Recent content by Cellar Frog

I just finished corking, capping, and labeling 32 bottles of Super Tuscan that I put together with a Fontana 6 gal Sangiovese kit and a 1 gal WineExpert Chilean Merlot kit. Started them together using the Fontana additives in a 7 gal carboy on June 22nd. This batch finished rapidly to .994 and...

I just received two tempranillo kits from them via Amazon. These are currently 10 bucks cheaper than any other 6 gallon kits on Amazon, so I'm curious to see how they do.

It works as long as you haven't added inhibitors like potassium sorbate to the mix. Gives you great latitude in designing your "second wine". Traditionally second wines are from the second pressing of the fruit, but using the gross lees is a great wave to kickstart another batch!

I have been very successful in reusing the leftover lees in my batches to create some my most drinkable blends. I put the lees together into a gallon carboy until I have enough to rack off into another carboy, eventually building a gallon of unique and so far delicious wine. My latest gallon of...

About a half dozen wine vitis vinifera in the rows including reds and whites. Picked up Van Zyverden brand plants at Walmart of all places 2 years ago cheap. The new rows this year are from cuttings off last year's vines. We also have concord type vitis lambrusco growing wild on our property...

Our cold cellar makes a great stable temp wine cellar and fermentation space.

When I bottle up a batch, I take the label off the carboy and stick it on the door of my wine cellar. 24 batches in the last couple years remembered that way, although there were many others that I forgot to add to this list! Clear packing tape keeps them from peeling off.

I've made both apple wine and cider with pawpaw puree added, still and carbonated. The yeasties beasties love the pawpaw, very high in sugar content. I think this makes for a more tasty and stable wine than pawpaw would alone. Successive racking and filtering is needed unless you want a lot of...

New kid on the block,making wine from both local grapes and wild fruit, as well as many kits. A former world traveller I found that inexpensive world flags make great bird and animal deterrence for our berries and grape rows. Central PA in a rural setting! Look forward to catching up on all the...