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Don't rack until it is close to done fermenting. You want the yeast.

It is a normal part of the process In any case, you really need to stir in order to help release the CO2, and mix in O2. Much faster than what happens at at the surface of a still must.

12% ABV is by the Standard formula. 15% ABV by the alternate formula. It could be the combination of high alcohol and high sugar levels that the yeast does not like. Something about osmotic pressure, and can't get enough water. FYI: 18% alcohol (for EC 1118) is under ideal conditions. 15% under...

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53986 You might be able to buy grapes direct from the vinyards. Short of that, 5 gallons fresh pails are the smallest I have seen. 1 gallon kits are available, but the 6 gallon premium kits will easily beat those. Which do you prefer...

Wait a few days, and if the SG continues to drop, then you are golden. Other wise, after a few days, you can pitch more yeast (restart a stuck fermentation), and let it finish. If you don't let it finish now, then you risk having it finish over time. Not the worst thing if you bulk age for a...

How many pounds of Raspberries did you start with? How many pounds/cups of Sugar did you add? It is not a "maybe". If you dilute with more Raspberries (assuming you have enough), then it should be fine. If you started with 10# of raspberries and added twice as much sugar as you should have...

What's your current SG? Note: It is very hard to stop an active fermentation with k-meta. I'm guessing that you may have slowed things down.

I use a floor corker, and I still get the dimple on the cork. It does pop back after a while. I used a hand corker, and gave up on it pretty quickly. Floor corker is essential if you want to countersink the cork, and then fill the depression with wax. IMHO: I would not trust 8's for more...

Taste it. It is probably ok. Give it a dose of K-Meta, and put the bung back on.

That's your problem. If you have a floor corker, recork with a #9 cork. If you have a hand corker, probably #8 is the biggest you will be able to do.

#8 or #9 corks? Anything lower than #9, and you risk weeping corks.

Not made it before. Some good reviews here on the kit. It is also on ebay for $80 + shipping.

Some places still have port kits for sale. Check eBay and Amazon. I just bought a salted caramel kit off eBay for $100 delivered. Port kits are usually shipped around September, so it is getting late for finding them. Once they are shipping, some places will have stocked them for sale.

For cleaning, I use One Step or PBW (powdered brewery wash). whatever I can get in bulk from the lhbs.

Depends upon what you mean by "spritz". K-Meta works on SO2 gas, so sprtizing works. Starsan works on "contact", so the entire surface must be wet. If you use a Vinator to "sprtiz", it pushes enough starsan to wet the entire inside of the bottle.

I use StarSan. The contact time is much shorter than other options.

I use a vented silicone bung, and do NOT degas. The vent is a one-way, and lets the gas out. Negative pressure will suck the bung down. Sometimes I have to release the vacuum to take off the bung.

The Chocolate Salted Caramel is a winexpert kit http://www.purplefootusa.com/P/921/ChocolateSaltedCaramelDessertWine(Port) There is an RJS Toasted Caramel kit https://www.rjscraftwinemaking.com/cru-specialty/toasted-caramel-dessert-wine/

if you ferment from a slurry, especially if you use a lot of it, the juice can ferment down that quickly. For the fun of it, I fermented an IM kit from 1.07 with a slurry from a recently completed kit, and I think it was done in 2 days, but I kept it in a little longer because I added used skins...

There is a Winexpert Chocolate Salted Carmel dessert wine kit on ebay for $100 including shipping. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Winexpert-Chocolate-Salted-Caramel-Dessert-Port-Wine-Kit-/272317619663