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Wade, the corks were not expensive but not cheap either. I bought them with bottles from a winery in Virginia. Putting that aside can you tell if I have a problem? If so, what is it?

I bottled some wine yesterday and noticed the imperfections (lenticels) on the colmated corks were greater than I expected. (I bottled the wine with them anyway.) Now I'm concerned. I split a cork to see the interior and found what I'm showing in the picture. Disregard the damage on the...

The issue with humidity is that corks can either dry-out or rot. Ideally, I'd try for 70% humidity and if you can't be precise try for something less, rather than more.

That's fine. Just sanitize your hand afterward.

I have an opportunity to get a very good deal on a Selection Estate (predecessor to Eclipse) Yakima Valley Pinot Gris. Any comments on the quality of this kit?

Welcome to WMT. Everything looks really good. Clearly you've been paying attention. One thing to keep in mind is sanitation. Make certain everything that touches the wine and anything touching anything that touches the wine is clean and sanitized, including the spoon, hydrometer, wine...

My suggestion is to try WE Australian Chardonnay or Symphony. Both are good quality kits. You should understand that making wine does require some patience, particularly if you want a full-bodied wine. If you prefer speed over body, I suggest you try their Mezza Luna White

I hope this helps.

Note that I edited my response. I originally suggested adding oak chips to the wine, but decided to take that out. I'm concerned that your wine is too mild and oak chips will add a harshness to the wine. Your instructions say not to rack out the sediment until after clarifying, which means...

Welcome to WMT and good luck with the kit. "Coastal Red" is a brand rather than a variety. but it seems to be a fairly light red. For that reason, I'd be careful on adding oak and wouldn't go crazy with the oak, preferring something mild.

Sorry, but I don't see it. To me it's not about dilution, but mixing the batch to a proper concentration. It's like mixing cement with less water to make it stronger and getting weaker cement as a result. There are many things I do to improve kits: re-hydration, nutrients, longer time frames...

I haven't tried any solutions, but tested with several corks. I've come to the conclusion the issue has much more to do with smoothness and speed of my corking than anything else. I knew before I started that the cork's pressure increases horizontally as the cork is inserted. When I don't...

BOOSTER Blanc provides only a minor supply of yeast nutrients. It is not meant to replace your regular nutrition program or to meet the nutritional needs of your yeast. Obviously, this is particularly true when BOOSTER Blanc is added toward the end of fermentation.

I'm picking up a floor corker in a few days. The issue is obviously the diameter of the piece that touches the cork. Is it a larger diameter in a floor corker?

A few quick points from your posts. First, there's no minimum, maximum, or recommended days to degas. Some wines degas naturally, while others take several days. You need to test the wine and continue until you're satisfied. Wine will degas far more easily when it's warm - 70+F. Once or...

I guess I've been lucky up to now. And I've used narrower (#8) corks.

Plugging is of no consequence whatsoever, except to avoid spillage. It's not possible to create a vacuum like that, anyway. However, the advice on the vortex is very important. What you need to do is not create one, which can be done by varying your drill speed. The plastic may sink, but...

Eventually fermentation will stop when sugar gets too low or alcohol gets too high for the yeast to continue. They know when that is, so you needn't be concerned. You don't have long to wait. The minimum you're likely to achieve is 0.990, probably a little higher. You should have at least 2...

I bought some #9 corks and I'm intending to use my double-lever corker to inset them. When I tested one, I got a surprising result. (See the photo.) It appears the corker didn't push the cork in evenly, applying pressure only in the middle. Here's my questions: Is the cork too wide for use...

Given that you are "very new to wine making", my suggestion is to let it go until fermentation ends. What's happening is fermentation: yeast are consuming the sugar in the wine into alcohol and CO2. Thus, stopping fermentation will end alcohol production but also leave residual sugar. The...