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The first big batch is always the hardest. Once you create a wine stockpile it becomes much easier to wait for new batches to properly mature.

Congrats on the blueberry success. About your super bitter taste...I just racked my tinkleberry and tinkleberry tropical batches yesterday at an SG of .989 and they too had the nasty slap you in the face bitter taste. Trust me when I say this is just because it is young and unsweetened. Once...

Ok thanks Julie that helps alot. I could ferment mine loose, then dump from one bucket to another into a fruit bag, then press the bag by hand. I like that idea. Is this what you would call a titration test kit? http://finevinewines.com/XPListSubRe.asp?MM_PartNumber=5400 Could anyone...

I met up with a friend of mine the other day who graciously offered me 13 pounds of a concord/mustang grape hybrid he had growing in his vineyard. I removed the stems, placed in 1 gallon freezer bags and set them in the freezer (to aid in breaking them down). Now I have made beer, cider...

I got 13 pounds of a concord/mustang grape hybrid the other day from a friend of mine. I de-stemmed them and placed in the freezer in 1 gallons bags. Now I'm all nervous since I've never made wine from grapes before. Make a post of your steps when you do yours!

SG for both batches was .989 today (above the top line of my hydrometer) so I went ahead and racked onto Campden, Sorbate and then mixed in Sparkolloid. The following pic is the end result. Remember, these were very large original batches so at this point I have 7.5 gallons of each. I just...

Very nice looking. Congrats! Now its time to start some experimental batches...

I'm doing 2 batches using Montrachet right now. It looks like everything is going fine. But I haven't tasted either yet.

Going great. Just about done with secondary fermentation. I'm going to check the SG tomorrow and if ready, I'll stabilize and begin clearing. Here's a pic of the larger carboys. I also have 2 x 1 gallons of each since this batch was so big. I think after racking, topping off, etc I'll end...

Really? So the bite in the bentonite version went away?

Well then, I'll have to try some! Let me know when its done!

Maybe try splash racking to introduce oxygen and remove some SO2?

Or for preserving once its done and clearing?

Did you get a chance to try my apple cider at the meeting last week? It was a similar recipe with a starting SG of 1.062 that I fermented dry and backsweetened to 1.013. Next time I'll raise the ABV and try a sweetness of about 1.010 but its amazing as is.

I suggest a Welch's wine. My wife can't get enough of it. See this post for my recipe: http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f5/wine-tasting-32835/ I also have a great recipe for an apple cider using Tree Top apple juice that everyone loves if you're interested.

I like sweet and don't like floral flavors. I would guess that this is what mead is supposed to taste like but its a bit frustrating cause I would love to make my own (or at least a cyser). Could be, but I don't really taste the spices. I totally would but this was the ONLY mead the...

This is why you spin it. Also, make sure you're testing on a completely level surface.

This is why we make 6 gallon batches. :h You can have some now and some later to see the difference a month makes. Once you taste it at a month, you'll never want it straight out of the carboy again. That's when you go buy 100 carboys and constantly cycle your batches so you have 1000+...

For future reference for others, I was told by others who have made this that they used the following: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/nielsen-massey-chocolate-extract-4-oz http://www.olivenation.com/Pure-Chocolate-Extract-P88C55.aspx

Curious about what mead tastes like, I picked up a bottle of this from my local liquor store (Goody Goody). This is the one and only mead I have ever had so I have no idea if its good or not. It pretty much tastes like what I would expect fermented honey to taste like and I don't like it. I...