw material. The other is yeast. Yeast is utilized in the production of fermented beverages such as wine, beer, and sake. It is also employed in the fermentation of bread dough …

oenology thorough-explanation

2025/8/17

Complete Guide: Rosé Wine Production Methods and Their Characteristics

I once encountered an observation that “rosé wines are difficult to imagine even when you know their origin and grape variety.” While this is a fascinating perspective, as someone actually involved in winemaking, I find myself thinking, “Yes, that might i …

fermentation

2025/8/31

Yeast That Threatens Fermentation: The Existence of Killer Yeast, Where Yeast Kills Yeast

Fermentation management is one of the most important processes in winemaking. Depending on how this fermentation proceeds, the resulting wine will vary in both taste and aroma. When discussing fermentation management, attention tends to focus on what temp …

oenology wine

2025/12/22

Wine and Barrel-Derived Extracts: Phenolic Compounds and Oak-Related Aromas

This article focuses on the compounds extracted from wooden barrels during wine aging and their effects on wine. Discussions of barrel aging are often reduced to the notion of “oak aroma,” with an emphasis on aromatic attributes alone. In practice, howeve …

oenology

2025/11/18

The Relationship Between Color, Flavor, and Aroma in Rosé Wines: Considerations for Rosé Production

Wine can be classified in several ways. One of the most fundamental classifications is based on color. The most representative categories are white wine, red wine, and rosé wine. However, wine color classifications extend beyond these three. Yellow wine ( …

youtube

2025/7/31

Exploring Wine Diversity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3zcrR39d8Q In recent years, the concept of “diversity” has become a frequent topic of discussion within the wine industry. However, this diversity does not merely refer to variations within traditional frameworks such as d …

youtube

2025/8/21

The Truth About Natural Wine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-SccwUyehI The term “natural wine” remains a perpetual source of heated debate among wine enthusiasts. This phrase has become so ubiquitous that it jumps out at us from Tokyo’s streets in combinations like “natural wine an …

youtube

2025/7/31

The Truth About “Good Vineyards” in Wine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9hVTlhyZDc Among wine enthusiasts, the belief that “good vineyards” produce quality wines is widely accepted. Wines from vineyards with classifications such as Grand Cru or Premier Cru are often perceived as “distinctly di …

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