Recent content by thinman56

I have Frontenac and Frontenac Gris planted at my camp in Bethel, Maine. They're about eleven years old and have been bearing fruit for the last six years. I only get up there to tend to them every two or three weeks, so the greenery gets unruly, but for the most part the vines are healthy...

Yea, I know that's usually the case, I always check 'em anyway, and was surprised to see the pH on this one so high, which is why I messed with it. Now I know my measuring tools were inadequate. Starting gravity was 1.090, and it went from that to 1.01 in about 7 days on Vintner's Harvest AW4...

This is my ~15th kit, and I make a couple, three batches of fruit wines every year. I tested the pH of this kit, although my pH meter was acting up. I calibrated with tartaric acid, and thought I had it compensated, but I ended up adding about 1 tbsp of tartaric and 1/2 tbsp of blend to get it...

Update - it didn't ruin the batch, ready to bottle now, a month after the F-pac, tastes great right out of the carboy...

I bottled my apple cider wine in April and cracked the first one a couple weeks ago, I really like the raisin and pineapple addition, gives it a little more body than pure apple wine. Have this year's batch fermenting now, made 6 gallons instead of 3, and used 3/4 lb of dried pineapple and 1/2...

Question withdrawn, my apologies.

Turock - what yeast do you use with strawberries? Any drawback to using the 71B? It did start to go yesterday, and I gave it a good stir to encourage it. Will add a little nutrient a 1.050. Thanks for the feedback.

Thanks, I'll give it a good thrashing tonight and see if it goes. Don't know what I was thinking.....

I think I over-K-meta-ed my strawberry wine. I used 20 lbs of berries for a 3-gallon batch so it would be almost all berry juice, and I layered in about a tablespoon of K-meta as I was dropping the berries in the bucket. Now I can't get the yeast to start, it's been three days and nothing...

Just to follow up, this soapy taste went away after about a year in the bottle, and I have not had the problem with other red wine kits. Still not sure the cause, but all my kit wines have greatly benefited from extended bulk aging and time in the bottles. So far there doesn't appear to be a...

Runningwolf - how long do you leave your whites in the barrel? I might run my Savignon Blanc through it first just for a hint of the oakiness.

Yea, I figured.....

Searched for this question and didn't see it - Can I use the same barrel for whites and reds? Assuming no sorbate or MLF, just kit wines. I never use the sorbate, don't like the taste. Getting ready to put a Pinot Noir in my first barrel, soaking it and sealing it up per the instructions...

I took Tom's recipe (I think it was his) and tried to follow it, made a couple adjustments along the way, and here's my log, for what it's worth: Blackberry November 2013: Blackberry Wine 3 gallon recipe (about, will adjust) 18 lbs of previously frozen and thawed Blackberries 5 1/2 lbs –...

Turock - thanks for all this, will give it a try. I have a pretty good stockpile, so no need to rush...