Recent content by phasee

Thanks for the information. MLF is still going I guess, got spots for Malic acid showing up. Think I may have thrown out the test paper, should have kept it for reference. Is there such thing as a stalled MLF?

Thanks for all the help! Got the chromotograph paper drying now, hopefully the results will be ready by the time I get home. One last question before storing for aging is to do with oak cubes. Currently, I have oak chips in with the wine, and I am wondering if I take them out when I...

Order of chromatography kit fell through, so I have one on the way from a different company. Regarding the off-smell, if it is a faint sulfite smell, and I add campden tablets after confirming MLF is complete, will the smell reduce even with an airlock in place? Thanks!

Currently have my wine inoculated with the malolactic bacteria. I am waiting on a chromatography test kit to confirm whether the MLF is complete. I have stirred the wine lightly a couple of times, and I still notice an off-smell, or what I perceive to be an off-smell. I wouldn't say it smells...

Out of curiosity (as I would like to try this style of wine in the future), would starsan around the seal between bottle and cap have been a solution to checking for any type of leak, liquid or Co2?

To confirm the fermentation is over, I should check for SG readings which don't move over 2-3 days? Or will I have to kill the yeast? I don't want to add any more SO2, as I will be going through a MLF. I didn't check the SG this morning, but it was almost at 0 yesterday. I know I'll have to...

I stir the juice 2-3 times a day, so this should help the gases escape. I'll keep a nose on it, but given the anecdotal evidence, it shouldn't be anything to worry about thankfully.

Colaneri winery makes all of their wine in an appassimento style. Pretty good wines, little bit pricier, but I suppose that is down to lower yields with drying the grapes. Good luck @NCWC with your appassimento!

I have been snapping the lid on. I will switch it to a towel for the remainder of the primary fermentation.

I may be being paranoid, but I think I can detect a faint smell of rotten egg. Only when I take the lid off of the pail, when I try to smell again, I just get alcohol burning the nose. I'll pay more attention today when I get home. In the event that the smell is there, what is the best way to...

I bought some of their red grape juice last week, which I believe also comes in from California, not too sure. Pretty happy so far. I'm new to home winemaking, but I tasted the juice during fermentation, to me, they seem like they are good quality (I have a thread in the beginner's forum, which...

There's a place in Ottawa - Musca - that imports Californian grapes, just had their delivery last week.

I added 1/3 of the Fermaid-K called for, and the fermentation is looking nice and healthy! Thank you to everyone for helping me get started, I have definitely learned a lot in less than a week. Starting SG was 1.084, sitting at 1.030 right now, and the must temperature has been a steady 75-76F...

A little update: So my beginning SG was around 1.084 on Monday. Today (Thursday), SG is 1.040. So, a little over half way. My delivery with Fermaid-K arrives today, and I know it has been said that it isn't beneficial to feed the yeast after 1/2 the sugar is depleted. But i'm wondering, as it...

Perfect, I'll continue to monitor SG and stir a couple of times a day. I have a 125ml of liquid ML culture on it's way. I am planning to order 50G of Acti-ML, the instruction on the website say: Mix Acti-ML into 5 times its weight in 25C (77F) chlorine-free water. Add your bacterial culture...