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Okay, I need some help. I just bottle 30 bottles using it and about threw it away. 1. What size hose works best for this? I think my hose is a little too big (see below) and could be the cause of some issues... 2. How do you properly get this started? 3. How do I not get this thing to leak...

I recently purchased a plastic Carboy. I racked my very black cherry wine into it the other day and noticed trapped bubbles at the top of the carboy, after topping up. I had used star-san to sanitize, so there was foam. I was able to get a lot of the bubbles out, by tilting the carboy gently...

@Brian55 How do you do EM? That is where you keep the grapes on the juice for an extended, correct?

What would your Top 10 list include when it comes to kit winemaking? This could include tips, tricks, or products you can't live without.

Last night I had decided to keep it as 1. I Filled it with water, no leaks. There is still a couple of small indentations, but not major creases/cracks and most of the dent came out naturally. 2. The other item I had to have replaced took over a month to come in and didn't want to wait that...

After a bit out of the box, it is not as noticable now. Plus, the "damage" is no more severe, than the numbers stamped on the side. Just wish I had better luck with shipping.

I just got a new plastic Carboy delivered in the mail. It's from Amazon however there was a dent in it from shipping. Looks like something was set on the side of the box. Do you think I should try to return it or just go ahead and use it?

Opened a bottle of wine, of course. Will update about the kit later.

I'm wondering. Would doing this be worth the extra effort (splitting and blending). Esp. for someone just getting back into the winemaking journey. 1. Will the different yeast impart much of a favor difference on kit wines? 2. Am I thinking too far outside the box? 3. Should I try...

I wish I could get something for this price around KC/Omaha/Des moines! The one place I contacted said their buckets are going to be $200-300! For that price, I would get a bucket just to try it out!

@joeswine What're your thoughts on staggering the yeasts? Start the batch with Yeast A, then after 24-36 hours, pitch Yeast B?

@joeswine what else would you recommend doing to make this kit the best it can be? @sour_grapes How much Tannins and what type do you normally use? Add to Primary, secondary or both? How much extra oak would everyone recommend? I have some heavy french oak cubes (6 yrs old). Thoughts?

Very true. Since the two kits will only be made a couple months apart, it will be interesting to see how these will differ.

Not looking for miracles, just to elevate the kit or at least see what difference it makes.

The replacement kit just arrived over the weekend. After much thought, I thinking about doing some tweaks to the kit and wanted some feedback. Granted, I just started my first kit CC OVZ kit last month, so I don't even know how the kit is going to come out as per the instructions. However...

I've been researching how to use multiple yeast strains in a single batch. So far I've seen the mixed fermentation method, dividing the batches into two or more smaller batches then blending after they are dry, and staggering the additions (add the primary yeast 1st, then adding the second...

You're welcome! I just got back into winemaking recently, so I just found out about them and have been happy so far.

Added the remaining clearing agents last night, per the instructions. It has already dropped a ton of sediment! Now to wait 40 days, then rack and top up.

The degassing tool came in yesterday and I had some time this evening, so I proceeded. Was a little surprised, the SG was down to .995. I've seen a number of people who skip the sorbate, but I decided to used the sulfite/sorbate packet that came with the kit. I don't want to deviate too far...

This evening I racked the wine into secondary. SG is at .997 and has been for the last 3 days. I ordered a new degassing wand that will be here on Wed. So I'm planning on degassing and adding clearing agents later next week. I will say I am amazed at how much sediment was at the bottom of...