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My dad showed up with a 5 Gallon Once Used Bourbon Barrel from the local distillery for me to have. I'm torn between using it for beer or wine. I'm thinking, since it's nearly Chile Juice season, I'll grab a red juice bucket and age it in the barrel after fermentation, ala the new trendy...

As part of my annual juice run, we picked up Noiret this year. I've had many excellent Noirets over the years, including on the way home from New York, with that distinct black and white pepper profile. But, I've also come across some very herbacious and horseradishy profiles as well. I...

I have a home in a suburban town in Southwestern PA. The edge of the property is adjacent to a gravel alleyway, approximately 100ft long. It's a slight drop, with a 2 to 6 foot downward slope from the alley. It's pretty much full sun from sunup to 4pm. Currently, it's all bushes and weeds. We're...

I guess one the "new" (re-discovered, more accurately) things in wine is fermenting and storing in terracotta containers. I guess, historically, these types of wines were sealed in the containers with a think layer of olive oil, which would settle on the top of the container and act as an air...

I have a bucket of Carmenere juice showing up early May. Looking to bring in Fermentation at 14%, and add Medium American Oak Staves during secondary fermentation. Need suggestions for yeast. I had great luck with Lavalin 43 on my 2014 Cayuga White and Chancellor, which I chaptalized to 14%...

First time using MLF and Oak on Chardonnay. I went ferment, then MLF, then 5 weeks of medium french oak staves a month after MLF innoculation. Racked out the staves, and now I'm getting an odd, slightly woody, slightly rubbery taste in the Chardonnay. Definitely off a bit from the normal crisp...

I want to start going spring juice as well as my normal fall juice. When does South American, specifically Chilean grapes and juice, come to market?

Back from a trip to Walkers up in Fredonia NY with 6 gallons each of Chancellor, Rose Blend (Concord and Niagara Blend, I suspect) and Ives. This year I'm shooting for summer wines, with Chancellor being the varietal I buy every year from now on. Picking yeasts, then stopping by the local...

Started opening some of my 2013 batch (Niagara, Baco Noir, and DeChaunac), mainly off dry and off sweet. So, it was potassium metabisulfited and potassium sorbated, then backsweetened a bit. The bottles sometimes open with a little hiss. I suspect that it's a bit of gas coming out of suspension...

We had excellent luck last season with our Baco Noir juice. Put some oak to it, and it turned out to be an excellent first try. The De Chaunac, while technically done correctly, really doesn't stand up well as a varietal on its own, IMHO. We've found that it's a good sangria base, and might be...

I've on my schedule a day trip to the Lake Erie region in October, and planning on a possible trip to the Finger Lakes soon after, for fresh juice. Everything I'd heard at the beginning of the year was horrific, in terms of the Polar Vortex destroying, in some cases, significant swaths of...

Ok, We're under 1 SG on our 15 gallons, and the 3 carboys (Niagara, Baco Noir and DeChaunac), are about ready to bottle. The Niagara is very dry and acidic, so I'll be backsweetening it with fresh Niagara juice. Of course, I'll be Potassium sorbating and potassium metabisulifting it. The...

We went on a weekday getaway to the Finger Lakes, and we talked to a few of the winemakers up there (simply the best reason to go up this time of year, they aren't crowded at all, and the winemakers aren't busy, other than bottling 2013 whites). There was a recurring theme: Native Yeasts...

I was in the winemaking supplies store on Saturday pricing corkers, as we have about 15 gallons to bottle in the next 2-3 months. These are our first batches, so we're going in fresh. I'm seeing $20-30 for a hand corker (I tested it, Hard to use). $70 for a floor presser (much much easier, but...

Well, I'm about at the end of my journey with batch of Niagara. After a week and a half of trying, including 3 packets of yeast over a 7 day period, 10 days at 65-70 degrees, a bucket transfer, vigorous stirring daily, and a 2 day starter gallon of yeast that was split 50% juice and 50% sugar...

I listen to podcasts all the time at work, and we even do one, eastcoastwinegeeks.com. Anyone know of any winemaking podcasts that are still around and good?

Ok, I had a friend getting a shipment of Niagara, and had some extra 5 gallon buckets of Lake Erie juice. It came in on a pallet Saturday, and I picked it up same day. I had a friend interested in winemaking, so I showed him the basics that night, checking sugar levels (sold at 21 brix...

I'm finishing up an old storage room for my winemaking and homebrewing area (it gets all the equipment and fermenters in one room and minimizes the clutter and wife frowning). It has 4 windows and a windowed door. I've purchased and installed blackout blinds on the windows and door, so the only...

I'm in the fourth week of fermentation on my first ever batches of Baco and DeChaunac, third week in carboys after a week in buckets. We've suddenly gotten a blast cold cold air in the Northeast. We're keeping the carboys in our wine room, a room 3/4 underground and averages around 60. We have a...

First Post! Hi, my wife and I decided to give home winemaking a try, and grabbed 6 gallons of Baco Noir juice and 6 Gallons of DeChaunac juice from New York. I've completed 7 days of bucket fermentation. I transferred the juice into carboys yesterday. The DeChaunac is happily bubbling away in...