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mama>>what can I do to keep busy? Hmmm ... Well, you can get signed up with some sort of addiction treatment group, because if you aren't already addicted to winemaking, you soon will be. The other thing you can do to keep busy is GET A SECOND JOB because you are going to need a lot...

For that much Jeese, for that much money I could hire a neighborhood teenager to work the corker while I sit to load bottles and corks and still have a lot of money left over to buy more grapes and juice. If the "stooping" bothers you ... the Italian floor corker has a table top version for...

Well I'm a winemaker, not a chemist. I know my tap water has flouride, chlorine and chemicals in it. I don't know if the k-meta, mixed in santizing strength has to first overcome what's in my tap water before starting to outgas (my seat-of-my-pants measurement of 'just right' levels) ... but...

A couple of years ago, we seemed to have a bunch of weak plastic water jugs from Wally World that seem to leak after a while (even with just water in them). We haven't had any leakers recently ... I'm thinking Wally World changed suppliers. We switched from tap water to distilled water...

I mix it up in Wally World gallon jugs of Distilled water ... without a problem ... for months on end. I use distilled water because my tap water seems to have minerals and chemicals that seem to slow the K-meta solution strength. It's strange. I can mix up a gallon of distilled water...

Okanagon Wine country We went to the Okanagon wine country last summer where we toured and tasted the wares of more than 20 wineries. Some places we purchased a bottle or two ... others we just walked out. Some wineries actually charged 5 or 6 dollars to taste their wines. No...

I bought a 3 gallon "frosting" bucket from my local bakery (2 bucks). Food safe, gasketed lid. Bought a colander at the dollar store, cut the rim to fit inside the bucket. Put a half-inch of k-meta in the bottom of the bucket, put in the colander, poured in the corks and snapped on the lid...

Almost any Swiss white wine made from the Chasselas grape is tremendous. Most often sold as Fendant. Unfortunately, since production is so low, less than 2% of Swiss wine is exported ... that's the bad news. The good news is you can start drinking it as soon as you board any SwissAire flight...

The canton of Vaud, Switzerland ... because there is nothing in the world that compares to Swiss White wine. Probably only get a hectare or two ... but hey, gotta start somewhere. Be good for my investor because Swiss banks are notoriously mum to US tax entities ... although that too is...

Starting SG for the three Winexpert Vintners Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon kits we've made in the past year is 1.075 ... ending is .994, so potential alcohol level is about 12%. Wait a month after you bottle to taste your first bottle. It starts getting really nice at 3 months and outstanding...

The Winexpert VR Cabernet Sauvignon is one of our "staples." It usually does ferment quickly. Don't worry about the time in days ... if the SG is right ... move on to the next step. If your wine is done fermenting, you need to stabilize and fine it to protect it now. This means adding...

Where did you get a Brute lid with a bung hole? Drill your own? I've never seen one before! Doesn't make a lot of sense since Brute lid is loose fitting anyway.

Like Runningwolf ... I've always used Walmart Spring Water ... our water is hard as rocks, chlorinated ... some taps are straight city water ... others run through a water softener ... so none of it is good for wine making. It's ok to drink ... but I would never use it to make wine.

Viognier ... grape and varietal ... hey, my wife loves it when I make it ... and she's sultry, bright and bold

Scrap the label off as best as possible with a razor blade. Wipe off the glue with a paper towel soaked with 91 percent rubbing alcohol ... from Walmart. Make sure you get 91 percent ... low percentage rubbing alcohol doesn't do the tricl

Dancerman ... it would be a GREAT idea if you PRACTICE corking wine bottles before bottling day ... particularly if you are planning on using a hand corker. Buy a bag of 30 #9 corks ... fill 6 wine bottles with water ... and practice inserting the corks. Make sure you have the proper ullage...

Hey, Slopenutz ... could you please tell us the name and location of the shop? If he's in the midwest somewhere, I might take a road trip. How big is this brewshop that he stocks 30+ new carboys for such a long time?

I actually prefer DEAD LEAF bottles for white wines ... particularly since most of my whites throw a real light ... hardly noticeable...sediment several months after bottling. I know, I know ... should filter ... but hey, bottle in a DEAD LEAF bottle and there's just enough color for me not to...

Go to Sams Club website ... search for commercial wine rack ... they sell a 168 bottle chrome wine rack. I have one ... and am about to get another. Cost about $80 ... but shipping can be $30 more. I have them in my basement ... I like them better than the wood racks I purchased because...

I actually love the smell of a clean empty fermenting bucket ... reminds me of wines brewed in the past. Lately, however, I pour a little K-meta sanitizing strength into my empty fermenters ... which pretty much over powers any lingering wine smells ... and keep the buckets all ready to go...