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you'll probably be ok for 6-8 months is it lasts that long. :D Your problem was probably not enough headspace. Next time you bottle, experiment until you get it right. I've been using a hand corker for years because it takes up less space than a floor one. I think the big difference is...

They make fruit wine kits that are basically a varietal grape wine that you make, then stabilize with sorbate, then you add a pouch of fruit concentrate, let it clear in the carboy using finings, then bottle COmmon flavours are strawberry zinf, and blackberry merlot

fresh fruit

I've even got a few 375 ml bottles that i throw in to the mix occasionally. I've done some sweet fruit wines into beer bottles and wine cooler bottles with crown caps so they would be handy for taking to informal gatherings in the summer. The women love it!

If your doing kits, then an airlock works well. The yeast doesnt generally need much oxygen once they get to work. I like to use one because it keeps the fruit flies out, and if you do forget it in the primary for a few extra days or a week, your wine is protected.

I bet that 10 gallon crock makes a cool primary! The only disadvantages to stonware is that it's heavy and breakable. For a smaller batch, a stainless steel stock pot will work also.

As a starting point, I'd reccommend #1 (coarse) for reds and #2 for whites. The only time I ever used a #3 was when i was Kegging a very light beer for some picky friends and wanted it to get all the yeast out. I'd suggest you try leaving the finings out of your next kit and see how...

Filtering definately improves the appearance. You can filter a clear wine and make it shine. Afterall, enjoying wine is all about the senses, and sight is one of them. Filtering reduces the need to use additives like finings and stabilizers, especially in kits. Filtering also helps...

The way it works is that it divides the flow to all three pads at once, not through one at a time. Three different pads would not be like filtering in stages. Using too fine of pads will take colour and taste out of your wine.

Mine works great. I've had it for about five years now and I filter about 50 gallons a year with it. It really improves the clarity of your wine, especially whites and blushes. I generally don't use any finings at all since i got it. I also use the pump without the filter to transfer...

I have a bunch of 1 gallon jugs that I use when I have less than a full carboy. IMO, you're better to divide the batch into 3- one gallon jugs that are fully topped up, than to leave a large surface area exposed in a half full carboy.

I assume your kit uses a concentrate? if so, then add water to about 5 gallons in your primary. When you rack it into the secondary, just add boiled and cooled water to top it up to the neck of your carboy. The reason for the 8 gallon fermenter is to allow space for foaming.

If your looking for a sparkling dry wine, just make a good white wine, no more than 10.5 or 11% ABV. Let it age in bulk for a few months until it's clear and stable. Skip the finings and stabilizers. Add 2 oz (no more!) of white sugar per gallon of wine and bottle in champagne or...

why not give it a try? There is room for a lifetime's worth of experimentation in this hobby. Perhaps split a batch and try it on half, then compare the difference. It may just make a month old wine mellow like it's been aging for six months and it may make a year old wine taste like...

You may want to look at some orange mead recipes as well.

It retails here for about $10-$12CDN for a 1.4 litre container, so you're looking at about $50-$60 for 7 litres of juice in this recipe. The other ingredients would be less than $10, so the total would be similar to a low -to mid range wine kit. When you figure the price per bottle...

The S.G of the juice itself was 1.070 I've still got a couple of litres of undiluted juice left that I froze and a 6.5 gallon carboy, so i could top up with straight juice next time that I rack it. This stuff took off quickly, and was ready for the secondary after only a few days...

I aquired about 14litres of Pom juice the other day. It's a few days past it's expiration date, but it tastes ok, so I decided to try some pomagranate wine. 7 litres of pom juice + water to 6 US gallons, white sugar to 1.080 SG, 5 campden tabs, crushed and dissolved yeast nutrient...

Just handle the bottles gently and pour carefully so that the sediment gets left in the bottles. Next time let it sit in the carboy longer.

I've used expired kits. Reconstitute the concentrate , then taste the juice. If it tastes like fresh grape juice with no obvious off flavours, then your probably good to go. If the juice tastes bad, then your not going to get a good result. (this is true of any wine kit regardless of age)...