Recent content by amadago

So a buddy of mine and I make wine every year. We have someone local who brings in tons of grapes from California, and we just place our orders ahead of time. Although I know the regions they're coming from, and try to be selective, I'm not convinced our supplier knows the quality of the grapes...

Thanks for the quick feedback. I have to check the stats when I get home to see the SO2 levels, but here's the other details: 1. I have Cabs, Merlots and a Malbec 2. They're all from grapes 3. Most are done fermenting 4. Not all are off the lees yet

I usually do the malolactic fermentation to my wine, but like an idiot forgot until now. It's about 3 weeks in, is it too late and/or should I worry about doing it? Mike

It's a Merlot, and that's kind of what I was thinking - the fermenting pushed out the O2 exposure. I guess we'll see. It was laziness on my part, which is what is irritating.

I have to test the SG tonight and see. My biggest concern is the enemy - air - knowing the buckets weren't full and might not have had a great seal. However, my other thought was - still early fermenting, not a long long period of time that went by, so hopefully it's ok.

So I've been making wine for a while, but this year did something I know I shouldn't have done. After I pressed the grapes, I put the juice in 5 gallon pales with lids on them. I didn't have an empty carboy b/c I hadn't bottled the previous year's wine yet, so I left them in there for a week...

Thanks Everyone, great comments/thoughts all around - keep them coming. I've never used the spirals, but always been intrigued by them. I did some quick research and found a pack that's supposed to simulated the barrel likeness (it's called the Rhone blend). It could be just a marketing thing...

Last year I used three different oaks (hungarian, french and American), three different variations on toast and three different combinations of those. So, in essence, it was a mess. I tried to be "creative" with my blends of toasts and oaks, but what I really need is the "right" approach. So...

Thanks Thanks guys. I did some Googling around and thought that might be the best option, so I ended up putting the Potassium Meta in there to kill whatever had started. Tonight I added the traditional yeast starter. Appreciate the help. mike

So I just bought some juice, put it downstairs and completely forgot to add the Potassium Meta. to kill the wild yeast - amateur hour, I know. By the time I remembered, the fermentation had clearly started on its own. I'm not a fan of the "wild yeast" method, is it to late to add a controlled...