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Geronimo...have you had an issue with the SG becoming to low when you add enough water to the kits to make it reach a level that will fill the carboy after the first rack? As far as down the road with making my own wine from scratch i will just make sure to have enough to top the carboy properly.

Rocky that's not a bad idea...how well do the "6 gallon" kits fit into the "5 gallon" carboys since i know they seem to vary by a few liters depending on manufacture? Funny how a simple hobby turns more involved :) I already have 2 primaries and 3 of the 6 gallon carboys along with a few 1...

So i tried to find a good answer for this question and found some interesting ideas but im wondering what everyone uses. I've only made wine kits so far and i've noticed that there is a lot of headspace in the carboys. Im using the 6 gallon glass ones. In the past i have topped off with a like...

Thanks Tony. I think im making this more of a big deal than it is. The directions are pretty vague, and im guessing a little low on the SG, after following all the steps is just how the kit is gonna work :)

Since I have two kits side by side in primaries i have been able to watch them. Looks like the kit with the lower starting SG is bubbling away at a slower rate, but at least its doing something :) In doing some looking on the forum i dont think it will affect the outcome too much. One question...

After thinking about it i may have had a little too much water in the one primary. That might have done it. I added one gallon after hitting the 5 US mark on the primary, but might have misjudged it.

Well, im not sure about what's "properly" but i can see that there is some fermentation going on. The lid on my primary is distended and there are occasional bubbles through the airlock. I'll check back this evening and hopefully its more active by then.

It's been a long time since i've made a kit wine after i got carried away two years ago making six kits in rapid succession. Needless to say it took me a while to get through the wine!! Anyhow i am making a Selection Original Series Riesling, and when i took the SG before adding yeast i noticed...

ive had kits that i've left in the primary a few days longer than i should have, and by the time i went to the secondary stage, the SG was holding where it should have been so i went straight to the clearing and degassing stage. Everything turned out well, it depends a lot on the temps. where...

thanks for the advice guys. i think adding the elderflowers to the bag before fermentation seems to be the easiest way to go about this. ill have to try to do it next time. for now will those flowers sink to the bottom during clearing or will i have to deal with them during bottling?

just started my first VR Piesporter a week ago and its the first kit that i have made that calls for the addition of elderflowers to the primary fermentation. I noticed that when i went to rack into my carboy for the secondary that the flowers had all stayed on top of the mix. Anyhow, when i...

that could work. im trying to find one made of wood so that it at least sort of looks like the wine rack up there. Although for the time being that is a good idea.

Thanks. I've been using the kitchen countertops for now. Which always worked out just fine. Trying to get a table that is minimal but sturdy enough.....i know that can be hard to find. :)

Hi guys. Im looking to either purchase or build a table that will hold 3 carboys of wine. In the past i've carried the full carboys downstairs and let them settle for another week before bottling. What would you suggest as a good height for this table so that i can avoid moving my carboys...

well hey that's good to hear...can't wait to see how these wines turn out. I have never made wine before and right now i am about 1/2 month away from bottling my Gewurztraminer that's been bulk aging for a few weeks. :) haha the wait is killing me....will it turn out.....or not....haha that's...

just degassed and added the sulfites today....wow did this kit foam up when i stirred it. I barely had much to deal with on my white i did last month. i actually had some foam up and over :( anyway, it was wierd that the SG level read .994 when the kit said that the VR Mezza Luna Red's wont...

ok thanks for the heads up. any experience with using an inert gas to fill up the headspace? have heard that this is an easy way to do it as well....

just got done racking it into a secondary after 6 days in the primary at a SG level of approx 1.000. For some reason this kit, and the one before seemed to reach the low SG levels earlier than the directions said....guess its a good thing :) anyway, try as i might with siphoning every last...

ok i've already added 1/4 tsp for the 6 gals that i have aging, i like the idea of the filtering, ill have to use that because i want to avoid having sediment in the bottles :)

rookie question tom....keep up the meta? at this point in the process (after secondary, clearing, etc) im just bulk aging, can you still top off with a like wine after racking off of the sediment without changing the flavors too much?