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Hi everyone, I'm going to be down in the Lincoln, NE area this coming weekend. Anybody have recommendations for wineries I must not miss while I'm down there? Thanks.

For the record, when they say "pencil size" they are referring to the girth of the cane. You should prune back the previous year's growth to the point that the cane is pencil thick (or thicker if you need to prune back more).

The potassium sorbate should be replaced. The enzymes may also need to be replaced if you need to use it. The others should be ok if they look ok. If they have been kept dry and in the dark, they should still be free flowing and not caked up and should be fine. But, if you doubt anything, you...

My guess is that these will only work with bone dry wines. Sugar will skew the refraction.

These are only useful for spirits. The alcohol content of wines is too low to be accurate with an alcohol refractometer. Even for spirits, these are pretty rough estimates of the ABV.

Ok. I’ve been on a noodle craze lately. Here is a Thai inspired Tom Yum soup with rice noodles. How about some stir fried rice noodles with a salty, sweet, sour and spicy Chinese black bean sauce? Simple homemade pasta with a garlic tomato sauce.

Anywhere from 3-5 pounds per gallon depending on the fruit intensity. I like to start SG at 1.090. I’ve had good luck with 71b for the yeast. It can take some oak during aging. I usually sweeten it a little off dry about 1-2% RS to balance when I bottle.

This stew was pretty satisfying.

No-one should recommend using a toxic metal without controls. Ugh.

Welcome, neighbor. FYI - NDSU has some promising new experimental varieties that may be suitable for your climate coming out in the next few years.

First, they are not sulfates. We use metabisulfite to protect the wine because it is in equilibrium with SO2 in solution (pH dependent). Rinsing does not leave enough sulfite to protect the wine from microbial damage and oxidation. For those who do not measure SO2 levels, I have found the...

It would help if you could tell us what part of the world you are in.

The best wine I ever made in my life was a pink grapefruit wine. I've never been able to repeat that perfectly balanced unctuous satin on the tongue experience.

Generally, yes. It is always advisable to adjust acid pre-ferment if possible. I have done this many times. Are you trying to raise or lower your pH? For context, I live in the land of high acid, so I'm usually trying to raise my pH with potassium carbonate additions before fermentation. I...

I prefer to use 71B to help with overall acid reduction. It also helps enhance the fruit flavors. I've never used Mauravin B but that is also supposed to do more acid reduction. I co-inoculate with MLF after the first day or two after yeast addition. I also add oak dust or chips to the ferment...

It’s been a while since I posted. This sandwich with roasted eggplant, roasted poblanos and green peppers and fresh tomato was delicious. The buns were fresh made too. I made a terrific zucchini pancake with mushrooms on top. Delicious with a spicy peanut sauce to top it off. Spanish...

is your sodium hydroxide still good?

Ideally you would do heat trials to find the lowest amount of bentonite that prevents haze from happening. Bentonite strips out proteins and adding too much without knowing the minimum required could strip out flavors and textures from your wine. Frankly, I never use it and rely on time and...

I concur. I have great results with 71b.

Here are some views of our gorgeous sky from last evening.