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Yup, Arcticsid is alive and well. Sends his regards to the forum and hopes to be back online in a couple of weeks or so.

I've been cursed by the wine gods...no question. I started my apple concentrate wine (Keller) to make SP. The SG was 1.116! I added a little water, not much 'cause I didn't want to dilute the flavor and that brought it down a smidgen to 1.114. Against my better judgment, I went ahead and...

Is there a chart anywhere in the forum that shows the proper starting and finishing SGs for various wines? Or is there a general rule of thumb to use?

OK, I didn't have a slurry so I'm in the pre-yeast stage of a 1 gal. apple concentrate wine to make SP. From Lon's FAQ, it looks like I just use the whole batch to make the pee. (Please tell me I read that right!) I also noticed that the recipe calls for Sparkolloid, which I don't have. But...

The chemicals (PE, campden, tannin, etc.) I get locally comes in those little plastic bags that theoretically you can reseal after opening via the zip closure. Only, the zips don't usually close. I've lost the contents of a couple bags due to that problem. So, I'm wondering if anyone has...

I've been so excited about making a pepper jelly wine, thinking that should really be good. No comments on the recipe so I figured I was good to go. So I started it. Today, I was doing the second stage where the must is boiled for 5 minutes and then poured over all the chemicals, sugar and...

I'm now ready to try making a Jalapeno Jelly wine now that I have a dedicated primary. I'm having to come up with my own recipe, which I am basing on Keller's. (Sort of a combination of 2 recipes with some variation.) How does this sound for a 1 gal. batch? Thanks for any input. Jalapeno...

I'm starting a new batch of potato wine. The recipe says to add pectic enzyme when the must has cooled. Then wait 24 hrs. to pitch the yeast. Is it really necessary to wait that long to add the yeast? Seems like a lot of the oxygen in the must would have dispersed in that amount of time and...

Back in March I promised to post some photos of dandelions growing this far north in Alaska (abt 65° lat) to prove they actually grow here. They started emerging in my yard last week. Photo 1 is next to the greenhouse where it couldn't be mowed so it grew even more after this photo was taken...

I just got back from a visit to my local wine-making supplier and the proprietor was telling me that he is now recommending swing-top wine bottles as an alternative to corking. Are any of you using those? BTW, I mentioned last month that I was having a taste issue with some of my wines. I...

I started making wines last March. And, of course, I'm anxious to drink my work. So, I'm now opening some of my wines that were bottled in Sep. and Nov. They smell fine, no off aromas. At first they have a great taste but, some have an aftertaste that I can't identify that I don't care for...

I really did do a search but didn't find the answer to the following question: What are the symptoms of the "dreaded CO2" problem? I'm assuming most of them are taste-related.

I racked my craisin wine from my primary bucket to 2 secondary 1 imperial gal carboys about a week ago. SG was at 1.020. Of course, I didn't stir before racking as there was a tremendous amount of sediment from the craisins. (I didn't use my 3 gal carboy because I thought there would be too much...

I made a whole lotta Cayenne Pepper jelly and Jalapeno Pepper Jelly last Fall and am wondering if I could use some to make wine? Some of them were a little spicy, some were a lot more spicy. Have any of you made any and how did it turn out? Is this something maybe I shouldn't try??

These are my latest labels...without the important data such as date and alc. content. Any comments for future tweaks? Thanks! http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=254&pictureid=1414 http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=254&pictureid=1413...

OK, so I have a question for the group. What is the worst wine you've ever made and what went wrong???

2 days ago, I pitched yeast in 2 batches of wine, one 2 gal. batch of "crazin raisin" (a 50/50 craisin and raisin blend) and one 1 gal. batch "wild Alaska Blueberry" made from frozen wild berries. Craisin is happily bubbling away. Blueberry has yet to start. I used Lalvin EC-1118 for both...

My husband (the beer brewer) and I (the wine maker) have been having a discussion which prompted me to ask the group here what is most used as the sugar component in the primary fermentation for wine. He says that using table sugar imparts a specific "nose" and taste that is unpleasant as...