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  1. Flufnagel

    New jersey winemakers talk

    I'm in NW Bergen county so Corrado's, at only 20 minutes driving, is the easy choice for me. I have made wine from their grapes the past two years after being a beer brewer for about 10 years before that. 2021 was Teroldego and Malbec; 2022 was Zin, Barbera, Merlot, and Sauv Blanc. In 2022...
  2. Flufnagel

    Planning for first from grapes wine

    Find a magnifying glass and peer carefully at the top of the wine, just below the surface. MLF usually produces teeny bubbles that are very hard to see with the naked eye, especially one whose acuity is compromised by the ravages of middle/old age!
  3. Flufnagel

    Potassium metabisulfite

    Not sure how you could fix it in any case, so you will need to ride it out. That's about 167 ppm of free SO2. It will indeed drop over time. How much you over-did it depends on the pH and ABV. Here's a good and relatively succinct article on that...
  4. Flufnagel

    Other How do you rack down?

    Also: “Hey [Siri | Alexa | Google], convert 1 teaspoon to milliliters.”
  5. Flufnagel

    First timer with grapes

    Most definitely. I save all kinds of glass containers from the random products my family consumes. I have sub-one gallon bottles down to the 200 mL size. One of the most oddly enjoyable parts of winemaking for me is figuring out how to perfectly contain any arbitrary volume. :)
  6. Flufnagel

    First timer with grapes

    Actually, it's easily stored in 6 + 3 gallon carboys or a 34L demijohn. Not too bad. This is about how much I get from 4 lugs of grapes.
  7. Flufnagel

    Tried starter for the first time - some questions

    The instructions are geared toward producing a "vitality" starter (perhaps it's a beer term, but it applies), providing an environment that allows the dried yeast to rehydrate and become viable. The time allotted - a few hours, or even just 20 minutes - is not adequate to promote significant...
  8. Flufnagel

    This year's Crush

    Thanks! Well, it seems off to a good start, anyway. The scene at Corrado's is fun. Contractor vans and pickup trucks backed up to the loading dock, various middle aged guys of mostly southern European descent, clearly enthusiastic to commence the yearly ritual. I have seen some negative...
  9. Flufnagel

    This year's Crush

    Hopefully this isn't too many photos in a single post...! Here's a few random samples from my 2022 efforts. This year's fruit (5 lugs, 180 lb) was Zinfandel 26 brix, Barbera 22 brix, Merlot 22.8 brix, and Sauvignon Blanc 23.6 brix, all trucked in from Lodi/Central Valley. I sourced the grapes...
  10. Flufnagel

    Planning for first from grapes wine

    That would make me a tad anxious, especially at this stage where the wine is vulnerable. Can you set up a large fan next to the press that essentially blows them away?
  11. Flufnagel

    Right basket press size

    If the Marchisio is a 40L (10.5 gal) press like the item linked below, it should be able to fit about 50 kg of grapes (based on original pre-fermentation weight) once the free run wine has been drained. So you would need to run two press loads if you had 100 kg of grapes to start with. I have...
  12. Flufnagel

    Clearing wine

    Interesting, I thought prunes tended to clear things out in short order. [cymbal crash] Did you use pectic enzyme? How about that friend to all winemakers, Father Time? How much of it has elapsed?
  13. Flufnagel

    Increasing pH of finished wine (beer)?

    In the brewing world, calcium or sodium carbonate - baking soda - is commonly used to raise pH in the mash, for example with a grain bill comprising lots of roasted malts. You might test that out on a small sample of your finished beer to see how it goes.
  14. Flufnagel

    Rachet basket press

    I built something similar using some pieces I already had - maybe this can inspire you. I was able to press 3 lugs (108 lb) at a time in this basket, which comes from an 11 gal Bayou Classic kettle.
  15. Flufnagel

    Hello to all from NJ

    Mario, that is super generous of you! I'm on the fence because what I really want is a 34L (9 gal) demijohn. Six cases of one type of wine are just a bit more than I'm likely to make. But I wanted to reply just to acknowledge and appreciate your offer. And I'll watch this space and keep...
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