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This is a FWK Baby Super Tuscan that finished fermenting on Oct 21st ‘23 with a SG of 0.994. It’s been sitting in bulk since then, with 1 addition of kmeta at 3 months. I was looking at it a few days ago since I’m planning on another addition when I noticed the bubbling. I didn’t degass since...

Any idea what this reaction is? I put 4tbsp of sodium metabisulfite in a gallon of water and put it in a 10 gallon brute, along with some things I wanted to disinfect. All plastic or glass. I didn’t have a lid for it, so I put this large stainless steel bowl over it. Came back a few days later...

I'll be starting a batch of FWK Baby Super Tuscan Tavola with 2 skin packs this weekend. I bought a 10 gallon white Brute for fermenting to minimize the possibility of overflow, given the 2 skin packs. Here's the question. I also have a pack of dried skins that I believe came with an RJS kit. I...

I have a Master Vintner Sommelier Select Merlot that I started in late march of '22. Bulk aged for almost 7 months. My first tasting notes at bottling indicate a sour taste. I recently pulled a bottle to assess after 7 months in the bottle. It still has a sour taste, which is not something that...

Quick question, do I need to add sorbate if I add glycerin?

Anyone have experience with this? https://www.midwestsupplies.com/collections/fruit-wine-ingredients/products/vintners-best-apple-fruit-wine-base-128-oz

The picture below is Chilean Zinfandel that I started in early May of this year. There’s a scum forming in the neck of the carboy. At first it looked like a greasy film on top of the wine. I thought it was the byproduct of the Wyeast MLF packet I added so I didn’t pay much attention to it. Now...

Not so deep thoughts In most discussions that come round to yeast choice in kits, it's generally suggested to replace the included yeast (almost always EC-1118) with something else. I've been trying to come up with an analogy for it. Something that's ubiquitous in its inclusion, universally...

I have a couple of Haralson apple trees in my yard and only just thought of using them to make apple wine. Time to pick them is coming soon, but I have many questions. I'm thinking of just making a gallon, but may do 5 if it's not too difficult. 1. What other apples would you blend with them...

Let me start with some assumptions that I’ve learned recently, then I’ll get to my question. Invert sugar is sweeter than table sugar because the fructose and glucose are separated and are somehow sweeter. Invert sugar doesn’t get sweeter over time in wine. Sugar gets sweeter over time in...

I’ve only made mead once, using Joe’s Ancient Orange Mead (JAOM) recipe. It was some time ago, and as I recall, it was too sweet for me and I didn’t like it much. But like a bad relationship, I’m willing to give it another try. Except this time I’m going to do a side by side experiment. In one...

So, I open up my fermentation bucket recently, and it has a funky odor. I guess I would describe it as tangy? Right now, I’ve put some Straight-A in there and I’m letting it sit for a bit. In the photo you can see what looks like an orange stain in the top “corner” of the bottom. I always wash...

I just started another kit and decided to chapitalize it because the sg looked very low. The last time I tried this, I dumped the sugar in and created a volcano, losing about a gallon of my must. This time I decided to invert the sugar first, and then add it slowly. But, I set the burner on low...

The title kind of says it. Does adding grape skins packs raise the SG of kits? If so, how much, roughly?

I'll be getting a zinfandel juice bucket from Chile next week, and after reading many forums on many subjects, I have formulated a plan and could use some advice or criticism. Below is the outline of the plan. 1. The bucket I'll be getting is pre-inoculated with yeast, but I don't know what, so...

Master Vintner Sommelier Select Old Vine Merlot 4.2 gallon kit I misread the instructions and added all of the oak to primary ferment. It was supposed to go into secondary. I didn't weigh it, but it was 4 small packs of light oak, and 1 larger dark oak, both unlabeled. I removed it after 4 days...

Over agitated may be the wrong phrase, I beat the ever loving gravy out of it. I just bottled a WE Gewurztraminer/Verdelho/Muscat, but beforehand I did a shake test in a small bottle and it seemed to have the carbonation of Mountain Dew. So I used my handy dandy 3 prong whip and gave it a...

I've been on a wine making kick for the last year or two. Well, for me it's a lot. I've planned it out so that 3 kits are ready for this thanksgiving. My Zinfandel kit with grape skins will be 2 years old, a Cabernet will be 1 year old, and I just bottled a Gewürztraminer/Verdelho/Muscat. So...

So I made a batch of skeeter pee and I thought I followed the instructions, but I ended up with a 5 gallon carboy topped off, plus another 500 ml or so. It's sitting now to test for fermentation after back sweetening now. I tried some of the remainder and it was lacking in lemon flavor. Should...

I've not been in this hobby for very long, my experience is limited to a Welches white grape juice test run batch, then a WE Cab, and a gallon of Joe's Ancient Orange Mead. The WE kit I did seemed to be pretty straight forward if I remember correctly, it's been a few years since I did it.But now...