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Pineapple? I don’t get that flavor. We’ve got a bunch, but not enough for wine. But they are spreading...maybe next year. If you do this, keep us posted.

Sure, you are right, not a quart lost. My point is just that a kit is supposed to be complete and if made as directed, and if it includes chips, skins etc, you will not rack out enough from the primary to fill up a carboy without headspace. It would be nice if they just included a little more...

That’s one of my gripes about kits.. If the kit contains raisins, skins or oak chips (splinters, really), after racking off the gross lees, tasting and testing the 6 gallon kit turns into a 5 and 3/4 gallon kit. Either lots of headspace or racking into multiple smaller containers. Too bad they...

@Gill , no advice here, other than to say good luck it may all be fine. Last year, I left my wine (for a day, I thought) after it just started primary fermentation. Unfortunately, or fortunately an early birth of a grandson meant I didn’t get back for 5 days. Very little cap punching or...

I use a bottle tree and separate sanitizer spritzer. After I bottle (or rack) my wine, I use the bottle tree with just one layer screwed on to dry my carboy (it fits well in the center hole) and my wine thief and siphon assembly fit on the prongs. But I only do one carboy at a time, so this...

@Johnd I wanted to follow up and thank you. The MLF completed successfully on the carboy and the 2 extra bottles after I swapped half the contents of them about 2 weeks in. All looks good. I also want to thank you and so many others ( @cmason1957 ) for all of your help since I started...

I also stripped and crushed by hand, and agree that it is time consuming, but other times without Covid, I had friends help. No cleanup other than me since the juice squirts everywhere and I am a sticky mess when done. I agree about cleaning (and storing) a crusher or a press for such small...

I sent an email to RJS asking about what the Super Tuscan kit I bought was composed of and heard crickets.

@Johnd Just to follow up.. the vacuvin cork seems to be doing well. Small bubbles at the neck show some activity in the bottle, but it has never popped. Since the bottle is filled to the top, the vacuvin clicks with the slightest pull. Thanks always for your input. I will also try to put all...

I was having trouble keeping the upside down universal bung sealing with the airlock in it. I switched to a screw top bottle because the glass is thinner on the top with those and the bung fit in further. The universal bung is working great now, thank you for the tip.

Thats a great idea, thanks. Sorry, one other question, all of the little oak cubes are floating right up in the neck. Will they sink?

Well that would make it a lot easier, thanks. Sometimes I get over-thinking since I’m new at this. My husband always asks me “what did the monks used to do” when I get too nutty.

Thanks @cmason1957 The wine bottles and carboy are all topped up. I thought that you were supposed to stir twice a week during MLF, at least thats what I’v done according to the morewine red wine instructions. And how do you remove some wine so that the stirrer fits in when the carboy is topped...

They are still pretty active, and I am hoping to put them through MLF too, don’t want to cap yet. It was nice to have all of that extra wine for the first top-off, which is a great additional benefit of adding grapes to the juice.

@reeflections That’s a great setup, would like to copy it at some point. When you do have to carry the carboys, I use the brew haulers straps because I can get someone else to help. I’m a small old lady, no way I can carry full carboys up to the kitchen on my own. Brew Hauler link.

@Spencerthebuilder I have just racked off and started MLF on a batch with a pail and 18lbs of grapes. I use a 10 gallon brute and hand destem and crush, use a mesh bag and squeezing for the pressing. All very simple. But I started another post yesterday because you will end up with almost 7...

I don’t think my old stoppers are airtight. Thanks @sour_grapes , I just ordered some universal bungs from amazon and they will be here by Friday. In the meantime, one bottle has a vacuvin cork, and for the other, I whittled down a larger bung to fit in the bottle. The water in the airlock...

Forgot I had these, the airlock fits in securely, a nice surprise! Thanks. Also, now I can do @Johnd suggestion and try to get them all through MLF together.

Thank you @Johnd and @crushday, you both got my long winded question. I don’t have any small airlocks. Could possibly move it to a milk jug, or is a vacuvin cork like a one way stopper if you don’t pull a vacuum on it?

I’m making a Cab Sav from a juice pail and 18lbs of grapes (Gino Pinto). After primary I moved the wine into a 6 gallon carboy and a 5 liter jug (mostly filled) to let the gross lees settle. Today I racked off the gross lees into a new 6 gallon carboy, topped off from the jug, and started MLF...