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Thanks Yooper. I'm planning to rack and sulfite this weekend. I'll take a taste, add the oak and check again after a couple of weeks. I've never oaked before and don't want to overpower the wine. My father-in-law got a complaint from his wife that his wine tasted like wood. Now...

I have not made wine in a couple of years and decided to try making Cabernet Sauvignon from a bucket of fresh juice vs pressing grapes this time. Primary fermentation completed and I racked over to a carboy. Very little sediment with the fresh juice (it did not come with skins, just 6...

I think I'll leave it alone and see what time does for me. I found this article on high pH / high TA wines. Looks like my TA is in the correct range, but the higher pH could lead to spoilage. I'm afraid if I add tartaric to bump pH down, I will move TA up and make the wine to acidic tasting...

OK, so I measured the TA last night using the titration method two ways - color change and ph change. I believe I did this correctly and got similar results. Based on the color change method, I came up with a TA of .6%. Using the pH method, I got .625% - .65%. I overshot the first time and...

My notes are at home, but I believe it was around .6%, assuming I did the test correctly. The instructions with my kit said to stop when any color change was seen. Other instructions say the diluted solution may turn slight gray, but you should wait for it to turn a bit green before...

I just tested the pH of my Merlot with a meter I borrowed. It's coming in at about 3.98-4.00. I didn't have the meter during the crush, but I did check the TA of the must with an acid test. It looked like it was in the correct range, but I have such a hard time with those tests. I always...

I'm trying 2 gallon batches of hard cider this fall. I have 1 gallon of sweet cider from a local orchard (pasteurized, but no preservatives). No idea what the apple make-up is, but assume it's sweet. I'll have a taste tonight before I start. I'm also planning to pick up 1 gallon of cider...

Thanks for the replies. Since this is my first attempt, I'm just going to follow the process that all the old Italians have been using for years. I'll plan to rack it in the next day or so and plan to try some around Christmas. They all say it is at it's best in February or March. Next...

I am in the process of making wine for the first time. My in-laws are from Italy and have been making it for years. I decided to get in on the action this year. I bought 3 cases of Barbera grapes. We crushed them and let everything sit for 1 week in a sterilized trash barrel. After a...

My local brew shop is taking orders for fresh Chilean grape varieties and fresh juice. I'm considering the 6 gallon bucket of juice, but wondering what experience others have had with this method. It says the juice has been acid corrected and all that is needed is yeast. Should I go searching...

OK, so after reading a bit more, I realize that I may not end up with clear cider anyway. This is my first batch ever and I sort of jumped right into it. I did heat the cider to around 160 (no boil or simmer) for maybe 10-15 mins to kill any bacteria. I didn't have campden tablets and was...

I started my first attempt at hard cider back on October 4th. My OG was 1.071. I checked it about 1.5 weeks ago and it had dropped to about 1.004 or 1.006, can't remember. I then racked it over to a glass carboy, popped the airlock on it and moved it to the basement. It doesn't seem to...

OK. So my cider has been sitting in the primary for about 6 weeks. I checked it today and it is down to 1.020 from 1.071. Any idea why this is taking so long to ferment? It was getting cool in here for a while (maybe mid 50's), but now we have the heat on and it's been averaging 68-70F...

My cider has been in the primary for about 8 days. The OG was 1.071. I decided to check yesterday to see how it was coming along. I am now measuring about 1.050 - 1.052. It has been fairly cool. The stick on thermometer is reading 60-61, but that may drop a bit at night. There was a...

I've been reading the large sticky on different yeasts, juices, sugars, etc. Tons of great info there. I'm a little confused about cold crashing though. I have about 5 gallons of cider fermenting now in a primary. I added 2.5lbs of corn sugar and .5lbs of brown sugar to get an OG of 1.071...

I'm using Coopers. My friend said he used champagne yeast for a dry cider and ale yeast for slightly sweeter. I started talking to the people at my local brew shop and they said the Coopers was popular. I took their word for it. I guess I was just concerned with opening the lid to the...

I appologize if these questions seem stupid or have been asked a million times before. I have my first batch of cider fermenting in a primary (6 gallon bucket). From what I was told, in about 4 weeks or so, I should be racking the cider into a glass carboy to allow it to settle out and clarify...

Thanks everyone. This morning it was about 40F outside, but the basement didn't seem too cold. I'm going to run over to the brew shop at lunch and pick up a couple of the stick-on thermometers to get a better feel for the bucket temp. I'm OK stretching the fermentation time if it will result...

Thanks. The basement doesn't get as cold as it gets outside, but I'm sure it drops into the upper 50s at night. I'll move the bucket upstairs and consider moving it back to the basement once I turn the heat on. The furnace has a vent to let some heat into the basement.

I have my first batch of cider fermenting now. I used a recipe from a coworker who has been making it for 20+ years. After reading, it sounds more like apple wine than hard cider. 5 gallons of unpasteurized cider 3lbs corn sugar 1 packet Ale yeast OG = 1.071 (he said I should expect...