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I bottled my Chardonnay today and found my wine had some fizz in the bottle prior to corking. I'm quite surprised as I didn't detect an issue when I tasted a month ago. I suspect the problem is either bacteria or an issue from SO2 during sanitizing. Thoughts please on my problem and...

I'm about a month into an RJS Cru Int'l Chardonnay, now in a carboy. I tasted it today and was surprised at its light body. It seemed more like Pinot Grigio than Chardonnay. I'm wondering about making the wine more medium-bodied, perhaps by adding glycerin. / finishing formula I've never...

Many yeast / grape compatibility charts show foaming as a yeast characteristic. Foaming never concerned me and I've never had a problem with foaming in primary fermentation but I've begum to wonder why everyone shows it. Why do wine makers care about the amount of foaming?

I clean equipment right after use and store most of it in DIY airtight containers. To keep everything sanitized and ready to use including corks, I add K-meta to generate SO2 in the container. When opening and working with the containers I get the expected heavy odors but I've never had any...

I've been wondering if it's possible to calculate the time to complete primary fermentation. For example, when we know starting specific gravity, volume, ambient temperature, and yeast brand / type can the time to desired ending specific gravity be determined? The issue came up because I'm...

For several years into 2013, I was very into wine making and did numerous kits, primarily Winexpert and RJS, but others as well. Coming back into the game I'm finding a lot has changed in the way of brands and selections but for right now I want to stay with those two. I want to start with a...

I bottled some wine yesterday and noticed the imperfections (lenticels) on the colmated corks were greater than I expected. (I bottled the wine with them anyway.) Now I'm concerned. I split a cork to see the interior and found what I'm showing in the picture. Disregard the damage on the...

I have an opportunity to get a very good deal on a Selection Estate (predecessor to Eclipse) Yakima Valley Pinot Gris. Any comments on the quality of this kit?

I bought some #9 corks and I'm intending to use my double-lever corker to inset them. When I tested one, I got a surprising result. (See the photo.) It appears the corker didn't push the cork in evenly, applying pressure only in the middle. Here's my questions: Is the cork too wide for use...

I'm down to my last 5 bottles of last year's WE Limited Edition Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon blend. I'm so depressed by the thought of ending my relationship with this dear friend. How I've enjoyed our intimate moments. With each glass the wine exposed it's innermost secrets to me. And I drank...

I'm planning on making a a green apple kit (probably WE's Riesling) and am thinking about adding some carbonation. Is there some level of carbonation I can add and still use 750ml wine bottles and corks? If not, I assume I can use beer bottles and caps, but some thoughts, please. Does anyone...

Up to now I've only used muslin strainer bags (or sleeves) when working with skins or oak and I seem to be going through quite a bit because I never reuse a piece. I've started to look into reusable materials such as nylon or polyester (paint strainer bags) and I've even seen mention of...

What is the impact on acidity of adding .089g of pure Phosphoric Acid and .026g of pure Dodecylbenzensulfonic Acid to 6 gallons of 3.5pH wine? This forum regularly fields questions on Star San sanitizer with posts often mentioning the impact of Star San solution on acidity. I generally believe...

I'm about to start a MM Chardonnay. It's the first time I'm making a MM kit. I've heard the All Juice kits have special or unusual features (schedule, etc). I'd appreciate any suggestions or things to avoid.

I use a lever corker. Those familiar with lever corkers probably know passing the cork through the tapered chamber modifies the length of the cork. As a result, some (probably many) corks are not suitable for lever corkers. I'm starting to bottle-age wine over 2 years and would appreciate...

My RJS Super Tuscan had been in the carboy for 3+ months and I decided to rack it. After meticulously cleaning and sanitizing my already clean equipment, I racked to a second carboy only to see a dead fruit fly and some wings floating on top. I tried scooping them out but failed and the little...

I'm looking for something to broaden by white collection and came across the Cru Select Argentinean Trio - a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Viognier. It appeals to me as something I can drink next summer. However, I can't find any mention of the kit. Has anyone tried this? Also, I've...

I'm thinking about using clear labels (instead of white) on my bottles and I'm wondering how they'd look with wine backgrounds. Does anyone do this? The Avery labels would be 18664 (inkjet). Any comments? Tony P.

A few weeks ago I got a great idea. To make cleaning / sanitizing easier, I put my regularly used equipment in a large sealed bin (after cleaning / sanitizing everything) together with one of my sponges. When I opened my bin today the first thing a reached for was the sponge and noticed it was...

I know the basics of gross versus fine lees and the impact of gross lees, but I'd like some specifics. When doing a kit wine containing skins in a straining bag, is the resulting sediment gross or fine lees? The difference (I assume) would influence my schedule and how finely I need to rack...