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Actually the N2 does not displace CO2 in the wine, but instead what happens is that CO2 leaches out of the wine into the headspace if you use pure nitrogen due to Dalton's law or partial pressures. In fact some wine makers use nitrogen specifically to strip excess CO2 from wine. CO2 is...

A sealed, pressurized keg has essentially no oxidation, as long as you maintain a positive pressure on it and the seal is good. The CO2 and nitrogen gas won't spoil the wine at low pressure as they are essentially inert. The stainless steel is also inert and also impermeable to oxygen. If...

I keg wine, and I actually researched this extensively before doing it. The best gas to use is actually the "stout mix" which is also known as "G-mix" or Guinness mix. It is 75% nitrogen and 25% CO2 and you use it with a nitrogen regulator. It is available from just about every beverage gas...

I've also noticed that the En Premier series usually includes yeast appropriate to the wine style while Winexpert seems to use EC1118 with everything. Also - one note on the RJS Viognier - I did need to add a small amount of yeast nutrient (DAP) to mine as the fermentation was a bit slow...

Not sure if you got an answer but I made the RJ Spangols En Premier version and was very happy with the results.

Only risk is that you don't want to add sorbates until you get some Sulfites in the wine or you run the risk of creating geranium off flavors. Note this is just a risk - as it does not happen all the time (depends on which specific microrganisms are in the wine at the time), but it can happen...

I just finished a Eclipse Nebbolio/Barolo kit. I used RC212 instead of the kit yeast as I'm not a big fan of EC1118. I doubled the time on the oak to take the edge off just a bit, and at bottling it was obviously highly tannic, but quite clean in finish and had a nice color. I'm fairly...

At 1.140 you may finish just a bit on the tart side depending on your yeast performance as this would put the FG around 1.029-1.030. I recommend using a TONSA-2 nutrient schedule with Fermaid-O which should finish the bulk of fermentation in less than two weeks.

You might consider adding vanilla after it has fermented out - that way you can adjust "to taste". It may not be needed, but you can always add vanilla after fermentation. The reason I recommended the higher OG is that I strongly prefer the taste of fully fermented melomels to those that were...

James, Just my two cents but if you ferment to the correct OG/FG (see my earlier post) you won't need the vanilla bean as the residual sweetness will be enough. I started my 5 gal "tart cherry" mead on Monday working to the OG/FG mentioned above using Knudsen tart cherry "just juice" and will...

I've used the Knudsen "Just Tart Cherry" juice in several batches and it comes out very nice. I'm actually starting one on Monday that is just cherry juice, honey and water. You can calculate the equivalent fruit from the juice amount and juice gravity. Assuming the juice is around 1.056...

I actually have a 1 gal carboy I use for my mead "dregs". I put the leftovers from my batches in there and let them sit and occasionally drag a bit off the top. Since I primarily make melomels it is usually a mixed berry mead but it can be quite tasty. So don't toss your excess - put it in a...

Next time use the TONSA-2 nutrient schedule here and degas it twice a day down to at least the half-way point of gravity (you can even degas down to 1/3 sugar if needed). You can actually ferment it out in about two weeks and it should clear and be somewhat drinkable after 60 days (I do use...

How high gravity are we talking? I've been starting some melomels in the 1.140's and even 1.150's with great results. Obviously you need a fruit with a lot of acid/tannins to pull it off.

I regularly start melomels in the 1.140s and 1.150s with no problems. If you properly hydrate your yeast with GoFerm and aerate with pure oxygen it can insulate the cells against osmotic shock. The key is providing enough sterols and lipids early in the fermentation. With 71b yeast and...

I would suggest instead of adding tannins or lemon juice up front, when you have no idea what the finished acidity balance will be you are better off waiting to the end and then add some tannins or acid blend or lemon/lime juice if your mead ends up too sweet/cloying or "flabby". Particularly...

I ran into this issue as well - started with 15 lbs of Raspberries added to a 5 gal batch and then added 6 more in the secondary. Now my 5 gal batch is almost 7 gallons and unfortunately the FG came in too low for me. The basic problem is that fruit basically dilutes your mead so if you want a...

I have not done the Super Tuscan, but I did have another En Primeur kit (Chardonnay I think?) that came in at a really high OG. To my surprise it fermented out just fine - down to about 0.996 or so if I recall correctly.

Ken Schramm is an amazing mead maker - I've had the honor of meeting him a few times at Homebrewcon and had a number of his meads. The only issue with his book is that it is dated - for example we generally don't boil anymore, it does not have the new nutrients like TONSA-2 or current degassing...

I'm sure its good but I'm not a huge fan of citrus fruits in a melomel. I love the stuff Ken Schramm makes. I tend to prefer berries or stone fruit. I'm thinking of possibly a stone fruit (peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums) or some kind of combo (tart cherries, blackberries, currants). I...