Recent content by darrenlm

Steve, Ive only completed one scratch wine, which was an apple. It finished extremely clear with color and clarity similar to a pinot grigio. I have bottled a kit red and seen a few others. I would suspect that itshouldresemble a commercial wine. I dont know about the problems a raspberry could...

Steve, Your wine looks great, how low did the d-47 get the SG? What did you think of its performance? Im going to be doing some off-dry fruit wines this spring and would like to experiment with some different yeast strains. Thanks...

I like the apple concentrate idea, when did you sweeten? and to what SG did you go? Right now Im racking to finish the secondary fermentation and get into the clearing phase. Its still fizzy, which kinda bothers me, but Im assuming its all the gas thats yet to get out. Im figuring a racking...

Apple Wine is stable at 0.998, planning on racking tomorrow morning. Pondering a few things... The wine has approx 15.0% alcohol, with a light body. Im intending on producing a dessert wine from this batch so I think I need to beef up the body for not only mouth feel but to help balance...

Jerry how many tins did you use? I have only 6 gallon carboys and a 7.6 gallonprimary. I think I will use Martina's recipe and some of the stuff Ive found as a guide and start building a recipe. Thanks for all the help guys!

Ive search the net long and hard looking for a blue berrywine recipe that was solely from concentrate. I havent been able to findone. I dont have any ability to get frozen blueberries (except from the grocery store, which Im not necessarily opposed to). But I dont know much about the quality of...

I foresee myself having the same issue. I have a kit bottled right now and I have the bottles in the cardboard boxthey came in and just wrote the name of the wine on the side of the box. The cardboard boxes stack nicely and dont take up much room. Martina's idea obivously is more eye appealing...

What happend to Hippie?

Just wanted to put an update on about my apple wine. 14 days into secondary the SG is 1.002, there is still a slow but active ferment going.There is asmallstream offine bubbles heading for the top of the carboy. Im averaginga bubble out of the airlock about every 15 seconds or so. I tasted it...

Im interested in the limited edition kits that are on pre-order currently. I have my eye on the WE California Lake County Trio Blanca and also the RJ Australian Shiraz-Viognier. Just courious as to what other kits you guys are planning on making and get some opinions on previous limited release...

Hippie, Is the non use of campden until bottling a common practice with fruit wines? Ive heard that given as advice several times from different sources. Just wondering why its done that way. Thanks.

I figure I'll add my wine making ramble here for earl's sake... My wine making started less than 90 days ago with absolutely no knowledge and just a idea that because I like to drink and enjoy wine then by all rights I should enjoy making it too. I WAS RIGHT!! I have my first kit, a Lodi Old...

Ive been sitting around watching my apple wine fizz for a few days now and have run into the topic of acid testing. Im seeinga great benefit in being able tocontrol the acid levels in my wines. So which method do you guys use? Ive seen two majormethods,either titrationwith reagents, indicators...

Waldo, I recently bottled a batch and used the shrink caps with the tear strip, very impressed and very simple to put on. Just pop them over the neck of the bottle and submerge in hot, almost boiling water for a fewseconds and your done. I had thought about wax myself butdecided no.These...

Here is a sample of the finished product from my Lodi kit. I didnt feel like getting all 29 bottles out, but trust me, they all look just like these 4 :) I named this wine after my dog, who's name is Guinness and has a small white spot on his chest.