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Really hoping this cut-off low in Maine/NS gets a move on. My brother just texted me, they cut their stay at our cabin in NorthCentral PA due to the air quality. Looks like their index is at 230 right now. 165 down here, I do notice I'm huffin' and puffin' a bit if I exert myself too much (like grab more than a beer or two to cool down in the fridge).

Family planning on heading north for a week if this stuff clears up soon...
Friend of mine took this from his office today. Said it was actually starting to get hazy/smoky inside.

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Wired a bypass for my leveling jack controller in the motorhome. Either the circuit board or the keypad partially failed so that I can use the controller to lower the hydraulic jacks and level the coach but I can't retract them afterwards. I guess it was a common enough problem that they actually included a little pigtail kind of bypass loom to retract the jacks if needed. Since this unit is not manufactured any longer and I can't get a replacement board I figured out a way to bypass the controller and raise the jacks without having to remove the board, unplug a couple of wiring clips, plug in the jumper, raise the jacks then re-assemble everything. Now I can just throw the 4 toggles up and then lift the momentary toggle on the right for as long as it takes for the jacks to raise. And all for about $65.00 in materials.
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Resting after making three oak doors. Took them to a friend to be sprayed yesterday. Never so glad to be done with a project. Simple design but looks pretty good. I also drilled the knob holes and made jigs for the hinges and strike plates. All quartersawn or rift sawn solid oak.
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Beautiful work Jim… with the new vineyard and my timber frame barn, I have barely made any furniture or “finished” work for more than a year. Maybe I can get back at it this winter.
 
Bottling La Crescent from grapes of last year. Lightly backsweetened to 1.006, 12% abv. 50 bottles from about 75 lbs of grapes. The vineyard I got it from suggested pressing, then adding some extra acidalated water to cut the flavor just a bit as it is overwhelming without some help. Then add some sugar to keep the abv up. It is very tasty. The sugar at the end was required to cut some extra tartness.

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Racked my Barolo and Montepulciano, made from juice buckets. Definitely both have serious promise to be really good. Hope to bottle in 3-6 months, will be adding tannin Riche extra before bottling.

Also racked my blackberry port. Still wrestling with how to get enough Hershey’s chocolate powder into solution to soften the very acidic/tart taste of the blackberry. Sediment in the carboy was very much chocolate, so it didn’t dissolve into the port, just fell out. Very tart finish. This seems to be an ongoing issue for me. In the past I’ve dumped bottled wine into the mix, with an appropriate amount of Everclear to keep the ABV.
 
Still wrestling with how to get enough Hershey’s chocolate powder into solution to soften the very acidic/tart taste of the blackberry
You might try macerating the chocolate in EverClear instead of the wine, to see if the spirit will extract from the chocolate, and use the spirit to fortify the wine. If you've already fortified, it won't help you today, but maybe in the future.

How long has the wine been aging with chocolate? I'm wondering if more time will help.
 
Racked my Barolo and Montepulciano, made from juice buckets. Definitely both have serious promise to be really good. Hope to bottle in 3-6 months, will be adding tannin Riche extra before bottling.

Also racked my blackberry port. Still wrestling with how to get enough Hershey’s chocolate powder into solution to soften the very acidic/tart taste of the blackberry. Sediment in the carboy was very much chocolate, so it didn’t dissolve into the port, just fell out. Very tart finish. This seems to be an ongoing issue for me. In the past I’ve dumped bottled wine into the mix, with an appropriate amount of Everclear to keep the ABV.
Bob, I live within an hour of Hershey, just let me know and I can pick you up a few pounds of powder, lol.
 
Racked my Barolo and Montepulciano, made from juice buckets. Definitely both have serious promise to be really good. Hope to bottle in 3-6 months, will be adding tannin Riche extra before bottling.

Also racked my blackberry port. Still wrestling with how to get enough Hershey’s chocolate powder into solution to soften the very acidic/tart taste of the blackberry. Sediment in the carboy was very much chocolate, so it didn’t dissolve into the port, just fell out. Very tart finish. This seems to be an ongoing issue for me. In the past I’ve dumped bottled wine into the mix, with an appropriate amount of Everclear to keep the ABV.
battonage? yeast still impart flavor even though they fall out of suspension. perhaps a weekly stirring will help?
 
Racked my Barolo and Montepulciano, made from juice buckets. Definitely both have serious promise to be really good. Hope to bottle in 3-6 months, will be adding tannin Riche extra before bottling.

Also racked my blackberry port. Still wrestling with how to get enough Hershey’s chocolate powder into solution to soften the very acidic/tart taste of the blackberry. Sediment in the carboy was very much chocolate, so it didn’t dissolve into the port, just fell out. Very tart finish. This seems to be an ongoing issue for me. In the past I’ve dumped bottled wine into the mix, with an appropriate amount of Everclear to keep the ABV.
Have you considered using MLB to reduce the malic acid? You could then adjust the acid with tartaric acid.
 
Yesterday was yardwork and then a graduation open house. Today was another grad open house, some tech support at my parents' (successfully resolved Mom's computer issue), a Zoom birthday party for our grand-niece in Oregon, and finally, I racked my double batch of RJS Cru Specialty Toasted Caramel dessert wine.

The racking process included degassing, stabilizing, adding the Fpack, and using clearing agents. This is batch 3 and batch 4 of this kit. And it does not disappoint, based on my sampling!
 
How long has the wine been aging with chocolate? I'm wondering if more time will help.

I pitched in late December, added chocolate powder at rackings in January and February.

Have you considered using MLB to reduce the malic acid? You could then adjust the acid with tartaric acid.

I had not considered it. After the wine goes dry I fortify, so too late to do MLF.

I have time, no rush to do anything right now. I’m guessing I will try back sweetening or diluting with wine/Everclear from my inventory.
 

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