Recent content by DerrickPeavy

1 OZ of tartaric acid in 4 gallons of cabernet. The star san was a spray down the sides of the stainless carboy and some on top. Not worried about that, it will break down, I use it to sanitize all the time. I also added 1/4 teaspoon SO2. I will test PH in a day or two. I honestly don't think...

August 18, I added pectic enzyme. Capped off with CO2. Checked at one week. Looked good. Checked at two weeks. Looked good. Kept the bubbler topped with star san, and capped each peak with CO2. But, today, September 11, I opened to take add tartaric acid and... the blob is back! Pics...

Well, this is a cabernet. I only tested the white to make sure the meter wasn't giving just a calibrated reading. It has a nice color and the aroma is OK, not as good as I would prefer. Still has a green wood taste. But otherwise neutral.

So 9 days so far with pectic enzyme. Tested PH with a meter this morning. Reading is 4.01. I tested a white wine sample from a bottle I purchased at the local market. White wine was at 3.8. I also calibrated the meter before use, so I am going to guess the 4.01 is accurate.

Recombined today after 3 days in kegs under nitro. Wine smelled fantastic! Still low alcohol. But, PH is high and vineyard winemaker where I picked up the grapes looked at pics and definitely feels the SO2 and PH are off. Added the pectic enzyme and another 1/4 tsp of SO2. Will probably add...

Picked up the pectic enzyme. Also, did a PH sample with strips - diluted the wine 1:4 with distilled water, PH appears to be higher than 4.4. Sad face. Will test again when I get meter. The wine doesn't smell like vinegar. But it doesn't quite smell like wine either. Just kind of neutral.

That's what I thought, but it's not magnetic!

@winemaker81 one other question - what about filtering? Would that remove too much of the wine character? I have a filter case would just need to order a 5 micron filter, or whatever is appropriate.

Thanks! Agreed. And I definetely know about the barrel volumes - nothing beats the smell of piping in 60 gallons of wine into a barrel. This is a cabernet and it never seemed to have much oak or char flavor when I tasted, always tasted green, so I kept it going. I'll keep looking for a...

Thank you! I got mixed messages on the aging in barrel from different people. Another home winemaker (from MoreWinemaking.com) said that he left his in barrel for a long time (months) without issue. Other places and people said no, only a month or two. It was a new barrel. The flavor is off...

OK, next question (HA! - you thought that was all). I aged in a 5 gallon barrel. I topped off on a regular basis with CO2. I used to brew beer, so I have a lot of stuff I have been able to repurpose. Instead of using the supplied spout that came with the barrel (see pic), which has an...

Thanks! And yes, it's kind of maddening. Either way, SO2 seems like the next step. So I'll release pressure and add tonight, then seal again and add nitrogen. Given how the mass sometimes looked like a fungus - the lines, the circles, the webbing, I suspect something like that. But I do...

Yes, they are the half size corny kegs, air tight with gas in and out valves. And when you say K-meta, you mean Potassium Metabisulfite, right?

It's about 4 gallons total wine I think, I have it split into two, 2.5 gallon kegs. So, fair amount of head space in the little corny. But I can easily fill that with nitrogen. What would you suggest as amount of SO2? More than 50 ppm?

October 7, 2020 picked up 10 gallons (apx) of must at vineyard total volume with skins appears to be 9.5 gallons October 8, 2020 Prior to pitching yeast from vineyard Hydrometer readings: did not cool to 68. Was apx 75 to 80. 1.080 gravity 10.75% potential...