Recent content by DrJack

When you have finished with the primary fermentation and you transfer for the first time into your carboy. There is never enough of the wine to filla 6 gallon carboy.To bring the liquid level up to the correct head space should you top it up with water or a wine of the same flavor? I know that...

This is only my fifth batch of wine. I got a kit at Christmas time and have enjoyed it. Made on quick drinker and it was good but the rest wont be ready until next year. This one was an Amarone and I was able to use the dark brown heavy bottles. I have heard no bad about the Amarone wins so I...

This morning I bottled a batch of wine. Most of the bottles that I have are made with a high mound on the bottom inside of the bottle. At the moment I am using just a wand with a spring tip on it and as you can imagine, trying to keep that tip on the rounded center of the bottle proved to be a...

Well I bottled this batch of Amaron this morning. The smell was wonderful and a small sample at the end of bottling was amazing. Nice flavor, not much of a green taste to it. I can't wait until next year until it is actually time to pop a cork and have a bottle.

I was using Bordeaux style bottles with a #9 size cork. I do have to say that it made me a little nervouscorking the rest of them after that happened.I do think that I will be investing in a floor corker as my next purchase.

So yesterday, I was bottling a French Merlot that had been setting for almost 6 months. Everything was going well up until the corking part. I was using a Portuguese double handle corker and was inserting the corks when the top ofone of thebottles exploded. Wine everywhere. There must have been...

Well I started this kit yesterday afternoon. Not really much to report as of yet other than I almost forgot to add the raisin pack that was under the bag of juice. So far everything is good, temp is at 74 degrees, I looked this morning and it smells great. Still a little early for the...

So I just picked up the Italian Amarone Cru Select kit today. Any advise?

I have one going right now in the carboy that was started just a couple weeks ago. Smelled really good in the primary andI have hopes that this one will turm out well.

Well I made the big mistake of no patience. Everyone here said patience, patience, patience. Being new to the art of wine making, I made a Pinot Noir as a first kit, 4 week start to bottle time to get my feet wet. WellI couldn't stand it anymore and uncorked a bottle tonight as a "taste test" or...

We got up to 6 or 7 inches of wet heavy stuff here in central NH. Reports are calling for snow storms for the next 3 days. Can't wait for spring to finally show up.

I was wondering if anyone has tried the Amarone-Italian kit yet and how it has turned out? I have no idea as to what the taste of Amarone is and local places here can't tell me anything about it so I thought I would ask. Might be my next kit to try after I finish with the Meritage kit that is...

I have to say that I am very happy with how this turned out for a first kit and as it ages more it will only get better. As for the free sample, lol, ifyour ever in my area, absolutely I would love of offer up a sample.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for all your help. I just bottled my first batch of Pinot Noir yesterday morning and it went very well. When ever there seemed to be a problem for a newbie (me) there seemed to always be a post with an answer. My next kit is on the way and I should...