Garagiste - Gregory Cellars Collection

This journey has been equal parts patience, experimentation, and joy—and always with Annie and Lucy hanging out during the whole process. Whether you’re a fellow home winemaker, a curious wine enthusiast, or just here for the dogs, enjoy!

There’s a beautiful word in the wine world—garagiste—that describes small-scale, often home-based winemakers who craft limited batches of wine with big heart and hands-on dedication. Born out of Bordeaux in the 1990s as a rebellious response to large commercial producers, the term now embraces passionate winemakers around the world who work in garages, basements, and backyards rather than châteaux or corporate cellars. Home winemaking is more than just a hobby—it’s a deeply personal, creative, and sometimes even stubborn pursuit of making something real, one fermenting carboy at a time.

For me, this tradition runs deep. My grandfather used to make pear wine in Monroe, Wisconsin back in the 1960s and 70s. I remember the stories, the scent of fermenting fruit, and the pride that came with sharing a bottle that was truly homemade. Several years after his death, we drank his bottle that I had saved. I remember admiring his packaging, bottling, and corkage. Today, as I carry that torch in my own small production in Las Vegas, I find that home winemaking offers something uniquely rewarding. With a few tools, quality grapes, and a growing knowledge of fermentation biology and wine chemistry, anyone can turn raw fruit into something soulful. It’s a blend of science, patience, and heritage—and the results are as much about the journey as they are about the wine in the glass. Check your ego at the door, they all don't turn out great.

Every piece of this home winemaking setup plays a crucial role—because great wine isn’t just art, it’s precision. Having the right equipment ensures you can control every stage of the process, from crushing to bottling. But even more important? Sanitation. A single unclean surface can introduce unwanted microbes and spoil a whole batch. And timing is everything—whether it's monitoring fermentation, racking at just the right moment, or aging to perfection. Winemaking is both biology and chemistry in action: a living, evolving process where yeast, sugar, oxygen, and acids interact in delicate balance. Respect the science, and your wine—and your taste buds—will thank you.

Retirement has a way of opening doors to the things that truly bring joy—and for me, that’s been a perfect blend of two great loves: raising dogs and studying wine. Nestled in the heart of Las Vegas, where world-class sommeliers and wine education are just around the corner, I’ve found myself diving deep into the science, art, and soul of winemaking.What started as a curiosity has grown into a serious passion project. With each vintage, I’m learning more about the biology and chemistry behind grape fermentation, bottling, and storage. And each year, the wines get better—more balanced, more expressive, and more personal.

I hope you enjoy this look at the wines I’ve experimented with on this journey. Total Disclaimer:  I buy wine kits on Amazon, so I although I wish I could claim "I'm a farmer", I can only claim, "I'm a wine-maker".

Winemaking may seem like pure magic in the glass, but behind every bottle is a series of carefully controlled steps that turn grapes into wine. The process begins with crushing and pressing, separating juice from skins and seeds (especially important in white wines). Next comes alcoholic fermentation, where yeast—either naturally occurring or added by the winemaker—converts sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, unlocking a host of primary aromas like citrus, stone fruit, or red berries. After fermentation, the wine is often racked, a process of moving it off the sediment to clarify it. Then comes storage or maturation, where the wine rests and develops complexity, followed by packaging and bottling—that final step before it reaches your picnic basket or firepit tasting with your dog curled at your feet. Yeast plays a starring role throughout; its activity not only determines alcohol levels but also produces flavor compounds and can influence texture depending on how long the wine remains on the lees (the spent yeast cells).

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at primary fermentation in action—where the magic (and the bubbles) begin! As the yeast gets to work converting sugar into alcohol, it releases heat and CO₂, creating a foamy, vigorous environment. The cap of grape skins and solids rises with the pressure, so I added weight to keep it submerged and ensure consistent extraction of color and flavor. This stage is loud, lively, and full of energy—proof that winemaking is a living process fueled by biology and time. Cheers to watching wine come to life, one bubble at a time!

Check out the rugged, bubbling surface—classic signs of an active primary fermentation! At this stage, I still have a few winemaker’s tools to shape the final wine. Want more intense fruit aromas? I could lower the fermentation temperature slightly to preserve delicate esters. Looking to boost body or complexity? Letting the fermentation run warmer encourages extraction and can deepen flavor. I could even tweak sugar levels (chaptalization) if I wanted to increase potential alcohol—though that depends on the style I’m aiming for. Every decision now influences the wine’s final aroma, flavor, and strength. This isn’t just juice turning into wine—it’s chemistry in motion, and I’m the conductor.

