Recent content by Juniper Hill

I've been faked out before by crystals (tartates) floating on top thinking it was a nasty case of the "flowers". Looks like I'm in good company.

Lots of great suggestions above. The only one I would add to the list is Surlie. Agree that 9.8% is quite light for a wine.

Kerosene does sound like a VA problem. I've had a similar problem where a wine I aged for 2 years in barrel smelled like acetone - I wasn't making regular sulfite additions. I'm not sure its fixable. You might want to consider giving a solid dose of sulfite and bottling it up. See if things...

Salcoco is quite correct. EC 1118 is suitable for whites, reds and sparling wines. High alcohol tolerance and not too finnicky. That's why it's typically the go to yeast for most kits.

I'd go with EC 1118. It's pretty much bullet proof. Most kits use it.

Bochet has been on my short list of to try for years. Very interested in giving it a go. I'll try the crock pot method.

Are you able to get someone to top up for you? They'd only have to do so once at about 6 weeks. I'm thinking of moving to flextanks once I retire for exactly the reasons you've outlined.

I've been using 71B 1122 in high acid wines, as it's supposed to reduce malic acid about 30%- has worked very well for Marquette and a bunch of whites that I've used it for. Have been wanting to try Maurivin B - maybe next year! I've heard it can cause some trouble with H2S, but still worth...

I've had good luck with reduless for H2S that didn't clear with other measures. I haven't noticed any muted flavours, but of course compared with rotten eggs just about anything else is gonna be good.

Congratulations on your first vintage. I find I learn something new every year. There are lots of things you can consider to improve things. Consider Sangie- removal 10% juice to concentrate flavours. Additions like optired, booster rouge and surlie help to integrate flavours and add some...

Which yeast did you use?

Agree with nutrient if still fermenting. Also, lots (3 or more per day) of punch downs will introduce more oxygen and help drive off sulfur. Delastage is another way to add more oxygen, but is a bit of a pita.

Looks good. You can consider a 10% Saignee on the Cab Franc and Sangiovese if you like rose. Will help prevent watering down of the flavours of your reds. Remember to add extra nutrient when ameliorating with water.

I've used calculations are a ballpark when planning additions. I then purposely undershoot and remeasure. It's kinda like adding salt to soup - you can always add more but it isn't easy to remove.

How far out of date was your yeast? 12 hrs isn’t particularly long to wait for yeast to start up. Can easily take 24 to 48 hours depending upon yeast, fermentation conditions and how the yeast was introduced to the must