Recent content by clusterbuster75

anyone got an 8 HL or so horizontal bladder press that they have developed a "best practices" cleaning method? I upgraded last fall from a 3 HL vertical bladder press, but man, does it take awhile for me to clean and remove all pulp.

I must respectfully disagree with some of these comments. I have done an extended maceration on Norton almost every year for over 20 years. I use a slow acting yeast. Oxygen is your friend during fermentation, not your enemy. Open that tank, punch down a few times a day. Heck, blow a fan on it...

Not all BUnn machines are bullet proof. I had one I liked, so I ordered another. It came with a bullet hole in it already, as in Dead ON arrival. Bunn's customer service was the worst!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It took months to actually get them...

i would not advise adding so2 to a fermenting wine. In my experiences, Some batches take longer to ferment than others, and in my experiences, that isn't a bad thing. I don't add so2 until a wine is done fermenting, then I hit it hard(approx 75 ppm). I check again and if needed, adjust before...

Well, I grew and fermented St. Vincent for 20 years in Southeastern IL. I only had about 100 vines. A couple years ago, I tore them out. You can let them hang and hang, but you can't get the ph up or the acid down. I always had to blend it to cut the acid and add R.S. The pickers hated them...

found one picking grapes this week... Nothing to worry about.

In my experiences, it tastes sweeter in the sample glass than it does in the bottle once you are done. I backsweeten one to two days before sterile filtering and bottling. Sugar is spoilage food.....

23 years growing grapes in Illinois. No watering ever. IN the drought year of 12 things were starting to looking sick after 10 days of 100 degree heat, but then we got a 1/4" of rain on a sunday and I went on to have my biggest harvest ever. Too much water is always the problem here.

that might be all about cold temps, but it just might, imho, have been influenced by soil drainage, i.e. wet feet.

crown gall? You certian.?I have seen this a few times on leaves over the past 20 years, but randomly and close to the woods usually. I assumed it was insect based, not bacteria based, based on my observations. I do know one thing, it is nothing that I worry about.

I grow all my own fruit(10 acres of grapes) and only use "SACRIFICIAL" tannins. Only way I've ever made a living, over 20 yrs experience, but hey that's just my opinion. Do it right from the start, don't fix it later....

Seen it sold by the barrel? for how much? I'd gladly sell it by the barrel instead of washing it down the drain.. Why would industry "synthesize" the stuff when winemakers like myself wash untold amounts down the drain?

one of my favorite yeasts.. that cote-de-blanc... pairs wonderfully with Vignoles.

Yep. Farming and fermenting grapes since 1998 in SouthEastern Illinois. www.berryvillevineyards.com

you going to spray these grapes? Different grapes need different sprays based on the susceptibility to diseases and have totally different bloom times. some grapes you can use sulpher and some you can't(which is good, organic, and cheap). I'd keep my grapes blocked together, as in put them...