Search results

Fermented Friends (LaCrosse area) is having a session on wine defect tasting tonight in Holeman. ,,, Getting ready for contest season. ,,, other,,, For those who like Pambianchi, he is scheduled to do a Saturday workshop in February for Wisconsin Home Vinters. This is an open/ ticketed...

Welcome to WMT I might try a few cans of a dry cider. There are varieties with cherry or peach or even traditional tannic apple. Pearson’s Square lets you calculate the finished ABV. If using a sugary product play safe and add K sorbate.

If I was building up green flavors I might extract hops in grain alcohol for a month, then add that. Gum Arabic builds viscosity in wines.

Welcome to WMT Honeyberry can make an excellent wine. The fruit is fairly acidic, ex Honey Bee pH 2.83 / Borealis pH 2.99 / Boreal Blizzard pH 3.3. TA as 3.69% /, 2.16 / 2.82%. This noted most folks would use someplace above 1:3 water ratio, or back sweeten. We had a blue ribbon Haskap at...

Wine is a multiple variable preservation system. ie there are enough variables that we can’t say a + b = c, Did the manufacturer factor in starting population or your actual SO2 or your nutrition level or the temperature etc etc. One factor will reduce the effect of or increase the effect of...

Welcome to WMT The local vintners club will give springtime pruning of vines to whoever wants it. However chambourcin grape is south of where I am so I don’t anyone growing it. If you can find someone growing it they will have one year old canes they want to get rid of. (You can ask on WMT...

The pigments in tomato are not stable. You will wind up with a clear white grape like liquid. If I wanted to have a tomato wine I would add a natural color ex 1/2 percent aronia berry. This will add some tannin so also builds the flavor. If you are going to the store for color 2 to 4% of...

Welcome back, where are you located? I occasionally shop Great Fermentations in Indianapolis which will do mail orders. I am also amazed what shows up on Walmart.com (ex pH probe replacement) and Amazon (ex my new SS corking tool). ,,, As others I have used More Wine, PI wine and Lodi etc...

There are a bunch of synthetic flavors in the US which are aimed at mixed drinks and slushy type products. Most are one dimensional, they have a dominant flavor but miss side notes. I will use at low levels as 1ml per 20 liters. I will combine two plus as raspberry with carmel to round out...

* add a frozen fruit juice concentrate, yes it will change the overall flavor. * Add a shelf stable fruit syrup as used in kits. I have apples and make “apple juice syrup” by boiling it down. You could try this on prickly pear juice. * add low levels (1 or 2ml per five gallon) of an extract...

The general rule is that yeast are actively producing biomass in the first third of sugar reduction (1.090 down to 1.050) and need oxygen or else create off flavors (reductive sulfur). If you do a mead the recipe may be under airlock and also say whip some oxygen in before 1.050 to encourage...

We bottle because we have a reason or goal. The reason can vary for each of your wines. * as Bob said head space increases the oxidation risk. Oxygen creates off flavors, on a few weeks sharp notes like apricot and loss of fruit notes. With extended / over a month expect a burn when...

Sorbate is humidity sensitive Campden is humidity sensitive but likely to be ok in a sealed container Enzymes are high heat (ex 160F) and moisture sensitive they mold. Most of the loss of activity is in the dehydration process, not in storage. DAP is a chemical salt and will last forever if dry...

The organic red wines that are successful can do it without SO2 because of the antioxidants in the fruit. Traditional ciders used bitter sharp apple and could accomplish five year shelf life. Tannin is magical.

Yes, adding potassium or sodium will also increase the gravity. You would need to reengineer the conversion table. @TurkeyHollow you could look at rates of change with your standard solution. All this said what is the gravity of your current solution? The scale in the advertisement is...

Choices, what is your goal? You have several directions available. * all beverages are a balance of flavor. Sweet balances against acid. Try a glass with a pinch more acid blend, still sweet try two, etc till the flavors balance. * astringent flavor tannins like chestnut tannin also balance...

I like the flavor of chestnut tannin, astringent not bitter. Chestnut wood extract is available from my local ingredient store. I haven’t seen an extract from chestnut flowers. Black tea also produces astringent flavors. My favorite astringent is crab apple and a few apple varieties. Tannin...

As barrelMonkey noted it is “what language are you talking?” Percentage / or per 1000 ml. In the world of flavor there are lots of combinations that work, for example a soda might be formulated to pH 2.0 which balances out at about 0.2% TA. Or I live where northern hybrids grow so I am stuck...

My Food Science view is country wines are trying to copy grapes from a hot sunny day & cool night climate. As such I build mixtures that have a TA between 0.5% to 0.7%, a pH under 3.5 and over 3.2. This gives a pleasing sweet tart flavor plus enough microbial stability. The mix also needs...

welcome to WMT When you are tasting, flavors are sensed in waves. ex A sweet followed by acid at ten seconds followed by astringent at thirty seconds and that may last 90 to 120 seconds. Sharp acidic is dealt with by running MLF or chilling to precipitate tartrates. Sharpness from astringency...