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The "sulfite" packet in the RJ Spagnols is 4.8 grams - which by my calculations is somewhere a little above 8/10 of a teaspoon (please correct me if I'm wrong). This is larger than 1/4 teaspoon (or less) recommended if you want to bulk age. Is this because that dosage is required for the...

Thanks everyone - will do! The fermentation has slowed to a crawl in the secondary. Should be ready to rack perhaps within a week after the SG reaches steady state. The reason I mentioned the schedule above was because I was thinking of trying Mattteo </span>Meglioli's schedule of bulk aging...

Hi guys, Thanks for the heads-up! It does indeed say 6.5 Imp Gallons on the bottom - I hadn't even thought of the type of gallon it was. The confusing thing is that the markings on the side are in US gallons, so that is what I had assumed. I can't wait to start the Amarone! Unfortunately, it...

I have just started an RJS Orchard Breezin' Peach Chardonnay, and I'd like to bulk age it for just three months so it can be ready by mid to late summer. I'm deviating slightly from the instructions - I've added the liquid extraction of four very ripe, frozen bananas that were thawed, peeled...

I am using the month and year in which most of the fermentation takes place. For instance, I started a kit on December 30, but the fermentation will occur until late January. I'll put "Fermented January 2011" on the bottle, since, when you think about it, all I'm doing is really fermenting some...

Thanks! Beauty is only skin-deep . I've probably made every newbie mistake on this batch. This is a great forum to learn from - here are some small things to watch out for, most of which have been stated previously by the experts here: 1) When you secure your airlock to the primary bucket lid...

Try closing the lid of the jug for 10 to 20 minutes. When you take off the lid, smell the solution by waving the fumes toward your nose with your hand (don't stick your nose directly above the jug). You should then notice a smell...

It's not that she doesn't think it's a bad deal for me, she thinks it's a bad deal for her. She just doesn't appreciate my newfound hobby and thinks I'm spending too much as it is . I do have relatives in London who can pick things up for meso I think I'll be scanning the classifiieds up there...

Unfortunately, I just have one. But I can now justify spending more on a larger bucket(which alsogives me two times the fermentation capacity)...

I discovered that my primary fermentation bucket is only 6.5 gallons large - this is what I get for not ordering my kit through George! The RJS Winery Series Amarone has not only a grape pack, which looks to be about 1/4 gallon or more, but it also has a pack of raisins which I found under the...

I was going to go for two 6 gallon carboys, a 7.8 gallon bucket, a filter pump, hydrometer, and all necessary hoses - for $35. But the wife thought it was a bad deal!

Howdy neighbor - I used to live in Painesville Twp!

That's too bad. I was hoping to pick up several if they were. One thing I've noticed in Canada is there are a lot more used wine making equipment and ~$10-$15 used glass carboys being sold on Kijiji that there are in the states on craigslist, at least in Ohio. Seems like there's quite a bit of...

I'm staying up here in London, Ontario for the holidays (yes, up north, I think going the wrong way for the holidays). I visited some wine making stores and I saw something I'd never seen in the states - a smooth-walled 6 gallon Italian carboy. I was excited and thought I'd found some older...

Oops, I meant to say three weeks of aging, not three months.

Thanks for the words of encouragement! I'm looking forward to making many more gallons. Everything went fairly smoothly on my first kit, except for when I was degassing and I dipped my hands in the iodophor sanitizing solution just in case, and as I was stirring, a drop of the solution from my...

Thanks! For my first kit, I decided to follow the directions to the letter. I topped off with a cheap, dry Shiraz, and the only bulk aging I did was the 30 or so days after stablizing according to the instructions. The only K-meta I added was right after I racked from the primary to stabilize...

My very first kit (!) - an RJS Cellar Classic Shiraz - gave me 29.5 750ml bottles and 3 375ml bottles. The sulfite taste was strong, and it seemed a little thin. After airing it out a couple hours, it tasted better and the body improved. I was wondering if the body improves after aging?

Thanks for the tips. Sounds like there's more than one way to skin a banana. I'll try it both ways to see which adds more body...

I'm thinking of starting a Vinifera Noble Valpolicella. From what I've seen and read, the Vinifera Noble kits sound like they have more body than other low-end kits, but I'd like to round it out with bananas in the primary. I've seen a lot of discussions about bananas adding body, but not much...