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I found with forced carbonation is that the bubbles will get smaller with more time under lower pressure. It seems to condition the wine more thoroughly. Now I usually just bottle cider or sparkling wine so its not taking up a valuable tap on my kegerator:D

I made a nice one a while ago. I used canned apple juice and added about 20-25% cranberry cocktail, then white sugar to about 1.080 I used Champagne yeast and bottled it in Grolsh bottles as a sparkling wine. It's very simple to make. If your using canned or bottled juice you can...

http://www.abccork.com/CAStore/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=32&idproduct=1716#details Here's the thing you need! Pneumatic operated automatic corker. Roughly $2200 plus tax.

The reason for good sanitization in winemaking is so that your wine doesn't get infected. It'll get sick long before you do! I've got a friend who rinses his bottles when they are empty and puts them in the rack. He gives them the same amount of sanitation that he'd give to his tableware...

INstead of buying apples, why not buy juice or cider? google "appfelwine" for an easy recipe using store-bought apple juice. YOU can add cranberries or blueberries for variety and colour. Frozen ones work well. You're probably better off waiting for summer when things like...

Stay away from water jugs. Oxygen can permeate them and ruin your wine. The plastic ones made for home brewing are specially made to prevent this.

B-brite has chlorine in it and oxy-clean has peroxide, so both have some sanitizing properties. I keep the water heater in my garage set fairly high, so the heat helps. too. I always rinse and store my empty bottles clean, so theres generally no clumps of fuzz growing in the bottom. If...

I soak them in a sink full of water with either oxy-clean or B-brite. I rinse them well with a bottle washer and very hot water just before bottling. I just stand them upright and leave them till they are filled. THey usually dry pretty quick, but i dont sweat it if they arent perfectly dry.

Probably not, in Canada in February, unless you have a bunch of rotting garbage or dead bodies out there. Actually, the kitchen is probably worse than the garage (generally speaking) for bacterial contaminations because of all the surfaces that directly or indirectly come in contact with...

Chances are that if your yeast wouldnt grow, then spoilage organisms won't either, so your probably ok. If there's no funky smell or taste, then its still good. How is your temps? was your water heavily chlorinated?, Did you boil it? What did you use for sanitizing? Did the kit...

I'm really not in a rush right now because all my fermenters are full. It'll take me a week or so till i can get to a Homebrew supply to get a test kit. The juice does taste pretty good. Its sweetened and less acidic than average fresh grapefruits. Another approach i was considering is to...

There's actually a style of corker that you operate by whacking with a mallet. I imagine that type results in higher than average breakage. I've got an impressive scar on my hand from college. We were doing fluids&thermodynamics homework in a bar. The beer bottle thing came up so we tried...

Just drink those ones first! I think your problem is that you didn't leave enough headspace in the bottle. The rubber mallet idea is a no-no. You could break the bottle. Personally, I'd leave it alone, but use it first.

Generally, you want to get all the co2 out of suspension before the finings will work. If there's no bubbling or foaming when you stir, then you should be good to go. If in doubt, wait a few days.

Thanks; Maybe I'll try something a bit less agressive than the EC 1118 yeast. I re read the label on the juice, and it's sweetened with apple, pear, or grape concentrate. http://www.sunrype.com/viewproduct.php?variety=35

I just aquired about 30 litres of pink grapefruit juice. It's the shelf stable kind, just past its expiration date, but still tastes ok. There's no sorbates listed in on the label, so I think I'm good to go. A quick googling turned up a few recipes, but they all seem to use the skins or...

I bottled it tonight! Very nice colour. Right now it tastes very much like a zinfandel. It should be awesome by summer. Last week I added Sorbate. I filtered it through a #2 filter when I bottled.

My impression is that a Maderias flavour comes from the cooking process rather than oxydation. I would think that you'd want some sort of protection from infection and turning to vinegar. 110-130º is prime breeding temp for lots of nasty bugs Perhaps a fermentation lock filled with...

I didnt mean to sound like I don't believe you. Just be glad it was mama and not a horny bull during the rut. If it's ok with you, I'm going to copy this and forward it to my hunting buddies. This reminds me of a fire call I was on a few years ago. (I'm a volunteer in a small town...

I spend a week every October "moose hunting". Having them show up at the camp would certainly be easier than actually going into the bush to look for one! Mind if i ask what kind of cat food you were using for bait?:D Oh yeah.. and I'd suggest a nice big red like a cabernet savignon...