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I am giving this recipe a go maybe early next week after I get some slurry. The only thing I don't have it Yeast Energizer. Do I need this or can I go without it?

You should be an inspector or investigator. I wasn't actually quite truthful in my reply. I actually had already turned up the heat the night before because the must was getting pretty cool and I wanted to get more CO2 released. So, timewise it was about 2 days with more heat. Either way I'm...

Just wanted to post a follow up. I stirred and heated up the must as suggested and overnight the SG dropped to .994 so that was a good suggestion. Thanks for the help.

This kit gave me fits as well. I have a post on this same topic. Mine finished at 1.000, but the difference between that and .998 or 1.002 is like nothing. I tasted no sugar at all. Most of my kits that are heavy reds like this and anything with a grapeskin pack is not fermeting down as low...

Now that I think of it the reds with grape skins are the ones that seem to stay around .995 or higher as Mike said. I did a few WE kits that had no skins and those fermented to .990 or so. The only exception is the Luna Rossa which says in the instructions that it will only go to .998 They...

Thanks - I guess I won't take the reading too serious then, but I will do as Tom says and stir it up some. I am racking to secondary tomorrow, so I'll stir it tonight and see if that helps. I've tasted it and it seems finished to me. I agree on the TDS. All my whites fermented down to .990...

I wanted to hear some opinions from some of the experts here on this. I've done a variety of kits - mist kits, WE Luna rossa, CC Showcase beefy red kits etc. Most of my cheaper mist kits, white wine kits and lighter red kits ferment like rockets down to .990 or close. But my beefy reds seem...

Do those paper bags cover the entire Carboy? Thats a great idea, as I have tons of them.

What I would do is first see if you have active ferment. If you know the amount of sugar you added and the amount of liquid you are fermenting there are some good minds on this forum and someone can probably guess where you are at. At this point its going to be some quess work. If you think...

Something is fishy here. If the hydrometer never floats, meaning it sinks to the bottom then you have a SG of less than .990 - lots less. Is it possible you have a crack in it and its taking on water or maybe the wine thief is not full enough to allow for you to take a proper measurement? I...

Do hydrometers go as high as 1.3? That would be like 35% alcohol or something. Can you reread the hydrometer? 1.03 is 4-5% as you say.

Wow - you have patience. First one year in a carboy then another year? I don't think I could last that long. I like to put in bottles so I can look at the bottles and fill up my cellar. But I also like to try one at least every 3 months.

I"m doing this same kit and I agree the color is a little darker than what a White zin looks like but its still a blush and it might be that in a carboy it looks darker than in a 750 bottle.

thanks - I figured that was the case since they function as a sun replacement for my plants. I'll wrap them in blankets or something.

What if there are florescent lights in the room? Would you recommend covering them up? I will be starting plants soon in my basement where my wine is and the lights will run all day.

I haven't done Kenridge either but I've heard they are good kits. Some people would kill to get a Sg in the range you have for a premium kit. Final ABV will be close to 15% depending upon where you end up when its dry. Nowadays 14-15% ABV for a store bought red wine is pretty standard from...

Maybe its also true that some people don't have a nose for this KT. I can't say I've tasted it. Someone said its like Jolly Rancher - I"m not sure I've tasted that in my kits. Some of my wines are "green" and I can taste that.

The other thing to mention is that the white substance is not really harmful its just unsightly. I've done a few of these kits and never saw it, but seems to form on the top and at the surface in the carboy. I got this same kit ready to start this weekend.

The big thing with storage is consistency of temperature and at least my garage is anything but that. I'm in MN granted, but it gets down to 20 in the winter and very hot in the summer. There are parts of my basement that remain about 55-60 year round so I use that area and have a 56 bottle...

That said . . . I have a Cellar Craft Rosso Fortissimo that I tasted right after primary and WOW, I could begin drinking it at bottling. I won't, it's going to get 3 - 6 months aging. I think it all comes down to taste and preference. I have the same kit and while I can tell the kit will...