Search results

This April/May I will be getting 24 gallons of Chilean Chardonnay. I want to barrel ferment it in a new 80 L (20g) Vadai Barrel. Does anyone have instructions on how to barrel ferment Chardonnay juice? Start process in my 63F basement. I assume I would pitch yeast in buckets. After 1 day, I...

I have 80 liters of a Malbec (88%) and cab sauv (12%) blend from Chilean grapes in a Hungarian oak barrel. The wine is thin/light colored - I think because I cold stabilized it. I also have 80 liters of petite sirah (85%) and red zin (15%) in carboys. I'm thinking about blending 40 liters of...

I bought my SC-300 about a year ago. Was working fine but now it won't read SO2. I test the wine, go through over 5mm of SO2 titrant and nothing happens. I've tried a few times on different wines. I'm not sure if the solution is too old or if the meter isn't working correctly. Anyone have...

I have a 2014 Old Vine Zin that is currently in an oak barrel. I thought MLF was complete prior to putting the wine in the barrel but I just tested it via chromotography and it's only half way done or so. The ph is 3.69 I thought about racking into glass carboys, put in warm area and then put...

I just bottled 100 bottles of 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State. I crushed and fermented these grapes last October and they were in a new 80L Vadai barrel for 7 months. I opened 1 bottle and it tasted pretty good but it's a bit more tannic than I'd like (I assume because it just...

I made 2 batches of wine from grapes last spring. I measured the PH for both prior to fermentation and they were in the 3.5 - 3.6 range. I also measured the T/A and I thing I got a faulty reading (they were around 3-4g/l). I panicked and took the T/A reading into considerations and added...

Hello, I will be purchasing grapes from Lanza-Musto vineyards this year via M&M. I intend to purchase red grapes and enough to fill my 44gallon Brute & my 32 gallon Brute. I want each blend to contain a blend of something else but I'm not sure what to blend it with. Help needed - Batch 1 (44...

I'm eagerly awaiting my grape order. I have ordered the following and intend to make two batches out of the following: - Cab Sauvignon (6 crates) - Malbec (20 crates) - Carmenere (3 crates) - Cab Franc (3 crates) I have never attempted blending before but here are my intended batches...

If you intend to put your red wine thru MLF, what do you target your acid levels prior to fermentation? Ideally, I would like the red wine to be around 3.5/3.6 ph and .6g/l post MLF. But what if the wine is already at those levels prior to inoculation? In the past, I aimed to adjust the acid...

I have 11 gallons of old vine zin aging in a Hungarian oak barrel. I made the wine right from grapes and it tasted very jammy prior to putting in the barrel. I think it was too fruity/jammy for my taste and am hoping the oak changes some of the flavor. Is there anything I can blend it with to...

I use 44 gallon & 20 gallon Rubbermaid Brute garbage cans as my fermenters. At the bottom is a 3/4" bulkhead fitting and pvc pipe to serve as my spigot. Last year I put cheese cloth around the 3/4" pvc that's on the inside of the can to prevent the spigot from clogging. However, that didn't...

I'm entering my 3rd season of winemaking. I make my wine from grapes and, much like everyone else, I want the best outcome possible. I bottled my last batch and used natural, Grade 3 corks. I'm told that those corks will last 5-7 years. I used natural corks because I want the wine to age...

Does anyone have experience making wine from Two Mountain Winery in Washington State ? I bought the grapes via M&M in CT I processed 325 lbs of Cab Sauv from there last year. It's currently aging in carboys and is awaiting to get placed into a Hungarian Vadai barrel. Just curious how others...

Hi recently received a new 11 gallon vadai oak barrel. I prepped it and filled it with wine. All is well but my basement is around 30-35% humidity. Is there a way to increase the humidity without breaking the bank? I tried a bucket filled with water and draped a wet towel over the side. So far...

I just received my first vadai 11 gallon oak barrel this week. I prepped it and put in my first batch yesterday. The barrel is sealed properly but it's moist around the hole. Is that ok? Maybe I filled it too much. How much wine do put in there/just enough for it not to spill out when I put in...

Hello, I've been making wine for about 2 years. I started with juice buckets and now I make directly from grapes. The juice buckets were ok and I haven't bottled my grapes yet. I've been aging my wine in glass carboys with oak sticks/spirals. I put the sticks/spirals in for a about 6 weeks...

I processed old vine zin (Catarina brand) this season and it recently completed fermentation. The ph is 3.6. I'd like to run it through MLF (vp-41) but here are my questions: 1) should I add tartaric to get the ph to 3.4 or so prior to inoculating MLF considering that ph will have risen once...

I don't have a press but need one. Considering the expense of a basket press, I was thinking of something homemade or using something else. With that in mind, would it be ok to use a brand new yellow mop bucket? Unless the plastic isn't good, I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work to...

I'm interested in buying Red Zin or Cab Sauv grapes this fall. I live in the Albany, NY area and a local distributor offers grapes from the Lodi, CA region such as "Teaser" and "Valley Beauty" among others. Are the quality of these brands good? I've bought from M&M in the past and I think...

I intend to crush and ferment 200 lbs of Argentinian Malbec grapes this spring. The grapes will ferment in a 32 gallon Brute container which will be in my 60 degree basement. Should I be adding heat to the area via heat belts or space heaters or will the heat generated from the fermenting...