I'm Magnus von Kageneck, a cellar master of the old school. That means: I've spent more evenings with my ear at the airlock than in front of the television, and I hold cleanliness to be more important than talent.
I started, like most, with an inherited glass demijohn and too much confidence. The demijohn exploded, because I had sealed it with a cork instead of an airlock. Since then I know that carbon dioxide holds no discussions. In 1998 acetic spoilage was added, a whole batch of blackcurrant wine, lost through sloppiness during racking. From both I learned more than from any successful vintage.
Here on the blog I write the school “From beginner to expert”: from the first batch through must weight in degrees Oechsle to fining, residual sweetness and the courage to let a wine lie for two years. I explain the moves to you in the order you need them, and tell you honestly which equipment can still wait.
What you won't get from me: shortcuts on hygiene and recipes I haven't set up myself. What you get: precise figures, patience and, occasionally, a story from decades between fermentation cellar and orchard.
From the cellar, Magnus