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Lessons to be learned out of this: 1) ALWAYS measure pH before adding any acid to ANY wine must. 2) Adjust and get stable reading of pH before starting the fermentation. 3) NEVER rely on pH measurements once fermentation has started. The very significant production of co2 during fermentation...

Buy good quality corks and leaking or rotting is not an issue. Removing that sleeve - no thanks adding one more hazard to the process doesn't make it worth it. With a little patience and planning ahead finding corked bottles at the local recycling center hasn't been an issue. So free bottles...

I'd NEVER try to cork a screw top bottle unless you don't care if you lose that wine. As to screw tops re-sealling - meh. For a short term storage it probably will work but again if you value that wine and want to be able to keep it more than a few months, Find the corked bottles and use...

Key point to remember with any recipe is to start high. Far easier to deal with a 1 gallon batch the is actually 12 - 20 oz more than a gallon when the fruit bag is pulled than have to top off. Topping off like that pretty much makes all your calculations null and void until you re-calculate...

To me It comes down to - Now - It's a hobby and if you quit so you have a little equipment to sell off perhaps. Then - It's work and your books, records and actions all matter including your personal health. Oh and don't forget liability insurance for your business and you. Even if you you set...

This same question repeats on here about every 6-12 months and the debate never ends. I think one thing that is forgotten is that the "ancients' who made wine without chemicals did use a variety of "tricks" or practices they learned from those who taught them. They may not have had biology...

Having had a bad experience with unripe store bought peaches, I only use peaches from a local orchard and I ask for their overripe and bruised/imperfect fruit. All I have to remove are the stones and any moldy parts. The softer the better, even a little brownness to the peach pulp isn't bad...

Knowing how much of a given fruit it takes to get a gallon of juice is really just a part of the answer you need. Rice_Guy gave you on of the other key parts of the answer - the acid content. Blueberries for example are often so acidic that even with just 6 lbs per gallon, I have to reduce...

There seems to be a persistent idea that you can make wine without chemicals or any real knowledge of chemistry "The way it has been done for centuries." Unfortunately that is best answered Yes & No. The winemakers in days less than a 100 years ago did not use Chemicals or know anything...

If you live in an area where there are wild blackberries - THAT's the best. There is no comparison of a domestic blackberry to wild ones. I haven't had many domestic blackberries until about a week ago when we visited family. The domestic berries were big and plump but the flavor was meh...

Regardless of the tricks you use, the one that works best for me is to prepare it a day ahead of time. That seems to make those clumps a lot easier to dissolve. gives the water time to soak in completely.

Actually that 200 gallon limit is a federal limit but a few states have lower limits. (Alabama limits to 15 gallons per quarter) In general yes, a household with 2 or more adults can make./have 200 gallons on hand of homemade wine. (That's 1,000 bottles) should keep most foks well stocked.

Yes, racking at 1.040 or 1.030 is a bit early for most of us. There is still a lot of activity at those levels. If you feel compelled to rack at those points, I'd use multiple containers and leave a lot more headspace. Keep in mind that racking can 're-energize' the fermentation exposing...

If it's that bad.... Why waste the sugar, yeast etc. For a few dollars a bottle of everclear can turn any beverage into some serious "hootch" and a lot quicker. :d

Yup Anytime you add water to a straight grape juice (not a concentrated juice,) you are going to lose flavor and it most likely would be called 'hootch.'

These day companies are making food that tastes the way a customer expects it to taste - that means whatever it takes to get and keep that flavor, consistency, etc they do that. That also means if they can add even 2-4% additional water and still maintain that acceptable taste, the companies...

A few dark sweet cherries (15-20) would probably help too. remove the pits and crush well. run the juice through a filter for solids.

Yes, when I think about making wine I pick up two or three 4lb bags of sugar.

Guess the "Self-Opened" condition would give the condition away. :s

whatever method works for you and you feel comfortable using. I assume you wont be serving it to children so food color number 40 would even be ok. 😉