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I'm considering buying some Chilean grapes from a local winery here in MD that imports them. It would be my first time to try to make wine from grapes instead of a kit. I'm thinking of trying Malbec and Viognier. They come in 18 lb packs, so I'll get 5 each to make 6.5 gal malbec and 5-gal...

Can anyone comment on the differences, if any, between the All Juice and the Renaissance products in terms of the finished wine? I thought I had ordered the All Juice, but ordered the Renaissance instead. I did order a Syrah grape pack to go with it. Got high hopes for this wine. Initial SG 1.114

I've noticed that something new came with my MM All Juice Pinot Grigio and Riesling, a plastic packet of golden liquid called Kristalblock, or something like that. Has anyone else seen/used these? Is this a flavor pack or just something to prevent wine diamonds? Ken

Since I've been away from the forum awhile, I thought I'd post my impressions of the wines I've made since starting this hobby in 2007. My hope is that I'll get some feedback on some of my not-so-good's. The first two reds I made in 2007 were a 23L Cab (not MM) and a 23L Sangiovese (MM). After...

Hi All, As I sit here sipping on a glass of MD Chambourcin, I'm reflecting on the past year. I was once an active member of this forum, but the passing of a beloved forum member had a profound effect on me and I stopped posting. Later I deployed to Afghanistan for 6-1/2 months, so my winemaking...

Finally figured out how to convert these files to jpg.

So I know my new wine puppies are cute and all, but I'm sorry to report that they have an evil streak. We've been experimenting with letting them loose in the house for short periods while we're away, as opposed to putting them in their kennels. At some point, Gina will go back to work, and...

I just got this kit from George, and I'm really looking forward to starting it.It comes with a small bottle of conditioner, same as the CC Viognier. Has anyone else made this wine before?

I'm worried about my 3-gal batch of Ancient Orange. My inability to follow simple (and humorous) directions has left me uncertain of the outcome of this batch. Here's my story- or confession, if you like. I racked it after only one month instead of waiting two like the directions said. I...

I got my kit from George this past week, but it may be a while before I can start it. I took a look inside and noticed it comes with two packs of untoasted American oak saw dust to be added during primary. I plan to pour these into the strainer bag with the grape pack. But what about oak during...

I finally got around to starting this batch of pear wine, but when I opened the can, I found a couple of surprises. First, no fruit. This was more like a puree. But the most striking thing was the color. It was brown! Does anyone know if this is normal? I imagined that pear puree would be white...

Hi all, I recently fermented a VH Blackberry trying to copy Wade's recipe, but my Cotes Des Blanc yeast was stronger than expected. I started with SG 1.110 and ended down around .990. With that much alcohol, I decided to dilute the 3-gal batch by expanding it to 4-gal. But I didn't want to...

Yet another diversion to keep me from tinkering with my wine....

I started a 15L Heron Bay Pinot Grigio kit 9-30-08 and bottled it today. Turned out very nice, clean crisp with hints of apple and a little nutty on the finish. (Those are Gina's words... ) 30 full bottles,a 375 mil,and a nice big glass left over. Wish I could say I was...

With the kids visiting for Christmas, I decided to enlist their help with my wine chores. We bottled a 3-gal batch of RJ Spagnols Orange Blossom Muscat (pics under that post title) and a 6-gal batch of Cellar Craft Lodi Old Vines Zinfandel. We had quite the assembly line going. My...

The kids are coming for Christmas, and I thought we might start some wine together. Sooooo- while shopping today I picked up some cranberries (6 lbs), a couple bags of gala apples (7 lbs), and two gallons of apple juice. Wasn't sure which kind of apples made the best wine, and I sure don't know...

Started a WE Chenin Blanc today. Must smells and tastes great. SG was lower than expected at 1.082, so I mixed in a cup of table sugar raising it to 1.085. This evening the yeast was already forming a cap on top.The tempwas just over 75*, so I decided to move the primary...

Finally got around to putting labels on several wines. Most of these have been bottled for a while.

Started the CC Malbec with grape pack tonight and ran into a problem. After pitching the yeast, I noticed the primary was leaking at the spigot. I had overtightened the nut and the gasket had been displaced. I had to transfer to another primary, fix the leak, and then transfer back again. The...

You all have me salivating over your mead batches, and I don't even know what mead tastes like. Ah well. Time to jump right in. I bought 10 lbs of honey and 6 quarts of black cherry juice at the store today. I haven't done any research on a recipe yet, but I'd like to make this into a...