Recent content by tmcfadden932

PVPP is not commonly used in red wines, however, it can reduce bitterness and brighten the colour. In many cases PVPP can also reduce certain off-flavours and bitterness. Preparation of 10 % w/v stock solution for laboratory fining trials Add 10 mL of 96 % ethanol to about 80 mL of distilled...

It's the sorbate that causes that.

Cab needs to be ripe and the seeds completely brown with no green for the.tannins not to be bitter.

I've been lucky in that when I moved to the Central Valley of California, I joined the Lodi Amateur Vintner's Association, LAVAwine.org. With all the contacts the club has, grapes can be had for the picking. The best red wine comes off the skins. We did a Barbera one year from a friend's...

A malo culture converts malic acid to lactic acid. It is acetobacter that converts alcohol to vinegar.

I live just outside of the Lodi, Ca AVA and swap my wine for grapes when ever I can. I make Gold Medal wines so getting invited back is not a problem. This year I'll make 80 gallons of a Cab Rose' sweetened with Grenache juice since that went the fastest with everyone that tastes it. I also take...

Let them add as much sweetness as they like when it is served.

I know of a winery owner/grower that was into explosives when he was a youngster back in the 1960s'. He took that knowledge, along with his share of selling a name winery to a national beverage corporation, and put in a vineyard on side of a mountain in Napa, Ca. He would fracture the rock to...

Vinegar, really? If any of the "mother" is still present, you risk introducing that into your wine later on. Sand the dry staves, soak in a solution of sodium percarbonate (unscented OxiClean), then rinse with a citric acid solution. Beech is the wood of choice when replacing broken staves. A...

Are you sure that wasn't Aglianico? Aglianico - Wikipedia That varietal along with Barbera and Montipulciano are my three favorite Italian grapes.

My brother has a place in Southern Ohio atop a ridge line that abuts a State Park. There is a pear tree that produces small sugar pears. The bottom of the tree from the trunk out to the dripline is perfectly flat. Looks like someone pruned it with a level. When I ask him how it got to be that...

Young ones have a lighter color fur. It will darken as the animal gets older.

Look into Avian Control, a bird repellant. I manage a 1/3 acre vineyard and you can imagine how much it cost and the labor to net that many rows of vines is involved. I tried it after the first year of loosing 1/4 of a small crop to the birds. Now the loss is minimal. It goes on with the same...

Unless the vineyard has been neglected and not fertilized properly either through the addition of a good nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer with micronutrients or organically with the proper cover crops it the dormant season, the quality of the fruit should improve the following...

EnoFerm Beta from Scott Labs works well for me and can be pitched in before the yeast at the start of fermentation. If MLF is not complete when primary is complete, then EnoFerm Alpha can be added after the first racking. The only problem that slows either down is high alcohol greater than 15%.