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I got a cab, a red zinfandel, a pinot noir, and a gewurztraminer. It's a new supplier that I've just recently tried, and the 3 first ones I did last month are turning out really promising so far and should stand up well to several years of aging. According to the retailer, they're from a...

Oh, and should I date this Sherry 2005? Or 2009? :)

Well the old kit just started fermenting this morning. It's not an incredibly vigorous fermentation, but it's certainly going steady now. I figured the directions would include letting it oxidize, but instead the must has that sherry oxidized taste already. It also includes this little...

A package of oak (tea bag type) was added at the beginning only, after aeration in the pale. Temperature of must is around 23 C, or 74 F? That's the air temp down there as well. cpfan, the number on the sticker says 20050825D. Ummm... does this seriously mean that the kit was made in 2005? :s

I agree with Wade. Plus if it is a protein haze, the worst that might happen is that you might gain a bit of muscle mass. :D

cpfan, there is no date on the box. If there was one on the outer plastic, it went out with the garbage this morning. Same with the empty yeast packet. But my 2 EC-1118 were recent editions that I've never had problems with in any other wine. The ingredients on the box include sorbate. I...

cpfan, are you close to "Niagara on the Lake"? We did the tour there long ago, and I wasn't disappointed for something so close to home (only 700 miles away! LOL). To be honest, for quality I enjoyed our Okanagan Valley run better, but perhaps because the type of wines offered were more to my...

I'm rather like Tom in that I have 32 5-gallon carboys, and 5 6-gallon carboys (1 in plastic). I also have a 50L neutral barrel, which is soon to be paired with another brand new barrel next month. Keep in mind that I bulk age. Normally, the youngest I bottle has already been racked 4 times...

While trying new wines is fun and broadens your potential appreciation for the experience, it also helps you increase your chances of making great wine. Making wine without knowing wine is very much like attempting to be a musician who has never heard music, or a fiction writer who has never...

I don't make kits unless I get a premium kit on sale, and I thought I'd give this a try. $30 instead of $69 isn't bad... right? The guy selling it said the yeast was likely expired, and that I should use my own. So I hydrated some EC-1118, and added it to the undiluted must as per...

Luc's methods of preparing the "juice" of the bananas is the way to go. Once I tried adding mashed bananas to a must to ferment, and even after weeks of settling there was about 20" of loose pulp with about 10" of clear wine on top. After (lightly) straining it through nylons, I still had...

I think wine is a lot like being introduced to music. You start out with what's on the radio and consumed by the masses. This would be stuff like the Australia's Lindemans, California's Ernest and Julio Gallo, Chili's Santa Carolina, Italy's Masi, etc. The average section of your liqueur...

Luc is right about certain elderberry species. Many of them are poisonous raw or when the berries are not fully ripe. Sambucus nigra is considered poisonous; it's native to Europe and and is commonly called European Elderberry. There are also several red coloured species with flat clusters...

The guy I was talking about who will keep your carboys for months is Vinbella, located on Slack Road and Merivale (actully kinda close to you). He does fresh juices only - reds for $45 and whites for $40. His juices are working very well for me thus far. For a big selection of kits in the...

Hmmm... to many FoPs, the cost of space and carboy availability must be worth more than possible customer satisfaction. BTW, in my area I know of a FoP who will keep your wine in the carboy for up to 4 months. I guess that's a rarity.

Tom, which varietals did you order from Chili? I'm trying some Italians for the first time in awhile. I started 20L of Verdicchio this Easter weekend, and I've ordered 20L each of Barolo, Merlot, and Ruby Cabarnet for pickup next weekend. It's possible they might have some Chilean juices...

I'd use the k1-v1116 for a nice refreshing fruity strawberry.

Well now my curiosity is killing me. Why couldn't you do an MLF with a kit? What do they mean by "ending up in tears"?

Sorry, I meant that as an expression directed at your initial generalization of grape juice not being as good as kits (yet kits come from juice). But yes, you do get what you pay for ... mostly. And when you luck out with something cheap that provides good results - take advantage of it! But...

It's been branded by the local retailer here. But here's the surprising part, the Pinot is just another Californian wine. According to the vendor it's from Sonoma, but the actual vineyard is unknown or not supplied by the distributor which is unfortunate because Sonoma is a huge area with...