Recent content by mattmath

I always bottle a few 'splits' so I can sample without breaking into a whole bottle of wine. Sometimes the last bit is not enough for a full 750 ml bottle. Follow the directions & take what you get. The kit or catalog will give minimum aging recommendations. If you're really in that...

Glycerin is a natural part of the winemaking process. It gives the wine some body and provides the "legs" you see after tilting a glass. It is also sweet and provides a warming sensation. Recently I discovered that adding between 1-2 fl.oz. of glycerin / gallon smoothed out a white wine to...

Also you need to make sure the flowers are edible (NOT POISONOUS--MANY ARE!) and have not been treated with pesticides (many yards). www.jackkeller.net has recipes for good flower wines. REgards, Matt

I don't think I'd spike the coolers much. They are supposed to be be light on alcohol to bring out more of the fruit flavor. I have added sugar (2-3 brix) to other kits successfully to get the alcohol level higher. Use the hydrometer; I also test acidity and it's been OK. On the other...

When I took Botany in college, the prof gave us a recipe to make wine from frozen Concord concentrate. That's 90% of what I made back then. It retains some of the Concord grape flavor (some call it 'foxy'-- somewhat pejoratively, which must mean they don't like it) and makes a decent table...