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Passionate conservationist, foodie (cooking), puzzles, being outdoors, family (combined with foodie - the impulse to feed and nurture), summer cabin life/boating. Want to get back to playing piano, non-technical reading, traveling...and so much more - need to retire (Retirement vs working).

Thanks to both of you for good advice - stirring and kmeta today. Racking lessons on Saturday.

Question - how long can I delay before racking and adding kmeta/sorbate to Skeeter Pee? Situation - teaching a friend the basics of wine-making with a batch of Skeeter Pee (and also a FWK). All work is being done in my basement. The plan is for her to come back on Saturday for next steps (first...

Thanks, all. I was prepared to pay some $$ to ship a small batch as a housewarming gift. New plan in place - the new homeowners will get a lovely set of Italian wineglasses for housewarming (perhaps ones that I look forward to drinking out of at Thanksgiving!). And the wine will travel at a...

😳 Asking the wrong questions, looking at the wrong risk. And that is why we ask. Thanks so much, @winemaker81. Not much of a risk-taker and good to know what the right line of query is. Kids will have to wait for a road trip (and I will check laws for cross-country by car, also).

I would be surprised if this hasn't been discussed before, but it appears my search terms are lacking - any advice on shipping wine across the country? Packaging? Risks? Our kids may have moved far away, but they are still hoping for a few bottles from the "family cellar" (which is a gross...

1 teaspoon = 5 ml 1 tablespoon = 15 ml 1 ounce = 30 ml

Unbelievably good on cream cheese as an appetizer, on hamburgers and on so many other things. This is my favorite recipe - a bit more kick and flavor than most of the others. One pint takes just under 1.25 pounds of peppers; the 3 pound recipe gives me 2 pints canned plus some in the...

Just finished canning the annual batch of Cowboy Candy (candied jalapeños) - even with lots of ventilation, it is a 'powerful' event. Right up there with Kmeta fumes, although it sticks around longer in the house. And smells a lot better.

@Rice_Guy - you are spot on. I need the carboy (or, I want the carboy - I always tell my adult children to distinguish between need and want) and I have no 20ish friends (see earlier - I have 30 year old kids). @Ohio Bob - will try some of these (and the other) new tweaks. Why we have...

There are a number of previous threads I could probably append this to. Just christened a carboy with the label: "life is too short to drink crappy wine." 18+ month Chilean Zin juice bucket. Over the years, I have made many enjoyable wines, and more and more "pretty darn good" wines (thanks to...

We think it is worth it 😊

As we have a cabin just across the border, we do this routinely. You can take 1.5L (2 x 750ml) of wine per person (adult) across the border with no tax. I have long thought wine-drinkers are discriminated against - the rule per person are 1.5L wine, a case of beer or a fifth of hard liquor. In...

I wash my hands before starting any work and dip in Kmeta or Star San soln before squeezing skin bags (the original query). AND - I agree wholeheartedly with Fred, Rice_Guy and Winemaker81. Cleanliness and good, but not obsessive, sanitation. Having spent much of my professional life in the...

Building on this - Winemaker81 is right that waiting for a year+ with your first few batches isn't really realistic for most new home winemakers. Not only will the suspense be a killer, but the challenge of continuing to grow/learn this new hobby requires continuing to explore. What worked for...

A bit late to this party, but I have picked up (and fermented) several Chilean juice buckets from Midwest in Minneapolis (St. Louis Park) - they have always been preinoculated with yeast. Almost undoubtedly EC1118. I did the Syrah and the Zin last year with MLF (and extra skins etc - would have...

Thanks - always good to have some "life experience" in addition to all the research. My research had said "need to chill while carbonating." Think I will try to carbonate my cider at basement temps. And looking forward to carbonated cider on the boat dock at the cabin this summer. Might not get...

I just bottled the RJS 2020 rose (the Deb?) - okay, I didn't actually start fermenting it until 2021. Fully dry, lovely strawberry essence - finishing the "leftovers" last night and today. Very nice.

What about good ole Texas 1015's?? While I haven't lived there for years, they were always on top of my list and I love when they show up here in MN....