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I hadn’t seen that article, thank you for sharing. Particularly in light of that article I can’t think of any good reason to forgo adding 30 - 40 ppm metabisulfite prior to fermentation with fresh grape juice / must. There’s just too much that can go wrong and it’s such a low risk safeguard. A...

It did take some time, but I’m happy to do it! The scoring is based off a pretty simple premise, but has a few caveats. Basically if the yeast contains the desired attribute, it’s +1 to the score, if not it’s -1. However, if the grape variety itself doesn’t have detectable levels of terpenes or...

Hi all, Since the number of yeast strains out there can be confusing, I'm sharing a recommendation table I created to help choose which commercial yeast strains to choose to match a desired wine profile. This table calculates which yeast is best for the style of wine being made relative to the...

So much great information on here. I've also had some issues with H2S and really appreciated the insights many of you shared on this thread. For my own benefit (encountered H2S once from an incomplete nutrient program) I compiled what you've shared and cross compared with some source material...

It also might help to understand the typical relationship of terroir to PH and TA. It would be my guess that the commercial wines you’re researching are warm climate growing areas and harvested at a high brix level. Those grapes commonly have a starting PH of 3.9 or more. The winemaker knows...

I believe that fancy pants titrator you have should measure PH as well, and better than anything most of us have! Though if you're a beginner and don't want to mess with acid adjustments another option is to just get excellent grapes. Brehm Vineyards or winegrapesdirect are my favorite sources...

Congratulations! Also great job on your labels. It’s not easy to come up with unique designs!

As a follow up, getting the titrator was a great step towards understanding your starting numbers in your must. I might also recommend a refractometer. With those tools you’ll have what you need to make your decisions in your “balancing” tree, essentially being potential acid additions...

So there’s a lot to unpack with that question. There are decision trees you need to make with regards to: sanitation, additives (so2, enzymes, tannins), balancing (sugar and acidity), primary fermentation technique, press technique, oak regime, racking processes (time spent on lees, battonage...

You might want to ask if the homemade wines you’ve tried were made from kits, juice buckets, or grapes. The unusual smell you’re referencing is what we affectionately call KT. I’d guess it’s from the pasteurization or flash detente process, though exhibits itself primarily with red wine kits...

You’ve got 4 options. As you mentioned you can backsweeten or have such a high starting brix your yeast can’t ferment it all. You also could chill your wine to stop yeast activity and filter, or add brandy to the point where the alcohol kills the yeast (like port). Of all these options...

Perhaps, but VA wouldn’t blow off after 30 minutes. So if it really blows off it’s most likely either reduced or hydrogen sulfide. Of course there could also be all 3, and the H2S portion of it just gets better after 30 minutes. Does it smell like nail polish remover? Or does it taste like vinegar?

Sounds like your wine could be slightly reduced. Sometimes racking and some oxygen exposure can help before bottling. So kudos for keeping air out during your winemaking process, but maybe next time let a little more in!

Fermentation does raise PH, but the carbon dioxide messes with the PH meter. If you’re confident with your starting ph level of 3.2’ish I’d venture to guess that your PH is just fine and around 3.3 to 3.4, like a white wine. Also be thoughtful to the fact that, immediately after fermentation...

To add, D47 contributes a lot of polysaccharides which increases weight and mouthfeel. Great for that rounded Chardonnay style, often times further accentuated by sur-lie, batonnage, and oak (even if neutral). But not so great if you’re aiming for a light bodied white.

I’ve found every 12 hours the frozen jugs need to be pulled and replaced. A punch down and mix is required in between to keep the temperature even throughout. 50 degrees is the goal. If you start to smell off aromas you should inoculate with your desired yeast strain and allow the must to come...

Awesome! I’m looking forward to this Bill and thank you for starting the event. It’s nice to have one in AZ. I’ll be submitting a few entries.

No there really isn’t any reason for a cold soak with a kit with skins. The color has already been fully extracted and you’re not going to be getting much additional tannin or extraction from the skins. Though you would still have the risk of spoilage if not done correctly.

I started cold soaking a few years ago and can say there is a world of difference. The cold soak allows for the water soluble blue pigments to be released and extends skin extraction without extending the alcohol based extraction of seed tannin. I’ve compared with both Cab and Merlot grapes. My...

I had the same question and did quite a bit of research to create this chart. The brix range represents starting brix, while the PH numbers represent ideal finished PH's. Keep in mind you don't want to turn your wine into a chemistry experiment and over adjusting to hit numbers will create...