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Okay, so I've been working on my problem child 2020 Merlot. Bulk aging was going beautifully - clearing up, delicious ripe red cherry - super yummy. Then came the beginning of summer. The wine turned cloudy and had an off-flavour, almost like an earthy mold. Not TCA, but I couldn't put my...

Hi All - getting really excited about the 2020 season. I have Merlot, Cab, and Petite Verdot lined up. This will be my 3rd year with the Merlot and I'd like to try to make a dry rose from some of it using the bleed off method. My questions for those who've done this: Do you use a white wine...

Hi! Got my fantastic vinmetric this week and spent the morning playing with it. I have 20 gallons Merlot, same vintage, in 4 carboys. In the spirit of science, I went ahead and tested all of them and found that they were all really close in free SO2 ppm, no real varience. Question to the...

Hi all - First time I've checked on my 2018 Merlot in 4 months - it's beautiful. Very heavy on cranberry, subtle dark chocolate. Not much else that I can pick up on. I need to oak it. Is there a guide that gives a side-by-side comparison of the different qualities of oak and what other...

It's harvest time on the Central Coast! Every winery is full-on harvest here. Went out to a winery yesterday to pick up some Pinot Noir - the winemaker had me help bottle some Petnat. This one was new to me. He recommended I try making some. Other than needing to watch SG carefully, and a...

Hi All, So this harvest I'm going to be making my first big equipment purchase. Exciting! Quick check for understanding with all you experts: 1. An all-in-one pump degasses - really helpful for kits, not necessarily for wine made for grapes, but doesn't filter (I may be incorrect with this...

Okay, so I'm in the middle of an experiment. Making 5 gl. of ginger wine. Super gingergy. Here's the original recipe: 6 oz. ginger root, chopped 3 cups mixed raisins, chopped 2 lemons, zested and juiced 10 lbs sugar, dissolved in water 5.3 gallons water 5 tsp. yeast nutrient 1 tsp. pectic...

Alright, time for a fun survey. I just did a quick search on the forum for wine exploding. Lots of amusing - and not so amusing - threads out there on the topic of explosions. Any hobby that involves safety glasses, volatile chemicals, flying shards of glass, and alcohol, well, let's just say it...

So I made a second batch of orange/raisin wine and it underwent spontaneous MLF. Wasn't thrilled with the final flavor, so back sweetened with 1.5 cup sugar dissolved into 1 cup water and added about 3 cups of Brandy. It's nice now and I added 1 crushed Camden tablet. Ready to bottle. Do I...

Okay, so I am now several kits down and still haven't figured out how to open the wine bags. I kept throwing them away, but started a kit yesterday and had the foresight to save it and see if I could figure it out without all the liquid. Nothing doing. Finally Googled how to open wine kit bags-...

Had a really nice wine tasting with a boutique vintner out in Carmel Valley last week. He grows on a little less than 2 acres and produces some fantastic wines. We got to talking and I brought up that this was my first year using fresh fruit. He asked all sorts of questions and started offering...

Hi All - Moved from a relatively dry climate to one with more humidity. Went to add my pectic enzyme to a fresh batch of strawberry wine and it was caked into the bottle. For salt, I add rice grains.... How do you keep your powders fresh if you live in a humid climate? Thanks! Erin

Found this recipe in an old cookbook - purports to come out something like a sherry. Making a 1 gallon batch: Added the orange and re-hydrated/macerated raisins in the fermenting bag. Added 1/2 tsp. tannin. Used Montrachet yeast. Initial specific gravity reading: 1.08. Sitting near a heater...