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As others have said, keeping it clean is all that really matters. When you see color differences in the scratches and/or smell your previous fermentations, it means your bucket is not clean.

We've made quite a few mango wines over the years, and yes... a year or two in bottle will smooth things out. Not sure it will help with a high alcohol though. I think the backsweetening idea is probably the safe bet, get a bit more flavor to compete with the alcohol. Mango should be fairly...

I might be a little late, but you can always pitch the yeast AND refrigerate it. That way there might be some protection against wild organisms (although probably not much), and then the yeast will immediately dominate when it warms back up. Just a thought. Good luck with everything.

Beautiful label Morris. I just saw them on Facebook too and really like it.

Thanks for the shout out David! CabSauv- First I can't believe no one already had that name on this forum! :h I really like both your labels. I like the first one for it's elegance...the smaller image actually makes it more important to the viewer; intimate. I think if you added a little more...

It definitely depends on temperature as well, since many people struggle with ordinary levels of sugar. We live in S. Florida and never have any issues with fermenting. But still we like to step feed the yeast when making high alcohol wines. The osmotic pressure of the excessive sugar can stress...

Like others have said, if it tastes good there's probably no need to worry. If it had a good seal, then the CO2 collected and created a bit of a blanket protecting it from O2. And if you're not smelling any off smells I'm guessing the yeast stayed pretty happy (not stressed).

I would also suggest, before making your next kit, to do a thorough cleaning and sanitizing of all your equipment. The process and equipment used can be very important, so if you write out a comprehensive explanation of exactly how you're making the wine, there might be some additional clues...

Well done, great looking bottles!

Our latest Riesling label got an honorable mention in WineMaker magazine. I thought it was cute and funny.

We back sweeten our wines to a particular SG, after years of going by taste. So now after so many years we know we like our meads at 1.005, our mango wines at 1.010, etc. As others have said, fruit flavor, acidity, alcohol and other factors will affect your perception of sweetness. But if you...

So much about home wine making is anecdotal...most people just tend to find what works for them through experience. And there's so many variables and nuances; different size bottles and manufacturers, different cork suppliers, so much time between bottling and opening the bottle to drink (and...

I don't have any issue with sanitizing corks, but I'm a firm believer that corks should be completely dry when inserted into the bottle. Please note that there are no commercial wineries that use kmeta on their corks before bottling (that I know of anyway...full disclosure). The cork seals by...

If everything was for 3 gallons and the only difference was volume of water, then most likely your 2 gallons are not balanced (assuming it went to dry). But as heatherd said you can go by taste. There's no reason you can't add water afterwards to get the volume and balance where it should be, it...

I'm reluctant to tell other people what they should do, but I can certainly tell you what I would do... :h If I'm adding oak to the wine anyway, some of that will be during primary fermentation to add complexity. So I'd throw that oak in there when you get home. You can add the cubes later as...

One thing I would add to John T's answer...if you add sorbate you have to add the kmeta as well, otherwise you run the risk of organisms munching on the sorbate and ruining your wine. Some knowledge and observations about oak I've gotten over the years... 1. Oak present during fermentation...

By the way Throwdown... great idea to start a few at the same time. It's my experience that wines need at least a year to really show what they're going to be like (and will get better over a few years and then start declining depending on storage). Although you can certainly enjoy them young...

You hit the main difference...you don't know what you're getting. The kit manufacturers know where their grapes are coming from and have long term relationships, so they get consistent fruit. Your juice buckets may not have that consistency (I'm guessing it would depend on the supplier). The...

Agree that you're fine until the fermentation stops, then your wine will start to dissipate the co2 it's currently saturated with (which is protecting it), and the bung will slowly let air in and out. Not an emergency, but like others have said, you will want to get your wine into smaller...

I don't have an exact number for you, but I'm guessing you could leave it on there for quite a few weeks if you wanted to (again complete guessing here based on nothing more than my own anecdotal experiences). My point was if you have an inch or two of anything on the bottom of the carboy, that...