Recent content by Machine

Thats exactly what I was thinking...these ones are in some raised boxes adjacent to some raised beds, as all I have is clay clay clay, so I could easily put a few new plants in the garden and then replace the potentially dead ones after things shut down in the fall/winter. Thanks for the...

But how can I tell if it is dead? My Pinot Noir looks dead, but is dripping sap at every pruning point, but buds that formed last year all died. Given the sap running I didn't want to test it out by cutting into it, so that one I'm going to leave. A Merlot with cordons that were so low to the...

Found lots of info on damage to canes and buds and a little on trunk damage but pretty much nothing that explained how I can tell if my vines are dead and need to be replanted. Most buds bit the dust in winter, and my oldest vines (maybe 6 or 7 years old) have zero buds, and every cane that I...

Your wine will always look like urine in the end in any event, assuming you eventually drink it.

Yep, but I don't think my airlock will fit on a wine bottle. Maybe an empty magnum?

Even though I'm referring to gross lees, the first step I took after primary was to pour the must through the nylon bag I had the grapes in, and then press what I could out of the bag, all through a sterilized strainer and into a sterilized stock pot, and then I racked into the carboy and...

well I think I'll try to find a container the right size to hold whatever will come out of the 1/2 gallon decanter, since it looks like about 25% lees, and they are indeed gross. will leave fine lees in the 1-gallon for now. Also probably going to have to find a way to reduce acidity later, I...

Picked grapes from garden, cold macerated for about 3 weeks, 8 litres into fermenting bucket, sugar added to get SG up to 1.095-1.10, acidity adjusted downward, tannin adjusted upward, campden added, day or two later added 1/2 dose of yeast nutrient and then hydrated some RC-212 and we were off...

As long as the wine is not exposed to excessive temperature fluctuations or ultraviolet light, I don't think that sitting at those temperatures over a period of a few months will do anything more than perhaps age the wine a little faster (and perhaps slightly differently) than storing at the...

Thanks all! Will probably rack to demijohn(s) before the end of the weekend, if all goes well. Looks like I might have 1.5 gallons after press, so might have to rig something for the second demi, i.e. load it up with sanitized glass marbles. If I only end up with a gallon and a quarter I'll...

Stirring and addition of second half of yeast nutrient seems to have got a little action going. Tasted it, not tasting sweet...pretty dry tasting actually, and not very grapey tasting unfortunately...and tastes a little oxidized. Will keep going and see what happens!!

Was away for a night and wasn't here to punch down must and keep my eye on things, just got home and what was a bubbling cauldron late Wednesday night is now completely still. Checked SG and its at 1.025. Gave it a good punch down and stir, but doesn't look like there is any more activity from...

Primary ferment on 2 gallons (maybe 2.15 galllons or so) of must going strong. Grapes are in open-topped nylong bag, bag in a 5-gallon plastic bucket...lots of grapes spilled out of bag already so some must floating around. When it comes to press time at the end of primary ferment, any...

thanks guys, its such a small batch that I worried about the small surface area to volume ratio, worried the must would dry out on top and cause problems (though what those problems might be I'm not sure!). when I left last night it was bubbling away like crazy, could see big bubbles coming...

I punched it at 7 and 10 last night. Grapes are in a nylon bag (open at the top), was really floaty, probably because a lot of CO2 gets caught by the bag. Was bubbling up a storm! Might make it back there by 1 am tonight and punch then and again at 7 am friday, if not then it will be all...