Recent content by Russ Stewart

Thanks, Grape Man. I was wondering if there is anything that I should or could do now. It sounds like I should just be ready to aggresively fight it in the spring, right? Thanks for your reply. Russ

Does anyone have any experience in fighting anthracnose on their grape vines? I have a couple of my 2 yr old Vidal vines with some early signs of Anthracnose and was wondering if spraying the vines will help at this point, or should I wait until the dormant season, and prune out the infected...

I agree with the former post - I used the Ferrari bottle filler for years and was satisfied with it. I have a Gomco pump that I used for racking and degassing, and decided to buy the bottling attachments from VacuumMan. It works great! I would really recommend it if you already have a pump!

I just referred a friend to WMT. Thanks! Russ

You've been liked by me on Facebook. Russ

I was reading your post about grape cuttings..... I will be pruning my vines shortly, and was wandering if anyone has some good advice about the best method to start new vines from my cuttings. What medium do I root them in, and what length of cutting is best to start. Thanks for any advice on...

Kevin, I live in Ohio, and just ordered some more vines from Miller Nurseries which are labled as cold hardy. They have a pretty nice selection of whites and reds. Two years ago, I planted some of the Frontenac vines, and they are doing really well. Good Luck. Russ

I started a batch (3 gal) of orange wine in December. I roughly followed Jack Kellers recipe using whole oranges and I added some raisins. I have since racked it off of the lees and it is clearly nicely. I am kind of excited about this batch of wine. It is quite a change from what I usually...

This sounds fantastic. I, too, have a vacuum pump that I use for racking and degassing, but I have never used it for bottling yet. If I may so, how much does Steve charge for the fittings and equipment that I will need to be able to use my pump for bottling? Thanks alot!

Welcome to the forum! Always good to have another Buckeye on line - I live about 45 min north of Dayton. Enjoy the forum!

I made some blackberry wine this year that was really good - it tasted like a good semi-sweeet grape wine. I also blended part of my blackberry wine with catawba wine and this was a really good combination. I like this better than the straight blackberry or the straight catawba wines.

Welcome back Steve! I live in Sidney, Ohio north of Dayton. I get most of my supplies shipped in from Midwest Supplies - their customer service is very good! Good luck in returning to an addictive hobby! Russ

Thanks Grapeman for the reply. I checked my grapes with my refractometer.... the Buffalo was at 18 brix, and the Frotenac was at 16, and the Leon Millot was at 18. I will wait a little longer for the brix to get higher like you said. I netted the grapes last week to keep the birds out of...

Grapeman, I read your reply about determining the ripeness of grapes. I remember reading something a while back about how the seeds give an indication of when to pick the grapes. I have some vines that are getting very ready to harvest. The varieties are Leon Millot and Buffalo and I...

I originally had a buon vino filler, but it leaked all over the place. I probably should have sent it back for a replacement, but bought the Ferrari filler instead for $14.00. I have probably bottled 500 bottles or so with this and have been happy with it.