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If it is still in the throws of fermentation, I’d be hesitant on adding too much SO2, for fear of a stuck fermentation (Check the yeast tolerance). My first choice would be to do a very aggressive splash rack, over and over, bucket to bucket and the smell should blow off. The extra oxygen...

6 years later, I still feel the same way :)

Every winery has their favorite vineyard or section of a vineyard that they get their grapes from year after year. The areas that go to brokers are those vineyards or areas of the vineyard that are not chosen by the local wineries. I'm not saying they are bad grapes, all the brokers that I...

On the years that I couldn't move all the grapes locally, I would move the less desirable vineyard grapes through a broker out of Ohio, who in turn moved them on the east coast. We would transport them to refrigerated storage facility in central CA and then it would get refrigerated transport...

I managed a 20 acre commercial vineyard for the community that I lived in for 10 years. It was more work selling 200 pounds to a new home winemaker than 5 tons to a commercial winery, so I know why vineyards don’t do it. What did work well was when a group of home winemakers would collectively...

Mine show up late in the season. I have been able to get to harvest before they significantly impact the canopy, so I just let them go. If the timing was different, I would be spraying.

I'm still working on this and decided to make it a winter project. I changed the cap, which I was so certain it was the cause and it did not fix it. I tested out the switch (which I should have done first) and it was bad. I ordered a replacement switch and it starts and runs, but I have to...

Cheering for you! I have all my wine post fermentation, but have fellow local winemakers that are just getting started. I hope you get the brix and ripeness to the point you can make good wine.

White grapes makes white wine, red grapes make red wine or rose if you take it off the skins quickly. I only use enzymes to fix a problem. If you can get good grape, less is more.

I’m going to call two big W’s and one L. #1 Has the carboy growing pain problem. He set out to make a carboy of cab and merlot, he ended with this: note: BOB= bottom of barrel #2 Started the journey hand picking and hand destemming about 100 pounds / 5 gallons of Cab Franc. It is currently...

Ferment away, the combo should make a light Rose.

Bulk from lots of different vineyards. Suspect highly mechanized to be able to sell at this cost. Their destemmer was enormous. It is a big operation.

Pick up day for me and some local fellow winemakers. They sell fresh, cold juice by the 55 gallon drum, 5 and 6 gallon pails and then an option to pump the blend of the day into your own containers.

Which isn’t atypical for a Petite Sirah and why the goal of this barrel to get the benefits of a wonderful grape, but not the tannic downside.

It didn’t win a Gold at the state, but at the end of the day, the fact that my 85 year old Airforce fighter pilot neighbor enjoyed it, makes it all worthwhile.

Some of the update texts #1 And from #2

An update. #1 could not be more enthusiastic. He hand picked his cab and merlot and used their onsite destemmer. He sends me daily brix and temp updates and has read everything he can. He was worried that one ferment was going much faster than the other, so we added the second dose of...

Yet another change. The fruit from my vineyard came in so much more than I expected that I would not have the vessels to put the wine, nor a place to store it if I didn't cancel my plans on the Amador Cab Sauv. Fortunately the vineyard owner is understanding and they do well over 50 tons, so...

The gearing is such that there isn't such a big load on the motor itself. I was surprised too. I did set the torque release on the drill very low, so that I didn't accidently squeeze the trigger while it was under load, which would have certainly torn the head off of the bolt.

Hit the go button…not happening. Power to the cord, switch is good, and there isn’t any fuse/breaker at the 15(?) year old destemmer. Pretty confident it’s the start-up capacitor, but that didn’t help me with 400 pounds of grapes to go. I was able to limp through without tearing the head off of...