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This sounds like an interesting plan, and I hope it goes well. From making blueberry before, (with a straining bag) you will have a ball of pulp the size of a grapefruit. The poundage you already have is small; in your situation, I would consider a batch that will yield only 1 gallon of wine to...

I agree with Julie. One more pro to keep it in the carboy longer is to collect more sediment; more can drop out even if the wine looks very clear. It's pretty sneaky like that. I like to keep a laser pointer on hand; you can only see the beam if there's suspended particles (check out the Tyndall...

The flavor will change over time, but the only way to reduce the alcoholic taste is by blending your wine with a low alcohol wine. You can do this by making the same recipe with less sugar and later blending the two.

Congrats on your first wine! So far so good. A little tip: you don't have to rack off of the lees so often. You can definitely wait more than a month before any concern of the gross lees imparting off-flavors. This way, you can save time and messes. Transferring to the secondary container is...

I think the best way to answer your question requires a clarification: do you want the wine to get oxygen exposure or not, thus aging more or less? One of the pros of bulk aging is that the entire volume of wine experiences a smaller ratio of oxygen intake and slower temperature variations...

Light damages wine (and thus ages it) by encouraging unwanted chemical reactions, particularly ultraviolet light. Clear glass stops a tiny bit of UV light while green does better and dark amber glass stops nearly all ultra violet light. So, wine will last the longest in dark glass. White wine is...

Fortifying a wine is a fantastic idea to increase shelf life; more alcohol and it will last longer, be it red or white, and you can control sweetness that way. However, it may take some patience to create a wine that is balanced nicely. From what I know, I don't believe there are enough...

I don't have any advice since I have never oaked either, but I'd really like to hear your side-by-side results; I make Concord from grapes every year.

I'm in, good luck to everyone.

Just-a-Guy, it looks like you are being lead in the right direction. I'd like to add my two cents. The two weeks in the bucket sound good. If it loses activity suddenly, it's time to move it; there will no longer be a layer of co2 protecting your wine. It really does need to sit around for 6+...

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Are you interested in brewing a beer kit? It uses all the same equipment, just add a floating thermometer and empty beer bottles. I just tried a beer kit and so far I am pleased with the fast and easy results. It may be a nice and quick project to distract you from the wines. I made Brewer's...

Different studies have been done on the effectiveness of decanting wines in different containers. From what I remember, it's definitive that an uncorked bottle of wine does not get that much action with air. You should be fine for a surprisingly long time.

Carbonation can do that. I just bottled an apple wine today that was still spritzy after a year in the carboy; it can last a long time if you let it. Try this: empty out half of a bottle of blueberry wine. Shake the blazes out of what's left. See if there's a difference; if the one in the bottle...

The first time I used sparkolloid I simmered for less than five minutes. Worked great.

A dirty airlock is a common problem with vigorous fermentation. Only three days in the bucket was not enough time to allow the fermentation to slow down. When in a smaller container, the foam can easily reach up into the airlock. This can become especially problematic if the must is pulpy...

Rich, wonderful thread. There's so much to learn here. I'm wondering what yeast you use in your wines. Also, do you release tension on the wires during winter?

Has anyone used a brand other than ReaLemon in their skeeter pee? Did it still come out good?

The more you degas a wine before it is bottled the less carbonated it will be. If fermentation is complete, carbonation will not increase. It's already there in the carboy as a byproduct of normal fermentation, which is pretty much unavoidable. If you like the carbonation, don't degas. If you...

Many home winemakers believe that using products like Sparkolloid or filtering is the final step to making a polished wine. This step includes cold stabilizing the wine to get rid of the tartrate crystals. Overall, its purpose is to remove as much suspended sediment as possible- even the...