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How difficult is it to dismantle a barrel, clean the staves and put back together?

I agree, doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me either. It sort of defeats the purpose of getting the oaky flavors when aging wine. This barrel clearly has 15 "PP" painted on the end. I looked it up and it say it stands for "Paraffin". Has anyone ever dismantled a barrel, sanded the inside of...

Hi, quick question; I picked up a slightly used 15 gallon oak barrel that the owner said was wax (paraffin?) lined. Is this okay to age wine in? I always heard charred or natural oak barrels where best. Also, the guy stored it two-three years ago with some lees left in it that took some doing to...

Thanks for the quick reply.....I just read the jug.....it has Pot Sorbate and Sodium Benz added to preserve the cider. I plan on buying two-three gallons, check the SG, add sugar if needed to bring it to 1.090 or so and pitch some RC-212 or EC-1118 and let her cook.

Hi all, just wondering if I can ferment pasteurized 100% apple juice?

Hi, just wondering how often you folks add yeast nutrients during primary fermentation?

Hi, you might be overthinking the back sweetening issue a bit, but that's not a bad thing, we all do it. Most folks do a bench test, then multiply the amount of sweetener based on the volume you're back sweetening. This seems to work for most but I was never good at math so used the wine...

I've used RC-212 in the past, then switched to (71B) 1122......not sure why, no complaints....so far.

Well put Jersey Fresh......the old guys I make wine with NEVER add anything to their wine...period! And they turn out fine. They do however sanitize...

Hi, this extended maceration issue has me thinking. We'll be crushing/de-stemming in a month or so. We usually macerate for only a week before pressing. I always thought that wasn't long enough, but being part of a bigger group I never said much, old habits are hard to break with some folks...

Thanks for asking the question.....I too racked and K-Meta around the same time and was wondering if I should hit it again before bottling, I opted to bottle away.

Thanks, just checked the SG.......down to 1.030 on the Camerere and 1.040 on the Cab Franc. Both started at around 1.090 last Friday so I think things are progressing nicely. The room temp was around 63 degrees this morning but is warming up and the smell is great! I plan to add MLB on the...

Keeping everything clean and sanitized would be an added concern.

Quick question.....Can one use too much yeast nutrients? I read you should "step feed" nutrients during PF. Is it bad to dump it in all at once (as I did)? Would there ever be a situation when you would need to add MORE during PF? Thoughts?

I think even at 64 degrees you should be fine. Check the temp range on the yeast you pitched, it should have a range on it. My basement was around 64-65 when I pitched last Friday and all is going well with the ferment.

Juice buckets, Chilean.

Oh, forgot to mention, one has American oak chip, the other French. Interesting ay?

Thanks.....funny thing, I have two buckets going, one Cabernet Franc the other a Camenere. Both started the same time, same yeast, same amount of nutrients, same temp environment fermenting at a completely different rate. One is fermenting at a pretty good pace, the other pretty slow.

Thanks, I did see that on their webpage. I guess I can safely assume that they are the same???

Nice notes......I assume you pitched the yeast on your start date (3-24-18)? What yeast did you use, did you add any nutrients and what are you using as a primary fermenter? I use an open buckets during PF so the yeasts can breath. I also stir a few times a day to help oxygenize the yeast. As...