Recent content by Winorick

Cellar Classic Winemaker's Trio 18 L Wine Kit Well, my choice is the Cellar Classic Winemaker's Trio 18 L Wine Kit. The last kit that i made was a 1976 Beaujolais. I still have 2 bottles left!

If you're making 5 gallons, how much more liquid are you retrieving by going thru this extra pressing? Maybe a cup? Two? It seems like a light pressing of the bag for a minute or so would be enough.

Flick them into a pail with soap water - they'll drown. The best solution is to spray your yard and the neighbor's yard in the fall and spring to kill the larvae.

I've been making wines for 43 years and I have never de-gassed a wine other than racking it. It just doesn't seem to be a needed step.

That idea went over real good!!

I must have just been lucky for the past 45 years. I use campden tabs at the original fermentation, rarely at the first racking, usually at the second & never at the 3rd, 4th, or 5th. I use well water that has gone thru the softener. I use meta bisulfate for the bottles at bottling and then...

I add tannin to all flower wines, rather I leave them dry or sweetened. Also all fruit wines made from canned fruit. Without the tannin, they turn out a bit flat.

Neat idea! I'd love to join the party, but I don't have any apples available that very unique. The hardiness differences may be a problem. I can do Cortland, Greening, and possibly Fireside and Gala.

I guess that "Drier" is a rather relative word. Yes, I meant 1.010, 1.030 is sweet! IMO, while I prefer a dry Zin, I definitely prefer fruit wines on the sweeter side. I have never had a "dry" (under 1.00) that was any good. But, I'm open to trying one!!

What do you use all of that Heather for?

Heather & Hibiscus I just bottled my 2013 Heather and Hibiscus, AKA Bulgarian Red. The idea came from this site: http://wineworldfdw.com/wine_recipes.html I've made a fair amount of Hibiscus over the years and added dill to it once. That turned out very nice. This is the site that gave...

IMO all the clearing stuff you've added could affect the flavor. Bentonite can make it taste like dirt, filters will actually filter flavor. Degassing? Simply rack it every 2-3 months, and let it age for 9-12 months. Don't warm it, leave it age at 60-65 degrees. Have you tasted it? If it...

Canned whole cranberries make a very good wine. They'll be a little flat in the acid, but that is easily fixed. The sauce has some sugar, but it needs more. And using a cran-apple juice helps. I've done a canned plum wine - doesn't taste much like plum, but it is very drinkable.

Cranberry amounts Over the years, I've changed the amounts of cranberries that I've used in my wines. Most of the time, I've used around 3 - 3.5 lbs per gallon. But I've also used 5, 2.5 and 4; along with an assortment of canned, whole cranberries in the jellied sauce. I've made second...

Ideas Cranberry wine pretty much needs a starter. It is notorious for slow & stuck fermentation. Next time, try about 4 pounds per gallon and make a second run. When the first run is ready for real tasting, blend it with the second run and sugar for more perfection in the final wine.