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Was reading another site that suggested ash residue might be an issue with grapes still being harvested out of Ca after the fires. In this case rinsing might have some benefits.

Another supplier is http://winegrapesdirect.com/They will also work with you to reduce shipping costs if group can purchase 20 or more pails. I'm working on a Dec. shipment to Lehigh Valley, PA. Anyone in the area can message me or reply here if your interested.

Best second run Success I've had is adding an inexpensive kit to the pressed grapes. Since the kit is already acid balanced and adjusted for sugars all you need to do is dilute the kit and start doing punch downs again. I usually will add a dose of nutrients as well, but yeast are so active in...

Thanks for all the details on this project. If you have the numbers, would you share the pH and TA after pressing the aged grapes?

They are saying the same thing, but just leaving out some details. Morewine guide is adjusting for the % of SO2 in kmeta being 57.6% by weight, and Winemakers answerbook is giving the amount of SO2 in ppm (1 ppm =1 mg/L). If you multiply the morewine value for kmeta x 57.6% you will get the...

I tried bags 2 yrs ago on a few vines and they worked well for a few weeks longer hang time than unprotected the previous year. Then squirrels, raccoons, or birds must have had enough and wiped out my 20 or so bunches of ripe grapes in one weekend when I was away. Nothing but ripped up bags...

How does it taste? Do you know the pH? How long do you want to keep it? If it tastes great, and pH is below 3.7, and you will probably drink it in the next year or two then don't worry....add Kmeta, bottle it and drink up this summer!

I'm on my second bourbon barrel. I put an oatmeal stout through first barrel for 4 weeks, and then power washed and strong sulfite for a week. Next onto chilean reds. The first batch, 5 weeks still had some residual bourbon notes and smokey wood. After a year, I am still using the barrel and...

IMO. Don't treat corks. If your wine has sulfite in it, your bottle has been cleaned and rinsed with sulfite, and your corking mechanism has been rinsed with sterilizer you are good to go. The surface of the cork that contacts the wine will be sterilized by the sulfite in the wine. No issues...

I made a faux ice wine with winegrapes direct CB in 2015 trying to reproduce a Quarts de Chaume style sweet wine. Came out pretty good but a little high on acid after freezing the juice. After about 1 yr in bottle it is starting to open up more in aromatics. Instead of sucrose, you might try...

There are a few examples petite verdot from Cali and Argentina that I have looked at for a bordeaux blend. I'm not likely to make 3-5 gallons of verdot, but will purchase a few commercial bottles to have around for blending.

If you have a good wine store near you, you can buy some single varietal commercial wines that could influence your 5 gallon home made wine. It really depends upon what you are lacking in your home made wine. For example, I had a batch of cabernet from a juice bucket that was really lacking...

You should add a kmeta solution to the barrel to swell and keep it sanitized before use. The only downside of this is that you will lose some of the flavor to the water. You can always pour in a bottle of bourbon a day or 2 before you add your mead. I use 2 g tartaric acid and 4 g kmeta per...

These are great barrels and I think you are going to like the result. I ordered one last year, and put in another order this year for christmas as well. I aged an oatmeal stout in mine last year and then switched over to wine aging after a thorough cleaning. #1 In terms of evaporation, I am...

I think we do agree on best practices for making a back sweetened wine. I also don't want folks using Sorbate the wrong way, but the EC Kraus info is a broad generalization about how Sorbate works for wine yeast. I'm not trying to stir the pot here, just sharing info. There are many articles...

As I said above, ice wine is a different beast than making a dry white and then back sweetening. When I make sweet riesling or gewurtz, I absolutely make it dry first then add Sorbate after it clears and then back sweeten. With ice wine you essentially have a "stuck-fermentation" when the wine...

Sorbate does more than just stopping reproduction. It effectively shuts down metabolism so the yeast can not use the residual sugar. This is the same way Sorbate inhibits refermentation in a wine that is made dry and then back sweetened. If Sorbate isn't added then refermentation can occur...

ICV-K1 looks like an interesting yeast because it is so resilient to stressful conditions. My only concern would be getting the fermentation to stop when the alcohol, acidity, and residual sweetness are in balance. This yeast is suppose to be good up to 18% abv. At that high abv you are...

I would suggest getting 2 brutes so you can use different yeast or fermentation additives in each ferment. Keep these separate until bottling and then you can decide if you want to blend. I would also recommend getting some 1gal and 1.5 L glass jugs for topping.

Even with a press, starting from white grapes is a PITA. Much easier to start from white juice and none of the hassle.