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Speaking as a poor winemaker but fantastic gardener it is always optimal to transplant in the late fall (in the northern hemisphere). The bigger the root ball the better but for the occasional plant that has bare roots use Myke a micorhyzonal (sp)plant nutrient that encourages root development...

Other than looks do you think they serve much of a purpose? I have never used them but wonder if I should?

I make everything sparkle if I can. I too add dextrose to bottle carb. This should be done before 6 months are up so the yeast remains viable though I haven't experimented with the time frame. Champagne is made primarily with Chard, Pinot Noir and Petit Meunier. A combo I'm not likely ever to...

Wow, wow, wow. My deepest condolences!

I agree in time it will likely naturally clear. I wanted to address the fact that most people don't put wine in beer bottles. I'm guessing it has to mostly do with oxidation, aging and too much headspace. Wine bottles are easy to find and a hand corker is pretty cheap. You also might want to go...

Hey Andy I've been following your exploits from afar. I'm basically a master gardener (in my mind anyway). Every year I find new things to give me a battle in the garden. This year it's anthracnose (?) on broad beans. I will say that my move to no pesticides and basically no dig gardening seems...

That is interesting. This is my second kit, the first one is still aging and I shorted the water as well. The pH ended up around 3.1 (RJS Cab Merlot) and does not seem to be clearing though I didn't use the chitosan and keiselsol. I assumed that aging would clear it eventually but wow it is a...

That's a good point. My SG is almost 1.1 and they suggest 1080 to 1095 or higher (I'm doing just over 5G vs 6G). From what I've been reading on this forum they have been decreasing the volume of a lot of kits. So that does make sense.

So this is a little odd. I picked up the Chateau Merlot at costco on the wknd. What a terrible name, though coming from someone who has made and consumed Skeeter pee, I ain't throwing stones. It was on sale (in Canada), a double kit for $64 seemed like a real deal for what I hope could possibly...

I made plum wine with Santa Rosas as well. Surprised by how it turned out. The colour was beautiful. I will add that I pitted and froze the fruit to kill the nasties and help break the flesh down. I also added an acid blend and some tannin.

Thanks for the reply joe. I have lots of raspberries so I'll give your boil the fpac a try even though this goes against what I have done as a country winemaker. I'm going to oak in primary and try a tsp of instant coffee and add the 16 oz of raspberry. I'll also add oak in secondary though I...

Hey @joeswine I don't know if this has been answered before but do you add regular tap water to your kits. I just got the malbec from costco on sale and added campden to my water but didn't know if you used bottled water or boiled some. Thanks for the info.

Sounds interesting Rembee. I love natural wine but have been scared off trying it mostly from reading on this site. I will say I've had some off tastes that have helped me dial in my routine and I have gained an appreciation for using a known yeast. That said, I like Brett even though it is...

I've used raisins a few times. You are right they are often covered with a thin film of oil for preservation. My first step is a vigorous rinse a couple of times. Then overnight soak followed by a blend with a food processor or ? vitamix. Then put them in a mesh bag. Not sure if that helps...

Nice! Congrats! The pond will be awesome too.

I get it but they are great pollinators plus if you wait for a while a giant fly that looks like it will bite you (tiger bee fly) might come and parasitize the larvae.

I subbed Greg, that was a good video.

I can't really help you much with your problem other than I believe store bought grape juice is going to be thin and not ideal for making quality wine (amongst other things). You sound like a good candidate to go down the Dragon Blood worm hole which you can read about on this site. Surprisingly...

I made my last batch in a bag. It cleared nicely with just a slight red tint. One of the best country wines in my limited experience.

Yeah never is a little strong! I would do exactly what you are doing but practice a lot on other stuff first. Ironically the uncle who passed away in the previous story was a fancy welder. From what I understand he mostly did stainless welding of tanker trucks and factory stuff. Kind of a...