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I was given a question about whether there is a theoretical advantage of titrating the TA sample to a pH of 8.2, or using the old world method of titrating to 7.0. My thoughts are that the titration is at the equivalent point near 7.0 (weak acid/weak base), so using phenolphthalein would be a...

Basement? Luxury! California homes do not have basements (my cousin in Missouri finds that frightening, but I remind her we have earthquakes, not tornados). I am using a part of my garage, and it makes it easy to do cleaning and rinsing by carting things outside, but when it heats up I have to...

Hi Ghostrider and welcome to WMT! From my experience, all my carboys are larger than the stated quantity. I make wine from grapes, not kits, so it has never been something I have considered much - I just fill them up. I guess, as Cmason states, the extra space if making exactly 6 gallons can...

Sounds good. Just keep watching the Brix to ensure it is fermenting.

At 8 days, 2.5 Brix is not bad. Have you been monitoring daily? Is it continuing to drop, even if just slowly? If so, it should be fine to just let it finish. I have had primary fermentations last 2 weeks both at home and at the winery. If the number stops at 2.5 for several days it could be an...

Welcome to WMT! For your Merlot, what was the initial Brix? What is the current Brix?

Did you add SO2 prior to the fermentation? It could be mycoderma, but is difficult to tell from the image, and my understanding is that mycoderma takes more time to develop. If you are ready to transfer, continue to do so and make sure you have your SO2 at 50ppm or higher. Wait a couple days...

I know you said "don't ask" about the sake, but I just have to ask. How did you start with sake and how did it turn out? I am interested. I am a wine maker, but also do some fruit wines since we have peach, quince and pomegranate trees in the back yard. I lived in Japan 25 years working for...

Hi Mike, A couple questions. What area of Northern California (it's a big place)? What varieties? I did VSP for my vineyard (Contra Costa County) with Zinfandel, Mourvedre and Sauv. Blanc. I also have 20 vines on a single wire ( resulting in roughly the equivalent of California sprawl in...

I blend reds several months before bottling and let them settle and, if necessary, make final adjustments to SO2, acid, etc. since the final product will not necessarily be the sum of the 2 you start with. I always do blend testing with my wife and decide on the ratios, then plan and blend. Last...

I did not use any finning agents. The wine was cloudy for the first 2 months and then just cleared on its own. It was nice that grape harvest started so I didn't pay much attention to the peach and one day it was just clear. Next I will filter .5 micron pads, add sorbate and backsweeten to about...

When did you ferment? How long has it been since fermentation stopped? I have a peach wine that has taken 3 months to clear.

I will do a bench trial of both. I like the Barbera because of the high TA and how it will balance the Cab. Still, if you have never seen the color of Charbono (Douche Noir), it is amazing.

A fun question and looking for thoughts on a blend. I have 4 gallons of Cab Sauvignon from my vineyard this year - the grapes were good, but didn't produce a lot. I need my 3 gallon and 1 gallon carboys back and I have a couple of empty 5s. I normally ferment -> age -> blend, but this year I...

Yes it is, but as long as the fermentation kicks in quickly it should not be an issue. If you want to avoid contact with oxygen, I would recommend putting a layer of argon on top till it starts and the CO2 can do its thing. Is the concern around color? As you are starting fermentation, a bit...

OVS is good and I bought my crossarms there (not V shaped though). https://www.ovs.com/

I'm going to try my first ever Saignee. I will cold soak for 2 days and then drain off about 25% for rose. Will then ferment with all the skins for a week or two. The grapes are 25 Brix and TA came in at 6.0. I will top up the acid just a bit, but since I won't do MLF on the rose, I need...

Picked some great Grenache this weekend, and the guy still has a lot left. Grenache was at 25 brix, not sure about the others. The Charbono looks great. The Cinsault needs to be picked soon. You can text him if interested: Ken (209) 481-9699.

Is this mycoderma? This is a peach wine fermented in July that has recently developed a white film on top. I added SO2 at 50ppm at the primary, then added 20ppm at the first rack. It has been stable for 2 months and then started developing this one week ago. I did a rack and return and added...

So an update on the Sauvignon Blanc. I racked into stainless and reserved a small test sample. I work from home, and left the sample to sit for 3 hours while I had a conference call. I test and now the pH is 3.77 and using the pH meter watching for 8.2 rather than just color change, it tests...