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I made a cranberry wine that had a low pH like yours. I had a heck of a time getting it to start fermenting. I added carbonate to bring up the pH. It finally kicked in and ended up fine.

I'm not adding any MLF o my similar batch. I did add toasted oak. I don't see a negative to it, but marginal benifit for the cost. Aging it will be your biggest payoff.

This link always updates with vineyard pics from many countries. A few pics are mine, local NC vineyards. Let your mind wander through the rows.

Though I don't have any vines myself, I do know several vineyard owners. This thread brought to mind a comments from one of the vineyard owners that I thought might be of value here. Here's the gist of it. We were picking grapes from some four year old vines. This was the first year that the...

Knowing that the skins had been fermented, I figured they were likely short of nutrient. I added yeast nutrient on days one, two, and three. I was able to obtain the used press cake from an area vineyard. I'd help them pick their grapes, which they very much appreciated. They also loaned me...

With your sugar so high, I'd expect you may never see it get down to 1.000. I expect you will have to add sorbate at some point. Am I wrong in saying that sorbate and MLF should not be mixed? By that I mean add sorbate, but don't do the MLF.

That sounds good cmason1957. I prefer a dryer wine though. I had to add about 80 pounds of sugar to my batch. I've found that it's best to age the wine two years, though I've been enjoying my second press wine from 2013 pretty regularly. It helps me keep my hands off the first press stuff. I...

I expected to have to add acid to this and likely will add some. The pH was 3.7 during fermentation. FYI, I added about 80 lbs of sugar to the mix to get the SG to 1.090.

This years budget has been challenging. I had to buy a new car, new computer, new washer and dryer, and a new stove. Spare cash for grapes wasn't in the budget this year. As grape harvest season approached, I began to lament over missing out on the season. For the past years I've experimented...

Saturday I pressed my 80 gallons of Merlot/Chambourcin must. I work in healthcare so I wash my hands more frequently than the average bear. Despite the frequent washing, my hands still have a purple tint. I love the smell of fermenting wine in the morning...

I sure would love to tour many of these locations. Vineyards as far as the eye can see, what a dream. Norther Italy and due North of Italy really catch my eye.

Hi fellow winemakers. I've come across a neat vineyard photo gallery that I thought you would enjoy. I hope you enjoy the views as much as I did. http://www.flickr.com/groups/484521@N21/pool/

I hear ya Rocky. Hey, it's like 23 here this AM... too cold. No problem as spring isn't far off. Gary, the grapes in these pics vary from Cabernet sauv, Merlot, Cab franc, and Petit verdot.

Hi folks, It's been too long since I visited the forum here. Well, it's February and time to get out in the vineyard here in North Carolina. We're glad to see cooler temperatures here in Western North Carolina after last years no winter mess. Frost in the spring did a job on the grapes in my...

Thanks Dan, it has a nice crisp taste to it. I tucked several bags of skin in the freezer. Next season, when I get frozen juice from Chile, I plan to add them to it. I'll do that if I'm unable to get grapes in addition to the juice. The point is to come up with wine we enjoy drinking. I feel...

This is my 2012 wine collection. The Rocky Top Red are the bottles on the left. Here is a breakdown of the wines. Chilean Malbec - 6 gallons Chilean Carmenere - 5 gallons NC Cabernet Sauvignon -12 gallons Rocky Top Red - 13 gallons (Apple wine with Cab Sauv skins) You can get a glimpse of...

Happy Birthday Mike! Cheers!!!

Greetings friends, I’d like to share a new apple wine concoction that I’ve come up with. I’ve decided to call it Rocky Top Red. Here is the gist of it. Early last week I was pressing my North Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. After pressing I saved the skins/yeast sludge. I ran down to our...

I'm attaching a link to the MoreWine guide for MLF. I recently read this over as I'm in the early stages of MLF just after press of my cab sauv from grapes. The recommend giving the wine a stir 1-2 times per week. I believe MLF will take about 6 weeks to complete. The guide suggests performing...

From my limited experience with frozen juice buckets, they've been pH balanced with yeast added. I'd still check the pH. I'd add any oaking material, some yeast nutrient, some crushed grape or grape skins of the same variety you are making. Make sure to put an air lock on your frozen juice...