Search results

**it looks like I posted in the work g section, can one of the moderates move this to the appropriate section? Thanks Assuming the barrel in neutral, how long can you leave wine in it to benefit from the microoxidation effect. Is there a point where it's too much oxidation? 1 month, 6...

Has anyone ever made sparkling sumac wine? I made a very small batch of still sumac wine this year, I have one bottle left and was thinking how it might taste sparkling. Im tempted to transfer it to a swing top bottle and try my first attempt at making sparkling wine. Any advice?

The last 2 vintages were my first with grapes and I had some oxidation issues so this year I want to improve. After primary I pressed into carboys with a few inches of headspace to account for any unexpected volume increase and left for 4 days. I racked again and the picture below is the result...

I'm using avante to ferment my 3 lugs of grapes. The starting brix was 23 and the must volume was around 12 gallons give or take some. I planned to add fermaid of at cap formation and 1/3 sugar depletion, adding half of the total required each time, or about 18g spread out over 2 doses. I...

This year Im making a grenache syrah blend, 2 lugs of grenache and one box of syrah. Brix was 23. I then measured the pH however I used opened 1 year old solutions to calibrate my meter so I'm not entirely sure how accurate these measurements are. I did a 2 point calibration so hopefully this...

I'm on the East Coast and most of the grapes I see around here at different shops tend to be the same labels from what I believe is the central valley....Pia, California special, teaser, colavita, valley beauty, Lodi gold, etc. is there any significant difference between? Once I figure out...

I bought a pH meter last year and used the liquid calibration solutions that came with it. However now they are expired and looking to buy for more this years wine. It seems like buying powdered packets that you mix yourself is cheaper than buying premixed liquid solution. I figured if I buy a...

Ive been reading about extended maceration lately. I know many good wines are made this way but I was always under the assumption that sitting on gross lees for long periods was not good. When I press my wine, I usually wait 2-3 days for the gross lees to settle then rack off them, which I...

Hi all. I'm thinking about doing making a grenache syrah blend this year, 2 lugs of grenache and one syrah. I read that grenache can be prone to oxidation. Is there anything I should do differently than the standard 1/4tsp kmeta per 5 gallons of wine every 3 months to prevent oxidation? Plan is...

I know there's lots of different techniques out there. I found this video which I'm assuming by the name of the guy is from Georgia. My favorite part was the gloves on the carboys. Watching these videos using traditional methods makes me wonder sometimes about all the additions added to...

I started a cherry wine from 2 lb. Of fresh cherries from my tree. And four 32 oz. Bottles of store-bought cherry juice without preservative. It fermented for about 4 days and the SG was getting low so I put I under airlock days and then it stopped at 1.002. I ran into some hydrogen sulfur...

Thinking about potentially buying some grapes from Long Island this year since I live here. I have access to California grapes (mostly the usual central valley grower brands that are seen elsewhere) but thought maybe Long Island grapes would be interesting to use. I thought about this last fall...

I'm planning on making sumac wine this year for the first time. I plan on following this recipe Staghorn Sumac wine. I've read a few threads on here and some things on other websites but still have some questions 1) should I ferment on the berries or make a tea and strain them off and ferment...

This is my second year making wine from grapes after a few years of juice buckets. Last year's wine did not come out too good, I think the issue was moldy overripe grapes and then I ran into some funky smells during fermentation. That wine is all bottled now so we'll see how it turns out as...

I have a small 3liter barrel that I was storing wet and forget about resulting in some mold build up in the barrel. I'm trying to salvage it and was reading that a sodium carbonate wash followed by citric acid wash should work. I don't have soda ash but have PBW. Will that work instead?

I'm thinking of making a zinfandel syrah blend. I don't make much in terms of quantity so I'll probably buy 2 lugs of zinfandel and one syrah and ferment together. I'm looking for opinions on what is most frequently done with these wines from an oak perspective. Do most commercial producers...

As the fall approaches I was looking at some of my local grape suppliers and was curious where they got their grapes. It seems like a lot from for the Madera area in central valley in California and some from Lodi. I remember looking at the Musto website last year and found their catalog which...

Hey guys, this is my first year making some with grapes. In the past few years, I made 3 batches of juice buckets which were just ok. I was gifted a wine press and now am looking to do better with real grapes. I was hoping to get them a few weeks ago but due a vacation I had planned, I...

Hi all, I'm looking to replace my press plates fory basket press. I'm having trouble finding them online, can anyone point me in the right direction? My second resort is to fabricate my own. Would white oak be the best material? Also, any suggestions on how to make them? One solid piece for...

Hi all, Im in the process of cleaning up and old wine press I picked up. It' made by Giunta Brothers and I think dates from the 1920s. Given that it was made a long time ago, should I be worried about the paint that was used to coat the base? Would lead paint have been used back then on...