Recent content by ChuckD

Ten days? I’ve had fermentations finish in four… my guess is it’s done already.

The first year you typically let the vine grow however it wants. Ignore the form since you just want it to put down good roots. Next spring you can prune to the best vine and start forming a trunk. You need to remove the tube in time to let the vine harden off before winter. So maybe a month...

Welcome. First, if you want a sweet wine the typical process is to allow the wine to ferment dry then stabilize and back sweeten to your taste. You can search the site for “back sweetening”. You can pick a yeast with a high alcohol tolerance and get in the 16% ABV range… perhaps a little...

What do the commercial vineyards by you have? In the Midwest I see mulch or turf grass. I’m keeping a relatively weed free strip under my wires by hoeing… they are new vines. Long term, I’m thinking of going to mulch

I get 36” of rain a year so no help on the irrigation! How many vines do/will you have?

What!!! You’re not MAKING the cabinets yourself????? 🤣

Welcome. That is a beautiful view indeed!

Yes ☝. With my one experiment the blend was better than either one. Like you said, each yeast brought something and together they were better.

Personally I’m early enough in my winemaking hobby that I haven’t tried many side-by-side comparisons. The one time I tried it there was a definite difference in the two carboys. Both good… but notably different.

Do you have a university extension program in Virginia? If they have a grape or fruits program contact them. If not try the agriculture program.

Same here. ETA: I’ve never heard of whacko conspiracy theorists wearing aluminum foil hats… coincidence?

What kind of yeast are you using? Some old recipes still call for bread yeast. I would definitely use a wine yeast such as Lalvin EC1118. There are better ones that bring certain tastes to the wine but EC1118 is a workhorse.

Well you have come to the right place! Mead and winemaking are very much alike.

Welcome to the forum. What area of the country do you live in? I don’t see any obvious buds, and judging by the surrounding vegetation I would expect to see some. That said, grape vines can be pretty hardy. If you cut some smaller vines is there any green inside? Maybe you’re lucky and it’s...

I did not care for elderberry wine until I tasted my 2yr old wild elderberry. At three years it was already better than any commercial offering I have tasted… backed up by everyone I know who likes elderberry! Unfortunately, at year four I only have a few bottles left😥