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If I lived in the area I would be all over it. Someone within a couple hundred miles who wants to up their winemaking game should get ahold of you. 👍

Admittedly in my 15 years of making wine from my vineyard grapes I have had virtually no incidence of the stuck fermentation phenomena. I will chalk it up more to luck than any superior command of viniculture. Some winemaking textbook authors have offered many reasons for the incidence of stuck...

You've piqued my interest on these other cultures. Time to spread my horizons. 👍

Yeah, it needs to be opened up and everything brought above board. That in no way would threaten the legitimacy of the local winemaking industry.

Regarding California this is an interesting reality: "And then there’s the famous MegaPurple and its off-brand equivalents, that goopy syrup of grape concentrate used to doctor a wine into something boozier, darker and sweeter than the vineyard could have produced. Because it’s derived from...

With the 40% value are you saying root development continues into the winter? What type of fertilizer application do you apply and do you do any soil analysis?

What is the reason for covering grafts? Are they prone to freeze damage? I have some established Roucaneuf vines I was thinking about replacing and instead of pulling them trying my hand at grafting. Do you have a good success rate with the grafting? The leaf tissue analysis sounds interesting...

I was curious as to what precautions you take each winter with your vines and what proactive approach you have to maintaining soil quality while minimizing disease and insect/fungi predator overwintering. Do you mulch or use organic/inorganic fertilizer? Based on soil analysis? cheers....

Born in France in 1750 Dr. Jean-Antoine Chaptal is one of 72 scientists who has his name inscribed on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower. This gifted individual was a chemist, physician, agronomist, philosopher, statesman, and philanthropist. But for our interests he is the individual who in...

I squeeze the snot out of my sodium hydroxide bottles and push the liquid to the absolute top. It makes the bottle look funny rhough...lol Would dessicant packs thrown in with sorbate extend their longevity?

I use the same sink outside in my vineyard/garden area to clean carboys, etc. If you use treated support posts for the legs the thing is good for almost forever. A frost free hydrant comes up the back for the water so it works out well.

Thoroseal is an excellent concrete sealer. I used it my well cistern and also have it on the walls of my converted 1000 gallon buried storage tank/wine cellar. It stops all moisture migration and has been applied for over 15 years with no failure or problems. The dehumidifier would be a good...

On fully mature vines of most varietals you can plan on around a gallon per vine (12-15 lbs). But that will take 3-4 years and rhe first couple growing seasons pinch the clusters off and let the vine spend all its energy on vegetative growth. Having said that I have a monster Roucaneuf vine that...

As others have suggested Lalvin Bourgovin RC-212 is a very reliable red performer. I prep it with some GoFerm and then a day or two later pitch some FermAid. Watch your temp differential and keep the must temp and yeast temp fairly well matched to avoid any thermal shock.

Wine ph typically rises a tad during fermentation. Yours is not terribly high or out of kilter. You could add a small amount of tartaric now or wait and see where it settles out post-ferment.

Is it possible to make a blend with the carboys needing more wine? Otherwise you can try marbles or something else inert to take up the space.

Current wine pH, room temp, presence of nutrients used by ML bacteria, and no SO2 additions are all factors in achieving a successful conversion.

Very difficult IMO.

IIRC all wine has a very small amount of sulfite that is generated by the yeast action during fermentation. Those folks who say their natural wine is sulfite free is technically incorrect unless they are filtering it out somehow, which I am unsure is even possible.

You did not indicate the amount of SO2 currently there. I would flush it and add a new fresh addition (normally less than 1/4 tsp for just 3 gallons).