Recent content by mvcrews

There's a strange, counter-intuitive occurence with frozen white juice where if you add s02 prior to fermenting you risk locking in a brown color that would have otherwise dropped out naturally during fermentation. This is straight from the MoreFlavor guide and was likely written by Shea...

White Salmon Vineyard Chard?....Peter Brehm grows top quality fruit. Commercial wineries have been getting a lot of awards with his Chard recently. It goes against most winemakers instincts, but don't add any s02 before you pitch your yeast with frozen white juice (reds you should). It can...

What harsh comment or attack? You sarcastically mocked my pricing and then told me this was no place for sarcasm and seemed offended that I would offer an explanation of why price differences exist. I honestly don't know what you expect me to apologize for or why you're trying to make fun of...

You spoke sarcastically and ignorantly about my livelihood. Don't be surprised that you got a passionate reply instead of a " real sales person" response.

It comes down to the fruit. Most of the fruit that goes into concentrates comes from the Central Valley and costs in the $400-$800 range whereas the fruit that goes into frozen must and juice buckets is going to cost in the $2k- $6k range. I'm not trying to talk down kits. I think kits are...

If you are interested in making quality wine then $225 for 5.25 gallons of Durell Vineyard Chardonnay would seem an attractive price. Durell Chard sells for between $60-$100 a bottle and has the highest ratings of any Chard vineyard in the nation. Making your own for less than $10 a bottle...

We were originally going to send the pallets to Chicago, but there ended up being an abundance of frozen grapes there already from other suppliers! Hopefully we'll be sending some 2015 pails there and Dallas as well...although I've been saying that for 3 years now :0

The grapes buckets are finally in Atlanta (actually Gainesville)! We've got frozen 5 gallon buckets of Sonoma Merlot ($120) and Suiun Valley Cab ($110) available for local pickup 7 days a week (with an appointment). All the frozen poultry made it tough for someone looking to store a few...

Add a little water to lower the brix to 24. Make sure to use nutrients as RC212 needs a lot of nitrogen and 24+ brix fruit is generally low in nitrogen. Ferment it dry and put it through mlf. Your pH will end up around 3.6 and your TA around .7.

Check out this blog post by Tim Vandergrift. It pretty effectively dispels the sulfur enduced head ache myth. http://www.timvandergrift.com/?p=214

I've used the Wyeast ML blended strain liquid culture a bunch of times this year and so far it's been 100% reliable.

Thanks for the thread! Not sure who you called, but I haven't talked with anyone from Texas this week... Had we spoken I would have said that while a 7-10 day transit time isn't ideal, this time of year the grapes are still likely to be pretty much frozen when they get to you. Or you...

Everything we've seen across the state has had great numbers this year, but yields were also extra high and only time will tell about the quality of the wine, that said: Sonoma Coast Chardonnay B @ 24.5, pH @ 3.4, TA @.5 Clarksburg Chenin Blanc B @ 19.6, pH @ 3.32, TA @ .68 Sonoma Coast Pinot...

The benefits of cold soaking are unproven, but many winemakers still practice it anyways. I don't think it's something home winemakers should do as it adds an extra element of risk with no clear reward. You especially shouldn't cold soak if you don't have temperature controls or inert gases...

The amount of s02 you added won't inhibit fermentation in the 7.5 gallons of juice but it might inhibit fermentation for the 18 pounds of grapes... I think others may disagree with me here but I would ferment them together as I feel the benefits fermenting red wine on the skins and seeds...