“New York state grape scientists go so far as to say that 'the site characteristics of rain fall, soil nutrients, organic matter, high lime, soil texture and pH are minor compared with soil depth, temperature and replant status.”

“High soil potassium is directly linked to high pH in the juice.”

“The pH of a must will go up as fermentation progresses.”

“For the home winemaker at the crush stage, it's enough to shoot for 50 ppm (SO2) for reds and 70 ppm for whites, adjustable as the pH dictates from the optimums.”

“Since a fully mature, rigorous vine will fully use 60 square feet or more spacings closer than 6x10 for wine grapes aren't usually recommended in America.”

“Cold stabilization has these benefits, however: it gets rid of the crystals, which is nice in a cosmetic sense. It reduces the acidity slightly and softens the wine. The latter benefit is the chief one.”

“The difference is an objective phenomenon of soil science; what we call "soil" is a community of living, mostly microscopic organisms in a nutrient matrix. Organic farming, by definition, enhances the soil's living and nonliving components. Modern conventional farming is an efficient reduction of that process that adds back just a few crucial nutrients of the many that are removed each year when biomass is harvested ... Chemicals that sterilize the soil destroy organisms that fight plant diseases, aerate, and manufacture fertility. Recent research has discovered that just adding phosphorus (the P in all "NPK" fertilizers) kills the tiny filaments of fungi that help plants absorb nutrients.”