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I just found out my neighbor has coffee trees growing on his farm. How relaxing it was picking coffee beans right next to the river. This area is so peaceful, a feat hard to do on Oahu with a population of almost 1 million on this tiny island. Now to Google how to process and roast the beans!

This was the first time I saw this combonation. Northland brand Cranberry/Blackberry juice. Label says 100% juice. No preservatives to worry about. I am preparing to make a 3 gallon batch of blackberry port with 2 or 3 cans of VH Blackberry. Instead of topping off with water, I was thinking of...

I came up with the bright idea of giving my co-workers, neighbors, etc. some homemade wine and jelly that I made from the local fruits. Thought I'd get off cheap. Well, not that cheap. I've got about $130 in matierals, being small lauhala baskets, white fluff, cellophane wrapping, ribbon, 375 ml...

I'll be giving away some of my wines in 375s for Christmas presents this year. I'd like to stick with Avery labels since that is what I'm accustomed to. What size labels have you used that looked porportionate on the 375 ml size? I'm guessing with the smaller label, not as much detail can go on...

OK, it may be a little too early to judge, but I racked my lilikoi (passion fruit) wine off the gross lees and sampled a little. Since I made it with almost pure passion fruit juice, it has ALOT of flavor. Natural passion fruit juice is tart. I sweetened my sample with a little inverted sugar...

So I started my lilikoi (passion fruit) must tonight. Instead of using lots of fruit, I started with about 3.5 gallons of pure lilikoi juice that I steam juiced. I added 5 cans of Welch's White Grape concentrate, some yeast nutrient, enegizer, 1/2 tsp. grape tannin, 5 k-meta tabs, and some...

The directions on my acid test kit said to aggitate the sample solution while adding the drops until the color change stays constant. I noticed that if I just gently swirl the sample, the color stays constant earlier. If I pour it from one container to another, it takes more solution for the...

The lilikoi (aka: passion fruit) season is in full swing! Aside from picking some from my neighbors woods, I hired neighborhood kids to go pick for me. Since I've ran out of room in my freezer, these last two rubbish bags full will be steam juiced. Looks like I've got enough for a 5 gallon batch...

OK, I'd like to start testing my wines for proper PH and acidity. I really don't know much in this area so I'm relying on you guys/gals to help me out. I was looking at this PH meter: http://www.ebay.com/itm/270511276038?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 Would this be all that...

I bought a nice stainless steel steam juicer in hopes of reducing my processing time of my lychee. I know not alot of vintners here have experience with this tropical fruit, but I'd like to ask: What would it hurt to leave the skin and stone in the small fruit? I was thinking just cut open the...

Well, I had a bumper crop and have enough lychee (Chinese fruit) to make two 5 gallon batches of wine and plenty left over to make jelly. This was my first attempt at lychee jelly. If it is any good, it will be going to those friends who helped peel/de-stone all my lychee.

So I made a 5 gallon batch of Vinters Harvest peach. I knew that with just the 96 oz. can of peaches/juice, it would be weak so I ordered a 4 oz. bottle of peach flavoring for beer & wine. It is still very weak. I was going to make an F-pak with 10 lbs. of peaches, but that would be over $30.00...

I was thinking of getting some custom capsules: Red for lychee, orange for peach, pink for guava, etc. I did a Google search and most places I found had a minimum order of over 1400 capsules per color! Does anyone know where I can get colored capsules in smaller quantities? Thanks.

I found these bottles of 100% organic pear juice bottles, 32 oz. each. They are $4.00 each. To go with 100% pear juice it would take 20 to make 5 gallons which is about $80.00. Does anyone have a guesstimate on how much you could get away with instead of 100% juice and still get a good pear flavor?

This post isn't so much a question I guess as it is an informational. I've made lilikoi wine from concentrate (18% juice) last year, backsweetened/F-Pac with lilikoi syrup, but the company no longer sells lilikoi concentrate, so the next best thing? Guava I guess! The concentrate is also 18%...

Part 1: OK, for my fruit wine (lychee if you know what that is), I decided to split the primary in to 2 separate primaries due to the large amount of fruit I used. After adding a bit over 5 lbs. per gallon for each primary, I added just a hair over 2 1/2 gallons of water to each primary. I guess...

I'm trying to go for that "antique" kind of look with my labels. I'd like the majority of the label to look similar to this "WANTED" poster. Here is the picture I'd like to use in the center of the label. How can I get the rest of the white label to have that antique beige tone to it? I'm...

OK, lychee season is in and I have 3 trees that are loaded. I realize not many have experience with lychee but its a fruit so wine will be made! I made a 5 gallon batch 2 years ago that was delicious, until I learned what why you add sulphates! It slowly spoiled. My question: The recipe I did...

Getting warm enough to start making fruit wines again. Although this question sounds a bit loaded, its really not. I'm just looking for a ball park figure. What SG would most consider to be a semi dry wine and what SG would you consider a semi-sweet wine. I realize this is very subjective and...

I bottled some blackberry wine in December using a floor corker and #8 size new corks. The bottles have been stored on their sides. After opening a couple of the bottles, I noticed most of the cork was wet, like the wine was seeping out. All bottles have plastic capsules over the end of the...