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I really like RP-15 for petite Sirah. It provides great body to a bold wine while leaving the fruit and spice present. Very similar to the Mouvedre - or at least how I like them! If it too much for your taste then you can blend it back with the merlot.

I like making it an educational social event. For crushing, pressing and bottling parties we always taste what we are making and I usually bring out a few bottles of past vintages so everyone can taste what the juice or young wine will be like in a few years. This past fall I started...

JustJmy thoughts - I just had the opportunity to "pass though" Napa. We only had three days so I spent one day going to Lodi, one day in Napa and a half day in lower sonoma. Lodi has some of my favorite grapes and wineries so we took the day trip. Great wine and better priced but it isn't as...

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but I am glad you are back in the wine making saddle! That is an impressive selection of wines you have created! Mullberry is a great selection for you next make. It was the best county wine I have ever made and was served at my wedding. Unfortunately I...

similar to Scooter68 - when I open ferment I use a large bath towel or two ( designated acceptable by wife - this is key!) to cover the mouth of the vat and use a bungee cord to secure. Works great!

You get an A+ for the day - putting two cool things in one post! Noice mate!

I blend right before bottling. That way I have the best idea of what I will get. There is still some changing in the bottle but my taster is not refined enough to allow me to blend pre-fermentation. And those folks that do field blends!?! Gutsy!

Agreed with KevinL. pix please. Replication would be the say to go this year. It is about odd that they were shriveled by Sept 1st unless the previous owners let then go and it is dry-rot. Concord would be picked late September or early October whites a few weeks earlier, but they shouldnt...

Good point! I like the grape and wine, but is seems under appreciated. A sparklings Catawba won in a blind taste test against french champagne...back in the 1880's

Someone suggested putting boiling water from a tea kettle in the bottle and then pealing off the label. It works like a charm. This has been the best suggestion I have tried. I tried soaking in hot water, different cleaning solutions etc. The boiling water allows me to handle the bottle that...

I made a cab-sauv in 2014 that was a crowd pleaser. That lead me to make a Tuscan blend in 2015 which also turned out well also. I will be blending a 2016 super Tuscan this year so knock on wood! Any suggestions for the Cab/Merlot/Sangio blend ratio? Jgmann- pick a different grape every year...

Welcome to the forum Eric! Fruit can be a bit trickier than grapes so as the gents above mentioned, jack keller's site was fantastic to find! He has the most extensive fruit recipe collection I have found. Here is his page: http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/index.asp Also, I am sure the...

Love it! I have been looking into getting a pump! What a great opportunity!

I would not blend concord with other grapes. It's too strong of a flavor and will dominate the other flavors. I like the idea of cranberry or cherry. I like the idea of tartness the cran would add. Maybe a sour cherry....hmmm. Now I'm interested.

Would u waste any time with bentonite or just go with ur suggestion?

Turlock, I agree with the Pinot going through MLF. I like it smooth. I unfortunately added the bacteria to a kit wine. Any suggestions? The wine has good flavor but it is rough and thought it would help. At this point I'm wishing I didn't add the MLF after reading other posts...

Sounds fantastic! How did it taste? I'm a port fan! What was the final cost for the batch?