Recent content by Khristyjeff

Reviving this thread to let people know how this story ended. My wife and I returned to the vineyard in 2021 to pick some complimentary grapes for blending with this tart Petite Pearl. Instead, we ended up bottling Foch and Petite Pearl alone and then blending some with Marquette. Summary of...

Update: I decided to pasteurize this fizzy wine--using 2 canners on the stove top heated to 140F+ to kill the yeast. Will let these first batches sit overnight and cork and clean bottles tomorrow. I've blown one cork and with a second bottle, the bottom actually blew out. Luckily I wasn't near...

Option 1 sounds the easiest. I tried malolactic fermentation on the Petite Pearl and had read where adding sorbate to that could cause off flavors so wanted to avoid sorbate if possible. I always enjoy your informative responses.

Thanks Rocky. I rarely have backsweetened as well so a learning experience for sure.

I just bottled some Petite Pearl, Foch and Marquette wines. I started Petite Pearl in September of 2020, Foch and Marquette in September of 2021. Added sugar to taste before bottling and mixed it really well with a whip in my drill. I did not add anything to prevent re-fermentation because of...

I bought this Bladder Press new off Ebay 2 years ago but only paid $350 for it. It's very nice and easy to clean. I see the prices have since skyrocketed...

Great looking dog!

Welcome to the forum. Glad you're jumping in to the hobby. I agree with Christopher. Stick to the instructions on your first kit. You can confidently tweak later.

I'm in northern Illinois and also ordered my carboys from Home Brew Ohio. They were a decent price at the time and free shipping but not sure if Italian.

Sounds good to me. You're on your way!

IMO, the new condensed kits are just as good and easier to handle. Glad you're getting back in the game.

In my experience, both @Jim Welch and @ratflinger are correct.

Thank you for your comment. I was planning to go down this path and would probably have ended in frustration. Happy New Year Bryan!

My FW Blackberry ABV came in at 11.82% without chaptalizing. If you are a fan of Country wines, this one is a real winner.