Search results

I've been doing this very same kit. Pitched the yeast in Aug 2018 and it's still in a carboy clearing. I didn't add the included clarifiers, hence the longer time. I would say give it more time to clear before bottling. You don't want a bunch of sediment in your bottled wine, and there's no...

ECKraus is a great reference for problems like these: https://blog.eckraus.com/yeasty-smell-in-wine

Didn't notice any off flavors from my 6 week Lodi Cab EM with BM4x4. I would think this question really depends on the yeast selection, as some yeast strains are more prone to off-flavors than others. I also used bentonite in primary, which potentially could keep the dead yeast cells more...

I do always do this for the first 2 rackings regardless of what kind of sediment I have at the bottom. After that, I usually don't bother since there's no usually too much left at the bottom. I also always fill the mason jar completely to the top, even if I have to pour in a little "clean"...

@Mario Dinis I did a bench trial of adding glycerin to a small sample of a merlot kit I'm currently making. It did improve the body dramatically, but when I added more and more it also changed the flavor. It added an odd sweetness that seemed to exacerbate the acidity in the wine and left a...

How much (liquid and sludge) did you put in the jar in the fridge? If you just put the sludge in a jar, you're probably not going to get very much wine back using this method. When I do my racking, I will not rack all the wine but leave a bit in there. I then stir that and pour it into a mason...

Just enough swirl to moisten the skins on top. If it helps, you can remove the airlock and put a rubber stopper in while swirling so that you don't make a mess. At this point there is a good CO2 blanket in there anyway so your safe from oxidation. I also did this is a 7.9Gal bucket, and was...

Yes, avoid anything with chlorine at all costs at all steps of the process. Not only is it a pain to rinse out, but it can cause "corking" once you bottle. As long as the kit packet says "sterilizer" you should be fine. A "sanitizer" won't do it.

Depends how long you let it sit before bottling. Typically, most here seem to rack and kmeta every 3 months. So if you are only clearing for a week and then bottle a week after that, I don't think you would need any more. But you could add like a quarter dose at bottling just to be safe. Also...

The most crucial ingredient in winemaking is patience. The kits purposely try to speed things up so you bottle quickly and have to buy more kits. But as you have found, there are many people here with many different methods and preferences. That also means there are a lot of "correct" ways...

I would swirl maybe once a day for the next week or so. You mainly want to keep the skins floating on top moist so they don't start to spoil or make vinegar. Once the skins sink, you can just leave it alone. I did add a dose of kmeta about 3 weeks in out of paranoia, though probably not necessary.

According to my notes, I went from OG 1.110 to SG 0.995 currently, which equates to about 15% ABV I believe. I didn't chapitalize or add anything besides the kit juice, and I discarded the instructions so idk what the target abv was. But I'm definitely in the "bold red" realm here, which is why...

Update: I got some glycerin from my LHBS and did a few small bench trials. Adding a drop to a 1oz glass of wine really made a huge difference! It brought out a lot more of the fruit flavors, and the extra body really lengthened the finish substantially. It didn't seem to reduce the tartness...

I started 2 batches of mead on Dec 26. OG 1.104, current SG 1.005. So you still being at 1.040 is a bit odd. What yeast did you use? Did you add any nutrients? How long have you been at 1.040? What exactly is in your mead (some sugars are not fermentable)?

Sounds like a stuck fermentation then. I would make a starter with new yeast and energizer, then pitch that after a few days. But I don't think that adding more nutrients or energizer to what you have now would work. Did you do anything else out of the ordinary that would cause the stuck...

What's your current SG? Typically you use energizer at pitch and then nutrient up until the 1/3rd sugar break. After that, the yeast usually don't use anything else you would add.

I have a WE World Vineyard merlot that has been bulk aging since september and is pretty drinkable right now. If you use the clarifiers you could bottle probably 2 months from pitch and then you would have 3 months in the bottle

Following this since I was recommended in another thread to add glycerin to an out-of-balance Merlot I have. As far as I can tell, you should be fine with glycerin long-term if you only add small amounts (i.e. 1tsp per gallon), but I'm also interested in experiences from others that have...

Yeah this is definitely not the traditional elderflower wine, much less floral. But it's a good cheap porch sipper that quick to make

I always loved the Elderflower Juice drink from Ikea, so I though I would make a wine with it and see what happens. Tonight we cracked open the first bottle (which was bottled in September) and it got really good reviews from the family so I thought I would share the recipe. The final result for...