Fermentation step by step In this solo episode, Jim Duane walks through recent harvest and fermentation decisions for the 2026 Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon at Seavey Vineyard. He explains whole-cluster pressing and press cuts for Chardonnay, why he allows some early juice oxidation, and how he handles settling, nutrients, and barrel fermentation. For Merlot, he covers fruit processing, a cold soak, tartaric acid adjustment, native fermentation, nutrient timing, pump-overs, and malolactic bacteria. Jim also discusses how vineyard conditions and juice chemistry shape his choices, including high potassium and pH, the misleading early titratable-acidity readings in red grapes, and why Brix alone cannot confirm that a wine is dry. He shares his nutrient-dosing approach and his plans for extended Cabernet maceration, tasting daily and keeping free-run and press wine separate.   This episode is brought to you by the Sentia Wine Analyzer from Scott Laboratories. Sentia is a handheld analyzer that gives you rapid, in-house measurements of five key analytes: Free SO₂, acetic acid, malic acid, glucose, and fructose. There’s no extensive training, calibration is automatic, reagents are minimal, and tests cost just $2 to $6 each. It’s built to fill the gaps between your existing QC checkpoints, whether you’re tracking VA trends, checking free SO₂ in barrels during topping, or confirming the end of alcoholic or malolactic fermentation. Sentia isn’t meant to replace reference methods or outside labs. It makes routine analysis more accessible and affordable, especially for smaller wineries or those far from a testing lab. Learn more at scottlab.com/sentia-wine-analysis. Inside Winemaking listeners get 10% off a new Sentia analyzer with code SENTIA10 through their Scott Laboratories account. Offer for a limited time, limit one per customer.   Check out the Fundamentals of Winemaking Made Easy video course   The Inside Winemaking Podcast on iTunes Now on Spotify And Amazon Music