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I have a 6-gal batch of Ruby Cabernet bulk aging. What can I use to top off the carboy after the next racking? Would any good Cabernet be OK? Thanks, -Tom in Scranton, PA USA

I'm not sure if this "film" on top of my Cab/Merlot juice blend is from a residue or something bad. It smells OK, and has no real taste. I was wondering if anyone can recognize what this might be. Thanks, -Tom in Scranton, PA USA

Greetings! Will using a good store bought Merlot be OK to use for topping off a carboy of Sangiovese? I like Chianti, so I'm thinking it wouldn't hurt. Thanks, -Tom in Scranton, PA USA

After making wine for 2 years, I've decided to give all-grain beer making a try. I have all the equipment ready ... but my question is: I bought a 9-gal (36-qt) stainless steel pot for a steel on Amazon ($59 shipped!). Would a 9-gal pot be OK to brew 5-gal batches? -Tom in Scranton, PA USA

Hi... I started some Leon Millot wine back in early Sep. It fermented VERY slowly, but eventually went from 1.090 to .995. Today, I sampled it and found it to be a weird color... almost like a brownish. And it tastes "off" ... not a bad or foul or vinegar taste... just kinda of weak...

Hello... A friend of mine let me pick about 30 lbs of apples from his tree. Not sure what kind they are, but they look and taste like Courtlands. Anyway, has anyone had success with a spiced apple wine? If so, would you mind sharing the recipe? I found this one...

Hello again, I picked up my 6-gal bucket of Sangiovese juice today. I checked the SG and it's exactly 1.100 ... pretty high. Should I pitch the yeast anyway, or should I somehow lower the SG? What yeasts would be best? This juice has no additives... just pure, cold juice. Thanks, -Tom in...

10 days ago, I went to the Finger Lakes and brought back 2 buckets of juice: Diamond white and Leon Millot red. The next day, I added sugar to both to bring the SG up to around 1.085 - 1.090. Added ICV-D47 yeast to the white and 71B-1122 to the red. Both were fermenting really well in primary...

OK, I have a 4th batch of S'Pee just about ready now. I made it with White Grape/Peach slurry. But it has little if any taste of peach. I want to add some flavor, but I do NOT want to add any of that artificial crap that a friend of mine added to his peach wine. OK, so what options do I...

Greetings! I'm relatively new at making wine at home. Last year, I purchased a 6-gal bucket of Cabernet juice and simply added campden, let it sit for a day, pitched my yeast, added wood chips for a few weeks, and wound up with a very tasty supply of Cabernet after it sat for a year. :)...

Hello... I picked about 20 lbs of "wild" small concord-like grapes that are VERY potent in flavor and somewhat sweet. Found tons of vines on a wall where I work. Anyway, I destemmed and crushed them in a 5-gal bucket (boy, was that a task!). Anyway, I added about a 1/2 gal of distilled water...

Hello! I've got a 3 gallon batch of raspberry wine made using Vintner's Harvest raspberry fruit base. I started it in January. It's quite dry now and just aging. This batch will definitely need an F-pack since it's so dry and very "alcoholy". Most of the raspberry taste is gone now. I...

1.) How long do they last? A friend gave me a ton of them, but they are a couple years old. 2.) How many should I use per gallon as an equipment sanitizer? Thanks! -Tom in Scranton, PA

Hello... I'm Tom, age 46, from Scranton, PA and completely new to wine-making. And boy and I glad I found this place! OK, I wasn't serious into wines until about a year ago. A former friend/high school classmate of mine brought his homemade petite sirah wine to a class reunion bus trip. I...

Hello! I made 3 gallons of pear wine about 6 weeks ago. It is around 13% abv. I made it with winter pears from a neighbor's tree. Unfortnately, it doesn't have much pear flavor. The wine is fairly clear now and hasn't had any fermentation action in a few weeks now. Can I simply add some 100%...