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Well I have to say I have not heard of cashew apple wine before today. Keep us posted on your progress with it.

I rack from one carboy to another. Why add the extra step of transferring into something else, like you said. I never tried using plastic 5 gal water bottles. I have read in other forums that there is no evidence showing enough air penetrates the plastic to oxidize the wine. Plus, if you are...

One packet of yeast is good for 5 gallons. If you are making only a few gallons the full packet will still be ok. The unused yeast will settle out. As for the type of yeast to use, I am not sure since I have not made wine from concentrate although others on this site have. When wine is...

I have never used oxy clean. Is it like a soap detergent or a bleach? I guess what I am getting at is that washing bottles with a detergent, like dish soap, is not good because it is very difficult to rinse away soap from a bottle. However, if it does not leave any type of a residue then it...

I prefer to use the word additive instead of chemicals. In wine making there are several things we do to ensure a proper fermentation, which can include adding yeast, nutirents, cultures, etc. Adding sulfite to wine acts as a preservative to protect against oxidation and bacteria that could...

If your wine is fermenting out in 6 to 7 days that should be fine to extract enough color. I like 7 to 9 days but you can't always control it. The problem with excessive must temperature above 90 degrees is that you can get a stuck fermentation. This means the yeast dies off and your wine...

Bob, what is the temp of the must now? Here is some information on MLF dug up regarding temperature. I was off slight in my initial temp for the optimal temp. ---- MLF will proceed faster at higher temperatures. When no SO2 is present in the wine the optimum temperature range for MLF is...

Bob, you are not doomed. I have read that you can start MLF either during primary or when the primary is complete. If adding during primary you want to add it when the fermenation is nearly complete. This gives the ML culture some of the nutrients that are still present during the primary...

ML Fermentation can start on its own if the wine is atthe correct temperature. The optimal temp for red wine MLF is 68-72 degrees. For white wine the optimal tem is 58 degrees. If the temp of the wine will be falling colder than the recommended range before the MLF has completed then it is...

Kdiddy, if you start MLF before primary fermentation is complete then it seems to me like you would press as normal; when the brix is 0 (or -1) or the specific gravity is 1.000. MLF takes several weeks to complete and you can't wait to press once you have reached 0 brix. There is a difference...

I make wine from either grapes or high quality juice. I have never made a kit wine but check out WineMaker Magazine. There were a lot of kit wines that placed medals in the 2007 WineMaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition. The kit wines were judges along side the juice/fresh...

Troton, was SG 1.070 at the start of fermentation? 1.070 at the start of fermentation without any added sugar would still result in 9.7% alc if fermented to dry (1.000 SG). I don't have an answer for you on the mold though, I have never experienced it myself.

Dale, see my post under the general wine making discussion. Look for the thread Bad Smell. It may help you.

If the primary just started you can add sugar to bring the SG up enough to get the alcohol up. Unfortunately, I use the brix scale instead of specific gravity so I don't know what the conversion would be. For each 1 degree increase in brix you would add 1.5 ounces sugar per gallon. If my...

hmmm... interesting idea about the marbles. Good suggestion, this way I can keep the volume the same for each carboy. Thanks.

I use my family surname. My wine label is La Famiglia _______. Which is Italian and translate to The _______ Family. (surname omitted to protect the innocent).

I agree the primary fermentation needs to be covered and cheese cloth works well for small batches. If making wine from juice I use the lid, when making wine from grapes I cover my fermentation vats (500 L) with a clean drop cloth. You certainly want to prevent fruit flies and other foreign...

Try visiting morewinemaking.com. They have helpful user guides on wine making that you can download for free.

Thanks again Muscadine. I didn't consider the pectic haze that may occur. I am going to try adding the juice. I'll sulfite the juice and add some pectic enzyme before adding it to the wine and see what happens.

One inch of lees is normal. I would hold tight for another two weeks and let more of the solids settle out then rack again. Some wine makers stir the gross lees (what settles out during fermentation) to add what they call "additional mouth feel" to the wine. I would not stir the fine lees...