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I'm not familiar with black sapphire grapes. You may be referring to sweet sapphire grapes. If so, I think the challenge will be in the process.

Yes. Feel free to alternate all of your equipment between white, red, rose or any other. Just make certain it's properly cleaned and sanitized between use.

I'm not familiar with this, particularly given that K-meta is used to sanitize bottles. I always thought SO2 gas from K-meta was the preferred method. I've seen this approach used by wine makers referred to as a "corkidor".

On the corks, they're fine to use as is if you purchased sanitized corks. If you didn't or are not sure, I suggest putting them in a sealed container with some K-meta for a while before corking. There are several ways to do this including either a heavy spray or using a K-meta solution.

I'm pretty adventurous but couldn't imagine growing yeast for wine. I try to find the proper yeast to compliment my wine and fit my temperature needs. There are plenty of yeasts available online if your local supplier has difficulties.

You may be familiar with what I'm going to say but here goes. While Zinfandel doesn't generally benefit from the level of aging seen in some other reds, RJS's instructions are pretty quick. I suggest one more racking, then carboy (bulk) aging for 3 months before bottling. In addition, you...

Kit instructions are designed to make a good wine with a minimum of difficulty and a limited chance of error. Rehydrating yeast is preferred but not necessary and is an example of RJS's simplification. Be mindful of this later when it comes to degassing. Again, RJS and other wine kit makers...

You can certainly make wine under those conditions. I'd figure out the coolest and most stable place that works and maintain your wine there. Make certain the wine can be racked without moving it or you may have difficulty with racking and clarifying. Also, stable temps are often better than...

Yes, adding anything will impact SG. Water, with a SG of 1.000, will lower the SG.

You're probably going to get many recommendations for a bottle tree dispenser because it's very popular and I have one, too. I suspect you'll end up getting one. But I find it takes longer to clean with the bottle tree and I don't use it as such. All you need is a large bin and some One Step...

Many yeast / grape compatibility charts show foaming as a yeast characteristic. Foaming never concerned me and I've never had a problem with foaming in primary fermentation but I've begum to wonder why everyone shows it. Why do wine makers care about the amount of foaming?

GaDawg, I suspect I'm missing something in your comment because I think you know everything I'm about to say, but here goes. I don't think anyone's suggesting home winemaker's can precisely control oxygen during primary fermentation. Everyone, though, has imprecise but substantial control over...

I agree with other posts that Charlottesville is also very nice, in terms of volume superior to Loudoun County. But the Loudoun County area (known as Northern Virginia) has nearly 100 wineries, which strikes me as plenty. I didn't mention it, though, because it's over 2 hours further away. If...

I've been to many wineries in New Yok and Virginia. In terms of variety, quality, and scenery I don't think there's much comparison. New York is very nice but, in my view, Virginia is superior. In terms of a trip, consider Loudoun County as a base. You don't say how long you have for a trip...

I don't want to change the topic here but will comment briefly on open versus closed fermentation. I believe the choice is based on several factors, one being the type of wine being produced. I look to keep fermentation slow when making whites (particularly aromatic wines) and will use closed...

I'm not as familiar with expired kits as some others so I'll leave this to them on how to correct your problem. However, you have to give the yeast a fighting chance. By and large, here's the way it's done. Rehydrate Lalvin EC-1118 in 5-8 times its weight of tap or spring water at 104F. (A...

In pitching did you just add the yeast as the directions probably show or did you prepare it in 104F water as many winemakers prefer? Also, you don't say which kit you're using but 1.076 is a bit low. Did you stir to take the juice into solution off the bottom?

Mike (or anyone else), I never tried anything like this but I'm about to give it a try. A few questions which show how little I know. First, what do you mean by extraction? Is it just a matter of putting the zest in the Everclear? Second, when you describe the lemon peels snapping in a week...

Noren, a few comments. Rather than rinsing, I clean my equipment after use. Then I place some of it as you do in a PVC tube, see below. I spray a healthy dose of K-meta / citric acid solution into the tube, seal it and I'm done. Once the SO2 sanitizes, it's finished. I believe there's no...

RJS says its Super Tuscan is a blend of Chianti with Bordeaux. That doesn't say much, though, because Chianti can be 75–100% Sangiovese, up to 10% Canaiolo and up to 20% of any other approved red grape variety.