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MLF > Not intentionally, and not as far as I am aware. My stainless tank has a floating lid, with an air tube seal around the edge which you blow up, to seal the wine against air. I reckon it has near to zero head space for air in that tank once the lid is on. After Racking I added more...

I have just completed my second racking of my verdelho red wine, and notice all round the inside of the stainless barrel, including the lid are crystals. Is this normal? Also the wine is not as fruity as it was, ie it is becoming a little sharp?

I have not as yet noticed any sulfite testing kit sold on this island, possibly because I have not been looking for it. What is recommended for sulfite testing, what do I need to look for ??????

Not yet its still needs a second or third racking to clear it up, I understand. I did test it to see if it still tasted good, it does :) However my heart was pounding last night, possibly induced by the sulphite, or maybe the salt in my food.

I have screwed up, again, by overestimating the amount of wine in my barrel, before racking. I have given twice the dose of k-meta to my wine than recomended. I estimate I have put 100ppm/litre rather than 50ppm. Would aerating ie oxidising the k-meta to produce KHSO4 solve my problem. Does...

I have not sulfited it yet, I was going to do that when I was convinced it had stopped fermenting, before racking it. Is there a chance I could have introduced some Bacteria? I only scrubbed the barrel with water after the last fermentation :( The wine tastes not bad at the moment. Should I...

I know nothing. Is the following normal? I have a 60 litres of red wine, which has reached 0.998, and appears to have stopped fermenting. It leaves a fizzy sensation in the mouth, which didnt happen with aeither of my other 2 wines I have made this year. Could the fermentation still be...

What about adding toasted oak chips to get some tannins back?

I might have made a mistake :( I cooked in the oven and added some white oak chips at 4g/litre to a batch of red wine 2 days ago as it approached the end of primary fermentation, the fermentation isnt quite over yet. My wine was really fruity before adding the chips. It now seems to have lost...

Ref when to add oak chips this link is interesting The Influence of Oak Chips Added at Various Stages of Winemaking on Sensory Characteristics of Wine I understand other hardwood chips such as acacia cherry apricot etc can be used, do people only use white oak?

I have tried nothing yet, but have purchased a packet of Bentonite. I have about 100 litres of red wine, 15 litres of white, and 10 litres of figs on the go.

That is an excellent link ! Dont use bentonite on red wines as they reduce colour noted! What is the best time to use bentonite ? before the first or last rackings?

I am trying a 5 litre batch of fig wine. It is fermenting nicely! I am a complete newby to fruit wine making ! Is a fruit mash of figs treated the same as red wine grapes? After the fermentation is over in a few days, is it normal to procede by straining the fermented juice from the mash? I...

I suspect the import duty to the azores from the states will double the cost of the product. I was thinking of building something similar to that. I notice on the all-in-one website, 1um and 5um filters are suggested as an extra. Does anyone have an opinion on using multiple filters like a...

What do you mean by an all in one pump? Does it include filters of some sort? Do you have a model in mind? I have not found any vented bungs on my island yet, so am thinking of drilling some corks and inserting a small coiled tube into them and filling them with water. Is there any way this...

With my stainless barrel I have reduced the head space to zero and fitted an air lock. Up/Down side being I cant lift it back onto the shelf as it is heavier and less manageable than my smaller plastic barrel. So I will have to invite my friends around to help me lift it back onto the bench...

Thanks, now racking to a stainless container with a floating lid. Hope my wine hasnt spoiled already.

Thanks all for the replies. Does anyone have an opinion on the air space above the wine after racking ? Should I minimize it, or is the wine still ok at this stage covered with a towel, or with a lid on the tank, until my next racking?

My Red wine appears to have finished fermenting, it doesnt taste bad :) . I do not plan to do a MLF this year as I cant buy any MLF products on my island . I understand I now need to rack my wine and add more sulphate at 50ppm How many different ways of Racking are there ? How many different...

Yes I re-hydrated at the same time, using the same water. It is possible that I added more so2, but I dont think so. We did have a little party after we had finished pressing the white. Thanks for the reassurance, ref the white :) Edit how long is a long slow ferment?