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I'll throw in my 2 cents. I had some creasing issues with nomacorks as well as the flared ends. I noticed there were two times the issues were more prominent. When I used bottles that were slightly too short to touch the bottom of the corker and when I had help from kids. My two solutions were...

I've made chokecherry for the last few years, each year regretting I didn't make more. This year I'm making 5 gallons. I shoot for 3-4 lbs per gallon. If the berries are ripe, I find I can strip them from the bush with minimal stems. The less ripe they are, the more they stick to them stem...

From the Purple Foot: Various vineyards in Minnesota and Wisconsin may have grapes available in the fall. For Minnesota vineyards, go to: minnesotagrown.com and search for "grapes". That is what I did - contacted vineyards via email and now I am on mailing lists for pick your own dates. I'm...

I have made lilac wine a couple times. The flowery taste of the lilac is very light. I do not plan to make any more this year as even though I like it, there are lots of other things I like more. I feel the same about dandelion. Other people like that i made it though, i think for the novelty of...

When I picked up my juice at Midwest they had Mosti AllGrape packs there to purchase in store. I got one to add to my Carmenere juice; this will be my first time trying it out. I haven't seen any skin packs listed for sale online. When FWKs came out you could choose between adding one or two...

1) I never got the chocolate note I was looking for. Maybe a hint, but i was hoping for more. I was hoping for a little more than subtle, but nowhere near a chocolate flavored wine. Either how, we have been very happy with the result. 2) I'm 90% certain that the oak cubes i used came from...

I started an en primeur Carmenere in March of 2019, bottled it at almost a year. Fruity Carmenere that is as good if not better than most of the commercial I've tried. I added heavy toast french cubes as I was hoping for a little chocolate like my favorite commercial bottle. It's a little...

Having made many trips to Chile myself - I can tell you that it depends. I have found that at the larger vineyards there is normally someone who speaks English, but at some the smaller ones there is less of a chance. My experience has been that many have someone on staff that speaks English well...

I don't know if this might save you some work, but take a look. https://blackswanbarrels.com/products/honey-comb-barrel-alternative

Saw this on instagram today, Pais grapes sin drying in the vineyard. Being this is from Viña Erasmo, this should become Pais Asoleado.

Hi Bob, Welcome. I live in MN as well, don't our short growing season disappoint you. My wild chokecherry wine last year is the best thing I have made to date. If you are willing to drive to the Twin Cities you can find grape options there. Wild fruits are particularly good in the northern part...

I had some other discussions during the week which led to an 1898 paper that studied the effect of increased pressure on fermentation. The conclusion was that increased pressure even at low levels reduced bacteria and spoilage organisms while good yeast was not affected. It would then make...

@stickman I don't disagree with you on the potential for issues, and I don't recommend that others try fermenting in sealed barrels. I have been considering fermenting in barrel without it being sealed, or with a pressure relief valve for this year. Last year the barrel did have it's own...

It took me 4 years to finally get my hands on a bottle, and that was at the vineyard. There was only one place in Santiago selling it, but we didn't venture to that sector of the city. Interesting to read some more history on the subject. Almost all my knowledge came from conversations in...

I also forgot to include that I am thinking of back sweetening the current wine, but I want to see how much magic time works by leaving in the carboy for another 6 months.

Sorry to say there is no video. I didn't even get photos of when the grapes were hanging.

Asoleado translates into suntanned and refers farmers harvesting the grape clusters then placing them on top of the bush trained vines to "tan". The process that I think is going on is that by partially drying the grapes increases the solids and sugar content by decreasing the water content...

@Tim3 The process described to me in Chile was that it was supposed to ferment under pressure. "The yeast, sugar, and pressure should all be fighting each other in the barrel to make the wine." I thought I remembered something about the interaction of yeast under pressure in the Pambianchi...

Last year I wanted to try making an Asoleado wine in a similar method to what I learned and tried in Chile, but from MN grapes. I started with approximately 120lbs of frontenac gris grown about two hours from my house. Why this variety? It is what I could get. In Chile they now hang the grape...

This spring I have a Chilean chenin blanc bucket coming, For the fall I am thinking of 3 lugs of merlot and 3 of Cab franc with the intent of blending some and leaving some as single varietals. I also plan to get a Nebbiolo bucket, and was thinking that I could get an extra lug of merlot and...