Search results

Hi all - Well...I have tried my hand at wine making and unfortunately do not have the time any longer to produce more wine. I have all the basic equipment that I want to sell off and want it to go to a good home. If anyone in the Phoenix area is interested, please PM me. Regards, Pete

Hi All - It has been a while since I have posted. This forum has been very helpful with the wine making process and am happy I found you all! I have four kit wines bottled (2 MM Renaissance Reds, 1 RJ Cru Select, 1 CC Zin) and one CC Red Mountain CS on the way. My question to the expects...

Hi - I am thinking of adding some oak cubes to my MM Renaissance Old Vine Cabernet. It has been bulk aging for about 2 months. It is clear and ready to filter. I want to bulk age for another month before bottling. Do you think it is okay to add oak cubes at this stage? Because I already...

So... I started back at this hobby after a 10 year hiatus. My first foray was not much of an attempt, I must say. At any rate, I have 3 kits going (2 Renaissance, 1 RJS Cru Select) and a 4th to be started very soon (CC Select Zin). Two kits are now in bulk aging and a 3rd to be stabilized...

Hi all - Has anyone tried this PN? I currently have a MM Renaissance PN going and want to get another going. My wife is into PN so I want to give her a couple of options. Thanks, Pete

Hi all - For those of you that use a heat gun to shrink your caps, what type of gun do you use? There are craft guns and more heavy duty guns. I am thinking of picking one up from Lowe's or Home Depot but was concerned that those might get too hot for the bottle. Thanks, Pete

Hi all - Does anyone have any tasting notes on this one? Thanks, Pete

Hi all - Has anyone started the Meritage kit yet? Just curious on first impressions. I am torn between this kit and the CC Cabernet Merlot. Both sound great. Thanks, Pete

Hi all - I have a RJS Cru Select Chardonnay that will be ready to bottle in about a week or so. This will be the first time I filter a wine and am curious how you go about doing this. Do you first rack off the lees into another carboy then filter into yet another carboy? That seems like an...

I realize that the MM site recommends that you not add the clarifiers if you intend to bulk age. However, I added them to my kit (MM Renaissance Old Vine Cab) this weekend with the intention of still letting the wine bulk age for only about 3 months. Is that a problem? Should I not let it sit...

I degassed and stabilized two kits yesterday. Wow...that was some serious exercise... I racked to a primary bucket and used the mix-stir and a drill for a little while. That did not seem to get it going too well. Switched to a spoon and elbow grease. That did the trick. I stirred those babies...

What are the thoughts here about using an oak barrel for wine kits? Rather than using the provided oak chips/shavings, do any of you use a barrel? Does it overpower the wine? The price for a 6 gallon through Vadai is a pretty good deal. How many times can you reuse a barrel? Regards, Pete

I am trying to recycle bottles for use with the kits I am making. A lot of the bottles that I have are screw top bottles. Is it possible to put a cork in those bottles or are they not conducive to that type of use? I would hate to throw them out. Thanks, Pete

Hi all - Yet another question for the group! I am ready to degass, stabilize and clarify a couple of kits. Back years ago I used to rack the wine off the sediment into the primary bucket for this process. I found this way to be easier to degass and stir without getting a wine volcano (although...

Hi all - Just curious on your opinion on the following: Is it worth the extra money to invest in the Ferrari Auto Bottle Filler rather than the wand type filler? They look pretty cool (on George's video). However I am concerned that it will be more of a hassle than it's worth. Thanks, Pete

Getting close to bulk aging a couple of kits. I will only be bulk aging for 3 months (max) on these particular kits so I can free up the carboys. To get the bulk aging started I am going to rack off the lees/sediment, degass, stabilize and add the clarifiers. After doing so do I need to rack...

I have a completely ridiculous newbie question... What is K-Meta? Is it different than Potassium Metabisulfite? I am getting ready to bulk age my first Cab Sauv kit (for only 3 months) and did not know if I should be adding one or the other (if different). Thanks, Pete

Hi all - I have a Renaissance Old Vine Cab kit where the fermentation appears to be complete (2 days at .996). It has been 9 days. I kept the must in the primary through the entire process (including the yeast nutrient). The lid has been snapped on with an air lock since I added the nutrient...

Hi all - I started this kit on Sunday night. Overnight the fermentation really took off and a nice cap formed. The smell was fantastic. Today I noticed the cap start to diminish. Can I assume this is normal or should I be concerned? Thanks! Pete

Hi all - I just started two kits. These are my first in quite a while. I have a MM Renaissance Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon and a RJS Cru Select Australian Chardonnay. Both are in the primary fermenters as of last night. My question to you is should I give the contents a stir every day? The...