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I had to go with a new producer for my frozen sauvignon blanc. I agitated the pail periodically while it was thawing. Once thawed, I made my adjustments and stirred them in gently using my drill stirrer. I came back a few hours later to pitch the yeast, and the must appears to be 60%...

Any advice on storing delicate glassware like pipettes?

My buddy is concerned with pressing white grapes after pressing red. He is afraid that the red stains on the oak press with leech out into the white juice. I told him they by fall the press will be fine. So what do you guys think? Am I right, or is he going to fire bomb my house when we...

I just fermented my first pail of WA Merlot, from frozen grapes. I was a little disappointed when I tested the must and discovered it was deficient in both sugar and pH (19.5° & 3.76). Is this typical of WA Merlot, or did I just get a bad pail?

This morning, I racked a gallon batch of chardonel and was surprised to see that the sediment was not loose but appeared to be cohesive sheets. This is the final racking, just prior to cold stab. Since it was only a gallon, I didn't bother with fining. The wine seems fine, I have just never...

One of my books says that Super Kleer sells two different formulas, one for reds and another for whites. I can only find one kind of Super Kleer. Is my book just out of date?

The documentation for this yeast says that it has high nitrogen requirements. What exactly does that mean in practical terms (i.e. how do I make sure I meet those requirements)? I'm sure there is a technical ppm FAN requirement, but I am looking for something a little more real-world for the...

I made a chardonel dessert wine by freeze-concentrating the juice. My starting SG was 1.154 and the ending was 0.992. My formula gives an approximate alcohol percentage of 22, but that does not seem possible. Would someone mind double-checking my calculation? TIA

I'm having bottling wand trouble. I've had one for a while but something caused it to stick open. No matter what I tried, I could not get the valve to close. I bought another one and it worked fine once. The second time (today) it's doing the same thing as the first. Is there some trick...

My first mead attempt at mead (Buckwheat Mead Failure) did not go well. At the time, I blamed it on the recipe that used no meta and did not measure anything (you just dumped everything together, and forgot it for two weeks). Well, the rematch is not going any better. This time I measured...

I'm starting a batch of faux ice wine, as outlined in Home Winemaking Step-by-Step by Iverson. I've recorded the prep in my blog. The chardonel grapes are not late harvest, but I still have high hopes. I have since added some medium toast French oak beans and pitched the K1V yeast. I have it...

I think I read somewhere that for the purposes of raising brix, honey is equivalent to table sugar by weight. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

We built this using an article in the Aug-Sep '10 issue of WineMaker magazine. WineMaker mag DIY crusher (my blog post)

I gave up on my quest of finding a wine press, and built one from a kit. I wanted to post a pic of the finished press, but I didn't think it was appropriate to post it in the original thread. Completed wine press

I have a Plastic Thief three-piece wine thief. I used it for the first time tonight, and was not happy. For some reason, it did not draw any liquid past the first segment, which is maybe 4-5" in length. On top of that, it seemed to leak really badly. Makes me long for my turkey baster, but I...

Anyone ever try to make their own oak beans?

I was trying to replace the airlock in my 6gl carboy with a solid bung. I kept inserting it and it kept popping out. I kept pushing and now it's about 1" past flush. I'm not sure if it's actually sealed or how to get it out. Any suggestions?

I know that different wine regions traditionally use different bottle shapes (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Germany, etc). Does the shape make a practical difference, or can I get by with putting everything in Bordeaux bottles?

This is my first-ever batch of wine. I bought a Vintner's Resever Pinot Noir kit when I got my equipment. I've followed the directions carefully. I started their "stabilising and clearing" step three weeks ago. I checked the wine for clarity last week, and it looked like a snow globe. Per...

Can anyone point me to a good reference detailing the how's and why's of different types of wine glasses? TIA