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I just started a Winexpert Select International Spanish Tempranillo this morning. The instructions say to add all the oak powder during the initial stage. Then you add the oak cubes during the secondary ferment. No problem, I have done this many times. My issue, they include (2) packets of...

Greetings all, I pulled my wine from summer storage under the house today. They had been down there for five months resting in the dark temp between 55*-65* until this fine October day. I had (4) 5-Gallon Carboys and (4) 1 gallons. Most of them seem fine except the two that I need to mention...

My wife and I are beginning to look at small wine refrigerators for under the counter in our kitchen. There are so many choices I was hoping the good folks here would have some input. We like the look of the slim coolers that hold about 27 bottles. Anyone have advice?

I started making Amazon Paklab kits 18 months ago,bottom line, because the price was right. Out of the 40 cases I made last year, about 2/3 was Paklab. The other wines were upscale kits, frozen grapes, and wild Concord. I have been tweaking the Paklab kits to try and make a passable table wine...

When making a Pineapple/Banana wine this weekend I was working to get the SG up to 1.085- 1.090. I do this like everyone by adding sugar. It started to get in my head that the pulp and pieces of Pineapple have sugars in them that are not being measured. How or Should we account for these hidden...

My experience with fruit wines is very limited. I began this Black Raspberry wine on 8/10/11. After resting since 8/21 I gave it a taste test yesterday. I found it void of the original Raspberry flavor, slightly harsh (because it is so young?), bland on the palate and no real mouth feel. I added...

I live in a great place, Nantucket island, but we have no wine making supply or juice houses. I will be in Eastern CT and Providence RI this weekend. Does anyone know if I can find some juice buckets in this area? I would even be willing to stop in to a good size wine making supply store. Thanks

I am curious if anyone has found anaerobic and/or aerobic fermentation effects the final taste of most kits. I have never had any trouble starting fermentation with kits. I keep the primary covered and stir the wine daily to get some O2 into the mix. It isn't until the wine goes into the...

I made a rookie mistake forgetting the three rules, patience, patience, and patience. I had a six gallon carboy of Napa Cabernet that was more than ready, "time wise", to be bottled. I have had no time to do anything with wine lately and was eager to get some things done. I bottled the six...

As with many enthusiast I could not wait the recommended year or two for my first red to age properly. Today, I got as far a six months and had to pop a bottle. I had tasted some at bottling time and was disappointed to learn first hand what kit taste was all about. It was something I really did...

I had a little issue with my CC Winery Series Super Tuscan last week, I will need to reintroduce a yeast starter to complete secondary fermentation. The SG is stuck at .999 (If you are curious why, look for the "over heated" post). I did not make note of the yeast when initially adding to the...

I use a fermenting closet for my wines it typically holds the temp at 80*. This morning my little heat source was not working well. I decided to try my back up heat source. When I returned home six hours later my closet was way over heated. The carboy closest to the heater was 105*, another was...

I back-sweetened my first batch of Skeeter Pee yesterday. I had tasted it when it was dry and was underwhelmed. However, after adding about 5 cups of sugar the combo of tart and sweet is awesome. This is the perfect recipe on so many levels. It is cheap to make, creative because of the various...

I have been trying to get my Pineapple Riesling to clear for the past two weeks. Here is the receipt 5 Gallon recipe 10 lbs – Cored, Skinned, and Diced Pineapples 5 -7 lbs - Over-ripe Bananas (frozen then thawed) 8 -10 lbs (based on SG) – White Table Sugar ¼ tsp – K-Meta 6 tsp – Yeast...

My Concord finished ferment about October 15. The secondary had about three inches of sediment when I racked it to a clean carboy about Oct 30. It has settled for a month now and has about 1/2 inch of sediment. Question is, how long should I let it sit until the next racking. As a newb I am...

KRAKATOA!!!! My first Pineapple wine completed primary and secondary fermentation, I sent it to a clean carboy with some K-meta. I plan on letting it bulk age for 4-6 months before bottling. Every time i looked I saw CO2 bubbles trickling along the sides. Today I thought, let me hit that with...

We had some close friends over last night. I decided to try a bottle of Chardonnay I bottle only three weeks ago. My first impression was it had an overly sweet fruit taste to it. My friend has a keen palate, he told me he tasted acetone. Is this because I opened so soon?

I have a couple questions on bungs. Like any properly obsessed hobbyist, I bought all kinds of supplies when I started, solid bungs with hole, hollow bungs, and carboy caps. Can someone please describe the differences between these carboy toppers. Also, what is the best way to keep these...

I am curious if you can make a ML starter with LALVIN Bacchus. If so, would it be similar to making a normal yeast starter?

Hey all, Today was a horrible rainy day on Nantucket, so I celebrated by making wine. I loved the sound of the Pineapple Riesling and it has been on my mind for weeks. The main problem is the ph and acid levels. I am new to using these test on wine but followed them accurately. I combined a...