Recent content by Goatherd

In fact I did backsweeten when I bottled, I think if I did more it could be a bit too heavy on the sweet ... but I will try a sample with a little more and see. I'm about to harvest the next season grapes though, and it is this fresh batch I'd be using the calcium carbonate in. I do have a PH...

I'm wanting to de-acidify a grape must, and wondering if I can use the same type of Calcium Carbonate powder I already have 25kg of. I found info on winemaking calcium carbonate saying it is powdered chalk. This bag says it is calcium carbonate, powdered lime. Is there a difference? It is...

I'm making a red wine with black table grapes and some elderberry and blackberry. I want a sweet wine, with rich fruity flavours. Looking ahead to back sweetening, I had the idea of using a rich dark fruit cordial, like blackcurrant, or a mixed berry cordial, as part or all of the back...

I have fermentation!!!! Just drum#2 so far and it hasn't moved through the airlock but I can see bubbles caught up the sides of the drum and the skins are starting to float. #1 had one little bubble stuck on the side so it lives too. I moved them to a warmer place (24C) today that may have...

So last night before I mixed in the sugar, one of the two drums had a greener, less red top surface (suggesting to me that oxidation was able to occur at the surface, therefore neither S02 nor C02 was present, correct me if I'm wrong) interestingly the 2nd drum was still red on the surface...

Ah ok that makes good sense, thankyou for clarifying. Last night I added about half my sugar, a round 2kg which brought it up to 1.073. I'm aiming for 1.100 for 14% so I'll add another lot now. Still no sign of fermentation, it is a cold morning though. I had hoped to see some fizzing when I...

Well I went for the campden tabs being simple to try, as this is the first time I've tried any method of pretreatment. (I never heard of the effervescent tablets before, but I'll check those options out thankyou) I just followed the label which said 1 tab per 5l, and wait 24 hours before adding...

I will keep waiting in hope for a while yet then. How long is it safe to wait before adding new yeast? About the sugar, in the recipe I originally used years ago (I've been following my brew diary notes since) the sugar was added after straining the must ... is this wrong? I thought it was to...

Yes I did use just one packet. I just bought the one sachet (which was also the last in stock of the type) I was expecting about 26l of must but the grape vines did quite well this year. I didn't think a little bit extra would make so much difference but I guess all these things add up. There's...

1.044 ... which is pretty typical compared to my diary of previous batches ... I haven't added any sugar yet. Not sure what you mean by 'check the yeast'? The yeast was a fresh packet I just bought from the store 3 days ago, best before Oct 2021 and kept refrigerated. The directions (to my...

Hi all:)! So my yeast hasn't started and I'm worrying I might have killed it. Usually I see yeast activity right away, it's been 12 hours without ANY sign at all. I used Campden tablets to sterilize the must, I've never done that before. I used 7 tabs to 32 litres of must. After I'd waited...