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74 W i n e s & V i n e s M A R C H 2 0 1 4 WineEast M y mantra for all wine and grape production has always been: The more you know about your grapes or wines, the better grapes you will grow and the better wine you will make. All wineries, no matter how big or how small, need to have at least a minimal laboratory set up to provide basic test results at the winery. Whether initially setting up your wine/grape laboratory or reviewing your current laboratory and its capabilities, it is important to have a plan for the role a laboratory plays in delivering high-quality fruit or making high-quality wine. This article, the first in a two-part series, will review the essential equipment you will need and the choices available for a minimum wine laboratory. While a winery must evaluate the cost benefit of these purchases, in many cases spending a bit more initially will save many dollars later on and, along the way, help make better wine. In creating the essential laboratory, the approach is to obtain the minimum set of equipment to be able to conduct those analyses that are absolutely essential for a winery's day-to-day operation. Reference tools Every winery should have some reference works, and one of the most important is "Wine Analysis and Production" by Bruce Zoecklein, Barry Gump and Ken Fugelsang. A new edition is about to be published, but the previous editions are still valuable. Other useful reference works include Murli Dharmadhikari's "Laboratory Manual for Wine and Must Analysis," Patrick Iland's "Chemical Analysis of Wine and Grapes," and "Wine Microbiology" by Ken Fugelsang. There are many other good books published Vance_Jan11.qxp 11/23/10 9:29 AM Page 1 Triage for a Basic Wine/Grape Lab Equipment and other choices for conducting essential daily analyses By Richard Carey Wine East HIGHLIGHTS • The first article in this two-part series reviews the essential equipment you will need—and the choices available—to as- semble a small wine laboratory. • The author recommends reference materi- als, explains how to work with commercial labs and details the space requirements for a lab. • The article includes recommendations about how to test for soluble solids, total acidity, pH, ethanol and sulfur dioxide. Winemaking