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I may be overdoing the punch down, if that's possible. The heater is connected to a controller with probe in the must, keeping it steady at 82°F. Two days in and I can hear it doing something, just can't see it as visibly as I would like. AF began ahead of what I planned, for obvious reasons...

FedEx tracking says the the EX-V and Opti-Red should be here today, so still planning on putting them in when they arrive. 36 hours in, no noticeable fermentation, but the must is warming, so some activity. I put my carboy warmer on the brute to coax the temp up to 82° F. Also wondered if...

Got the Brute cleaned up, rehydrated the yeast with GFPE and pitched it around 6:15PM. Didn't have a bit to drill a hole in the 20Gal brute for the spigot I bought, and didn't want to waste anymore time since the grapes/juice were already over 60° F. Also don't get my Lallzyme EX-V until...

My understanding of délestage is that many of the seeds come out as the wine is moved to another container and are separated using a straining device. If you have a filter inside your fermentation tank, seeds won't come out. After the liquid has been removed it is returned to the fermentation...

OK, this is disappointing, just received two of the four pails, no insulation in the corrugated box to keep them frozen during the seven day transit, and the packages were stained with juice. The grapes are no loner frozen. Waiting for a reply from the vendor, grapesforwine. In the mean time...

Two pails of Livermore CS & two Merlot arrive today. From what I've read, it takes 1-3 days to thaw. Do most simply thaw at room temp or do you use a heated wrap to help the process? Also ordered a Vinmetrica SC-300 to check other vitals; that should keep my up at night since chemistry was never...

Right, that math doesn't work for wine since the benchmark one year in the table is based on a 53Gal/200L barrel vs. a standard Bordeaux (Barrique) barrel at 59 gallons, which has 3100 square inches, or a SA/V ratio of 52.54 (Concepts in Wine Technology: Small Winery Operations By Yair...

After a little digging, I found this. Couldn't find a way to delete my original post, so thought I'd update it for anyone else who may be looking for an answer to the question. While it doesn't show a standard 223-228 liter barrel, it's rough guidance at least puts things into perspective...

I read that smaller sized barrels have far more surface area for a given volume of wine (or other), and found a thread discussing aging schedules. Not ready for barrels yet, but as I begin to produce wine from grapes in the fall, barrel aging is where I'm headed. Many very good wines are barrel...

FWIW, I've had my share of Parker and James Laube highly rated pinot's and cabs that didn't sit well with me, both French and American. It's all a matter of taste, but in many cases, their reviews are just a starting point. You drink what you like, and if you like it eat the whole thing, though...

Thanks for sharing that, it’s good information to have, and yes, small vineyards were dropping a lot of fruit last year, Constellation refused to honor a lot of contracts

Thanks for that reply, there is actually a second package of potassium sorbate included, so unless there is inert filler along with Kmeta, then my concern is that it will lead to an off flavor. Not sure what effect excess So2 has, or how to problem solve it, but that's the next thing to hunt...

The morning of day seven and I'm right at .998, tonight at 7:00 pm marks a full seven days, so I'm going to keep an eye on it and maybe rack tomorrow. Instructions say put in the contents of the package marked Potassium Metabisulfite; that's a compacted teaspoon! From everything I've read, the...

Well, as the OP said, that is brilliant! I may have to find a way to get my contract machine shop to make one of those. Once volumes become large enough you could submerge a hose connected to a filter bag on one end and impeller pump on the other for quick transfer. Thanks for that thread, eye...

OK, impatient me kept googling this and found this website, How We Make Red Wine - Brooklyn Winery. An impeller pump is a simple but elegant solution, and guess if you flood the receiving container with Co2, then you alleviate unnecessary oxygenation. You all probably already know this kind of...

Trying to be forward looking here, and wondered about transferring wine from larger fermenters, like Brutes and 1/4 ton square picking bins. Stainless is usually set-up with spigots for free run and small doors for skin removal. Absent those, are the aforemention fermenters emptied by scooping...

I get emails from Wine Industry Advisor and found this article to be pretty informative about the future of grapes. They go through cycles, and right now they're close to or possibly coming off the bottom. When we looked at vineyard real estate we heard from owner that many were either selling...

Thanks for your input. Next question, would you ferment to .998 in the primary then rack, or do as they suggest and rack into a carboy at 1.01-1.02? I’m inclined to keep stirring, put on the air lock and then rack when it’s completely dry.

Quick question now that I'm approaching 1.01 SG: I've read more than a handful of "procedures" that describe racking the wine after MLF , then wait until the wine clears, rack, and wait for it to clear more. I know a kit will not go through MLF, but they do essentially force clarification using...

OK, me the newb also forgot that stirring the must at least once a day is important to keep the yeast suspended so it can work efficiently. Didn't stir it the first 36 hours which might explain why it was slow to start. Stirring it 2-3 times daily, and activity seems to be pretty robust...