The magic of great wine doesn’t begin in the bottle: it begins in the vineyard at harvest and unfolds in the cellar during fermentation. This 2-day (6 hour total) workshop with winemaking consultant and educator Denise Gardner of Denise Gardner Winemaking is available exclusively to Virtual Viticulture Academy Members and intended for growers new(ish) to winemaking or those who need to improve the protocols, processes, and organization in their cellars.

Winemaking Fundamentals: From Fruit Through Fermentation is your comprehensive guide to getting the critical steps right while laying a foundation of good cellar habits for making high quality wine and will walk you through every stage of the harvest-to-fermentation journey with the confidence and precision of a seasoned winemaker. Plus, you’ll get some bonus tips on maintaining wine quality through storage before hitting bottling operations!

July 21st & 22nd | 10:00 AM-1:00 PM CST

Harvest Preparation — so you’re ready when the fruit is

Fruit Chemistry & Assessment — understanding what your grapes are telling you

Pre-Fermentation Adjustments — optimizing the juice or must before fermentation begins

Yeast Inoculation Best Practices — setting your fermentation up for success from the start

Winemaking Production Operations — the day-to-day work of a functioning cellar during harvest season

Monitoring Primary Fermentation — knowing what to watch, when to act, and when to step back

Malolactic Fermentation Best Practices — navigating the second fermentation in most red wines with confidence

Managing Sulfur Dioxide — introducing key concepts to wine preservation

Wine Storage & Post-Fermentation Finishing — protecting your wine as it finds its final form