Recent content by mark500

...no hormones, anti biotics..no pastuerization. I would respectfully decline unpasteurized milk. Salmonella, E.coli and Listeria are real organisms that cause disease....really bad disease. Maybe the risk is low, but the downside is huge.

I have never had any home made vinegar. Apparently, more than a few vinegar connissuers are out there. Might make a nice gift, next to wine.

Anyone ever made vinegar from leftover wine that you bought? Apparently, one can dilute it, place it in a pot, add acetobacter, and wait a month. Where would one get the equipment?

Ok, this is weird, but what the heck. I racked some granbarolo from a 5 to a 6 gallon carboy, planning on bottling it in a couple of days. So I topped off the 6 gallon carboy with CO2, using a method that can be used to euthanize pet rodents. Put 1/2 cup of baking soda in a large food baggy...

My Granbarolo had aged for about a year in the carboy, andI have maintained thesulfite levels well, I think. I decided to bottle it next week. So I added the siligel and liquigel per Mosti instructions. It's been about 4 days since then, and a lot of sediment is now seen at the bottom of the...

I am going to let it set for a whileuntil it clears like it was and then rack it where it sits. Patience is a virtue in winemaking they tell me.

I made a batch of WE Pacific Quartet and followed the directions. It was nicelyclear in the carboyand ready to bottle. I had to move the carboy upstairs. After I movedit, some of the lees re-suspended into the wine. I am going to let it sit a while longer and will hopefully clear again. What...

Bentonite clay is the main ingredient in drilling fluid (drilling mud). Bill Nigh the Science guy. I thought that was interesting.

I am making this kit now too. I just racked it to the second carboy for more clearing. It is not that clear at the moment. I still have 3 more weeks for clearing according to the directions. However, one WE white I previously made was clearer at this point as I remember. Directions followed...

I am making some Barolo that I am aging in a carboy and startedusing an Accuvin Free SO2 kit. 11-21-09: Completed 6 gallonfermentation and addition of K-Meta per instructions,yielding an SO2 concentration of ~65ppm. 1-29-10: Racked to a 5 gallon carboy. Checked SO2 with kit. Using the...

Did he say it was malolactic fermentation?

I made some WEOriginal Merlot inFeb. 2009.4 months out I was not impressed. Everyone kept telling me to not fret about it and that it is too young for a red. Last week I opened a bottle and it was like magic. Much, much better. Amazing how much aging helped. Much fruitier. Don't give up on it.

The directions say to add the finers several days before bottling if aging the wine in a carboy. What about the potassium sorbate? If I age the winein the carboy for several months, when do I add it? The directions don't say what to do with the sorbate if one ages a carboy. UTPDATE...

The fermentation stopped at SG.098, so I degassed, added Meta, and racked to a carboy for aging. I stirred it well and did a little vaccuum degassing, but it did not seem to have as much CO2 in it as2 other kits I have made. I plan to age it in the carboy for several months and monitor SO...

I opened another WE merlot bottle to use to top off another carboy of Barolo. The WE Merlot is improving each month.