Search results

I was pretty minimalist with that batch. No MLF, oak, or adjustments. Just SO2 after fermentation and before bottling, with a few racks in between. MLF/oak might have been a nice approach, but obviously depends on your preferences.

I made a batch with Brehm's 2018 vintage Chardonnay (fresh) from Tolay Springs last year and it has turned out quite nicely. It looks like they may be selling frozen buckets now.

Opened up a bottle from the frozen must attemp last night, over a year since I started it. It was pretty good! Thank you guys for the advice and guidance!

A shot in the dark here (I'm about as far from an organic chemist as it gets), but maybe do 3-5 one gallon batches at a time, culture a sample from the batch that produces the highest ABV, then repeat using that sample's culture. After a few generations you might get a difference.

Yeah, I agree. I'm in SF so temperatures here don't go crazy in either direction, but I've not regretted my lack of a brewbelt. If you live somewhere that the temperature would get out of control and you've then got a lot invested in this kit, then maybe.

Glad to see this thread revived! I recently dug up an older kit I had lying around and I'm giving it a try without adding anything other than yeast (since there's no wild yeast in concentrate!) and not doing much other than occasional racking. Since I'm still pretty new to winemaking (only one...

Thanks, all!

Planning out for this season. Interested in both the pounds per 32gal crushed and uncrushed. Appreciate any help!

Thanks! Just signed up for his list.

I'm looking to make a skin contact fermentation white this year, but the usual brokers for home winemakers (e.g. Brehm) only sell white juice, so I'm left hunting for a vineyard that'll sell me small number of lugs (3–6). So far, my cold emailing attempts have struck out, but I'm not really...

I'm with balatonwine on this one. I'm just starting to explore the area of "natural" wine (I think that's a controversial term even within the category). But for a long time, Coturri has been up there with my favorite winemakers — even higher if you factor in the affordability of their...

OK, so the starter started after day 3 and I pitched it over the weekend. It's got the kit bubbling away rather gently (not the vigorous ferment you'd expect with commercial yeast). Fingers crossed.

Ok it's been 48 hours and the starter hasn't started. Attempt #1 failed I'd say. Bottle says "no chemicals or preservatives are introduced nor is the wine filtered or fined."

Thanks, all. I figure I'll know pretty quick if the winery filters or I can't culture the yeast and all I would have lost is a few sips of the wine. Stressbaby, you bring up good points though, and the ones that I think are interesting me about this in the first place: (1) whether and to what...

Here's what I'm thinking. Would love to know if anyone else has tried this, or if you think it's nuts. There's this "natural" wine (i.e low to no SO2, wild yeast, minimal intervention) I really like. And since it doesn't use any SO2, I was thinking that some of that wild yeast which...

Thanks all! Sounds like I just got to pony up for a new primary.

I'm planning out how to embark on my first Brehm pail (red). From what I've read, one pail will give you apx 3 gallons of juice, post-skins. That would mean one pail would fit nicely in my 6 (6.5?) gallon primary fermenter (plus there'd be plenty of CO2 production to push out the oxygen), but...