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Has anyone ever used dry ice to prevent oxidation during wine storage and early fermentation? It may sound odd, but there is precedent for this. The winemaker at Seavey vineyard in Napa (Jim Duane) uses dry ice to purge tanks prior to adding Cab Sav. He does native fermentations only, and those...

https://www.virginiawine.org/exchange-board For us east coasters, here is a link to Virginia’s grape board. Maybe we could coordinate a group buy this year. I’d be interested in white Vinifera varietals.

I plan on starting a batch of mead this week. I want to use this time to sharpen my fermentation/analysis skills for grape harvest later this fall. Is it safe to assume a starting YAN of 0 and calculate nutrient additions accordingly? I know honey is low on nutrients, so I want to get the...

I would like to check-in with those on the forum to get some opinions on how my Chardonnay is progressing. This is a juice bucket from Wine Grapes Direct. Fermentation - Began: 12/6 with SG - 1.100 - Ended: 12/19 with SG - 0.094 (ABV of approximately 13.9%) On 12/19, I pitched CH35...

I am working on a Chardonnay from WGD. Primary fermentation was completed on 12/19, and I inoculated with CH35, added opti-malo, and racked to carboy. I did not inoculate a small bottle and set it off to the side. The carboy and bottle are currently in a 60 degree cellar. Today (1/6/24) I ran...

Are there any other wine analysis companies besides Vinmetrica that makes equipment to test SO2, pH, TA, and YAN? I’m interested in a Vinmetrica sc-300, but want to make sure I’ve looked at all the competitors and options that are out there. Thanks in advance!

Last night I racked my WGD Chardonnay into a carboy. The color is beautiful, the smell is great, and the taste is right where it should be for its age. I directly added CH35 bacteria (per package instructions, no rehydration required) and then went and calculated an appropriate dose of...

When making sulfite additions, I aim for 50 PPM and assume 0 PPM baseline when doing the calculation. Conventional WMT wisdom suggests adding 50PPM (1/4 tsp) every 3 months. Winemaker Mag suggests adding 15ppm every month. I am challenging whether or not the 0 PPM baseline assumption is correct...

Received a pail of semi-frozen Chardonnay yesterday from WGD. When I removed the lid, this is what I saw: I stirred lightly, snapped the lid back on, and let it sit overnight in a 70-degree bedroom upstairs. This evening, I removed the lid and noticed the color was much darker, resembling...

I'm not a new member, but I have gotten so much value out of this forum that I am now a Supporting Member! Thanks to all those who have given such great wisdom/insight/advice over the last few months as I have started my winemaking journey! Cheers!

I have a bucket of Chardonnay juice on the way. I want to ferment dry, do MLF, then age with a touch of oak cubes. Here is the lab analysis provided by the supplier: -Titratable acidity: 5.7 g/L -pH: 3.45 -L-malic acid: 3.03 g/L -tartaric...

I am preparing to ferment chardonnay and need to select a yeast. I had a bad experience with H2S using D47 earlier this year. I'd like to avoid this. Renaissance Yeast: my first choice, but I cannot locate a supply <500g. The Avante is available from Lodi Wine Labs in small quantity, but it...

Hi all, Do you all know a source for high-quality professional wine labels? I've got a design already made, just looking for a label provider to print/order from. I'm looking for this to be as professional as possible (i.e matte paper, weatherproof, pressure sensitive etc.) I only need 25 -...

All, I wanted to come here to document my experience with H2S and FWK Tavola Riesling. I followed all the steps as outlined in the instructions. I chose a cool ferment <68F and kept the fermentor under airlock until day 21. ....when I removed the airlock on day 21, the H2S was extraordinary...

Anybody have any good sources on grapes? Wine Grapes Direct has a great website and provides a stat sheet for the juice buckets. Can anyone speak to the quality of the juice in relation to the info online? I'm also looking to find a grape broker located in the southeast U.S that could help...

Had a case of H2S with FWK Tavola Riesling. Added 3g Reduless on 7/24. The wine has cleared beautifully and the H2S is gone. Question: should I add K/C fining agents and then rack? This batch has already gone through K/C once and I really would rather not do it again unless the copper is an...

My carboy collection is rapidly expanding, and I see no end in sight. I am physically running out of room in my garage to store them. In lieu of purchasing more carboys, should I instead purchase an AIO pump and create a vacuum seal for empty headspace? I don't mind using marbles or wine for...

Racked my FWK Riesling today. 21-day cold ferment <68F. The wine is gothic black thanks to carbon powder, but shows signs of clearing to gray at the top. Followed instructions explicitly. Checked SG on 7/5 and it was 1.000. Thought about racking at that time, but instructions explicitly call...

Looking to buy a small wine press. Only need a few gallons total. Looking to avoid the cheap ones on amazon, and not quite sure I want to spend the money for a high-end Italian model. Thanks in advance.

I am arranging a deal with a vineyard to acquire about 80 pounds of fresh grapes. They'll need to be shipped basically halfway across the country (US). What's the best way to do this? I'm thinking 5-gallon pails with dry ice? I know guys out west that load their harvest on U-Hauls and truck...