What are you making and what have you made ???

[Hazelemere]

Lodi Mettler Vineyard Petite Sirah with homegrown Regent to boost the acid and smell plus get the alcohol down to 14.2-14.6%. Regent improves Petite Sirah and vice versa e.g. 2/3 Petite Sirah and 1/3 Regent.

also have near the end of MLF

Washington Dineen Cabernet Sauvignon
Washington Dineen Petit Verdot

 

[wood1954]

Making cranberry wine from fresh cranberries. I’ll post my recipe and results next week. It’s down to 1.005 now, temps in wine room are low 70s so a long ferment. So far so good.

 

[Joe B.]

The Barbera and Sangiovese will be left 100% along with some Grenache, what Zin I leave as Zinfandel will get a little Syrah. I plan on coming up with one or more blends using Grenache, Zinfandel and Syrah. All the Syrah will probably end up in the blends.

 

[Jusatele]

MY Strawberry bottled last weekend and I have 10 gallons of Malbec going
besides that, I have not really started much this fall, But then I did so many wines last year I still have a stuffed cellar
I have to admit the Zinfandel I did this year is probably one of my best, this years Merlot is ok.

 

[RevA]

I had made a few gallons of apple wine from juice, but it tasted boring. So added a few pounds of mixed frozen berries. Not sure what to call it, but the taste is significantly better.

 

[Jrlaplante]

Tart cherry going into primary this week.

 

[winemanden]

Mainly I make mistakes

 

[Obbnw]

I'm looking for something to do - I have to check a few of the wines see how they are doing.

FYI, the following website has lots of interesting stories. They are a little heavy on the organic/sustainability side but still interesting.

https://www.internationalwinechallenge.com/Canopy-Articles/taming-tannat-with-gentle-infusion.html

 

[vezePilot]

GaDawg Said: I’ve wondered about the 8L Winexpert Pinot Noir. Can you tell us about it…Please? I love Pinot and have wondered about that one.

I'm starting another batch of WinExpert Pinot Noir. This will be my SIXTH batch of this. Sorry about the delay in answering this question. Since 2022 I have tried examples of many Pinot Noir wines in Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Arizona. The results of this WE kit really hold their own compared to all of the Pinot Noir samples, and is certainly my favorite among wines produced by established and reputable vintners.

 

[DansWinemaking]

Well, I'm onto my from scratch Blueberry wine. Haven't pitched the yeast yet but the plan is to use the EC118 yeast. I am using 3 lbs of frozen Wyman Wild Grapes. So far, I warmed up 1.2 gallons of water, dissolved 1.5 lbs of cane sugar and added 1 tspn of lemon juice, .5 teaspoon of pectic enzyme, and 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient. I purposely went light on the cane sugar (calls for 2.5 lbs.) so I could validate the SG. Added the thawed blueberries into a nut bag and tied it closed. submerged and used a potato masher to break up the berries. Nice purple color!

Back to the cane sugar, I took an SG reading without any yeast and is came out to 1.074, which is about high end limit for this wine. Based on that I'm going with 1.5 pounds of cane sugar. Surely there's natural sugar in the berries so can always back sweeten later. I also sprinkled , 1/2 tspn of grape seeds to add a pinch of character to the wine.

Any constructive feedback? I plan to pitch yeast later this afternoon. The must is in a 74 degree environment at the moment.

First attempt at non-kit wine.

 

[Raptor99]

using 3 lbs of frozen Wyman Wild Grapes

Did you mean frozen blueberries?

You will have about 1.5 gals. initial volume. 3 lbs. of fruit is very light on the fruit. I would consider doubling that to 6 lbs. for a more robust fruit flavor.

I purposely went light on the cane sugar (calls for 2.5 lbs.) so I could validate the SG.

That is a good idea. You can always add more sugar, but you can't take it out.

 

[BigDaveK]

Back to the cane sugar, I took an SG reading without any yeast and is came out to 1.074, which is about high end limit for this wine. Based on that I'm going with 1.5 pounds of cane sugar. Surely there's natural sugar in the berries so can always back sweeten later. I also sprinkled , 1/2 tspn of grape seeds to add a pinch of character to the wine.

An OG of 1.074 - assuming it ferments all the way - will give an ABV of 10-11%. My preference is to start around 1.085ish.

Lemon juice is nice but inconsistent. 1 tspn might not be enough. Can you measure pH?

3 lbs of blueberry is probably the bare minimum. I agree, you'll be happier with more fruit.

Good luck!

 

[Terryfirma]

Making cranberry wine from fresh cranberries. I’ll post my recipe and results next week. It’s down to 1.005 now, temps in wine room are low 70s so a long ferment. So far so good.

Cranberry can be a bugger to get going.. I look forward to hearing more.. My second effort was more successful because I had more knowledge..

 

[Terryfirma]

Did you use fresh squeezed lemon juice?.
My friend who does research projects with a university told me that fresh squeezed juice is important. (They did a comparative study.. but I can’t site it.. I just believe him! )
Keep us posted .. Blueberry is on my list..

 

[DansWinemaking]

Did you mean frozen blueberries?

You will have about 1.5 gals. initial volume. 3 lbs. of fruit is very light on the fruit. I would consider doubling that to 6 lbs. for a more robust fruit flavor.


That is a good idea. You can always add more sugar, but you can't take it out.

 

[DansWinemaking]

Thanks Raptor, I do have time to round up another pound of wild blueberries ( yes frozen) bag 'em and add them to the must today. Fermentation hasn't quite kicked off yet, the environment is at 73 degrees in the boiler room.

 

[DansWinemaking]

An OG of 1.074 - assuming it ferments all the way - will give an ABV of 10-11%. My preference is to start around 1.085ish.

Lemon juice is nice but inconsistent. 1 tspn might not be enough. Can you measure pH?

3 lbs of blueberry is probably the bare minimum. I agree, you'll be happier with more fruit.

Good luck!

 

[DansWinemaking]

Hi Big Dave, thanks for the feedback. I don't have a PH meter at present, one of the few instruments I don't have as I build up my kit. I'm going to add a pound of blueberries this morning as both of you have suggested.

Thanks to all

 

[BigDaveK]

Hi Big Dave, thanks for the feedback. I don't have a PH meter at present, one of the few instruments I don't have as I build up my kit. I'm going to add a pound of blueberries this morning as both of you have suggested.

Thanks to all

I used kombucha test strips before I got my meter, a good approximation.

https://www.amazon.com/Kombucha-Ins...08433186&sprefix=kombucha+test,aps,201&sr=8-3

 

[Ted Brumleve]

I have had success (wife approves) with Pinot Noir and Petit Syrah kits from Williams Brewing.