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I've been looking at the Nomacorc 900 green line and many of the suppliers (but not all) recommend using the corks (corcs?) within 6 months of production. Since minimum orders on some of their product line (44mm length, colors) are 3,000 (in bags of 1K), I was wondering if one could (or should)...

We are touring this area starting today. Any "not to miss" wineries anyone can suggest? We'll be in the area for a few days before heading up to Seattle. Yes, it will be cold outside, I know.

I have a 40 gal batch of Zinfandel that has just finished AF (0.994). Ready to press off skins into a tank. I did not co-innoculate by choice. Do I innoculate with ML bacteria prior to racking off gross lees, or after? Worried I might lose something from MLF if I rack off gross lees. Temps are...

I notice some comments, observations and questions about pH adjustments in must from time to time. Last year I overshot additions of tartaric acid and wound up with a must of 2.68 and had to correct with bicarbonate to get it back up. What a mess. Wine turned out OK and even took a gold medal...

I overshot my calculation for adding some sugar, but just by a bit. Will the overall sweetness disperse over time? A sample of the wine I added sugar to seemed a tad too sweet initially, but after sitting for 2 weeks seems better. Looking for collective experience, perceptions, and observations...

Never understood using flat scrapers on round bottles so I searched out and bought a 2.75 in to 3 in. muffler adapter at a local parts store. Cut it in half lengthwise and ground/filed the edges smooth. The curved half-circle edges already have bevels. Thought about attaching a handle, but it...

My wife asked me whether I had checked the posted results of the Winemaker Mag amateur competition, which I hadn't. I entered 4 wines, 3 of which didn't place but still drinkable (a blend, with lots of other entries, a Malbec that had an overdose of Spanish cedar [cigar box wood-a little goes a...

We often come here to seek info and solutions, which I have used in abundance (thank you to the organizers and contributors in our community), when we encounter problems, but I wanted to share a small success. Important to share our wins, as well as the losses or narrowly avoided disasters, yes...

I have 100 gallons of must just complete AF in barrels with fairly tight lids. I pump in some CO2 through the plastic barrel bungs and will do an extended maceration for about two weeks. Should I inoculate for malolactic fermentation while in the primaries with skins and all before pressing...

Howdy winemaking community. Looking for some good advice here, I have about a 100 gallons of must (in 4 varieties) nearing completion of AF in plastic primary barrels. I recently bought 3 Speidel 110L stainless tanks and have them set up to receive the wine but have never used these types of...

Hoping to get some informed opinions on the use of 110L Speidel variable volume tanks for secondary fermentation/storage. Deciding on whether to build a solid bench for the tanks (3) or more steel shelving units to add 6 more 6 gallon carboys. 1. Advantages/disadvantages of storing wine in...

I made a very small (2 gallons) batch of Chambourcin, which just finished out primary at S.G. 0.992 yesterday, likely a bit lower today. I need to leave town at noon tomorrow for a week. My question; Should I secure the batch (in a 5 gallon bucket now) with CO2 and wait a week on MLF and let it...

I've acquired this machine (below) to roll on labels now that my bottling needs have risen to that level. I design my own labels and want to have them printed. So far, the Stompstickers.com 4.5 x 4.5 inch label rolls (minimum of 100) look to be the best at about $0.65 per. Anyone know of any...

Selling an opened but unused Vinmetrica SC-55 Malic Acid test equipment kit. Price is $125 shipping included and case, normally $185. Upgrading to an SC-300 and happy to just use paper chromatography for the time being. Will likely regret it. Measure accurate levels of Malic Acid before and...

So here is just a note I made to myself. A month past MLF I am at that point where I am making periodic observations and making notes in my journal/log. I usually note the date, and the day number (i.e. D 23, or D 121, etc.) past initial inoculation of yeast. I checked today (D 189), after a few...

For anyone who has switched from glass carboys to stainless steel tanks, I'm thinking about smaller or medium sized variable capacity tanks for primary and secondary/bulk aging. How many carboys (6 and or 5 gallon) did any of you have in use before it made sense to go with larger tanks?

MLF did not happen for 2 (6 gallon) batches of Zinfandel. I re-innuculated at about 50 days after primary with Opti Malo Plus and WLB 675 bacteria (White Labs) in suspension (cold packed, but completely thawed. Maybe dead on arrival?). New paper chromatograph this morning after about 40 days...

First time out with a MLF chromatograph. Worked very well and gave me the information I needed; M1, M2 (malbec) and C (cab sav) finished, zinfandel 1 and 2 still in process.

When ordering some oak spirals for my wines (Malbec, OVZ, and Cab Sav), I came across the "Spanish Cedar" light toast spirals which are used, I gather, mostly in beer home brewing. Anyone try this wood in wine? I also understand that is is not really a cedar, but a form of SA mahogany. It has a...

I have 23 gallons each of Malbec and Old Vine Zinfandel and another 10 gallons of Cab Sauv. finishing primary and ready to rack. The Cab and Zin are doing fine, but the Malbec is my problem child. At the end of primary (.997 and stuck there for a few days), I have a slight "cooked" off flavor...