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Hi all! I’m located in MN and this is a 3 year old Frontenac vine. I’m a new hobbyist and this is my only mature vine. It’s the first year I’m seeing grapes, so I’d like to keep it healthy. Any tips on pest identification and prevention would be greatly appreciated!

This discussion has been very useful. My eventual goal is to make wine with grapes, but I'm trying to cut my teeth on wine kits first. I'll look into larger fermenters so I don't need to continuously upgrade my equipment as I progress.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

Hello all, I'm preparing to start my first Finer Wine Kit. I've heard that fermentation is very active so a larger fermenter is recommended. Would a 6.5 gallon Big Mouth Bubbler with a blow-off tube work, or should I use a 7.9 gallon bucket with a loose fitting lid? Thanks!

Thank you, that was interesting and useful info.

It's a sauvignon blanc kit. It's been bulk aging about a month after fermenting dry. I think I let it sit in the primary too long after it finished fermenting and also I only just added the K-meta. I didn't get any of the off smells during fermentation, but I haven't tasted it to check since I...

Hello all, I have my first batch that has an acetone smell. I think I was too stingy in adding K-meta and possibly left it in primary fermentation for a bit too long, so there was some excess air exposure. My question is: is there anything I can do to salvage it? My understanding is that it...

I appreciate the responses! It was a good reminder that processes may vary, and that I do not need to obsessively follow a specific technique.

This is very helpful, thanks for the information.

Hello all! I've done a couple wine kits without any extended bulk aging, but I'm bulk aging my first batch now. Since the kit recipe doesn't account for this, I believe I will need to buy K-meta to add when I rack it. And does racking it every 2 months seem reasonable? Also, should I still plan...

If you feel like you've uncovered some sort of flaw within the wine kit industry, I think it could be more valuable for you to reach out to the businesses directly. Trying to convince people in this thread who don't represent the companies involved does not seem productive. The business may...

I'll definitely plan on taking measurements when I open the first bottle. I'm just trying to track it for my own education, so it's definitely not worth sending to a lab. haha. Next time I'll be sure to take the readings after I add the sweetener. I think I was just excited to get it in the...

Hello all! I'm new to home winemaking and I was given a Master Vintner Tropical Bliss Blackberry Pinot Noir kit. I took hydrometer and refractometer readings throughout the process, but when I attempted to find the Brix of the sweetener when I was bottling, I wasn't able to get a reading. I'm...