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I use Brix. I've never like SG because it is less familiar to me. All my winemaking buddies also use Brix, but we all work exclusively with fresh grapes and not kits or fruit.

What are you hoping to accomplish with a whole berry fermentation? Cold soak should only be done on perfect fruit and typically on those varietals that need more color extraction.

The yeast using up all the sugars does not make a wine more acidic. It just makes it dry. Acidity is present in the grapes (or kit) when it starts fermentation. It is directly measured as TA, and indirectly measured as pH. I work exclusively with grapes, so my kit wine experience is very...

Krafty, it looks like you gave them the full "Brazilian Wax" treatment. :: In my vineyard, I typically try to remove 80% of the leaves on the eastern side of the wires, but leave 50% or so on the western. For the white grapes, I don't leaf pull at all or they WILL burn.

I have a facebook page for my small family vineyard. I just posted a video here: https://www.facebook.com/CarboneFamilyVineyard/?fref=nf

I've used spirals for the past 2 years. Typically use 3 in my 30 gallon barrel, so yes I think 2 spirals is way too much for a carboy.

I've got the same problem with my 2016 Merlot. I think time in the barrel will help a lot, but I am also planning on adding Enolgical Tannins when I rack next week. Called 'Tannin Complex' by Morewine, it is described as "Tannin Complex is a tannin that is added post fermentation to improve...

I start my 2017 planning now. Some of it has to do with how I prune my vineyard and some which grapes I want to work with. My wine club has a grape buying co-op, but after you've belonged for awhile it's nice to start looking elsewhere as well. I've got a couple/three growers of Pinot I will...

Good numbers. Let 'em run!

One thing no one mentioned, but you should probably address in your next batch is that a plastic fermentation container is generally not a good idea. The high acid in the wine will leach chemicals out of the blue container into your wine. I recommend you get a glass container off Craigslist or...

I've got 40 gallons of Paso (actually Santa Margarita Lake) Merlot in a Variable Capacity Tank right now and I am concerned that it seems a bit 'thin". Little history, 500 pounds of grapes came in in October at 28 Brix, on a 100* day, so I added acidified water to get them down to 24 brix. I...

I bought an old dresser off Craig's List, added a couple extra "legs" to the bottom and covered with 3/4" plywood. That way I have drawers for all the extra stuff I need to store.

I bottle every year at the end of March for my wife's birthday. The family comes down so we make a day of it. For my whites and Rose' wines that means it has been about 6 months since harvest. For the Reds, about 18 months.

I seem to break my fine hydrometer every year. You know the one that goes from 5 Brix to Negative 5 Brix with the really thin neck? Damn thing breaks every year. I think I am on #4

I helped a friend pick this year and while we did a field blend of all 7 of his varietals, his Barbera was at 27 Brix, 3.5 pH and a TA of 11.0 as well. I fermented it separately before blending in with the rest and putting though Malo. It is now dropping tartaric like crazy in my 56* wine...

My harvest from my own small 250 vine vineyard. We always have a good crew to take off the nets and pick the grapes. This year I made all the wine into a Syrah Rose.

From a friends harvest this year. 1500 pounds of grapes and I lifted all into the crusher

My son Reed at our first harvest in 2008 and again this year. Yes, it is the same press.

I would tend to agree, but it won't hold air. Right now I have it in position #3 which works, but I have to pump it up everyday. That's why I wanted someone who actually owns one to take a look at theirs. Let's not forget, it's Italian :)

Do you have one Bubba or are you just guessing? Like I said none of them fit particularly well and I can't find an online diagram.