Recent content by AJ-123

Never lift I had almost overlooked one of the advantages of the AllInOneWinePump. I have NEVER lifted on full carboy since I got it! I store mine on floor. I rack up to an empty one on the countertop, then lower it (the only lifting if you can call it that) right to floor. I bottle up...

OH, FYI, I forgot to mention that Nomacorc is coming out with some very expensive (industrial level) measuring equipment so you can see exactly how much oxygen is in your wine, in the air at top of bottle, and in the bottle! So you can then use this in choosing the optimum oxygen transfer rate...

There is a four-five year study at UC Davis (and I think other funded research in Europe) that examined the question of oxygen and closures quite closely. If someone can get a copy of that, it would be great. It was finished in December 2011. Apparently all corks and other closures (incl...

Does anyone have a source for the new Nomacorc Select Series of corks? And also research recomendation for which cork with which type of wine? I googled for quite a while and didn't find answers to any of these. I'm assuming if you just used the Nomacorc Select Series 100 for...

When I stir everything in the primary with my big stiring spoon, I feel at one with the last 12,000 years of human wine-makers who stirred by hand. Simplicity! ;) Joking aside, I have an unproven hypothesis that scrupulously using the AllInOneWinePump and bulk aging would allow one to get...

REVIEW of AllInOneWinePump for racking/degassing I've had the AllInOneWinePump for two months now. I have yet to bottle with it, but have done @ a dozen rackings. I got it primarily to assist with degassing once I tried vaccuum degassing by hand and saw how a) amazingly effective it is and b)...

Hit the metal vacuum valve on the hose. Depress it a little to slow if you want before getting to your target.

So after sweetening, you cask/carboy age it some more and only bottle it after it's clear nothing additional is going on. I guess that somewhat reduces your risk of a bottle-bomb and/or unwanted carbonation.

I see above where Jack responded to someone and said one tablespoon/gal for the sanitizing role. I've heard a wide range of reccommendations for sanitizing -- i'm guessing that if you use high end of range, you don't drip dry but instead rinse with sterile (boiled, distilled, etc.) water.

There are three levels of potassium metabisulphite to add for three different purposes: 1.) the original must, 18-24 hours before pitching yeast. This does two things: kills off wild yeast in must ingredients and also reduces oxidation later. Jack Keller reccommends 1/4 teaspoon per 5 U.S...

Metabisulphite powder in a spray bottle or other water solution will quickly "gas off" and lose it's santizing capability in a day, two, or three. Maybe in sealed bottle it will stay effective for a little longer. I'd mix it into water only immediately before using. It should also stay sealed...

Really. Do you use artificial sweetners? I'm curious if you use actual sugar/sugar-products and merely did fermentation/aging/sulphites. AJ

Also, people are stressing about the humidity in a refrigerator or home cooling room type of storage. My impression is that this only important if you are storing bottles with NATURAL corks for more than a year or two. Most corks are not 100% natural anymore anyway (e.g. crushed, mixed with...

I've been noodling and researching this problem for awhile (I've been making wine for about a year). I've looked at converting the under stairs space into a wine closet; looked at all the vinotemp, eurocave, avanti stand alone units for garage; looked at getting a spare refrigerator; even...