Recent content by Kanib

Eyeguy, I haven't tried any high end kits yet...but with all the researching I've been doing on winemaking (my wife calls it my latest obsession...not just a hobby) I'm guessing your kit instructions probably won't have you rack again until after you've stabilized, degassed and you are ready to...

Correct. I was just responding to chachi44089...should have clarified.

No, you can't subtract out the ABV after sweetening. The extra sugar you are adding is increasing the SG..but has no impact on what your ABV is if you are not fermenting it.

what kind of schedule do either of you use for adding Kmeta?

I have plum and raspberry in 3 gal carboys and it has been about 2 months since fermentation ended....they are both at .995 or lower and relatively clear. I am in no hurry to bottle, should I stabilze and sweeten and then bulk age or just continue to leave it clear and rack it every 30-60 days...

I wouldn't add any extra enzyme if you already followed the instructions for the 3 gal mix. I have raspberry and plum batches going from Vinter's Harvest and after 2 months in the secondary they are almost fully cleared....give it time. I don't know how it ended up for you, but with both mixes...

I agree with that Wade. I guess it was more of a check to see where things were at so as I make more wines in the future I have an idea of what is normal based on how these kits turn out.

Ignore my last question....I retested later in the day, not sure if that made a difference, or if my first test was off. But my acid came in at 0.625%, so much better.

I just mixed the Island Mist Green Apple Riesling and have it sitting here waiting for yeast addition, I did add simple syrup (3lbs+ total sugar) and about 10-15% of the F-pack to get it up to 1.078 SG. I had a couple questions that just came up on this one. My last island mist kit (Straw...

I just bought the IM green apple riesling and white cranberry pinot gris. After my sister in law tasted the IM strawberry white merlot I just finished she wanted me to make the above 2 for her wedding. One of my local wine shops mentioned the same thing to me...use 5 gal instead of 6, but I...

Thanks jdeere. If these turn out I need to move into the next arena with some varietal kits. I need to build a wine rack in my cellar and your idea is the one that I've been the most tempted to build. You get alot of bottles in the smallest area with that design. You have quite a collection...

6 gal Island Mist Strawberry White Merlot 1 gal & 1/2 gal Door County Cherry Wine 3 gal Vinter's Harvest Raspberry 3 gal Vinter's Harvest Plum

Is there anything wrong with just using straight sugar to start the must, assuming you mix it very well?

So if your final specific gravity is below 1.000, say 0.985. How should I calculate my ABV? It seems like most references say to use your initial specific gravity and just read the ABV off the hydrometer scale...but then that doesn't take into account how low below 1.000 you go. Should I use...