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I've done this, both by freezing the pomace in a ziplock bag and by adding it immediately to a kit. Did not sulfate, but that is not a bad idea. I think it improved the kits in both cases, adding some body and what you might call complexity? Hard to define exactly without making the same kit...

Yes, you need a little sheen on the paint for clean-ability. Mine is eggshell and cleans up pretty well.

Thanks, y'all. That is what I was thinking, but it is nice to have independent confirmation. Will go ahead with the painting. As for needing to repaint walls in the winery, oxyclean in a spray bottle does a good job taking red wine spray off light colored paint -- it has saved my pale blue...

I need to do a little painting in the basement. Our wine cellar -- where we make/work with wine, not where we store it -- is down there. It is a separate room, with a door. Right now there is one batch still in primary in a bucket and everything else is under glass, either aging or in secondary...

Time for an update on my batches of elderberry wine. First the one made with the 96 oz can of Vintner's Harvest. I am calling it Elderberry I. It was sweetened with half a jug of Vintner's Best elderberry syrup plus 2-1/2 pounds of sugar, as described above. Starting SG was 1.09 and the yeast...

How much potassium metabisulfite did you add? Also, did you make a yeast starter or sprinkle the yeast, and what type of yeast are you using? I have heard that stirring or pouring the must from one bucket to another can help to reduce kmeta levels, if that is the problem.

Safety Sam says, if you do the pasteurization, have a lid on the pan when the bottles are in the hot water. When those swing top bottles vent, it kind of goes sideways as well as up. Shouldn't happen with no carbonation, but just in case.

Are your EZ-Cap bottles the swing top variety? I personally would not use any other kind (short of champagne) if there is a potential for carbonation. The cap will lift enough to spew out some contents and relieve the pressure so the bottle does not explode -- still makes a mess, but no broken...

I'm thinking of making a Fontana Pinot Noir kit and wonder if anyone can suggest appropriate tweaks. Reducing the volume to 5 gallons and chaptalizing, I know. Would it be appropriate to add zante currants? I added blackberries to the Fontana merlot kit and it is very good, but wondered if a...

With grape musts it is possible to add acidulated water to reduce the SG if the fruit has too much sugar but I don't think that would give a good result with the already lighter flavors of a fruit wine. You could mitigate things somewhat by adding more fruit or an appropriate (unsweetened)...

Thanks again for all the help and advice. Particular thanks to Salcoco who saved me from a mistake regarding Jack Keller's recipe for dried elderberry wine. I had been reading "4 - 5 1/4 oz dried elderberries" as 4, 5 1/4 ounce packages of dried berries, or 21 ounces dried elderberrries per...

I believe Norton is the same grape as what they call Cynthiana around here. We made wine from Cynthiana grapes in 2014, more or less following the procedure outlined by Gary Main in http://www.uark.edu/depts/ifse/grapeprog/articles/ahis05wg.pdf We used RBS133 yeast which is supposed to reduce...

I leave the lid ajar about an inch on the bucket or Brute container and then drape a sheet over the whole top to keep bugs, etc. out. Several years ago I cut up a flat sheet and hemmed the edges to make drapes for the fermenters. They are less "linty" than towels and easy to wash and dry.

Even this far into fermentation, I think SG readings would still give you meaningful information. Without an initial reading you won't be able to calculate your final alcohol level, but you would know where you are in the fermentation. Whether or not the SG is continuing to drop over time will...

After 8 or 9 days of fermentation going nicely, it is probably finished. The only way to know for sure is to measure the SG. That's the remedy I'd recommend. Also, put an airlock on it if you haven't already.

I can sympathize, but it must be difficult for the LHBSs to stay in business now that it is so simple to just order the exact thing you want online. Most can't afford to stock the kind of inventory we might wish for, and keep it fresh. As for advising against a floor corker (one of our most...

Wow, montanaWineGuy! 18 gallons of elderberry wine. How many pounds of berries did you steam to get that much juice?

Thank you all for the very helpful comments. Based on Cmason1957's experience at making 3 gallons from something similar, and the small amount of elderberry in my Vintner's Best base, I don't think this stuff will please me, even at 3 gallon strength. Still pondering how to proceed, but I'm...

I get my honey from a beekeeper a few miles away. His honey also sells in the local organic grocery, but he charges quite a bit less at his house. If you see local honey sold in your grocery store, call the beekeeper (their contact info is always on the label) and ask about buying direct. You...

Cmason, thanks for sharing your experience. Do you recall whether you mixed those concentrates at the recommended rate for "a medium bodied wine," usually 5 gallons, or a more robust wine at 3 gallons or so? Seems like they would all be thin and low on taste at 5 gallons for a can or jug. I...