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Thanks for the replies. I feel better now about the two batches, gives me hope it may still turn out.

I have made 20 gallons of blackberry wine from berries I picked from domestic berries I grow in my yard. The first 10 gallons which are already in carboys taste fine. The last 10 gallons I made which are still in the primary buckets have a very strong bitter taste. This year I strayed from...

Made it to Tulsa yesterday to bet some supplies of which I bought pH strips. The digital reader will have to wait until medical bills are paid. Maybe on my Christmas list :snw Anyhow, my raspberry/cherry pH-3.2; Blackberry-3.6; Grape/black cherry/elderberry-3.6; grape-3.2.

Just back from Tulsa, the elderberry concentrate had other juices in it plus sugar, sounded more like a medicine when reading the label. But found some black cherry concentrate, no added sugar or chemicals at whole foods and bought two bottles of it to add since it is a grape/black...

Thanks for the info. Will wait until fermentation stops, just to play it safe. Normally I wait until SG is 1.0 or less to rack into primary, but my first time using elderberries in a wine and one experienced elderberry wine maker said they racked at 1.02 so I decided to go ahead and rack at...

Have a carboy of grape/cherry/elderberry going and this morning woke to fine the fine lees off the bottom had floated to surface, and gotten into the air lock, filling it and overflowing. Fermentation is still going on, had racked it at 1.02 from primary into carboy. I used my wine pump vac...

Yes, older than 12 mos. Stored in original containers, sealed tight in a cabinet in the house under controlled environment. Nearest wine supply store is about 90 miles away in Tulsa, will have to let the wine age until can get away and make the trip.

I had an acid testing kit in my wine supplies from when I got started and never used, so got it out and checked the 5 gallons I thought was flat and it took 8-9 cc to change the color to a definite grey, so according to the directions the TA is 8-9%. Maybe my taste buds are burned out?

I use tartaric acid when I add acid as I've read that is a less tart acid and mellows well with aging. Can I add acid to the carboy to increase the acid level, and if so does anyone have an idea of how much to add to 5 gallons to bring the numbers down by .1 at a time?

Thanks Steve. Have read some of the tutorials I've found here. Yes, a good ph meter is something I need to invest in next, along with a good press.

Thank you Pam. I will do as you suggest with the pectic enzyme. I came across the 8# sugar by trial and error. My first wine making attempts started with 12# sugar, way too sweet. Then started scaling back by 2# until I hit 8# and found that to be totally converted by the time I bottle.

Hello all. Have been making wine now for about 3-4 years. No kits, just going by what I'd read and dumb luck :D. I have now reached a point I'd like to improve my wine. I have never taken a ph level for acid, but plan on starting. I pick my berries when they are at a point of ripeness just...

Thank you Mountain Jack for the link. I had thought about growing some elderberry plants, then decided against it once finding out they contain cyanide but have decided after reading the articles it is safe and now plan to purchase some. Also, the link on the page to where to purchase...

ok, thank you Julie. I scrubbed with my good arm till it was ready to fall off (post rotator cuff surgery on the other). Good to know. Does the cyanide build up in a persons liver? Is the wine safe to drink? Since you know how to remove the goo, you must have made it before and still...

Thanks steve for your response. The wine is still in the primary fermenting. I remove the lid once a day and stir. Yesterday I just strained the wine from one primary into another primary to remove the grape seeds, skin, and elderberry seed. There is still frequent bubbling going on...

Hi. Have a question about elderberries in wine from more experienced wine makers. My last batch of wine I started was from the last of my grapes and was not enough for a whole batch, so added a can of black cherry puree and got the must going. About 5 days into the fermentation a friend...

thanks, glad to hear that.

I made a pear wine last year and all the bottles developed a cloudy slime on the bottom. the wine is carbonated and has a funky flavor; not like vinegar, but not good either. kinda earthy. my question is can these bottles be sanitized and used again? the airlock was knocked off the carboy...

last year friends were going to Alaska for the winter and had us come help them pick all the peaches that were ripe; in return we got BAGS of peaches for helping. the paper bags seemed to speed up the ripening process as within a couple days of getting them home decided I had to use them. not...

thank you for the responses. used some of the wine to top up. next season really need a press.