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Thanks for the reply Ajmassa5983. That all makes sense, with the cap there's not a ton of room at the top of the BMB but probably more than is safe to leave for an extended period of time. Seems like I've maybe got a few days after fermentation completes to get everything into the press and...

Hi pgentile, thanks for the reply! I'm doing a co-ferment of Carignan and Alicante Bouschet. I'm planning to ferment to dry, but I'm also trying to go for something akin to an extended maceration. I wasn't able to do a cold soak before fermentation (the must did spend close to 48hrs before...

Hi all, I have a question about how to proceed past primary fermentation when my must is a mix of skins, stems, and juice. Where I'm at: I've been fermenting in two Big Mouth Bubblers after lightly pressing 3 lugs of whole grapes (stems included). Fermentation has been going very nicely and my...

This may be a bit more of a philosophical question over a practical one, but I would really appreciate any opinions from a group as diverse and knowledgeable as this one. I'm a rather novice wine maker (this will be my third year) with a bent towards making wine the "traditional way". The first...

I was just about to ask a question about Marquette grapes so it was pretty serendipitous to see this thread at the top of the list. I'm in Chicago and thinking about experimenting with regional grapes this year (sourced from SW Michigan) as opposed to ones coming in from CA. keverman and...

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately those steps are at the heart of my question. Am I able to press before racking? I'd love to take the the contents of the barrel, strain it out and give it a lite press--but I'm not sure how wise that is? I'm hoping someone here has some sage advice--or...

Hello all, I'm in a bit of a quandary: I've been whole cluster fermenting a batch of white wine grapes (muscat) with the goal of making an "orange wine". Things have been going pretty well with the wine more or less doing what I want. Last weekend I moved the must from two 6.5g wide mouth...

When you do it the "Geogrian" way, do you kill off the wild yeast and add your own? Let both go at it? Just rely on the wild yeast? When you say no need to press: the juice will be fully extracted by the maceration and fermentation process? I'd say I'm running with an amended Georgian...

Thanks for the thought everyone that's very helpful! Quick question: I've got the grapes (muscat) macerating now and just pulled off some juice to take a hydrometer reading: 1.070, which seems low for what is traditionally a "sweet" grape. The trials and tribulations of making wine with a...

Hi all, I had a question about low-ish cost grape presses (or alternatives). Whole fresh-from-vineyard grapes are available now and I am contemplating trying my hand at skin-contact (orange) wine. I was thinking about going in with two cases (36lbs each) so there's more than a fair amount...

Hello All, thanks for the replies and welcomes. It's seeming more and more like the juice came inoculated. I added the potassium metabisulfite yesterday afternoon but it's had little to no result so I'm guessing the engine behind this fermentation isn't wild yeast. I can reach out to...

Thanks @heatherd! I've been so excited to start making wine (and give myself the bonus challenge of going at it without a kit) that my heart sank a little as my hydrometer stopped spinning. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions, for now I'm off to kill some wild yeast.

Hello all, I just picked up a 5.3 gallon of Regina juice and I'm attempting to make my first batch of wine from it. First off: when I got the juice there was a fair amount of carbonation leading my to believe that it had already kicked started it's fermentation. I got the juice into a big...