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I don’t add anything but yeast and mlb unless there is a problem that needs to be solved. Nutrient deficiency, issue with the fruit, fermentation, flavor profile, clearing etc. Less is more.

Yes, crushed, destemmed, but the wineasy is not capable of exerting the pressure that other presses can. For fermented reds, I think the yield loss is minimal and makes for a better wine. For whites there is a significant yield loss due to the tightness of the skins and the ability of the...

Do you have a picture of when you were pressing?

Do you have a picture of your set-up? Something sounds wrong. After all the free-run comes out, you will the evacuate the air and co2 out of the must as the poison begins to do its thing. Is that what you were experiencing?

I just looked at my vintage tracking sheet. I’ve pressed over 40,000 pounds of grapes with my wineasy, since I started in 2013. It does a good job on fermented reds and my pressings are dry to my satisfaction. Not as dry as you can get with a basket or hydraulic press, but good enough. I...

The experiment is a go. 32g '23 Cab 12g '24 Cab 11.5g ‘24 Cab Franc 2.5g '23 Petit Verdot I co-inoculated the ‘24’s, so they are partially completed, something I’m willing to live with. I’ll be adding medium toast French oak spirals and letting it barrel age for a year.

The yield from the Cab rows in the vineyard this year fell short of expectations. I have 36 gallon from last year and only 13 from this year. I have 2 1/2 gallons of Petit Verdot I plan on adding as well. Fortunately I got a call from a buddy and asked if I wanted any Cab Franc. I picked a...

To do saignee and how much to do really depends on the varietal and what I’m trying to achieve. I couldn’t see making a Petite Sirah utilizing saignee, but I feel that low and medium body wines really benefit from it. Probably the #1 thing that can be done to improve homemade wine, once you...

Nicely done and improved over my design. I’ve labeled over 10,000 bottles with it and has performed flawlessly.

Wow, I’ll stop complaining about my vineyard problems. Where in CA are you?

PM sent

#blendsrule

Bottle I swapped with @4score. Excellent Zin.

I use a few different capacities of this style bottle today for my topping wine. I’ve never had wine in that style bottle for long term and I don’t know what that seal is rated for.

@Rice_Guy nailed it, tannin related. The thinner skinned berries like grenache or pinot will naturally have less tannin and ability to fight off oxidation. The key is to keep containers full and with the proper amount of free SO2.

Definitely something that has to be nipped in the bud early. My mistake this year was using the same protocol that worked excellent the year before. I learned that you have to change it up between sulphur, copper or other. Last year I got 800 pounds of Syrah from my vineyard, this year 160...

You bet, I’ll message you my #.

I attended a UCD talk and the presenter was adamant the the first spray should be just after bud break, when shoots are just a few inches long and it should be a strong sulfur spraying. Thereafter, alternate between copper base and sulfur base.

You are in a great location for Pinot, I wouldn't give up. What is your protocol for pruning, spraying, suckering etc? Any pictures?

I would expect the fermentation to complete if you added enough yeast for the entire batch up front, added nutrients in proportion with your must additions, and only added to the must during the first few days, while the yeast are in growth mode. Added a significant proportion to the must, too...