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There are many degrees of quality (for lack of a better word) in kits. Not only does size matter in terms of the juice bag, but also the number and types of adders included (skins, oak, oak powder, etc.). Many times the descriptions provided for these products talk only about the expected...

Nothing meaningful to add, but this is one of the funniest threads in a while.

Thanks for the advice. I was able to bring the temp up to about 72 and switched to a lid and airlock (SG 1.026). The ferment was alive and kicking. Yesterday the SG was below 1.010 so I racked to carboy and I'm still seeing steady bubbling through the airlock. I think this batch will finish...

I started a Winexpert Selection (16L) Nebbiolo kit a couple days ago. I am fermenting in my basement, which is quite cool. I substituted RC 212 for the provide EC-1118 (pitched dry), added 1 tblsp nutrient and covered the top with a light cloth to allow it to breath (ie: no airlock yet). I...

I racked 2 batches on skins last weekend and did not have great success. I have a 2.5" diameter SS tube in which I drilled numerous 1/8" holes, more near the bottom, not so many up top. I wrapped it in a mesh straining bag cut to fit. It worked great until about 2 inches below the level in...

I bottled up a CC Showcase Amarone and a CC Sterling Pinot Noir last week. They were started around 1-20-17 and left on the skins 8 weeks and 6 weeks, respectively. I decided to add more oak at the penultimate racking so the oak was fairly assertive at the time of bottling. I ended up with...

Thanks . . . that makes sense. It's been settling out for 3 days now. I think I will attempt to rack it in the next couple days. Appreciate the advice.

This is a follow-up to other threads relating to the application of skin pacs directly into the must vs. using the mesh bag provided. I attempted the former last year and had quite the time with the initial racking out of the fermenter. The next couple batches I used the bag. However, after...

I switched to using a cork-a-dor a few months back and skip the dipping and spritzing altogether. I figure if I pull back the lid and it smells strong then the corks are getting a continuous dose of K-meta the whole time they are stored. I agree that chlorine should always be avoided.

1 Vignoles, 2 Rieslings, 1 Pinot Noir, 1 Finger Lakes red blend . . . oh, and there was some food in there too. I'm pretty sure we drank many more $ than we ate. Well worth it.

I have had some less than pleasant tastings, especially soon after ferment, Luckily, so far, time has been the healer of all things evil. I still have one blend that is in question. I threw some oak at it and am waiting to see what happens. When I am losing my stomach on the steep descents I...

Thanks for all the comments. Started both kits on Saturday and pitched BM 4x4 in both. In spite of wrapping each in a jacket and putting them on a heat mat, it appears that it will be a cool fermentation. Musts are holding right at the 70 degree mark. We'll see what happens as the ferment...

We made the Winexpert kit below last year and when we got down to about 8 bottles left my wife started to get nervous . . . so kit number 2 was ordered and is now just about done with primary. I added about 1/3 of the F-pac (included with the kit) into the must to get the SG up to a decent...

Here's the true detail on the cool ferment Riesling, now that I have my notes in hand. Looks like the actual fermentation period was only 33 days, but still much longer than a normal kit ferment. 4-9-17 Started in 6.5 gal glass carboy using K1-V1116 yeast + 1 tsp yeast nutrient. Yeast...

I agree that bench tests would be a good idea. That's how I handle back sweetening. However, don't the tannins continue to develop over a long period of time? I read the Scott Labs tech sheet and they refer to complete polymerization. While a month to 6 weeks might give an indication of...

I've played with oak (spirals, cubes & chips) and I like what it does for the wine, but my reds are still a bit one dimensional and could use more body and complexity. I'm thinking that some tannin additions might be part of the answer. I have added small amounts of standard tannin powder (see...

Both the room and the must. I'll go back and check my notes, but I recall starting it at about 67 and it dropped down into the low 60's the first night. I was fermenting in my basement in early spring. I have an old house with a drafty basement which can be quite cool in the winter. I did...

I agree that if wine is your passion then it's okay to spend a small sum to get the experience. I am a real newbie and probably have yet to develop a palette for high end wines. So far, I have found a few labels in the $25-$35 range that I found really impressive, but the couple of times I...

I can't say yes with great surety, but I think the slow and cold batch is better at 6 months than the earlier batch. The first batch definitely fermented fast and warm and had an odd taste at first. The early batch was also bottled right away and, thus, it had 100% of it's aging in the bottle...

It took about 45 days to get down to SG .994. I fermented this in a 6.5 gal glass carboy and topped off with CO2 (I bought a 40LB cannister and regulator for extended macerations) in the later stages. I had been researching Rieslings made in the Finger Lakes and found that some fermentations...