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Think of the nozzle as you would a tee fitting. It has three openings; top, bottom and side. The bottom opening has a rubber seal that creates an air tight seal to the bottle you’re filling. The opening on the side gets a piece of tubing attached that runs into your clear wine, ready to be...

You can use the pump you have there as a vacuum pump. Diaphragm pumps will move air. That’s how they prime themselves. It may not produce the same amount of vacuum as a stronger pump, but if it works while running the wine through it, it will create a vacuum strong enough to transfer the wine.

Planning on racking into a fresh vessel in the next couple of days. I thought I had the K-meta figured out, but my understanding conflicts with the kit instructions so I would really appreciate a sanity check. I have a decent pH meter and plan to measure the wine after racking, but lets assume...

I still have not done a thing to the wine, and it's bubbling away. Bubbling has slowed down a fair amount. SG is down to 0.997. Tomorrow marks day 28 since pitched. Either RC212 is way slower than EC1118, or I racked into the carboy too early. At least there was a happy ending.

I have not done a thing to the wine, no stirring up the lees, no racking. Here we are on day 18 since pitch, SG reads 1.001. I can still see a steady stream of tiny bubbles working their way up to the surface. Airlock still gluggs a few time a minute. But it is almost 3 weeks into fermentation...

On day 6, 1.020, and I racked into a 6 gallon carboy. It's now day 9, still at 1.010. If the trend continues, this will probably be dry a week from now. There currently sits 3/4" of fine lees on the bottom. Should this concern me at all? I've read where it's recommended to rack off of the...

PBW cleaning followed by Beerstone remover will definitely get it. Both of those chemicals by FiveStar. If you want to try stuff that easier to source, you can try some OxyClean free (no perfumes) cleaning, followed by white vinegar.

You will want carbonate the beer and store it tha way. You could buy a few kegs to keep from bottling. I don’t like to bottle. Cornelius kegs are easy to clean an reuse for all sorts of beverages. Sparkling water, sparkling wine, still wines even. The CO2 will help protect the beer...

I’ve been using BeerSmith for beer and it’s great. Inventory management and all. The only thing it doesn’t do well is the water mineral content impacts on pH levels. The most recent release (v3) has provisions for wine and mead recipes. I am using it to take notes for my first wine kit and...

Fermentation was very tame. It would’ve been fine in a 7 gallon pot. The only pucker moment came when I added the Fermaid K. That’s a great way to degas!

Tonight marks the end of day 4 of primary fermentation. I added the second half dose of Fermaid K just ahead of the 1/3 sugar break, at the end of day 3. Kit instructions say to allow 6-8 days before proceeding to step 2: secondary fermentation (rack to a carboy with airlock). Step 2 says to...

That’s disheartening. I just started an RJS Malbec with RC212 and was hoping for glory. Hopefully, you have a better pallet than me, and I will find my wine delicious. Not sure how to help. Maybe try blending a couple bottles in the glass? You could leave some around for making sangria if...

What was the final gravity?

That's good news! I can confirm that fermentation has started. I just measured 1.109 SG. Looks like 1.110 was the peak. I'll use that number for my estimated ABV. I added the Fermaid K just now and stirred things well. Must is at 70*F now. It's finally time to ride it out. Thanks everyone...

This was noon today after stirring: This is now (5 hours later): That’s the “must-colored stuff” I was talking about that released bubbles when I stirred earlier. Is that yeast? Or other stuff suspended on CO2? Is this stuff indication that the lag phase is over and I should add the Fermaid...

Well, I got to perform all the monkeying around I could come up with last night. I chilled the bag of juice, and when mixed with bentonite slurry and the grape skins, must was right at 64*F. I ended up pouring the skins and the oak chips into the sock and tied it off. Following the...

I couldn't resist the urge to start monkeying around and decided to perform a pre-process that I am hesitant to call a cold soak. I chilled the crushed grape skin packs and some spring water in the fridge overnight. I sanitized a couple of 1/2 gallon mason jars and emptied each grape pack into...

Yes, oak is good. The more the better. I’ve never had a wine I thought was too oakey, if that’s a word. I just didn’t want this to be the first. I think I’ll add them after the clearing, as Johnd wrote. I have them already and they’ll give me a data point to build on. Is 3 months too long...

I'm about ready to start this kit. After this weekend, I will be home long enough to see fermentation through. I have waived off the extended maceration and cold soak for this kit. I have decided to follow the instructions... almost. Only a few small changes planned. 1) Yeast: Instead of...

Actually, I am heavily considering it now. I get the impression from my reading that this EM will result in a wine that requires more aging (at least a year or two) to mature and be drinkable. I’m sure I’ll be impatient and want to sample some early on. After all, this is an initial trial to...