Recent content by mustangzrule

What I see in your pic looks great. When the fermentation settles you will want to top off the carbouy or rack to a smaller one to reduce your surface area during bulk aging.

PH only tells how strongly ionized the hydrogen is the solution is rather than the total available amount. A pH of 3.1 is pretty acidic, so fits right into the range for my organic process. I always titrate my musts and record the data so I can learn what works and what does not. I avoid...

I have found a way that has worked for me each tim so far that does not use k-meta or campden. In the past all of my wines were also dry because without a way to kill the yeast, it will simply keep doing its job which is convert sugar to alcohol. There are 3 ways to do this. 1. Add...

Sodium tends to pull water from the air, especially when humid and the addition of water "activates" it. My sodium meta turned into a brick in the container because I did not close it tightly last season. Pretty much ruined it. Campden is sodium meta, and sodium meta also comes in powder...

As far as brown is concerned, and bitter, what were your initial acid levels and final acid levels (if you have them)? Citric acid is a great antioxidant used to keep fruit from browning in air.

Keep us updated. I have been asked by my circle of taste testers to do a kiwi batch and I have been seriously considering it.

Copper is a trace element in the diet and like any metal has a limit before becoming toxic. I cringe at the thought of adding a soluble copper salt to something people consume. Even Iron is toxic in levels too high. You could try using SO2 to drive off H2S. While I usually produce no...

I can't eat dried fruits either. They mess me up. My grandmother was allergic to sulfa drugs back in the day and I think I inherited that from her. When I stabilize, I let my must ferment till dry, typically waiting 6 months while racking every couple. I add the sorbate after the second rack...

I must say I am small time compared to that but I aspire. I recently purchased 50 acres of prime farmland and am waiting for possession. Within 2 years I will have full control of my main wine ingredients. I use minimal chemicals on my plants if any at all. In the past I have used Frank's...

Strawberry and blueberry

First batch was Concord grapes growing wild on my north fence. Turned out amazing and a bit strong (16%) because I was unaware of the power of specialized yeasts. I have made strawberry and blueberry this year while waiting for the Zinfandel grapes on my south fence to ripen. I have made wine...

I have been making my own wine for 6 years and just now am getting into the "community". I look forward to learning and sharing with the members because I really enjoy making wine - almost as much as drinking and sharing it.