Technical Articles

Water is essential to life, but vineyards can flourish with a surprisingly small amount of it.

After unprecedented frost damage across French vineyards, Tom Jarvis looks at what can be done to fight it.

Clay can be a challenge for grapegrowers, but it can also help produce some of the world's best wines.

Does a lower yield really mean better wine? Alex Russan investigates an enduring wine myth.

Complexity means a lot more than simply stacking up the flavors and hoping for the best.

You haven't heard of biochar? You're not alone, as Alex Russan explains.

Chalk works wonders in the vineyard, but too much can be fatal.

The news of phylloxera appearing in Walla Walla prompted Tom Jarvis to learn more about the devastating grapevine pest.

A run of bad luck at Wine-Searcher staff tastings prompts Tom Jarvis to delve into the stinky world of cork taint.

Our Eggman Tom Jarvis provides some concrete – and ceramic, plastic and wooden – information on ovoid fermenters.

"Old vines" is, at first glance, an easy to understand selling point for wine buyers. Tom Jarvis digs deeper.

Building a fine wine collection means dealing with expensive but fragile objects. Tom Jarvis looks at the storage options.

Vine grafting is an essential part of the wine process, but exactly how does it work?

Following on from our investigation earlier in the week into Vin Santo, we bring you Part II.

We explore the wonderful world of Vin Santo in detail. Stay tuned for Part II.

Have you ever wondered about carbonic maceration? Tom Jarvis is here to explain all.

Recent user feedback prompted a discussion at Wine-Searcher regarding a range of viticultural terms.

How do you make an older wine taste younger? Or a younger wine taste older?

With wildfires still blazing, Tom Jarvis tells you all you need to know about the effect on grapes.

Confused about what grand cru actually means? Tom Jarvis is here to clear it up.

To mark the secular aspect of Easter, Tom Jarvis picks six broad red wine options for chocoholics.

At this time of year winemaking is usually finished, but for ice wine producers, things are just getting started.

In the third of his series on low-intervention winemaking, Tom Jarvis tackles the thorny subject of natural wine.

In part two of our series on chemical-free wines, we examine the issues around nomenclature.

Do you know your natural from your biodynamic? Our new series aims to clear up a muddy topic.

There are many ways of making sweet wines, but the most famous examples use a potentially deadly method.

Making one of the world's favorite wine styles is a long and complicated process, Tom Jarvis reports.

It's one of the great love stories – we examine the relationship between wine and oak.