Recent content by trevor

To answer the original question: Yes. There is a loose connection. Please note - I work only with wine. Suppose my original sg is 1.1 then, I work on this ... 0.990 will be a dry wine. Alcohol about 12% 1.008 will be off-dry. Alcohol about 11.5% 1.015 will be medium-sweet. Alcohol about 11%...

Thanks for your thoughts. I see July as the danger time because it can be very hot but we also have violent storms. Hot and wet is not good, so I 'hit everything' at that time of year. Chemicals ... I can see no point in being 'polite', so I go for these bugs with the best that I know of ! As...

Thanks for your reply. Oidium spraying. Ah ... so I should start that much earlier (assuming we don't still have snow in March!). At the moment, I spray the trunk of the vine as well as the spurs after I have cut off last year's growth and have tied in the new shoots. Perenospera shows itself...

I grow Chardonnay. In April I spray against oidium. Then, every 2 weeks, from May to August I pray with systemic and contact fungicide against perenospera (changing the chemicals every month) In June I add a foliar feed. In July/August I include a spray against oidium. I try to keep the canopy...

thanks Some new ideas here for me to try. Thanks. Stabilizing does not worry me. As I have white wine, I keep a good stock of sulphite and I check levels regularly. I also have a large, empty, fridge. But back-sweetening with sugar just tastes 'juck'

I have a small vineyard (chardonnay) I usually use natural fermentation, because I am surrounded by vineyards, and the results are pretty reliable. Result: a dry wine about 11.5 % If you are drinking it every day, this is boring. For a pleasant, sunny day, drink I probably need to back-sweeten a...

That is stunning. Many thanks.

I can convert from Brix or Plato to Specific Gravity. But, where I live, the locals use Oechsle. Does anyone have a conversion formula from Oechsle to Brix (or Oechsle to SG) please. Thanks Trevor

what I have Chardonnay grape. Brix 21. pH 3.4 SG 1.082 Added 40ml/100L sulphite and used SIHA 7 yeast. Boy, was it vigorous ! I have a 600L stainless steel container with airlock etc. Now racked off gross lees and clearing slowly. Free SO2 20ppm Must certainly try to locate B-Brite...

crystals Thank you for your help

I am making chardonnay from grapes. Fermentation was in a stainless steel container. Racked off when it had finished and ... the inside of the container was coated with a rock hard light-brown crystal-type stuff. Only thing that would shift it was boiling water. Does anyone know what it was...

Some yeasts give off a strong smell of rotton eggs. It is part of the fun. It is nothing to worry about

So what is the rush? Winemaking is a slow game Go and have a coffee ... or two. Three weeks is nothing ! You must wait until it settles. You do not mention things like sg? Has it really finished fermenting? etc etc