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My wife and I just had our first taste of the Super Tuscan that we started when you started yours. About the only difference is that ours went into a Vadai barrel for 8 weeks (2d red to age in that barrel). It was fantastic. Very full body, great flavor and a very balanced oakiness. Just over 9...

After 6 weeks I racked my Extended Maceration Staggs Leap Merlot into a carboy, degassed, added Kmeta and the oak cubes. I skipped the Chitosan again. My next free start date in my barrels isn't till December so if this kit makes it into the rotation it will have plenty of time to clear...

I agree on the skins in a bag versus loose. I lost quite a bit my first time too. Even trying to filter the remaining mud through the mesh bag was frustrating as it was so think with everything. Thanks to you both for posting, please keep us up to date as time goes on. I'm still impressed...

Hi, no taste tests yet of the SL Merlot. I'm starting week six of its extended maceration. Next weekend I will rack and degas, then a few more weeks before a taste. When I last popped the lid on it about two weeks ago it smelled great. BTW Vandergrift posted a video two weeks ago saying...

Good luck, sounds interesting.

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Thanks all, I'm hearing you. I just have a lot going on now and don't wish to jump into more than I can chew well. Also, this is really just a trial effort with hopes that by the fall I will be better positioned to try a full batch with California grapes.

Jim, my wife and I did that at iFly in Baltimore for her birthday. It was good, definitely worth the experience but I doubt if we'll be back. The basics are easy, but control and feedback of your body to ensure the correct position without the instructors assistance was much more difficult...

Yep, I'm afraid that's not unusual. The good news is that in my experience it will go away. I think you can go ahead and bottle and be fine. I've noticed that my rubber bungs lose the smell after a while, but I've got five silicone airlock bungs now and really like them. Good luck.

Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate it.

Hi all, I'm going to experiment again. This time I've ordered a lug (18#) of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Harford Winery. My plan is to de-stem and crush the grapes by hand, add Kmeta, wait a day, add Pectic Enzymes and then give them another day to get used to each other. On...

I tried the same explanation with a girlfriend in high school :)

Yes, you've degassed enough to go ahead and add the next items. You will know quickly if you aren't degassed enough as some of the stuff will 'curdle' and float to the top on the CO2. If that happens just stir a bit more and mix it back in. That's rare, and it looks a lot worse than it is.

Craig, thanks. You're welcome any time you're able to come on down. Just let me know. I'm not a beer drinker but I thank you for the mention anyway. Btw, I've got two extended maceration cabs in carboys now (Eclipse Lodi, and a CC showcase), plus a third one three and a half weeks into EM.

John gave you good advice. Now, as to your next question. The wine will indeed age in a bottle and be decent wine. BUT, make sure that your wine is thoroughly degassed before you bottle it. Aging in a carboy will help your wine degas, drop more sediments that will be racked out before...

Apparently the storm went up the Chesapeake instead of the coast, which moved many of us into the sleet area. I'd rather have the snow than the ice sheet covering my house. I'm looking at the wind whipping around and not looking forward to trying to clear the driveway later. Ice on top of...

According to a teenage looking announcer on the Weather Channel this is not Snowmageddon II. Rather, we are facing, wait for it...... Bombogensis! But at least bombogenesis is apparently a real term with a definition, i.e., a drop of 1 millibar per hour for 24 hours. This one is scheduled...

Just a final thought. If you set the carboy on the floor you may want to raise it up a bit. Either set it on some wood or maybe a folded blanket. If it's a cold floor it will act as a heat sink for the rest of the carboy with 78 degrees near the top and maybe 60 at the bottom. Giving it a...

All is well. Your Amarone had a skin pack, right? Lots more dissolved solids in red wine than white which scatters and absorbs the light. It will take a while to clear, just give it time.

Label removal is a crap shoot. Now that I'm into this for several years and have many hundreds of bottles I'm a lot more selective. If a label is being a pain in the arse it get's maybe 20 seconds to change it's tune or it's going into the recycling bin.