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Hello all, I haven't posted in a long time, but I need some relatively urgent help. I have made many batches of delicious peach wine using Jack Keller's recipe with white grape juice concentrate for body. I have also made the recipes with bananas and with raisins, but I don't like them as...

Finally got around to creating some order out of the chaos and I am looking to part with a fairly significant number of bottles, plus a beer bottle capper, and a wine corker. The capper and corker are the double-lever type that most people use when they first start out. Very low mileage...

I have a batch of 100% blackberry juice that has just finished fermentation. I had hoped the 71B yeast would metabolize more of the malic acid, but my TA is at 1.35% with a pH of 3.32. It is, of course, quite tart. I am looking for suggestions from people that have successfully made this type...

My fourth batch of blackberry wine is bulk aging. This is the first "estate" batch from blackberries I grew. I racked it yesterday and had a little sample. Very excited with its potential and I am considering aging it on some French oak. Does anybody have experience oaking blackberry wine...

Three of my ten gallon Brute trash can/fermentation vessels got ruined and I need to replace them. I am thinking of going with the 14-gallon Brute totes instead as it is a better size for me since a juice pail plus a lug doesn't really fit well in ten gallons. Anyone have experience with...

I have eight cases of bottles that I would be happy to give to anyone who wants them. All are .750L, a mix of burgundy and bordeaux style. Many of them have the labels removed, but not all. I live in central Missouri and I travel to St. Louis (Clayton) weekly on business. They will go in...

I am leaving Saturday for a week-long visit to northern California and thought I would see if anyone had any suggestions for wineries to visit. Planning to spend a few days in Sonoma (where my son lives) and visit Napa and Mendocino as well. We have local guidance, but thought someone here...

Someone moved my corkador and a lot of the kmeta solution spilled out into the bucket where I had about 100 corks. The corks sat in the kmeta solution for about a week before I discovered the issue. I subsequently air dried all the corks, but I am wondering if they are safe to use? If so, I...

I opened the first bottle of my second batch of Red Mountain Cab over the weekend and I am reconsidering my previous assessment of this kit. I made the first batch with the EC-1118 that was included and per instructions except I left the cubes in 8 weeks and did extended bulk aging. The second...

I have five kits on deck that I will be starting fairly soon and I am trying to figure out what yeast substitutions to consider. I am also considering dividing a couple of kits in half, using a different yeast on each half and blending the back together. The yeasts I have available are: MT...

I made five batches of wine from California grapes: Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. After alcoholic fermentation was complete I started MLF on each batch using Viniflora Oenos with OptiMalo Plus and they all started nicely. Several weeks later both the Cab Franc and...

I am looking for some advice on blending a couple of different Meritage wines from the Lodi grapes I fermented. I expect most will say to do bench trials and let taste be your guide. While that is good advice I am looking for some suggestions on starting point. This is what I have...

I have a number of batches going right now from grapes/pails and one of them is behaving a bit oddly. A little background: I made some batches with a lug added to a six-gallon juice pail and some batches from 100% grapes. Each batch was pressed using my bucket press when the observable SG was...

The peach crop is kind of thin in my area this year so I was thinking about getting a pail of peach juice. I thought M&M carried such things, but that does not seem to be the case. Can anyone help me remember who does supply pails of peach juice?

My WE Eclipse Lodi Ranch 11 was due for racking and sulfiting today, but when I got ready to start racking I noticed a light yellow ring around the top of the carboy neck. I went ahead and carefully racked it while adding sulfite and it appears normal for now, but I would appreciate any...

I don't know if I am getting old or if I need to cut back on my wine consumption, but I am confused. I recently started a RJS CCWS Rosso Grande Eccelente. It has finished secondary fermentation, so I was planning to age it on the oak cubes that came with it as I typically do. I can't find...

I am starting a Winery Series Rosso Grande Eccelente and I have a pretty serious problem. This kit comes with two jars of grapy goodness, but the first one I opened has a patch of what sure looks like mold on it. I have already hydrated the kit and I am not sure what to do. RJSpagnols is not...

For my first foray into making wine with fresh grapes I built a three-bucket press with a wood frame and a scissor jack that worked very nicely. I just started a CC Showcase Yakima Syrah and I was wondering if there would be any downside to running the the grape pack through the press near the...

Just finished my first test and I would appreciate some help understanding the results. The four columns on the left are the bases: Citric, Lactic, Malic, and Tartaric. The final two are the wine bases. I think it says the Chambourcin (CH) is done, but I am confused by the Norton (NO)...

I started a batch of Hard Rockin' Cider eight days ago with an initial gravity of 1.128 (yes, I am aiming for 17-18% alcohol). Used EC-1118 yeast started with Go-Ferm - ambient temperature is 71 degrees. I am not sure of the must temperature as I loaned my thermometer to my son. I...