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Youngbloodvineyard 25 acres of French Hybrid grapes in Ray Michigan. They harvested last 2 weekends. One more harvest this coming weekend. Then off a little farther north to a different vineyard. Pure French Hybrid grapes in Michigan. 2021 is a spectacular year for French Hybrid grape...

There might be some disagreement as to what I'm going to say and to each their own. If I'm for sure that I will consume/pour the wine I bottled within two years or less, I use #8 quality corks. If I plan to keep/age the wine longer than 2+ years I use #9 corks. Now that said, I tend to use...

The medium-bodied turns out very good as long as you use the tweaks that you mentioned.

Make a yeast slurry about 24 to 48 hrs ahead of time. You will have more than enough of a colony to get the job done. If that's not possible I'm sure you'll be fine with one packet of RC212 and added yeast nutrients to get the show on the road. Worked for me with RC212 in the past.

D47 turned out to be very good for my peach wine. I let it clear naturally in the carboy and racked three maybe 4 times. Eventually it became crystal clear. I did use pectic enzyme and a Tbs of bentonite before fermentation. Mixed it a few times during fermentation. Left in secondary on the...

With a clean paper towel, Try cleaning the bung and mouth of the carboy with clear vodka. Let it dry(should be quick), using a new paper towel clean it again. Let it dry and add the bung. They are a pain sometimes, You might have gas left in the carboy pushing on the bung. If room temps are...

WoW, that's fantastic. Makes me think I might dive in and make more peach wine this year, It took the 2019 peach wine over a year before it smoothed out and I thought "it was good wine". I will replenish the 2019 peach vintage. Yeah, that's the ticket.

You are correct with your advice. This is a good topic. First, I wasn't advocating purposely carbonating wine in a wine bottle. No one plans on their wine restarting fermentation in the bottle. Many think that when their FG stalls slightly above 1.000 for several weeks on end that...

Congratulations. That's a great achievement.

A few people have mentioned that adding sugar restarted the wine's fermentation process. I agree. The yeast used during primary fermentation will determine how long fermentation will continue before you can again degas your wine. Most likely, many here have experienced a restart of fermentation...

I've experimented with 71B, RC212, BM4X4, D47, D254, EC1118 This is just my opinion and suggestion for yeast selection, based on the wines I've made. Pinot Noir --------- RC212 Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Barbera, Montepulciano -------BM4X4 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante, Petit Sirah, Syrah/z...

For those worried about the type of container that you are using as your fermenter. There are plastic food-grade plastic bags (5-gallon) that you can use, that will protect your must from the container. Also makes for easy clean-up, especially for the beginners that aren't able or don't want...

It's amazing what time/ageing can do to cure a fault in a bottle of wine. I'm sure the alcohol effect was still felt. lol

I found a little zest goes a long way. You can always add a little more when ageing the wine. I'm not sure if grapefruit is a common aroma or flavour characteristic of Chardonnay. Is this a wine made from a kit?

I'd swear they were real. lol Gets me excited about the 2021 harvest

I made Marquette wine from 2020 harvest grapes. The majority of it is still in carboys. I adjusted TA a little before fermentation with Potassium Bicarbonate. . The wine tastes good. Yes, a little tart like Marquette is supposed to taste. Acidity is a good preservative. It'll be great in...

I thought the article was a good read. It's not about winemaking, but does provide insight into sugar/starch contained in fruits at different maturation stages, before and after the fruit is picked. More food for thought, and not usually a winemaking topic. There is an iodine test that can be...

This might be food for thought. How "Tree" ripen were your peaches? Most store-bought peaches are picked before they are fully ripened. I am not sure how much starch is locked in a peach that is not fully "tree" ripened. Starches can be converted to sugar using the proper enzymes. Alpha and...

I've added blueberries to the wine must. For a test. Try adding 5-7 fresh blueberries to a glass of red wine. Then let it sit for an hour. See what you think. I think it adds tannin and additional body. 1 lb of dark Raisins (no oil added) works as a substitute. Other suggestions include...

Orion