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  1. Zintrigue

    Help identifying this red grape. Cali, Sierra Nevada foothills

    Hey guys. I did a google search for a few minutes and didn't stumble across anything close to what I've got here. Leaves are kinda fluffy shaped, not a typical grape leaf. I figured I'd ask the pros. I don't plan on sending it in for identification, I'll settle for "close enough." The guy who...
  2. Zintrigue

    Just pitched yeast, smells vomitty?

    Just pitched yeast on a fontana kit. Lifted the towel to take a whiff and it smells awful, like vomit. RC212 yeast, grenache/syrah juice. I'm not used to working with rc212, is this normal for it or should I scoop as much out as I can and toss in EC-1118? Biting my nails over here. Thanks...
  3. Zintrigue

    Help this newbie gather info in one place (wine from grapes, must, etc)

    Hey guys. I've been making kit wine for a few years now, and I'm wondering how much different a wine *from grapes* would be. I plan on diving into this undertaking in the fall. I did some Googling here to get the exact process in my head, and while I learned about acidity testing and whatnot, I...
  4. Zintrigue

    Bottled two months ago, opened one and it's fizzy?

    Hey guys. This is a first for me. Two months ago I bottled a petite syrah after letting it bulk age for 3 months. It was degassed quite well before that and stabilized per label instructions before going into bulk. On bottling day there was zero fermentation going on after three months on my...
  5. Zintrigue

    Soon to be new grower from NorCal

    Good evening, folks. I know you're a knowledgeable lot, so I thought I'd pick your brains for the information I'm having a hard time finding solid answers to on Google. First of all, I don't have the space for a vineyard, I only want two plants to supplement ("tweek") my kits. I'm in the...
  6. Zintrigue

    Getting rid of Bretts

    Did a search on this and didn't find much. So I'm pretty sure the mead I made in my 1 gallon equipment managed to contract Bretts. Strange film on top (oily?), sour smell, just ruined. Boiled everything I could, scrubbed with oxy clean, then hit it all with Starsan. Fermentation vessels...
  7. Zintrigue

    Candy corn mead

    I'm thinking ahead for Halloween, as it's a favorite holiday in this house. I tossed around various ideas for halloween themed drinks, but ultimately candy corn is the flavor that just says "Halloween" to us. Seems like a mead would be the best way to go. My only experience thus far is wine...
  8. Zintrigue

    Musky smell - how to amend

    Hey everyone. I'm making my third batch of dragon blood - this time 6 gallons (yes, finally), and ran into a little snag. The day after I pitched the yeast the wine began to carry a musky smell. The taste is unaffected, and the SG is dropping only a tiny bit slower than my 1 gallon batches...
  9. Zintrigue

    Considering beer brewing. Few questions for you

    I'm currently a winemaker, still a bit new to that craft to be honest. I was looking through beer brewing for my husband and realized that I have most of the ingredients needed from my winemaking supplies. I had a few questions that google and various product descriptions didn't readily...
  10. Zintrigue

    In need of cork education

    I need to buy corks and now find myself with more questions than answers. I've been using the #8 "22mm" corks (I think 22mm) that came with the first kit I got. Now that I have to buy more, I was looking at #7 because the hand corker I use requires lots of sweat and shaking arms. Then I...
  11. Zintrigue

    Newbie sanitation question...

    Hi there. Googled this and searched the forum, no answers. I've made two batches of wine so far, my first being a kit merlot and the second being dragon blood from this site. Every time I do anything, I sanitize with the stuff the kit gave me. Sodium metabisulfite. Three tbsp to a gallon...
  12. Zintrigue

    Can vacuvin break my carboy?

    I have a hand pump called vacuvin to degas, and it's working great. However, I am slightly terrified of making my one gallon carboy explode. (Implode?) especially after reading about disaster striking with mechanical pumps. I have no idea how much pressure I'm putting on the glass. Husband...
  13. Zintrigue

    Starting my first Dragon Blood, questions will go here...

    I'm just finishing up my first kit merlot, and now it's time for Dragon Blood. I'm doing one gallon, and I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions along the way. So I thought I'd condense all of my "duhs" here in one thread. First one: the instructions say to add the fruit, sugar, water, lemon...
  14. Zintrigue

    Dragon Blood.... 1 gallon measurements?

    So before anyone tells me to just make 5 or 6 gallons because it's the same amount of work: I have 1 gallon equipment and it's the right size for my busy kitchen with 3 kids running around me like escaped zoo monkeys. When the zoo monkeys are less hazardous I'll upgrade to bigger equipment that...
  15. Zintrigue

    A list of newbie questions. First kit

    This is my first kit so there's a lot I don't know here. I got told not to be shy about asking or being a bother, so here we go. -Sanitizing: How important is this "One-Step," or oxygen wash? Can I just use dishsoap to get debris off and then use the sodium metabisulphite for sanitizing...
  16. Zintrigue

    Well... finally took the plunge into winemaking

    My dear mother two states away got me a small batch winemaking kit (merlot) from Midwest Supplies. I'm glad she did because I was just too overwhelmed with the options to do it myself. Never take me clothes shopping. Kit has everything I need so far. I have a few questions as I go, but...
  17. Zintrigue

    Want to make my own wine, husband skeptical. Help me convince him!

    So I'm browsing winemaking kits on amazon (completely overwhelmed, by the way) and getting excited about this whole idea when hubs pipes up and says it doesn't sound worth it. He thinks that all of the time and costly ingredients it takes to make wine is ridiculous when I can just go buy a $7...
  18. Zintrigue

    Grape growing... let me pick your brains

    Hi everyone. I'm very new to this winemaking thing (my first rudimentary "Welches Wine" bubbling away in the pantry), so I thought I'd try to get some answers from people who know what they're talking about before I get too involved. I've always wanted to grow my own grapes, now I have a...
  19. Zintrigue

    Californians, where do you get your grapes/juice?

    I was curious as to where those of you residing in California get your grapes and/or juice and if you're able to purchase some from wineries. Eventually I'd like to grow my own, but until I get plants established, I'll need to get grapes or juice from somewhere and I'm trying to get a feel...
  20. Zintrigue

    Advice for my first go at this

    Hello everyone. I just posted in the introduction thread, so here I am asking for advice from the pros on my first winemaking adventure. Six weeks is a long time to wait for an experiment and I want success. I didn't want to go all out and spend loads of money on equipment if this interest...
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