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Mid-Michiganvintnerssupply.com is next to you in South Lyon. Don't know if they do grapes or just juice. And it's usually a fall thing like the aforementioned Macomb county one...

Saturday night I was at a little self styled French bistro in Ann Arbor MI. I ordered 2 glasses of a Cote du Rhone at 9 bucks a pop to go with my Steak Frites- the bottle would have been 45. Sure, it was probably marked up, and I can't remember the estate, but I told my friend who went there...

I follow directions pretty closely too. 7 wines entered during the last two Winemaker Magazine Int'l contest, 5 medals won. I have no particular talent for this. I just followed directions. I will make the observation that I think you'll get a good white wine much sooner than a red with a...

I have the Australian GSM at 6 months right now. Two things, I don't think this kit came with skins, and 2, at six months at least, I thought Vieux Chateau du Roi was better. Your taste of course may vary. And although the Vieux Chateau does not give a varietal breakdown, I have to imagine...

I haven't been doing this all that long (little bit more than two years). Because there are really all sort of vulnerabilities for a wine I think it's easy to lose sight of how robust a natural process aided by the winemake itr really is. I've checked on my cellar and found bungs blown of...

I've had it happen, no issues, not to say never though. I've started putting the lid with the airlock loosely on the fermenter if looks like it's going to be a big bubbler. No danger there - many people don't use airlocks at all during primary.

It is a good point and brings to mind something related - the removal of 500 ml or whatever the instructions call for to make room for the f-pack with the idea of using it for top-offs later. Anyone else find this suspect for reasons similiar to what Cmason dilineated above? Seems like it...

Scratch my post. I need to pay more attention.

I'm a bit confused about what's going on here. The OP never said she maid a 5 gallon batch out of six gallon kit intentionally. For bulk aging I've lost enough from a blow off fermentation and heavy sediment that my 6 gallon kit went to a 5 gallon carboy and one lone bottle for bulk aging...

I dunno, did the Bourbon Barrel last year, but now this feels like things are getting a little gimmicky. I like the blend though, so if I do this kit it may be with French oak instead of Whisky Barrel.

The only kit I've done that you've named is the Nebbiolo. Can you report back on that when you taste it? A professional winemaker tasted it at nine weeks and gave it a thumbs up. He may have been just being nice. I had a few ounces at 9 months, was satisfied with the taste, but not the...

Yes, people have asked me if I've ever thought about selling it. I always tell them, to make them feel good, that it's priceless, and that's why I'm giving it to them. Now I have a decent budget for playing around with this hobby, so I always got something going - even stuff that I don't like...

Congrats to everybody. I had the same experience as Filosophic. 5 entries, 4 medals. Gerwurztraminer (silver), Old Vieux Chateau du Roi (Silver), Eclipse Nocturnal (Bronze), and Chardonnay (Silver). My Merlot didn't medal.

Thanks on the congrats. I'm interested too in how the RJS kit compares. I think I read somewhere it's being discontinued...

So I won a Bronze Medal with the the Nocturnal I mentioned in this thread (I did two of these kits, but obviously only entered the oldest). Been quiet on the couple of Nocturnal threads going. I'm anxious to see the tasting notes. I frankly didn't expect to win as the wine was about 19...

I just Silver Medalled last night on a Vieux I commenced ferment on in May '17, It was lucky to survive that long as another Vieux was started after that and I've almost drank it all up. No tweaks and by the kit instructions on the Silver Medal winner.

Someone can find an outfit that can beat LP let me know. I doubt it can be done. When I started in this hobby, I was going to a local shop 7 miles from my house. Now I have wine kits fed-exed to my job (so they're not sitting on a porch in the heat or cold) for about 40 bucks less per kit...

I live in MIchigan and the ambient temp in my winemaking area this time of year is about 68 F at best. Done about 15 or so kits, just pitching the dry yeast - and never had a stuck fermentation. I don't use any other heating source though the fermentation vessel is positioned close to a heat...

I got about a 26 ish bottle yield on the Fume Blanc. It have to admit I don't have much experience making whites but being there are not skins this yield kind of suprised me.

It's a little off putting that the juice is described as 'toxic' before fermentation. Any ideas other than 500 PPM sulfites lol?