Recent content by spaniel

Marquette has made the best red wine I can grow in Indiana. Unfortunately last year we were on vacation when the Japanese beetles hit and they completely defoliated the vines in under a week. They never really recovered, and then in the winter we got a weekend with 2 consecutive -13F nights...

Well this was a "special" winter in the Midwest. I'm in central Indiana and I have 98 vines. Two days ago I went through my vineyard with a chainsaw. About 30 vines were not cut off 2 inches from the ground. I expect at least half of what I cut off are actually dead in the root, including...

We hit at least -13F here near Indy over the winter; I was worried. But my Cayuga survived so I expected the Marquette to do so. I did not have time to get in the vineyard repeatedly and check progress and only got everything pruned last week. But the Marquette survived, albeit with I'd say...

I see no usable alternative for pH and reds than a pH meter. At ~$60-80 a cheap but servicable one will serve for both pH and to use in titrating TA. Don't skimp on calibration solutions, either.

Harvested a couple weekends ago. We had a weird year; lots of water in the spring and through the third week of July and then NOTHING. Very dry, air as well. So instead of having to pull grapes before they rotted I could let them hang about a week longer than normal. pH on all three reds...

I've read a lot on this topic, and this is perhaps the most informative document I've seen. Thanks!!! :b

I have no idea. As I said I don't add any water, so I have no ratio to worry about. Using ripe peaches I've never had an issue with lack of water. Yes, the pulp makes using the hydrometer hard but I just deal with it. Once fermentation starts they fall apart into thing but fiber (I use...

Regarding addition of white grapes overpowering, I would not be concerned unless you seriously dilute the peaches. My Ontario grapes ripen with my peaches so I used them, perhaps a gallom of grapes in the 7gal primary. Regardin pounds per gallon peaches, the only thing I add to the peaches is...

My Foch harvest date is exactly the same as yours. I wish I could blend but thus far I have this issue with both (ie all) of my reds. Perhaps my Marquette will turn out on its first try and give me options. I've tried everything else on the list, and now that I look at my notes, Acidex as...

A couple examples: Oberlin Noir 2015 Must: 1.765% TA (by buret titration), 21 Brix, pH 3.13 Fermented with 71B, cold stabilized Finish: pH 3.46, 0.88% TA Used potassium bicarbonate and another cold stabilization. Didn't bother re-measuring numbers as my palate told me the pH went too...

LOL. No, never..... :slp Do it to a couple hard-earned vines and you learn to be more careful. I'd put protectors on but my dogs would just chew them off.

I've made several vintages of Foch and Oberlin Noir. Here in central Indiana, my issue is that our season stays so hot so late (often with humidity) that the grapes reach such a Brix that they will either start to rot on the vine or the wasps take them before the TA gets down to a reasonable...

Really depends on the type. A lot of IPAs are made to drink quite fresh, and aging is counter-productive. On the converse, a high ABV barrel aged stout might improve for a number of years. I once had a bottle of Trois Pistoles I'd bought and gifted to a friend, who gifted to another friend...

I used regular beer caps, they fit almost all champagne bottles fine. Worked great, ambiance aside.

Perhaps my experience is colored by the rich soil and crazy fast (moist/hot) growing season. I grew up a bit further north in Michigan and things were not nearly so crazy here. But in Indiana, my experience is that spraying under my vines was one of the worst decisions ever. By eliminating...