Home winemakers have a toolkit of choices to help balance and elevate their wines. Adjusting sugar and acid levels, especially in cooler or warmer regions, helps maintain structure and flavor. The temperature during fermentation can be manipulated to emphasize fruitiness (cooler temps for whites) or enhance extraction and body (warmer for reds). As for vessels, stainless steel keeps things crisp and fruit-forward, concrete eggs allow micro-oxygenation without adding flavor, and oak barrels (whether new or old) impart notes of vanilla, spice, toast, or even coconut. The use of oxygen—either intentionally during processes like micro-oxygenation, or minimally in a reductive style—also shapes the wine. Oxygen can soften tannins and deepen color in reds, while a reductive approach (limiting oxygen exposure) can preserve freshness and those flinty, struck-match notes in certain whites.

Here’s a snapshot from the final stretch—racking a Stags Leap Merlot just before bottling in my home winery. For home vintners, this step is all about clarity, stability, and finesse. Racking gently separates the wine from remaining lees (sediment) that can cause off-flavors or haze if left in the bottle. At this stage, cleanliness is critical—every siphon, hose, and vessel must be sanitized to avoid spoilage. It’s also a final moment to assess the wine’s balance and make last-minute adjustments if needed. Whether you're crafting five gallons or fifty, this is where patience pays off—guiding the wine to its final form, clean, expressive, and ready for corking.

To add even more personality to the wine, winemakers may turn to oak alternatives like staves or chips for cost-effective flavor, or employ lees stirring to enhance creaminess and complexity, especially in whites. Blending different grape varieties, vineyard blocks, or vintages allows fine-tuning of flavor, texture, and balance. And even after bottling, wines can continue to evolve. According to WSET, we categorize aromas into primary (fruit, floral, herbaceous—arising from the grape and fermentation), secondary (buttery notes, toast, yeast—developed through winemaking choices like oak or lees), and tertiary (earth, mushroom, leather—emerging during bottle aging). So next time you swirl and sniff, whether you're camped out in your backyard or relaxing at a dog-friendly vineyard, think of the journey that glass has taken. Each sip tells the story of intention, environment, and time—just like the trail walks I take with Annie and Lucy, where every step reveals something new.

Bottling day in the home winery! Using a Portuguese floor corker (like the one in the photo) makes sealing each bottle a breeze—smooth, efficient, and consistent, with just the right pressure to secure the cork without damaging it. This tool is a game-changer for any home vintner looking to bottle like a pro. Now, the real waiting game begins: bottle aging. Over time, the wine will evolve beyond its fresh, fruity primary aromas and winemaking-driven secondary notes (like oak or lees), developing complex tertiary flavors such as dried fruit, tobacco, leather, or earthy undertones. It’s a reminder that winemaking doesn’t stop when the cork goes in—it just shifts into a slower, quieter transformation, deepening with every passing month.

In this post, I would like to share my latest homemade vintages:

• 2023 Sangiovese – bright, rustic, and food-friendly

• 2023 Trinity – a bold mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah

• 2023 Merlot – made from luxurious Stag's Leap grapes

• 2023 Zinfandel – ripe, spicy, and full of character

• 2024 Reserve Amarone – rich, intense, and age-worthy

• 2024 Cabernet Sauvignon – structured and cellar-ready

• 2024 Zinfandel – still young, but already showing great promise

  
  

From the clay amphorae of ancient Georgia to the sun-drenched vineyards of the Roman Empire, winemaking has traced the arc of human civilization for over 8,000 years. It has been more than just a beverage—it’s been currency, communion, culture, and comfort. Wine has shaped trade routes, fueled philosophical debates, and been poured at both royal feasts and humble tables. In every era, winemaking reflected not only agricultural know-how but also the social and spiritual values of the people who made it. Today, in my own home winery, I feel connected to that legacy. Each fermentation vessel, racking tube, and corker is a modern echo of those ancient tools and timeless techniques, reminding me that winemaking is as much a human story as it is a scientific process.

This hobby, for me, is pure joy—a blend of tradition, patience, chemistry, and a lot of heart. Whether I’m bottling a batch of Merlot or sharing a blind tasting with my Sommelier friends, I’m always learning, always appreciating the magic of transformation that happens in every glass. It’s an honor to carry forward this ancient art in a way that fits my life (and often includes my dogs Annie and Lucy nearby!). Thanks for following along on wineblogwithadog.com—I’ll see you on the next post, where the wine flows, the dogs roam, and the stories just keep getting better. Cheers!

This clever logo says it all—wine is where creativity meets craft, whether in a sprawling vineyard or a small garage winery like mine. As a proud garagiste, I find beauty in the details, passion in the process, and joy in every glass shared with friends (two- and four-legged alike). From the first fermentation bubble to the final cork, wineblogwithadog.com is where my DIY spirit and deep love of wine come together. Here’s to making great wine, no matter the size of your cellar—or the number of paws roaming it.